Crowe privately believes that the subjects he writes about are superstitious nonsense but soon realises his new book will unleash a lurking interdimensional horror endangering both his witless fans and the world.

[2] On the other hand, Publishers Weekly was more mixed in its appraisal, describing it as "a superior tale of human beings in thrall to occult forces, but one whose reach exceeds its grasp.

"[3] The 37th Mandala earned Laidlaw the 1996 International Horror Guild Award for "Best Novel".

[5] In the Valve computer game Half-Life, on which Laidlaw served as lead writer, this book is one of two seen on a shelf in the personal locker of the game's protagonist Gordon Freeman, with the other being Laidlaw's 1994 novel The Orchid Eater.

Harry S. Robins, known for voicing Dr Kleiner in the Half-Life series, worked with Laidlaw on the illustrations within the book.