Necronomicon

De: H. P. Lovecraft

Narrado por: Richard Powers, Bronson Pinchot, Stephen R. Thorne, Keith Szarabajka, Adam Verner, Tom Weiner, Patrick Cullen

The only audio edition of Necronomicon authorized by the H. P. Lovecraft Estate

Originally written for the pulp magazines of the 1920s and ’30s, H. P. Lovecraft’s astonishing tales blend elements of horror, science fiction, and cosmic terror that are as powerful today as they were when first published. This tome brings together all of Lovecraft’s harrowing stories, including the complete Cthulhu Mythos cycle, just the way they were when first released. It will introduce a whole new generation of readers to Lovecraft’s fiction, as well as attract those fans who want all his work in a single, definitive volume.

Stories include:

“Dagon”
“Herbert West – Reanimator”
“The Lurking Fear”
“The Rats in the Walls”
“The Whisperer in the Darkness”
“Cool Air”
“In the Vault”
“The Call of Cthulu”
“The Color Out of Space”
“The Horror at Red Hook”
“The Music of Erich Zann”
“The Shadow Out of Time”
“The Dunwich Horror”
“The Haunter of the Dark”
“The Outsider”
“The Shunned House”
“The Unnameable”
“The Thing on the Doorstep”
“Under the Pyramids”

©2014 H. P. Lovecraft (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Some great, some good, some interesting

Others have offered a list of what's included (Maliboo's list is incomplete), but here I'll add a list of which chapters correspond to which stories......I found that information very helpful in allowing me to choose shorter or longer stories to listen to.

Dagon (Ch. 1)
Herbert West: Re-Animator (Ch. 2 - 7)
The Lurking Fear (Ch. 8)
The Rats in the Walls (Ch. 9)
The Whisperer in Darkness (Ch. 10 - 17)
Cool Air (Ch. 18)
In the Vault (Ch. 19)
The Call of Cthluhu (Ch. 20 - 22)
The Color Out of Space (Ch. 23)
The Horror at Red Hook (Ch. 24 - 30)
The Music of Eric Zahn (Ch. 31)
The Shadow Out of Time (Ch 32 - 39)
The Dunwich Horror (Ch. 40 - 49)
The Haunter of the Dark (Ch. 50)
The Outsider (Ch. 51)
The Shunned House (Ch. 52 - 56)
The Unnamable (Ch. 57)
The Thing on the Doorstep (Ch. 58 - 62)
Under the Pyramids (Ch. 63)


I am not a huge Lovecraft fan, but I thought some short stories would allow me small tastes of his different subjects and themes, without getting too much and getting turned off by the sparse writing and thin characters. It was a good mix. The narrators varied in quality from fair to very good, as did the stories. I consider this a good mix for those unsure of how much they will like Lovecraft, because they, like I can enjoy small bits over months without feeling like they're losing the thread of a longer book.

Wonderful listen... depending on the narrator

Would you consider the audio edition of Necronomicon to be better than the print version?

It really depends on who is reading it. That is my main complaint about this book. Some of the narrations are terrific at their job while others are dull and monotone. So half the tales I'd rather read because listening was putting me to sleep.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Necronomicon?

Something about having the story of Cthulhu narrated makes the imagery of the book even more vivid.

What three words best describe the narrators’s voice?

Some were good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Quite a few of the stories were wonderfully done.

Well read

The stories, ranging from the very short to the several chaptered, are an interesting collection of Lovecraft's fiction. I really enjoyed most of the readers. There was one who I felt didn't measure up to his esteemed colleagues, but it's easily forgiven. This collection of stories shows how very good a writer Lovecraft was, but it also shows how invariant were his subjects and terminology. His use of the word "grotesque" for instance, was so ill-used and so commonplace that the word had no bite by the time I was a quarter through the collection. I suggest, if you wish the material to remain fresh and -grotesque- that you go through these stories slowly. A very enjoyable and engrossing set of writings, though, I finished it in four days time!

I know it was only a dream...

I know it was only a dream...

great book and one of the best performances I've heard in audible

Cyclopean

It became a bit repetitive that everything was Eldritch and Cyclopean or indescribably horrible. and

just plain bizarre

An outstanding collection of wildly unusual stories. It is never possible to know what is next..

Heavily suggested for horror fans

Not only is Lovecraft's works amazing and as great as I had hoped, but all of the readers are at the very least decent. I will be following most, if not all of their future readings.

Spooky

A few of these stories are really really chilling and good. The rest pretty much all follow the same exact formula and plot structure. Somebody should have told Lovecraft that just repeating the words “cyclopean,” “eldritch,” and “demoniac” doesn’t make something scary. The sentence structure can also be convoluted and hard to follow at times, unless you’re paying perfect attention. That said, the narrators’ voices are perfect for these stories, and this volume is nothing if not pleasant to listen to. I definitely enjoyed listening.

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

The readings were masterful as if Howard, himself, were telling these stories for the very first time. I loved every minute and will definitely replay this copy for my children and friends alike.

interesting way to contrive a collection

Some have suggested this collection is unorganized and not in sync with release dates, which is probably true. However, I enjoyed this collection which centers around the forbidden Necronomicon. Most of the stories mentioned the book, but not all. Which maybe the source of confusion. Many of the stories touch on the Miskotonic university where the tome is stored. However I think nature of all the stories which hint at the existence of some elder race, aliens, cults which are only explained passingly through mention of said tome. Leaving the reader to draw many of his own conclusions. The only complaint is that it seems like The Shadow over Innsmouth should have been included in this release . only one of the narrators bothered me. the one did Dagon. Weiner and Pinchot really stand out.