The Investigators of Arkham Horror

Excellent book; looks beautiful; spectacular writing and great artwork, most gleaned from the Arkham Horror game boxes and cards. Some very engaging writing, and some great stories. A definite must-have for any fan of Lovecraft and the Arkham Horror games. However, I'm not sure if the book is poorly made or if it's just how it's shipped, but I ordered it three times and all three copies were very damaged: broken corners (not just bent, but cracked), and the spine literally peeling away. At any rate, this is a heavy, glossy cover book (kind of like a high school yearbook), which means it's very easily damaged. If your copy comes in an envelope instead of a box, or it it comes in a box three times the necessary size (and with one airbladder), keep your fingers crossed...

Only recently have I had my curiosity piqued by the "Arkham Horror" connection. I'm NOT a gaming person myself, so seldom take note of what is out there in Lovecraftian games. Therre are, however, exceptions... and in each case, it is because the "game" led to writing of original Lovecraftian fiction, or the compiling (as with the lengthy "Call of Cthulhu" series of anthologies) of the original source material which inspired Lovecraft, his colleagues, and therefore the designers of the games. Save for picking up the few early "Elder Beings" figures from the 1980s, I hadn't gone beyond that.Until now.Recently, I began to find more and more references to the "Arkham Horror" game figures and characters, and their exploits, showing up in my "recommendations" from others. Mostly I ignjored such, though sometimes finding them niggling at my curoisity a bit. Then I ran across a few descriptions which indicated something a bit different from the usual RPG penumbra. These people not only seemed to know their HPL rather well, but were -- as with the best, or at least most interesting, of the writers who have used the worlds created by the dreamer from Providence -- using even tiny but very suggestive hints the Old Gent had woven into the work, as a set of "grafting points" to grow their own "nightmare fungi". So I began to look up more about them, and found a surprising array of people very articulately discussing their merits (and demerits). And I followed an odd sort of "hunch" which has seldom let me down during the decades, and began to pick up the books of fiction; but I still kept it very much in that realm. Until I found that this "guide" to the investigators of several of these tales (and games) was, itself, apparently worth reading for even a *non-games* person. I also found that the book had some reviews saying it had arrived broken in one way or another, so I was wary on that count. But I went ahead and took that "leap" of, if not faith, at least trust, in my instinct.And the book arrived today, and I began browsing through it... and even with such a short span, I've seen little details in the artwork and the few passages I've read, to indicate that my instinct has once again proven trustworthy. Granted, the verbal magic may not be as much in evidence as the best of the writers in the field, but these dreamers are nevertheless impressing me with the care they show for various aspects of HPL's work and, particularly, his vision.I am sure there are things I will find disappinting here, as well. But this book is already impressing me on several levels; and flaws are not necessarily fatal. After all, even HPL (or Machen, or Poe, or CAmpbell) have their share. But the dreams, the visions, the wonderful blending of awe, fear, and the "lure of the unknown" (Burkean sublime, anyone?) shines out from these pages, in their own odd and wondrous ways.So, yes, I would advise anyone who is *not* a strictly "orthodox" (so to speak) Lovecraftian or fan of the Mythos, to take the plunge, if they are at all so inclined. There may be some who disagree... but I've a feeling that, as with myself, if you're open to new ways to explore Lovecraft's universe of madness and beauty, you will find more -- much more -- to enrich your appreciation of Grandpa Theobold's work than otherwise.

Fantastic quality book full of lovely art and great background histories of all the investigators (and there are a lot of them) from Fantasy Flight Games HP Lovecraft series of board and card games.A must buy for any player of these games, with more than a passing interest into the background.

I've always been a huge fan of Fantasy Flight Games and the world of Arkham Horror. This book is a nice showpiece to supplement the Arkham Horror Universe. I enjoyed the short backstories of the various investigators that inhabit Arkham and I really liked the artwork. The quality of the stories is a bit uneven, but mostly enjoyable. Great for any fan of the board games tied to these characters!

Fantastic book!!! The art of every page is simply so beautiful and every details so well thought and designed. A real pleasure for the eye. Of course the stories of each single character are a bit short, but this is expected for so many characters covered.Overall, this is a piece of art that every fun of Arkham Horror files franchise should own ;)

Illustrations are magnificent, and I really enjoy reading this book. Also I'd like to state that it was delivered to Russia in a week or so — fastest delivery I've ever experienced, I couldn't even image that.

This is a great gift for any fan of the game.

Great book. Interesting information