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Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia
 

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Average Rating:4.4 / 5
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Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia
Publisher: Arc Dream Publishing
by Martin P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/11/2013 16:11:29

I really cannot review this item. I found no way to open this item up, so I cannot review it. If anyone has any hints on how to open it. I would love to hear it.

Thanks,



Rating:
[2 of 5 Stars!]
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Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia
Publisher: Arc Dream Publishing
by Chris H. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 06/02/2013 02:03:28

There was never much doubt that I’d love an A-to-Z summary of characters, creatures, places, tomes, and so on from H. P. Lovecraft’s influential corpus of weird fiction and related works inspired by Lovecraft’s story world(s)—and Dan Harms delivers in spades. I have only used the ePub version within iBooks on an iPad, so I can’t speak to the other formats. But the ePub version works great. The essay that the beginning on the origins and scope of the “Cthulhu Mythos” is quite valuable, too. Any Lovecraft aficionado or Cthulhu-curious reader will appreciate this book.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia
Publisher: Arc Dream Publishing
by Chris H. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 10/25/2012 12:19:33

One important starting point: Dan Harms knows his Cthulhu Mythos. You almost forget that this could be a scholarly work as you page through the entries on various creatures, places and entities of the Mythos fiction started by H.P. Lovecraft. Like with previous editions, there is so much information crammed into this book that the reader can learn something new and different on each reading. My suggested method for finding inspiration is to open the book up to a random entry and then follow the "read also" entries until full. You won't come away from it without something to inspire you. This book is set up like an encyclopedia and it charts the various people, places and things from the Cthulhu Mythos started by Lovecraft and embellished by so many other creators in the decades after his death. Unlike previous editions, this edition deemphasizes the Call of Cthulhu RPG from Chaosium in favor of further Mythos-inspired fiction. I don't think that is a bad idea because, for me, it elevates this present edition above being just a gaming supplement and turns it into something that can have a wider appeal, whether the read is a gamer or non-gamer. There is plenty in this book to inspire for years to come.

If I had a complaint, it would be that the electronic format was not fully embraced. I am not sure if this is possible, but I think that it would be much more useful if the "see also" lists at the end of each entry were hyperlinked to allow for better movement from one entry to another. This, however, does not take away from the otherwise high quality content of the book.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia
Publisher: Arc Dream Publishing
by Alexander L. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 09/05/2012 06:19:02

Originally published at: http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/09/05/tabletop-review-cthulhu-mythos-encyclopedia/

”CTHULHU MYTHOS ENCYCLOPEDIA, OR ENCYCLOPEDIA CTHULHIANA, BEING AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE MYTH-PATTERNS OF THE XOTHIC AND COMMORIOM LEGEND-CYCLES WITH NOTES ON THE ALHAZREDIC DEMONOLOGY, OR, A COMPENDIUM OF LORE RELATING TO THOSE BEINGS WHO ONCE RULED THE UNIVERSE AND THOSE WHO HAVE REVERED AND RENOUNCED THEM, AS EXPRESSED THROUGH THE MYTHOLOGY OF ALL CULTURES AND EXPLAINED IN THE WORKS OF H. P. LOVECRAFT AND OTHERS IN A MANNER THOUGHT TO BE FICTIONAL BY THE UNINITIATED AND RATIONAL”

– Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia, colophon

So this isn’t exactly your standard role-playing supplement, it’s not specific to a system or put out specifically for Arc Dream Publishing’s games. It’s really an encyclopedia, and it really kicks ass. This happens to be the third edition of it, which has gone through some pretty major revisions going by the author’s notes in the foreword. Arc Dream has another Lovecraftian publication, and that is The Unspeakable Oath which is a magazine dedicated to fiction and other things based on the Cthulhu Mythos.

I should note that the format of this book is for the Nook, Sony, or other e-reader and so it is an E-pub. This tripped me up at first since I don’t own one of those handy devices, but I soon discovered that Firefox has a nifty add-on that will let you read E-pubs, so there you go.

First off, the foreword is awesome, as Daniel Harms gives the reader the straight facts (distilled) about Lovecraft, what his inspirations might have been, what the Mythos means and what various authors have done with it, how other authors have contributed to Lovecraft’s body of work, etc. He really covers a lot of ground and tackles various topics with admirable objectivity.

Encyclopedic Chtulhification: What’s in this thing anyway?

As a little preview, here is an example entry from the C’s:

CRYSTALLIZER OF DREAMS Yellow egg-shaped item that periodically emits a whistling noise. The Revelations of Glaaki states that the Crystallizer can be used to view far-off places (such as the world of Tond) in dreams, as well as allowing its possessor to perceive higher dimensions. According to some, the Crystallizer allows its user to bring items or creatures back from the Dreamlands to the waking world for a brief while. The user must always be cautious to avoid the Crystallizer’s guardian, a creature like a translucent jellyfish that is a servant of Hypnos.

See Revelations of Glaaki; Tond. (“Mysterious Manuscripts”, Aniolowski et. al.; “The Inhabitant of the Lake”, Campbell (O); “The Render of the Veils”, Campbell; H. P. Lovecraft’s Dreamlands, Petersen et. al..)

The encyclopedia itself is exactly what you would expect: entries on the various things contained in and referenced by the Cthulhu Mythos. It is laid out well and referenced with the story (or stories) where the entry occurs. The only real problems I have with the encyclopedia seem to be technical. There are a few occurrences where an entry seems to appear twice, such as the “Queen In Red” entry which appears in the middle of one page and then again at the top of the next page. It also seems that whenever I click on the table of contents to the left it does not take me to the entry I clicked on, but just sort of moves me near it, but I don’t know if this is a failing of the E-pub or the Firefox add-on. It may be that the E-pub went through this third revision and the quick links were never updated to the new page numbers. Speaking of page numbers, I can’t see any! I don’t know if this is the add-on or what, but I have no idea how many pages are in this thing. Even looking on DriveThruRPG which usually lists the pages gives me nothing. Well, rest assured, there are a lot.

I would not hesitate to say that this would be awesome for anyone who is interested in writing Mythos fiction or looking for inspiration for a Call of Cthulhu game (or perhaps De Profundis). I personally would rather have a hardbound version, but an E-pub is nice and portable especially for those with the proper equipment. Just leafing through this tome sparks the imagination, or is that just the fringes of my sanity fading away?



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia
Publisher: Arc Dream Publishing
by Cedric C. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 08/16/2012 04:08:45

Which Ancient One did Tulzscha serve? Did Bast oppose Nyarlathotep? Which Ancient One is associated with Kingsport?

As a longtime player of the Arkham Horror boardgame, I try to thematically associate an Ancient, its Herald, any Guardians opposing it, and the city the Ancient One had activity is in. Unfortunately, the Arkham Horror game has no background on these entities, and it's up to the players to research "Who's Who" in the mythos.

But this is a large task. Not only does the Arkham Horror boardgame series utilize entities, locations, creatures, and items from the original Lovecraft stories, but it also draws from other authors who contributed to the mythos as well. And, not only would there be quite a bit to read to understand these elements of the mythos, many of these stories aren't really worth reading.

The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia, then, is an invaluable resource for us theme junkies who really do care which Ancient One goes with which Herald in which expansion set location. And, of course, any Keeper who needs to look up a diety, person, creature, or item of the Mythos will find it useful as well. As someone who's tried to use the internet for this information, I've found internet sites and the Wiki woefully inadequate.

The information is organized by mythos entity or item and is in ePub format, under 1 MB. In addition to encyclopedia entries, the Encyclopedia has a short background of Lovecraft and the mythos itself. Very useful and very entertaining.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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