Review
Brian Lumley belongs to that literary circle that still consider the Cthulhu Mythos of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft a fertile field to explore long after Lovecraft's death. Normally, these derivative tales never have the grip on the imagination that Lovecraft managed, but Lumley is a better-than-average imitator and a competent writer. The Lovecraft Mythos invokes the Old Ones, a pantheon of monstrous creatures from another dimension with unpronounceable names like Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Shub-Niggurath and Cthulhu. The Old Ones lurk outside of space and time, eagerly awaiting their chance, usually through the instrument of willing, worshipping humans, to break through into our world. Hero ofDreams takes us to Theem'hdra, the "dreamland" fantasy world of one of Lovecraft's longer works, The Dream-Quest of Unhnown Kadath. Lumley's heroes, David Hero and Eldin, are transplanted dreamers from our own "real" world, enmeshed in a picaresque series of events in pursuit of three magic wands belonging to the First Ones, the race from the stars who confined the Old Ones to another dimension. Lumley's sword-and-sorcery is much lighter than Lovecraft's Randolph Carter stories, and his heroes more nearly resemble Fritz Leibcr's Fahfrd and Mouser. The story moves briskly as the heroes vanquish a series of bizarre beasties: a monstrous reanimated stone idol, the dreaded night-gaunts, a creature who is half desirable woman and half insect, and the mad First One who possesses the power to release Cthulhu from his long imprisonment. The publisher has promised two more novels in this series featuring the same heroes. Since Lumley recently retired from the Army and has more time to write, perhaps he could think about coming out from under Lovecraft's long shadow and show us the real Brian Lumley. Recommended only for diehard fantasy fans and libraries with large fantasy collections. --
From Independent Publisher
About the Author
Brian Lumley is the author of the bestselling Necroscope series of vampire novels. The first Necroscope, Harry Keogh, also appears in a collection of Lumley's short fiction, Harry Keogh and Other Weird Heroes, along Titus Crow and Henri Laurent de Marigny, from Titus Crow, Volumes One, Two, and Three, and David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer, from the Dreamlands series.
An acknowledged master of Lovecraft-style horror, Brian Lumley has won the British Fantasy Award and been named a Grand Master of Horror. His works have been published in more than a dozen countries and have inspired comic books, role-playing games, and sculpture, and been adapted for television.
When not writing, Lumley can often be found spear-fishing in the Greek islands, gambling in Las Vegas, or attending a convention somewhere in the US. Lumley and his wife live in England.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
