Silky
September 10th, 2007, 07:14 AM
Thought you all might be interested in this piece from the Tor Books Newsletter which I subscribe to.
http://e2ma.net/userdata/9115/assets/necroscope.jpg
Musical Necroscopes—how to keep your hero alive beyond death without making him a bloodsucking vampire
by Melissa Ann Singer, Senior Editor, Tor/Forge Books
When Tom Doherty handed me the first Necroscope novel, he said, “I think this might be a bit strong for you.” (I was young and innocent-looking in those days.)
What a challenge! Who could resist?
I dived right in and had a terrific time meeting Brian Lumley . . . and Harry Keogh, the Necroscope, and the men and women of E-Branch, and Brian’s wonderful, nasty, shape-shifting, alien, evil vampires. They were so bad, they’d kill you before they looked at you.
Even as he was reshaping the vampire story for the 20th and 21st centuries, Brian took the tropes of ESP and stood them on their heads. In the world of the Necroscope, reliable telepaths and precogs and finders of lost items (or people) and holders of other talents often function as secret spy bureaus.
England’s E-Branch is one of the best. These men and women have been through the fires of hell and back, fighting vampires and other supernatural menaces on Earth and other worlds.
Standing with E-Branch, yet always a bit apart, was Harry Keogh, the Necroscope. Long before The Sixth Sense, Harry Keogh was conversing with the dead (and mastering the Mobius continuum so that he could travel instantaneously to any place and time). Poor Harry—Brian really put him through the wringer. Mother murdered. Abusive, insane, murderous stepfather. Wife and first-born son missing for eight years. Another son turned vampire. Harry himself possessed by a vampire.
Despite all that, Harry Keogh remained a hero and the core of the Necroscope series. With his death, humanity seemed to have lost its greatest protector.
But the power that was the Necroscope has lived on. Golden fragments of Harry Keogh’s soul have been flung through space and time. Where they strike, a new Necroscope rises.
Right now, Earth badly needs a new Necroscope. In Necroscope: The Touch, three aliens are conducting an interesting philosophical experiment in an attempt to prove the existence of God. If there is a God, they reason, then he/she/it will want to protect his/her/its creations. The Mordri Three decide that if they destroy enough planets, God will have to reveal himself in order to stop them. And besides, destroying planets is fun. Especially if you get to play with the sentients who live there first.
The Mordri Three have been playing with a lot of human beings. With a touch, they can trigger cancers and other diseases. They can rearrange flesh and bone and turn people into monsters—or turn them outside in, a favorite trick. They’ve already blown up their own world (and a few more). Now, on Earth, their doomsday weapon is almost ready.
In the E-Branch trilogy, the Necroscope was Jake Cutter, a rough-and-tumble guy who had some personal revenge to get out of the way before he could save the planet. With a vampire riding in his mind, Jake almost turned to the dark side before proving himself a true Necroscope.
But Jake Cutter’s not around in The Touch. And so far, E-Branch’s search for the Necroscope has been fruitless.
Where is the Necroscope? Who is the Necroscope?
The answers lie in Necroscope: The Touch by Brian Lumley (0-7653-5521-3, $7.99 / $10.99 CAN). To learn more about the worlds of Brian Lumley, visit www.brianlumley.com
http://e2ma.net/userdata/9115/assets/necroscope.jpg
Musical Necroscopes—how to keep your hero alive beyond death without making him a bloodsucking vampire
by Melissa Ann Singer, Senior Editor, Tor/Forge Books
When Tom Doherty handed me the first Necroscope novel, he said, “I think this might be a bit strong for you.” (I was young and innocent-looking in those days.)
What a challenge! Who could resist?
I dived right in and had a terrific time meeting Brian Lumley . . . and Harry Keogh, the Necroscope, and the men and women of E-Branch, and Brian’s wonderful, nasty, shape-shifting, alien, evil vampires. They were so bad, they’d kill you before they looked at you.
Even as he was reshaping the vampire story for the 20th and 21st centuries, Brian took the tropes of ESP and stood them on their heads. In the world of the Necroscope, reliable telepaths and precogs and finders of lost items (or people) and holders of other talents often function as secret spy bureaus.
England’s E-Branch is one of the best. These men and women have been through the fires of hell and back, fighting vampires and other supernatural menaces on Earth and other worlds.
Standing with E-Branch, yet always a bit apart, was Harry Keogh, the Necroscope. Long before The Sixth Sense, Harry Keogh was conversing with the dead (and mastering the Mobius continuum so that he could travel instantaneously to any place and time). Poor Harry—Brian really put him through the wringer. Mother murdered. Abusive, insane, murderous stepfather. Wife and first-born son missing for eight years. Another son turned vampire. Harry himself possessed by a vampire.
Despite all that, Harry Keogh remained a hero and the core of the Necroscope series. With his death, humanity seemed to have lost its greatest protector.
But the power that was the Necroscope has lived on. Golden fragments of Harry Keogh’s soul have been flung through space and time. Where they strike, a new Necroscope rises.
Right now, Earth badly needs a new Necroscope. In Necroscope: The Touch, three aliens are conducting an interesting philosophical experiment in an attempt to prove the existence of God. If there is a God, they reason, then he/she/it will want to protect his/her/its creations. The Mordri Three decide that if they destroy enough planets, God will have to reveal himself in order to stop them. And besides, destroying planets is fun. Especially if you get to play with the sentients who live there first.
The Mordri Three have been playing with a lot of human beings. With a touch, they can trigger cancers and other diseases. They can rearrange flesh and bone and turn people into monsters—or turn them outside in, a favorite trick. They’ve already blown up their own world (and a few more). Now, on Earth, their doomsday weapon is almost ready.
In the E-Branch trilogy, the Necroscope was Jake Cutter, a rough-and-tumble guy who had some personal revenge to get out of the way before he could save the planet. With a vampire riding in his mind, Jake almost turned to the dark side before proving himself a true Necroscope.
But Jake Cutter’s not around in The Touch. And so far, E-Branch’s search for the Necroscope has been fruitless.
Where is the Necroscope? Who is the Necroscope?
The answers lie in Necroscope: The Touch by Brian Lumley (0-7653-5521-3, $7.99 / $10.99 CAN). To learn more about the worlds of Brian Lumley, visit www.brianlumley.com