Ken M. reviewed on + 35 more book reviews
A story with a character that can talk to the dead, one that can extract the dead's secrets, one that can give the "evil eye", a vampire, zombies, British and Russian secret agencies that employ agents with all sorts of ESP talents, and a sci-fi space/time continuum all set in the middle of the Cold War. How can Lumley pack so much goodness in 500 pages?
Necroscope is the book that started a horror series franchise before horror series were considered the norm. Lumley crafts a tale that was revolutionary for its time. Shades of Lovecraft permeate through the story as we get to know the protagonist, Harry Keough and antagonist, Boris Dragosani. Harry is a teenager in Great Britain who is learning to use his newfound ability, talking to the dead, and we get to watch the young necroscope learn and grow through the first two-thirds of the book. At the same time, we're introduced to Dragosani, a Romainian who works for the secret Soviet ESP agency. Boris is a necromancer and has the ability to extract secrets from the dead through gruesome mutilations. He also returns to his homeland in Wallachia every year to talk to the mysterious corpse buried in the mountains that gave him his unique ability. The story unfolds as we watch the two learn to harness their abilities and leads towards their eventual showdown.
The setting is the 1970s and it's in the middle of the Cold War and for anyone that grew up during this time, it adds an extra dose of suspicious unease throughout the story. Lumley does a wonderful job setting up the characters in a way that demands you to keep turning the pages. There are so many interesting ideas explored in Necroscope that only scratch the surface. I only hope that the rest of the books in the series delves into each and every one of them much, much further.
Necroscope is the book that started a horror series franchise before horror series were considered the norm. Lumley crafts a tale that was revolutionary for its time. Shades of Lovecraft permeate through the story as we get to know the protagonist, Harry Keough and antagonist, Boris Dragosani. Harry is a teenager in Great Britain who is learning to use his newfound ability, talking to the dead, and we get to watch the young necroscope learn and grow through the first two-thirds of the book. At the same time, we're introduced to Dragosani, a Romainian who works for the secret Soviet ESP agency. Boris is a necromancer and has the ability to extract secrets from the dead through gruesome mutilations. He also returns to his homeland in Wallachia every year to talk to the mysterious corpse buried in the mountains that gave him his unique ability. The story unfolds as we watch the two learn to harness their abilities and leads towards their eventual showdown.
The setting is the 1970s and it's in the middle of the Cold War and for anyone that grew up during this time, it adds an extra dose of suspicious unease throughout the story. Lumley does a wonderful job setting up the characters in a way that demands you to keep turning the pages. There are so many interesting ideas explored in Necroscope that only scratch the surface. I only hope that the rest of the books in the series delves into each and every one of them much, much further.
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