Customer Reviews

Necroscope

5 star:		(95)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm not sure where to begin praising the Necroscope series. Let me try to break things down scientifically...

1. Brian Lumley's writing style is... unique. He truly shines during this series, but... buyer beware. He has a quirky style to say the least. Don't look for characters who mirror real-life. They don't. Don't look for his "pseudo-science" to make too much sense... it doesn't. But the rewards far outweigh any suspension of disbelief you'll have to excercise. DO look for quality, suspense filled writing that builds and builds until it hits the boiling point! DO look for some of the most inventive and original use of "blood-and-guts" ever to be put on paper, and somehow he manages to keep the descriptions eloquent and elegant.

2. These books contain, without question, the greatest vampire literature in the history of mankind. This is not a joke, nor is it blind worship of the author. Lumley's vampires are leaps and bounds above any other vampire characterizations you will ever find, period.

3. Lumley's use of stories-within-stories is also top notch. He is the only author I know (with the possible exception of older King) who can tell a very long and detailed history of a character or plotline (for hundreds of pages sometimes!) without losing his readers or becoming boring. You WANT to know what happened way back when, and when Lumley is finished, you crave more!

4. Lumley seems to be a bit of an enigma. I've read other works; The House of Doors (terrible), Psychomech (even worse), and Demogorgon (passable, I think, but I don't remember it AT ALL!). I have never come across an author who is sooo good at one particular brand of story or series, yet falls flat with everything else.

Anything else I say here would probably ruin the plots, so I will quit now. Buy this series.

I have been reading this series of books since I was in sixth grade, and these books are masterpieces!!! I am not the biggest vampire fan around, I think they are old, overused and out of date. However, Lumley has found a way to make a story so gripping and so original, that NECROSCOPE is one of my favorite books of all time!! A war between the dead and vampires, MASTERWORK if you ask me!! This novel charicters are also original and they do the story justice! I am sure this book will become a classic read in the years to come. I also think it's a shame that authors like Anne Rice get well noted for their vampire novels, when they don't even come close to Lumley's vampires. Brian Lumley's work to me is just as good as William Peter Blatty's 'The Exorcist' of Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot.' You will understand me once you have read it. NECROSCOPE is the ultimate in vampire horror. (P.S., the other novels in the series are pretty good too, but I would only recommend the first three in the series, and NECROSCOPE:THE LOST YEARS. So let Lumley give you a vampire story with definition, and read this book! I'm only 15 and I love it!

People need to know some things about Brian Lumley's writing in general, and this series in particular.

My firm belief is that the idea had gone as far as it should have with the first three books. Of the subsequent novels, there's perhaps two good novels of material spread over about six books, more or less.

My advice is to get the first three, and then buy used copies of any others. After awhile, Lumley's egregious use of exclamation points wears on a reader. And, honestly, the ideas are better than his execution at times.

However, the *ideas* are incredibly good, and really, the first three books are excellent diversions and good reads. Not strictly "horror"- this isn't scary like Salem's Lot is scary- but if you made the first book into a movie, you'd probably have a box office hit grossing $100 million.

Its been three years since I bought NECROSCOPE and I still can't find any horror series even remotely as good. The first installment of the series plunges us into a world of cold war, secret goverment agencies, western and eastern block, intriguing characters and a race of vampires that is so impressive and so unlike anything I've ever seen that I can't even being to explain them.

I wont waste any more words so I'll just say: buy this book, you won't regret it.

'Necroscope' was a series that I had been eyeing for a while. Congrats to whoever did the creepy skull cover-art, it really did the advertising trick. But the first book in the series is far from just a cool cover. It's an excellent story with some good main characters and a surprisingly deep scientific undertone for a horror novel.

The Necroscope is someone who can literally talk to the dead, learn the knowledge that they took to the grave and use it for their own purposes. The book's main characters are both Necroscopes. There's Dragosani, the Romanian secret agent who's working for a Russian agency which trains it's soldiers in the supernatural. Then there's Harry Keogh, a young boy who develops the talent naturally and becomes entangled in Dragosani's plot. Tying their destiny together is an ancient vampiric being trapped in the Transylvanian ground, who's powers for evil are unimaginable.

The plot in 'Necroscope' is indeed an interesting one. I found the idea of international supernatural espionage (or ESPionage) extremely fascinating and is really done well. The opening sequences were Dragosani's bosses witness his talent for the first time was truly gripping. And the characters were well thought out and developed. Each one's motivations are clearly laid out and we're given an inside look into each one's lives.

'Necroscope' is also a rejuvinating shot to the vampire genre. Lumley reworks the legends well, keeping to its classic nature but giving the mythos a refreshing twist as well. (to read an extremely awful vampire series try Christopher Golden's 'Shadow' series. Simply awful)

The only problem I had was the Mobius Continuum device that Lumley uses. It was a concept that came in near the end of the book and I thought felt out of place. It gave the book an unneeded metaphysical angle and seemed tacked on. I haven't read the other books, and I see it's a concept used again, so I'll have to continue the series to develop my feelings further about it.

All in all a very good book, a promising start to a classic series I am excited to be starting.

H.P. Lovecraft meets Ian Fleming meets Kenneth Robeson. That is how I describe this masterful book. I have a hard time, however, calling it "Horror", although that is the best description for it. This book/series has a hard time placing itself into any genre, and that is one of the reasons it is special. This book is (clearly) not just for horror fans, but they shall enjoy it. The best part ... well ... one of the best parts ... is the totally new twist on the Vampire mythos. My only regret is that I have waited this long to read this. I have now started "Vamphyri, Necroscope part 2" and it is, so far, just as good (if not better) than "Necroscope", But I still suggest reading them in order. In closing I would like to add, that though I am not an avid reader, Necroscope has me hooked.

One thing that I'd like people to keep in mind: a necroSCOPE and a necroMANCER are two ENTIRELY different people. Harry Keogh is a necroscope, and Boris Dragosani is a necromancer. They are NOT two of the same kind of talented people, so to Benjamin D and Scott Rachui, please edit your reviews so you don't mislead (potential) readers.

I have only read a few stories, as well as the novel PSYCHOMECH, from Mr. Lumley before, but I very much enjoy reading his work. This novel starts off a little slow, but only so the main characters can be introduced and the plot paced. Trust me, if you give NECROSCOPE only a *little* bit more attention than is needed for, say, a James Patterson novel, you will find yourself very engrossed. This is a gripping, action-packed, thrilling novel of greed, knowledge, power, and terror...and loads of espionage, the supernatural, and DEATH.

Now, for the plot itself...I have to warn you. While there IS a vampire involved in the hefty plot, THIS IS *NOT* A VAMPIRE NOVEL. The vampire in question, while an ominous presence that is on the verge of possible resurrection and takeover, is only one part of the multilayered plot. If anything, this book is about two men who don't even know each other: Harry Keogh, and Boris Dragosani.

Harry, as he grows up in a strict private school, begins to excel in all his work and exams, exhibiting powerful and seemingly limitless knowledge (especially in mathematics). How is this happening? Read it and find out.

Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, a Romanian (or, as he prefers to think of himself in the tradition of his long-vanquished home country, Wallachian) man named Boris Dragosani is being held in high praise by the leader of a Soviet "ESPionage" branch. Dragosani's talent, you see, is to literally rip a dead body slowly apart and determine what they knew in life. There are no limits to what he can rip from the dead...but that's not all. Meanwhile, he keeps making returns to his home country (now Romania), to a secret place beneath thick trees and by the side of a mountain...where an ancient voice speaks from the ground: "Dragosaaaniii..."

Oh, you want to know more about the book now, don't you? Well, I've got two words of advice then: READ IT. Read it and you will learn that this is not just a horror novel, not just a vampire novel...this is, without a doubt, one of the most complex and original thrillers you've ever read. Looking forward to reading NECROSCOPE II: WAMPHYRI!

I first found out about the Necroscope series from a friend of mine. He knew I had a keen interest in vampires, so he prodded me into reading at least the first book. I must say, I was not disappointed.

Having read many works featuring vampires, both fiction and non, I was pretty well versed in the makings of your typical legend. However, the ideas Mr. Lumley presents in his books are some of the most original I have seen, going off the well beaten path of your typical Dracula and Lestat like characters. Unlike the romantic nature of those just mentioned, the vampires in this book are more of the violent variety. While beautiful and enticing, these are not the kind of vampires you would want to be alone with, nor would you even want to meet them.

It is a refreshing look into the darker nature of these beings. Forget all of your romantic notions before reading. This book is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart.

I have several friends who love this series, and being a fan of the occult, I thought I would. Being a fan of political intrigue, I thought I would like it. No...no...not really. The one character that I found to be engaging was not developed at all (Harry) and I was disappointed by that. The plot idea was very engaging, but the writer missed the followthrough in the actual production of the work. The characters seem to be undeveloped, overdramatic and stilted. The descriptions are long, drawn-out and redundant. Just about everything in these books seems to be wolf-like, monstrous, bat-like or demonic. Where's a thesaurus when you need one? And the editing left something to be desired. It has been a long time since I have seen to many typos in a book!

I gave this two stars because I was able to slog my way through to the finish...something I was not able to do with book 2--and being someone who reads everything from comic books to classic literature, I can count on one hand the number of books I have not finished in the last 20 years. Apologies to my friends who love him, and to Lumley himself--just not for me!

When I first saw the cover of this book, and since I hadn't heard much about Brian Lumley in horror circles (all the attention is on Stephen King (deservedly) and Dean Koontz (undeservedly)) I wasn't sure if this would be a trash horror novel or not. I bought a copy at a second-hand store but it wasn't until years later that I got around to reading it. I wish I'd started it sooner! This is a damn fine story no question about it. Its not the most moving reading experience of my life but why complain? Its exciting and imaginative with well thought out characters (especially Dragosani) and unexpected plot twists. Also there are about 12 more in the series, and most fans seem to think that the series doesn't lose its quality as it goes along, great! I'm really glad to have another good series to work on and that I don't have to wait and wait for the next book to come out, unlike Stephen King's Dark Tower and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. This really is a good book and it deserves popular recognition instead of a mere cult following. Oh, and don't compare this to Anne Rice's vampire chronicles, this is a much different kind of story and not nearly as boring and unimaginative.