The Necronomicon
by Simon
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Book Reviews of The Necronomicon
Book Review: The 'scientific' approach
Summary: 5 Stars
It seems that almost everyone has an opinion about this work. I shall not add myself to this list of people. Opinions are for armchair-occultists and coffee-breaks. I really wish I didn't have to rate this book, because it is a blessing and a curse depending on whose hands are holding it. Nevertheless, I will write this review in light of what reviews I have read so far. So let's get started! First of all, the debate of whether this book was written in the 20th century or not is not relevant to the subject it covers. Would, for example, Agrippa's works be less valid if he wrote them today? Luckily, I obtained this book before people began debunking it. I therefore took it at face value. I had some prior knowledge of magick, and this book 'filled the shoe'. Fact: I had easy results using this book. Fact: Strange phenonema occured while just reproducing some of the seals on paper. Fact: merely reading it increased my hypnagogic activity to a nightly basis. Fact: Trying a ritual by the ocean at night once produced intense UFO-phenonema which forced me and two friends to run away because of sheer fear. I could go on considerably, because the powers of the sumerian/babylonian/assyrian deities are easily contacted with this book and by using it, they become integrated with your life in a very real way. One could claim that this was all in my own head, but on several occasions I shared these experiences with other people around me, some who had no clue what the necronomicon even was. Collective hallucinations? Perhaps, but what exactly are collective hallucinations? In fear of rambling like the Mad Arab himself, I will conclude this review with the following: Magick is about creating your own reality. The occult is the hidden, the unknown. Whether these things stem from the far reaches of the interdimensional universe or from within the dark confounds of the mind really seizes to make any difference at some point. This point begins and ends with the necronomicon!Book Review: Absolute Garbage
Summary: 1 Stars
I hardly even know where to begin bashing this "book." First of all, whoever wrote this piece of trash didn't even have the guts to put his name on it. Instead, we're given this mysterious character named Simon, who could have stepped right out of some cheesy spy movie. This Simon supposedly approached the editors with a mysterious "manuscript." Excuse me while I laugh myself silly. Second, the author(s) then attempt to prove that there really is a Necronomicon by pointing out similarities between creature's from H.P. Lovecraft's stories and gods from Sumerian mythology. In doing so, they ignore the simple fact that Lovecraft easily could have borrowed a few names and ideas from the Sumerians. Thirdly, they completely ignore most of what Lovecraft actually said about the Necronomicon in his stories. If one takes the time to look at all of the references, you'd realize that the real Necronomicon would have to be at least a thousand pages long. This copy is considerably lighter, weighing in at around 250 pages. The author(s) of this farce don't even include many of the famous quotes attributed to the book. Fourth, all the spells are so complicated, no one will actually take the time to carry them out, assuring that they will never be discredited. Honestly, who is going to have extra silver plates just lying around, plus tools for carving them? Finally, just what makes ancient Sumerian mythology any more believable than say, Greek mythology? So there are similarities between their myths and some Christian beliefs. BIG FREAKIN' DEAL. If you look, you'll find that almost all religions have at least a few similar beliefs or practices. This book is no better than any of the other new-age crap out there, and is an insult to the literary legacy of H.P. Lovecraft. Sadly, the lowest rating I could give this garbage was 1 star. If I could have given it less, I would have. Don't waste your money on this junk.Book Review: You people are missing the point.
Summary: 5 Stars
OF COURSE THE BOOK IS FAKE! OF COURSE THERE IS NO REAL NECRONOMICON!
It wasn't written to fool you, it's just for fun! So you can say "I have a copy of the Necronomicon!" It's a prop! It's not a hoax, it's not a religious text, it's not a "real" grimoire.
It does, however, read like a "real" hermetic, enochian, or kabbahlistic spellbook. Many of the same themes are present, the seals and gates correspond directly to the kabbahlistic sephiroth, for instance.
The two main differences here are.
1. The Sumerian pantheon is used instead of a Hebrew or Greek pantheon
2. The books is much darker and forboding. The reason for spellcasting here is not to advance in your workplace or get a new lover, as in most modern "real" spellbooks, instead it is supposed to be used to gain power from the "Elder Gods" (the good guys) to keep "The Ancient Ones" from destroying the mortal world.
The beggining and ending written by "The Mad Arab" are a great homage to Lovecraft. This is for entertainment.
If you like the way you get scared reading Lovecraft's stories, you might like to read this book. If you love occult sigils you will love this book. If you're writting horror or fantasy stories, you might find this book useful as inspiration. If you want to learn a bit about Sumerian mythology (you know, MARDUK, slayer of TIAMAT, and all that), there's some of that in the introduction too.
I really enjoyed this book.
Actually the "real" Necronomicon is "The Egyptian Book of the Dead" which is a pretty complete translation of hieroglyphs from the papyrus of ANI which, written about 1500 - 1400 BCE. and aquired by the British Museum in 1888. This book won't give you magic powers either, but it's an authentic religious text.
Book Review: Miss informated people
Summary: 4 Stars
The ones who think and say this book is fiction surelly have noexperience in Magic, and haven't performed the rituals contained inthe book. The same ones who say that it was all invented by Lovecraft are miss informed about historical facts. The first Latin translation of the Necronomicon was made in 1487 by the Dominican Priest Olaus Wormius, the 1st secretary (German) of the well known Spanish Great Inquisitor Tomas de Torquemada. The acta of the Autos de Fé documents that this priest was executed based on heresy crimes when he has sent a copy of the translation to Abbot Johannes Trithemus, the main master of Henry Cornelius Agrippa. This work has also been studied and taken very seriously by several major Occult Names like Trithemus, John Dee, S.L.MacGregor Mathers, among others. How can this "new born to occult" people state that all theese respectable authors have been studing a fake! My advise to those is to know just a bit of what are they speaking of when they want to write it. Now, the book itself. It is a major elder work on ancient sumerian magic. It is like a Bible with practical magical knoledge. The ones who have experience on Magic can (this is a suggestion only) first establish contact with some of the Marduk 50 names using a diferent and safer technic than those that figure in the Necronomicon. As an example I supose the F. Bardon second work "Practice Of Magical Evocation" will be perfect to teach how to perform that safe evocation. This title is available on Amazon.com For the less experienced magicians, if ever a magician could be called "less experienced", my advise is: learn first and be sure of your practical knoledge before you even try to use this book.Book Review: Interesting
Summary: 1 Stars
First off, there's no question about it, there is no Necronomicon, as it was an invention of Lovecraft. In a 1936 letter he says: "I am forced to say that most of them are purely imaginary [books referenced to in his stories]. There never was any Abdul Alhazred or Necronomicon, for I invented these names myself." Any Greek scholar knows that "Necronomicon" is incorrect grammar, and any Arabic scholar knows that "Abdul Alhazred" is redundant.
On the theory that Lovecraft lied about his claiming the Necronomicon a work of fiction, there is little evidence to support the it. Says Joshi, the foremost Lovecraft scholar, Lovecraft was always truthful, and was a materialist (as in the philosophy, i.e. atheist,agnostic). He regarded the occult as primitive and superstitous, though the only concept that sparked Lovecraft's imagination was the fictional dealing of man with the cosmic unknown.
Now onto this Necronomicon as an occult book. It simply can't be. Why, you ask? Well, for one error, is that the author cites that one passage might refer to "Lovecraft's R'yleh text". However, Lovecraft never wrote about any R'yleh text, that was August Derleth who wrote that. Also, the Sumerian mythology in this book contains mythology that didn't come along until long after the time periods referenced. So far, this is still the only Necronomicon that's author has not admitted to being a joke or spoof.
However, most scholars, if not all, agree that this is nothing more than a badly planned, yet elaborate, literary hoax. Let HP Lovecraft and his works of fiction lay in rest, don't exploit the dececeased.