This book is not for the young or the easily disturbed. The world of Giger is quite intentionally the world of nightmares, with Freudian symbolism, decay, and perverse sexuality abounding. But there is also a beauty behind it all, in the metallic shine of his futuristic nymphs or the strange landscapes of endless babies' faces which make us realize the strangeness inherent in the everyday. Instead of using art to try and transcend reality, Giger pulls us down into the darkest parts of what we see around us, and refuses to let us go. In this way he shows us that perhaps that darkness is not so terrifying as it may seem, and he accustoms us to facing that in ourselves. Not only is such confrontation healthy, it may very well be essential, and Giger is a skilled tour guide when it comes to areas of the mind and psyche that not many artists have dared to explore.

The second Necronomicon volume is a worthy companion to this one, but if you must have only one Giger book this is the one I recommend. Use this book to take yourself into hell...and then realize that you can come back out again.


Heeeeeeelllllllllllllpppppppppp!   July 8, 1999
 21 out of 107 found this review helpful

the book ate m,y little sister.......do i really need to go on


Crass, penetrating, bedrock samples of Giger's macabre work.   July 24, 1999
 21 out of 25 found this review helpful

Here is an excellent foundation of H.R. Giger's work for those sci-fi die-hards who appreciate intense subjects in both text and art. This books shows a wide range of H.R.'s various styles, each one drilling through contemporary notions of form, etiquette, and courtesy. It is a no-nonsense expose' of the nightmare-ish alter-dimensional world of Giger's dreams which taps into the source of human fear. I most strongly recommend this and all the other art books by H.R Giger to all folks who can think for themselves, who can put reality, physics, religion, politics, morals, mathmatics, et. al. in their own separate boxes for a moment, and who seek a startling sidebar from the mundane world. EWH


Is this Art?   July 20, 2001
 14 out of 68 found this review helpful

I first came across Giger's work in the Alien movies, then I got the chance to see some of his other works, notably, a very bar he had designed - all of which impressed me greatly. So it was that when I heard of this book, being a fan of Lovecraft's work, I ordered it and avidly awaited its arrival, thinking I would get a treat.

I was expecting to see something that was, as I was led to believe, "inspired" by Lovecraft's stories. Instead, I got pictures of women in odd postures, with machines and whatsits plugging every possible orifice, mechanical genitalia, more women in odd postures, and a serpent/monster thing hanging from a cross and that looks surprisingly like an image of Christ - if Christ was depicted as having a REALLY long neck, a big row of massive, sharp teeth, dripping with drool, with an evil look in his eye.

Is all this well depicted? Yes. Did it take a lot of time and work to create? I suppose so. Does it cause a reaction? Yes. Does this qualify as Art just because it's intricate and varied and doesn't leave me reactionless?


a very dark and excellent book.   April 28, 1999
 10 out of 12 found this review helpful

h.r. giger is a master at any medium that he tries. his dark subject matter is also thought provoked. i would recoment this book to anybody that is not main stream. hell, i would recoment this book to anybody that is. expand your horizons.--------------------- louise_iffer