A fictional read about the history of the necronomicon should be a fascinating read in it's own right but how it was presented in this novel was just bland to say the least and it feels like Lovecraft really didn't care about giving his infamous fictional book a bit of history, whilst some of it is interesting, how I believe it should have been presented is in a more story telling kind of way as opposed to just spitting out the details like their facts. From Lovecraft to Evil Dead: the history of the Necronomicon. Shepherd (The Rebel Press), November 1937. Sketch, pseudohistoryįirst publication citation: A History of the Necronomicon. Not much of a story in its own right.ĭates: fall 1927 (written), 1938 (first published) Joshi & Schultz (2001) state that Lovecraft “drew up the history largely in order to be consistent in subsequent references” (p. This tale is “biography” of HPL’s fictional evil book and it’s author, the mad Arab Abdul Alharzard. I am reading all of his fictional works in chronological order. “History of the Necronomicon” is arguably the 71st oldest extant story by American weird fiction author Howard Philips Lovecraft (1890-1937). “Reading leads to terrible consequences.”” Lovecraft #71: “History of the Necronomicon” (1927) He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.Īlthough Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades.

His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.

Necronomicon pages