Necroscope: Defilers [Paperback]

Brian Lumley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Necroscope | Publication Date: May 15, 2001

Jake Cutter is reluctantly learning how to be a Necroscope--how to use the Mobius continuum to travel instantaneously from place to place, how to talk to the dead--but dead humans don't like him much. It seems Jake's got a hitchhiker named Korath. Since Korath holds the key to the Mobius equations, Jake can't just kick him out . . . though he's certainly trying.

Jake's not sure he really wants to be a member of E-Branch, the supersecret ESP-powered organization that's dedicated to eradicating the vampire infestation of Earth. To the freewheeling, passionate Jake, the E-Branchers seem a little stuffy and hidebound--except for the lovely Liz, whom Jake wants to get to know better, body and mind. But Liz is a telepath, and if Jake's not careful, she'll find out about Korath. And that will likely be the end of Jake Cutter.

In Australia, Jake helped E-Branch destroy the aerie of the mind-master , Nephtam Malinari, one of a trio of Great Vampires who came to Earth from the vampire world. Malinari escaped and went to ground with the hideously beautiful Lady Vavara. Vavara has taken over a holy monastary on a beautiful Greek island and turned the nuns into most unholy creature with fearsome appetites for all things carnal.

Jake wants revenge against the Italian mobsters who killed the woman he loved and nearly killed him. As far as he's concerned, E-Branch can search for Malinari, Vavara, and the metamorphic Lord Szwart without him until he's satisfied his own bloodlust. But it seems vampire hunting is truly Jake's job now--the men he's trying to kill aren't men at all, but vampire spawn, hidden for two generations in human guise! To defeat them, Jake will need every weapon in a Necroscope's arsenal, including the power to all the unsleeping dead out of their moldering graves.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Welcome to Brian Lumley's wild world of vampires, slayers, spies, and psychics, created in his breakthrough 1986 book Necroscope, which introduced Harry Keogh, a man who could commune with dead people. Harry was such a skilled linguist of "deadspeak" that the British Secret Service recruited him into E-Branch, its ace paranormal unit. Harry waged a war against vampires--until the tables turned and he became another bloodsucking statistic. No longer a Necroscope (top vampire hunter), now he's a kind of advisor who beams helpful thoughts from the afterlife.

E-Branch's vampire woes intensify in Necroscope Defilers, the 12th installment of Lumley's series. A trio of seriously nasty critters are spreading their spawn on earth, but E-Branch is in crisis. Jake Cutter, the new Necroscope, is preoccupied with a personal vendetta--he's hunting down the Sicilian mobsters who killed his girlfriend. Jake also faces another minor distraction--a dead vampire named Korath is stuck inside his head, whispering evil nothings into his ear all day long. As the unholy monsters descend upon the Greek island of Krassos, it seems all hell will break loose--literally. Will Jake return to E-Branch and help annihilate this unholy scum, or is mankind doomed?

Although Necroscope Defilers is a little light on original plot twists, Lumley's curious country is still a land worth visiting, halfway between science fiction and dark fantasy. --Naomi Gesinger --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The 12th novel in Lumley's Necroscope series shows the hitherto vigorous vampire epic getting long in the tooth. Though it features the usual vast and vivid cast of psychic sleuths and earthly undead monsters, it is noticeably stingy with the plot twists and full-throttle action that have made the saga a formidable fusion of espionage and supernatural horror. The trio of other-dimensional Wamphyri who took refuge on Earth in Necroscope: Invaders are still on the loose at the novel's start, and Ben Trask's indefatigable E- (short for ESP) Branch is determined to prevent them from spreading the infectious vampire fungi. To kill time while they follow clues that lead them to the vampire stronghold in a convent on the Greek island of Krassos, Ben and his operatives converse in tedious exchanges that seem not so much dialogue as lectures and briefings for the reader's benefit. Similarly, the vampire master Nephran Malinari and the Lady Vavara snipe incessantly at one another in melodramatic Dark Shadows swatches. The problem is most acute in nominal hero Jake Cutter, who spends most of the tale sidetracked on a personal vendetta against a mafia kingpin, sparring mentally with the absorbed consciousness of the vampire Korath, who whispers nonstop provocations in his ear as part of their Faustian pact. The three cliffhanger finales in the final pages echo climaxes of previous novels, and seem little more than deliberate overcompensation for the story's surprising stasis. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (May 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812566734
• ISBN-13: 978-0812566734
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian Lumley is the author of the bestselling Necroscope series of vampire novels. 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Moonraker of the Necro-novels, May 18, 2000

By 

J. Surowiecki (Hanover Park, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Necroscope: Defilers (Hardcover)

Of all of the Necroscope novels . . .this installment took a little getting used to at first. If the first Necroscope novel was From Russia With Love . . .Defilers is Moonraker. (Not everyone's all time favorite, but a heck of a lot of fun! )

All the elements are in place for a fantastic conclusion. Mr. Lumley only gives the reader the briefest glimpses of the three Wamphyri: Molinari, Swartz, and Vavara...but when we do see them and as their plot begins to unfold.... WATCH OUT!

This only helps the newest story! It's clever writing on Brian's behalf. It will leave Necroscope fans clammering for more! No spoilers here, but once the story starts picking up speed... it never lets up.

Our new Necroscope is having his own issues that many readers will have a feeling of deja vu. (It's Deadspeak and Deadspawn all over again many will cry! But is it?)

In Britain, this series was titled E-Branch: Invaders, Defilers... which makes sense as we get to see more in depth characterizations of the team's various members. The continuing development of our old friends works wonderfully well in this outing.

All in all, this is a fine addition to the Necroscope family of novels and will no doubt help paint what will become the final tapestry.

Wonderful cliffhanger ending that will have many readers screaming for Necroscope: Avengers!

The pieces are all in place for that final whiz-bang of an adventure! There are so many possible story lines it can take! I myself can hardly wait! So far this has been a fun-fun-fun ride! It will be a shame when it has to end!

His name? Lumley, Brian Lumley.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must" for all Brian Lumley fans!, September 7, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Necroscope: Defilers (Hardcover)

Prior fans of Brian Lumley's Necroscope series will be the recommended audience for Defilers , which continues the ongoing story of science fiction horror. Here Jake is learning how to travel across space and talk to the dead - despite the presence of a vampire hitchhiker who may affect his future. The complex plot requires familiarity with prior series titles to be optimally enjoyed.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars VAMPIRES REVISITED!, August 22, 2000

By 

Apollo Reader (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Necroscope: Defilers (Hardcover)

I have read all of this man's vampire books, and the Necroscope novels are some of THE BEST stories in terms of sheer excitement and just plain good, fun reading today. DEFILERS, though not one of the best of this authors works, is still a fun and interesting chapter in the ongoing fight against the bad ol' Whampyrie vampires. New levels of storytelling and ongoing character development was sure apparent in this book. I hope that the next novel, (the last-darn-it), carries us back to the vampire world of sunside/starside, which is where this author does his best work in my opinion. I like the new necroscope Jake Cutter and his love interest Liz Merrick, but they are hardly together in this novel, but they are surrounded by other E-branch people who all have their own unique powers which is always fun to read. I reccommend this book highly and am waiting eagerly foe the final showdown and book in this long-lasting series.