Book Review: The Necronomicon (3rd edition)

Abdul Alhazred (trans. James Ward), June 2009, Penguin Books Australia

That is not dead which can eternal lie
And with strange aeons even death may die

I was in two minds, after receiving an advance copy from the publisher, as to whether The Necronomicon actually warranted a review on HorrorScope; the book is, after all, a religious text of sorts (along the lines of The Egyptian Book of the Dead) rather than any sort of genuine horror-related publication; however, in the end, given that The Necronomicon has been so heavily mythologised and quoted by famed horror author H. P. Lovecraft and his circle, I figured that Mythos fans at least would appreciate the effort.

This edition of The Necronomicon, made available as part of Penguin’s current ‘reprint’ range of $9.95 ‘60s-style paperbacks, has been newly translated from the original tome (currently housed in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, according to the introduction) by James Ward. The text primarily takes the form of ‘fragments’ of verse (surviving from the original text, which was compiled circa 730 A.D.), with some prose, plus footnotes, all of which refer to dimensions and entities beyond the sight and understanding of mortal men. There’s no coherent plot, such as you might find in the Qur’an or Bible, but the contents are sufficiently weird and atmospheric to grab the reader’s interest. On a personal note, I found the imagery of several passages I read aloud disturbing enough to make me imagine stealthy movements in the shadows surrounding my computer desk, so I can certainly understand the fascination that The Necronomicon held for Lovecraft and his friends!

On the one hand, the price and availability of this legendary publication are sure to please Mythos scholars and fans alike, and it’s also a fairly decent read in its own right. On the other hand – and I know I’m nitpicking here – it would have been nice to see Penguin release an additional, more ‘upmarket’ version of the book; perhaps a limited-release bound hardback, for serious Lovecraft scholars and collectors. Speaking as a Mythos fan myself, the bland orange-and-white cover of the paperback version just doesn’t seem worthy of a book such as this.

That aside, I’d recommend The Necronomicon as a ‘must-own’ to anyone interested Lovecraft and his Mythos, if only for the novelty value of having it sitting on their bookshelf. I will add, though – again – that the contents of this book make for very unsettling reading, and perhaps should not be recommended to those of nervous disposition or overactive imagination: I’m still getting the distinct impression of movement in the shadows, and with the family away for the weekend, and an unusually dark and windy Melbourne winter night outside, it’s easy t