Which more or less leads us to this volume. However, a 'higher power' intervenes and shards of Harry's 'soul' are sent speeding through time and space to help others. By the end of the first five volumes Harry has himself become Wamphyri and, during a showdown with some nasty types on Starside, sacrifices himself to ensure the safety of Earth. In other words, vampires are really extra-dimensional aliens with little in the way of physical technology, but a nifty line in biological manipulation. In the third volume, The Source, the Russians accidentally punch a hole through to another dimension (while developing an anti-missile shield) and uncover the homeworld of the vampires, or Wamphyri as they are known the world is most often referred to as Starside. However one Russian necromancer makes contact with a vampire, and it is the vampires that quickley become the real villains of the series. Through no fault of his own, Harry gets caught up in the ongoing ESPionage activites of the British and Russian intelligence 'E-Branches' each side having a selection of scryers, locators, telepaths and so forth. He is also an intuitive mathematician who, through discussions with August Ferdinand Mobius (yes, he of the Mobius strip), also has access to the Mobius continuum which allows Harry almost instantaneous travel to any destination to which he can calculate the co-ordinates, effectively teleportation. The Necroscope of the title, and the ongoing hero for many volumes, is one Harry Keogh who has the ability to talk to the dead and, when necessity arises, to make them rise up. For those unfamiliar with the Necroscope universe, here is a brief outline: the universe is a mixture of horror, science fiction and fantasy which pits 'psi-powered' individuals against vampires. This, then, twenty-one years after the series started, is the fourteenth Necroscope book! But don't panic you can read this as a stand-alone, though I have to say that it would certainly help if you have read at least the initial five books.

This was followed by a further four volumes, Wamphyri!, The Source, Deadspeak and Deadspawn then came three volumes of 'Vampire World', set in the same universe, Blood Brothers, The Last Aerie and Bloodwars and then another five Necroscope books, The Lost Years, Resurgence, Invaders, Defilers and Avengers.

(2007) Brian Lumley, Solaris, £9.99, pbk, 431pp, ISBN 978-1-844-1-6485-3īrian Lumley started the Necroscope series back in 1986 with the first volume, Necroscope. Review of Necroscope: The Touch by Brian Lumley Fiction Reviews

Necroscope book series