Customer Reviews

Psychomech (Psychomech Trilogy)

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Hmm, espionage, esp, I wonder what Brian Lumley likes to write about?

This 'Psychomech' trilogy I stumbled upon because well, I couldn't find anything else written by Brian Lumley around.

Brian's work may seem pretty easy to find at the present time. But I had to try special ordering everything of his here in Winnipeg. This series was one of the few that were available aside from his Necroscope work. I needed something to tie me over until the next Vampire story by Lumley!

The story is about a character named Richard Garrison. Another likable lead character. He is in the military and is blinded saving the wife and child of some civilian. Turns out this civilian is pretty well off and seems to be grateful. He hires Garrison to assist him in his research. Research dealing with ESP, the paranormal, and even immortality.

Garrison eventually meets up with a machine called the Psychomech. It amplifieds his amazing powers that he develops. There is also an evil presence on Earth researching this same power. Each become aware of each other and each knows that they must stop each other. This leads up to a pretty good finale.

I have read 18 of Brian Lumley's books, and the Psychomech series does not rank high on the list. It is a quick entertaining read, but it lacks freshness. It seemed very conventional to me, as far as horror/sci-fi goes. Don't get me wrong, there was enough there to keep my attention, but in some places it dragged on and in others it was rushed. None of the characters really had too much in the way of redeeming qualities that made me like them. The thought processes of the main character, Richard Garrison, were sometimes hard to follow and the ending left a lot to be desired. Furthermore, the novel lacked any real antagonist. Admitedly, there were a lot of minor ne'r-do-wells, but the lack of any real antagonist seemed to help establish a deficit of focus. Furthermore, the book contained a lot of dream sequences, some of which were very nicely done and others which were a bit cheesy. Lumley has a decent writing style, which helped ease the reader through the book, but it seemed derivative of his earlier Necroscope books in some places. Overall, I would say this would be a good read for a Lumley fan, but if you're unfamiliar with his work, I would suggest reading Necroscope instead.

Readers of the wild and wooly NECROSCOPE series will be happy to see this important work of Brian Lumley back in print.

After writing a number of moderately successful works under the heady influence of H.P. Lovecraft, Brian Lumley established a unique form of horror-thriller in PSYCHOMECH (1984). (This is first volume of the PSYCHOMECH TRILIOGY, with PSYCHOSPHERE (just re-printed) and the totally insane PSYCHAMOK! comprising volumes two and three respectively).

PSYCHOMECH is a stunning display of Lumley's bizarre and wonderful imagination.

A must read for anyone interested in the horror genre.

Okay, first off I'll just say that this novel was not a horror novel; in fact, there are only a few parts that truly get scary. And it's pretty far from sci-fi, as well...only a few scenes really get involved with sci-fi. I'm honestly not sure what kind of a book it is. It was...good.

I loved the characterization; main characters Richard Garrison and Thomas Shroeder, as well as the ever-important Willy Koenig and others, really intrigued me.

The book dragged sometimes, but it's worth it--it's an epic adventure. Yeah, that's the best description of it.

It's really hard to tell what the book is about without giving anything away; just...read it. Just don't expect to be scared of the dark or having a new sci-fi fetish world when you're done.

Happy New Year,

--Me