Necronomicon

The Wanderings of Alhazred

By: Donald Tyson

Narrated by: Matt Godfrey

Length: 9 hrs

Publisher's Summary

Anyone familiar with H. P. Lovecraft's work knows of the Necronomicon, the black-magic grimoire he invented as a literary prop in his classic horror stories. There have been several attempts at creating this text, yet none stand up to Lovecraft's own descriptions of the Necronomicon...until now. Fans of Lovecraftian magic and occult fiction will delight in Donald Tyson's Necronomicon, based purely within Lovecraft's own fictional universe, the Cthulhu Mythos.

This grimoire traces the wanderings of Abdul Alhazred, a necromancer of Yemen, on his search for arcane wisdom and magic. Alhazred's magical adventures lead him to the Arabian desert, the lost city of Irem, ruins of Babylon, lands of the Old Ones, and Damascus, where he encounters a variety of strange creatures and accrues necromantic secrets.

©2004 Donald Tyson (P)2020 Tantor

The stars are right for this book

A great reading of a great book, whether it is taken as fiction or lore or as a mix of both. I truly hope this author's other books in this series will be done as audio in the same way.

Not loyal to established lore

Interesting is a word I would use to describe this book. It doesn't really feel like you're reading the Necronomicon once you've read upon Abdul's visit to the croc city. It reads more like a wiki.
The biggest thing that disappoints me is how the lore in the book doesn't match established lore. Some things are spot on but others made my head shake in disappointment.
He describes Cthulhu as the warrior god, which he is actually high priest of the outer gods and not a god himself. He describes Leng being in the waking world and nothing like how Lovecraft describes. Ghouls are not as Lovecraft described. He makes the blind idiot god the half brother of his chief servent while Lovecraft lists his servant as a descendant.
With more imagination and loyalty to the established lore, this could have been good.

A dark and fantastical read

Fans of weird and dark Lovecraftian fiction will truly enjoy this book. Donald Tyson expertly captures the tone and flavour of ancient grimoires and arcane secrets hidden deep in the graves of long dead wizards. Matt Godfrey does an excellent job of bringing the strange language of the Old Ones to life, without actually summoning any malevolent spirits... or at least I hope not.

Very insightful.

Very insightful into the Lovecraftian mythos. Reads more like scripture than fiction. Though at times ambiguous, many arcane secrets lay within. Very interesting to re-read other of Lovecraft’s works now knowing secrets never meant to be learned. Great book of lore for any that wishes to know more about the great Cthulhu and the various secrets of the many races that inhabit our world outside of ourselves.

Even death may die...

This modern rendition of HP Lovecraft's fabled Necronomicon is a wonder to behold. Make no mistake - it is not an action-packed adventure tale, more like a travel journal of misticism and magic. At an unhurried pace, the author describes the forgotten wonders of the ancient world, underpinned by the dark mythos of Cthulhu. I loved the setup and execution - the sardonic tone of the necromancer narrator. Fans of HP Lovecraft will enjoy references to many mythos tales, such as the "essential salts" from The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. The mythos, by the way, is pure Lovecraft - the omission of the dualist "Elder Gods/Old Ones" dichotomy found in later works by Derleth or Lumley is much appreciated. Plus strong vocal performance throughout making the audiobook a real treat. Recommended to all Cthulhu cultists and adepts of Azathoth out there!

The words of Alhazred!

I’m a big fan of Donald Tyson’s NECRONOMICON and it’s companion volume ALHAZRED, so I was delighted to find it available on Audible. Matt Godfrey’s narration brings Alhazred’s words to life superbly. Highly recommended for fans of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Hopefully Tantor Media and Audible will bring us the companion volume as well!

Quite surprised

Brilliant book, was surprised how faithful to lovecraft it really is, well worth the time spent.