Vamphyri! (Necroscope, Vol. 2)

Lumley takes the Necroscope saga (which ends at 13 volumes, a triskadecology, with Necroscope: Avengers - just released at the time of this review). In this second volume some of the real trouble to come begins to take shape. Britain's ESPionage unit, E-Branch, begins to come into its own as a secret service. (One worthy of standing with James Bond's M and Q, or the X-Files Division, or any of the other mythical or fictional government agencies that actually seem to get something done.)Meanwhile our protagonist, Harry Keogh, has this slight problem of being dead himself. Then there is the Old Thing In The Ground, a true Wamphyri who begins to show that Lumley's vampires are not Euro-chic slicks in opera capes, but something quite horrid indeed.The beauty of Brian Lumley is that he writes in such a way as the reader can easily choose to read the Necroscope series as techno-thrillers, horror novels, romances, mysteries or even psychological explorations. Or some blend of the above. Lumley can get rather gross at times, but does not linger over gory detail. Rather he moves the plot or character development ahead. If there is one flaw in his writing technique, it is the need (forced by the way we publish and distribute books) to repeat himself at times and offer frequent recaps and summaries to the action. This is difficult and annoying to do, for an author. In a way it is a necessary exercise, but if I might offer anyone (especially me) some advice; it would be to balance exposition with additional dialogue. Lumley writes dialogue quite well, but overall it seems there could be more of it, the characters actually discussing the facts of the situation to round them out further.The unique factor in the Necroscope series is that if a character does not survive one action, s/he is not counted out of the war. With the living, the dead and the Un-dead all playing active roles, Lumley makes it possible to include an array of characters (such as Auguste Ferdinand Moebius himself) without further stretching the willing suspension of disbelief. Lumley has created worlds of balanced dynamics and rules that is internally consistent, the critical factor in any genre of fiction. If you're interest, by all means start at the beginning and work your way through the series.

I have read the whole series as a book is published I get it and read it. I am not a big reader but he gets me hooked and I can not put it down. I hope he keeps the series going for a long time I enjoy his writting alot. He is so good at discribing the characters that I can imagine them very easily.

This is the first but not the last of Lumley's books, that I hope to enjoy for years to come. Brian drew me into the vampire world with such force and savagery that I had to come back for more. Brian is very graphic in every detail. Yulian Bodescu was a fetus corrupted before he was even born. You just have to love cunning of Thibor Ferenczy. Thanks Brian, you have a fan for life.

What a great way to leave the work world. Let Mr Lumley wisk you off into an environment of deadly make believe. Lots n' lots of plot. Riverting characters. Down right frightning!!!! Make sure you read the series in order!

Is it HORROR or is it sci/fi? It makes no difference because it's all good. A splendid follow-up to the original that will leave you gasping for more, and there is more. Brain Lumley's fresh take on vampires just keeps going, with every installment adding new twists and turns. Parallel worlds, vampiric leaches, necroscopes, necromancers, an amazing alternate universe that just gets richer with each new book. My thanks to Dianne Kennedy for turning me on to one of the best series I've ever had the pleasure to read