The Necronomicon
by Simon
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Book Reviews of The Necronomicon
Book Review: Belief and bunk
Summary: 3 Stars
Two points...1. The necronomicon is a name created by the great (and slightly insane)author H.P. Lovecraft. He attributed the name to coming to him in a dream. Al Alhazred, the mad Arab, was a pseudonym Lovecraft used when he was 5. Lovecraft wrote many letters, which you can find on-line with ease, referring to the subject. The necronomicon was made by both Simon and LeHay, in slightly different versions, in the 70's after a resurgance of Lovecraft popularity. These are known facts...but...
2. Many people continue to attest of strange occurrances when they read and/or perform rituals outlined in the Necronomicon and it's spellbook (which was made after the success of the original book). Many say this lends proof to the authenticy of the book and that Lovecraft may have been attempting to hide his practice of the dark arts (though he attempted it very poorly if this is the case, read some of his Kthulhu stories). It may also be atributed to the theory that if you believe in something hard enough, than you may actually cause something to happen or see something that others can not(the old debate about why ghosts and and unexplained phenomena are only seen by people who already believe in them). The answer to that will always be debated, but probably never be proven either way, just like you can't prove there's a God. You'll know if you wind up there, but by then it's too late to tell anyone else.
Research and read...and make the decision for yourself.
Book Review: BRING PEACE TO THE ILL AT HEART
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read the Necronomicon on and off for over ten years now, and nothing in literature feels to me more spiritually vital than the powers that this work seems to touch upon. The New Age movement is overflowing with what I have come to call "light addicts," insomuch as much of their "return to the light" rhetoric seems like a mere reworking of Judeo-Christian ideology. As I am a firm believer in the healing powers of the dark, I have been hard pressed to find works which embody this belief and lead me in the direction of spirits and deities who might populate this world as surely as the characters of the Christian pantheon populate "Heaven." As such, it has provided me with a much-needed catalyst to understand how certain esoteric powers/beings might operate, and might be contacted. Whether this is a work of fiction or not is, in this regard, totally irrelevant. I have read "The Necronomicon Files," which is an impassioned attempt to debunk the authenticity of the Necronomicon. But this book is written from the perspective that the powers of the Necronomicon are entirely based on whether or not the book is a work of fiction. This is, again, an erroneous philosophy, for some of the greatest works of fiction derive their powers from the subconscious storehouse of forgotten powers and latent truths. Again, I believe the work touches upon some very real spiritual truths which are desperately needed in the world right now.Book Review: a very powerful book
Summary: 5 Stars
Its amazing how many arm chair magicians have reviewed this book. This book is a grimiore of the blackest type. It is NOT a work of fiction. Internal evidence suggests that the book is authentic and complete. It is not taken from a much larger work, since the gates mentioned in the book are a reference to nine planetery zones of spiritual intellegences mentioned in Franz Bardons works. It is authentic because the mad arab in the book is no liar. These rituals are very powerful. One must be well versed in magick to understand what is in this book. I strongly suggest one read Modern Magick by Don Miachel Kraig and The Golden Dawn by Regardie to get a solid grounding in magick and to learn banishing rituals to dissolve these monsters that are called up. In no way should a beginner use these rituals. Even if he sees nothing by using the book, the forces are there invisibly. If they are not banished, they can lead to terrible suffering. This is no joke! The book is packed full of rituals and incantations for the calling forth of dark forces. The last section of the book is the blackest of all. Only an advanced magician should try these. There are accounts of people who have tried these rituals and summoned up the most terrible things and had a very hard time banishing them. Please people if you are going to try these rituals, be well grounded in magickal theory and practice, because this book works.Book Review: An Extension to H. P. Lovecraft's Work
Summary: 3 Stars
The "Necronomicon" originally was discussed by H. P. Lovecraft in his Cthulhu Mythos. Author Ed Simon has extended this mythos in the "Necronomicon", the testimony of the so-called 'Mad Arab' (a follower of the Sumerian beneficient Elder Gods) and a magickal handbook for sorcerers battling followers of the Sumerian Ancient Ones, the bearers of Chaos. Simon describes how the Sumerian Ancient Ones were defeated and were banished beyond The Gates, where they wait and scheme to reenter the world. The Gates are sealed with fifty spells, each spell named and explained in the "Necronomicon". The Ancient Ones' followers strive to free the Ancient Ones as they bedevil the Mad Arab, a torment described in the "Necronomicon".The "Necronomicon" presents a system of magick. In its introductions the "Necronomicon" references both Aleister Crowley [e.g., "MAGICK in Theory and Practice" (ASIN 1555217664)] and the Christian New Testament's "Book of Revelations" -- I prefer these referenced works as _literature_. But the system of magick that the "Necronomicon" describes is said to have originated in the Eighth Century A.D. Damascus Syria, a region much discussed today.
IMO the chief use of the accompanying volume "Necronomicon Spellbook" (ASIN 0380731126) is providing glyph illustrations for tattoo artists.
Book Review: Value a a genuine mythological work?
Summary: 3 Stars
This is an amalgamation of three sets of mythologies, Sumerian, Babyonian, and Cthonic. While Sumerian and Babylonian works are quite similar, they are often incorrectly fused within the Avon edition, although the tie of the Necronomicon to the ancient fertile crescent is unique to this edition. Of the Cthonic mythology, it is a tangled web of information and misinformation that may be impossible to weed through if their even is such a thing external to H.P. Lovecraft's fiction, and no one can really be sure of the actuality. Again the Avon Necronomicon fuses this with the other two mythologies. So on a question if this is a fake or not, Yes that these three mythologies never appeared together in the ancient world, but at least the Sumerian and Babylonian are real and can be researched externally. Of the Cthonic, this and several books on both sides of the issue the reader may find of interst. Finally, as an occult work. Assuming you believe in magic(k), the work is no less genuine than Wicca, the so-called ancient religion which is almost entirely modern, and is an excellent starting point to students of the occult interested in Non-Wiccan paganism and occultism which have been so igonred of late. In short, read it, compare to other occult works, literary works, and anthropological/mythological books. Enjoy and please don't destroy the Earth before I complete my Ph.d!!!