A work debunking the notion of a pre-Lovecraft Necronomicon.

Hey, kids, have you ever picked up a paperback copy of the Necronomicon in your local Barne’s n’ Walden’s ? If so, then you’re out six bucks. Sorry, but the grim old grimore has never existed in any physical form, and if it had, it would prove to be very disappointing. Such is the thesis of ‘The Necronomicon Files’, a book dedicated to exposing the lame occult pastiches that exist to separate the gullible dabbler from their hard earned wampum.

Unlike my rather shallow review of it, ‘The Necronomicon Files’ is a lengthy and well written look at Lovecraft’s fictional tome. As you might guess from the title, this book is actually a compilation of different works (three in total) concerning the same subject. Our pair of myth busting authors Daniel Harms and John Wisdom Gonce III (I love that name!) are more than capable of handling the task.

The first section, penned by Harms, chronicles the life of H.P. Lovecraft, and provides a detailed history of the Necronomicon‘s development. He also gives a thorough examination of the various hoax volumes to be released as the genuiney book of the dead.

The second section, written by Gonce, gives us a look at the magical (sorry, I refuse to use Crowley’s oh too precious spelling of “magick”, any more than I would use terms like “womyn” or “temporary guest workers” ) applications of Lovecraft’s mythos and the various faux Necronomicons. Gonce is a clever and very funny author. His clear and concise writing style helps to guide even the occult-illiterate reader through some very dense subject matter. Gonce’s thesis in this section is that the pseudo-Necronomicons are at best useless, and at worst booby-rigged to backfire on the casual user. (Why take the chance?)

The third section, also by Gonce, gives us a look at the Necronomicon’s use in film and television. Not content with merely listing the fictional works the book has appeared in, Gonce gives lengthy plot descriptions of each title, as well as a short pithy review of each. (Great, someone else who’s better at this than me! )

As a small addendum, the book also reprints Lovecraft’s essay concerning the “historical” origins of the Necronomicon.

For the casual reader, the book may be overkill, but Lovecraft nuts will welcome such a flood of info on the topic. (Frankly, I had no idea there was this much to know about the Necronomicon, but I’m glad I know it now!) If you’re the type of person who owns fuzzy Cthulhu slippers, you may want to pick this one up.