Brian Lumley: Necroscope

This was a fascinating book that dealt, in my opinion, three distinct aspects. The necroscope was by far the most unique and exciting; the necromancer that incorporated all that was dark in death, and the vampire or at least an interesting take on the vampire.

The necroscope, Harry Keogh was a fascinating character that saw a great deal of character development throughout the book. The uncertain and outcast youth becomes, through his “friends” a confidant and resourceful man. His powers also changed from being a little bit of help in a pinch, to one of the most powerful men ever to have lived. The idea of a man who can speak with the dead, with the large and the small, and the increadible things he could learn from the greatest minds to have ever existed. The very thought is almost beyond comprehension. And when you are able to get those great minds talking to each other, the possibilities are unimaginable. Brian Lumley however does push the boundaries of imagination when he introduces the concept of the Mobius continuum. It smacks of the quantum physics that I love to explore. If, according to Mobius everything is connected to everything else on the same plane, not separate, where and what could you truly accomplish?

In the necromancer Dragosanni you get the perfect foil for Harry. A man who has taken the interest of the dead in a darker direction as instead of talking to the dead for their secrets, he rips their secrets from their very bodies. It is almost fitting that he falls to an even greater evil in the form of the Wamphyri. As he reaches the pinnacle of his powers, he realizes that he is no match for the awesome powers he now faces in the form of Harry Keogh, and seeking out the knowledge of the vampire, falls prey to their evil before he falls to Harry.

Finally the Vampire in this story take a fascinating twist in the realm of vampire myths. The concept that the vampire is actually a symbiotic organism, that lives inside the host body, altering it into an entirely new state of being is a fascinating take on the legend. Although the descriptions are of a creature out of a humanoid nightmare, it does cover many of the explanations as to why they are so hard to kill, so long lived, and so forth. All in all, a most interesting idea.

I would have to say that I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to explore new ideas in the vampire mythology, as well as those who enjoy thinking about the possibilities of quantum physics and it’s possible applications.