A common thread running through the various Black Ocean series is the Tome of Bleeding Thoughts. It’s a cursed book that afflicts its few survivors with power and a gnawing madness they must constantly resist. Or, you know, give in to. Is it the darkest book in all of fiction? Debatable, and I’m not impartial enough to trust with the final say on the matter.
So, leaving my own creation aside, what IS the darkest fictional book of all time?
The Necronomicon - This one is most closely associated with Lovecraftian mythos, but the idea predated him. A medieval text containing all manner of instructions for dark magic, especially demonology and messing with the souls (and bodies) of the dead.The Darkhold - Marvel’s book of evil magic, it’s responsible for the corruption of many would-be wizards and (especially) witches. Dating back to Arthurian times, it was capable of destroying the multiverse.Tom Riddle’s Diary - Containing both spoilers and a portion of Voldemort’s soul, it was capable of controlling a reader to do its bidding.The Handbook for the Recently Deceased - While intended as a helping hand for the dead, in the hands of the living, it was a powerful tool for binding souls and other forms of afterlife manipulation.The Spellbooks of Fistandantilus - Records of the works of the great archmage were scattered after his death. The individual books were dangerous to touch and even more dangerous to try to read. Among their many secrets lay the creation of live and the ability to travel backward in time (forward is easy; we do it all day). [Image from 9 World Chronicles on YouTube]Dammaz Kron (The Great Book of Grudges) - Written in blood by dwarven kings, it’s a chronicle of slights both great and small, real and perceived, against the dwarven people. A self-inflicted curse, the book is responsible for untold bloodshed. [Image from Martin Roca on Artstation]
So, where do you fall on the topic of which book is the darkest? Ancient magic, instructions for forces humans weren’t meant to know, or the sins of envy and wrath codified to burden generations unborn? Take your pick, and then maybe we’ll see which might contend for the title with the Tome of Bleeding Thoughts.
Cast your vote, or reply in the comments if you come up with a better candidate I overlooked.
Oh, and if you find any of these in your local library, DO NOT CHECK THEM OUT!
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