OFFICIAL
BRIAN LUMLEY NEWSLETTER
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VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 |
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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2001 |
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OFFICIAL
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Inside This Issue....
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COLUMNS: |
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FEATURES: |
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Happy 2001! As we usher in a new millennium, we also usher in the end of an era. This year we will see the final Necroscope hit the shelves - Avengers. Sure, next year the paperback will be out, but you know what I mean. 15 glorious years has brought us 13 glorious novels in the form of one hell of a glorious saga. Future installments will be sadly missed. One thing you can be sure of though. Any new events, news events, appearances, or novels - can and will always be found here on Brian Lumley.com. Even though this will be the final Necroscope book, that doesn't mean the final newsletter or site update. Far from it. Along those lines, on the site as well as on this newsletter, you can now order that final Necroscope book, Necroscope: Avengers, through Amazon.co.uk, as well as The Whisperer and Other Voices from Amazon.com. If you've been watching the site, you would have seen these two books were released well in advance of the published release date, meaning you could have these in your possession right now. If so, lucky you! They are both a must-have for your collection. And if you want a little preview of The Whisperer, you can hear Brian read the main story in that collection in the Media section of the site. As for a preview of Avengers...? Jump over to the site and read the jacket notes from the US and UK covers - that's as close as you'll get without getting the book. I also changed the color scheme on the MessageBoard in the last week or so to give it a little boost. It hasn't changed that much in the past year - but that will change in the upcoming month or so. We will be upgrading to the new version of the MessageBoard software and there will be a lot of changes to it, some welcome and I'm sure others not so welcome. Overall, it should be an improvement and one that most will appreciate. Keep your eyes peeled for that. There is also another change to the site that will stay as long as it is respected. There is now a Chat Room on the site, located in the Media section. It is Java-based, so Java must be turned on in your browser. It usually is by default, so that shouldn't be a problem for most people. Please read the Rules regarding the use of it. If any of those rules are broken or are reported to me or a moderator as broken, the Chat Room will be removed. It isn't necessary to the site, but is a nice fun convenient way to chat with fellow Lumlians in real-time. Remember though - we are all on different time zones, so there might not be many people on at a time. Again, please respect it - thank you. I guess that about covers it for this issue. Everyone enjoy reading the new books - I know I am. *grins* Until next time Lumlians...as always, enter of your own free will. This is your Wolfe signing off.....  |
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Whoops! – I almost left this one too late … but at least I have an excuse. I’m working on a Brian Lumley Companion for TOR Books. Not only me but a selected handful of good people – including our esteemed Webmaster, ShadoeWolfe, and several regular board members of good-standing, and Silky – all under the direction of editor/collaborator Stanley Wiater, who’s been called variously, “the world’s leading authority on horror filmmakers and authors,” and “the master journalist of the dark genres.” So this book will be the book for everyone who wants to know more about Necroscope, the Vampire World, the Psychomech Trilogy, the Hero series, the Primal Land, Titus Crow, and all of the Cthulhu Mythos material. A big undertaking, which we hope will contain photographs and some artwork, too. Talking of TOR Books: they took me by surprise! Apparently The Whisperer and Other Voices is in the bookshops as I write, which by my reckoning is some two or three weeks earlier than scheduled. Anyone who didn’t read The Return of the Deep Ones in its serialized Fantasy Book appearances some eighteen years ago, or in the OP British paperback edition, will find it here, complete in its first American hardcover edition, along with a bunch of other short stories and novelettes. A couple of nice things have happened; I’ll take a chance on having already mentioned these things somewhere or other – in fact I’m still blown away by them, so I’m like a kid with a new toy – but the Chinese have acquired the entire early Necroscope series (the first five books) and the complete run of Titus Crow books! Likewise, the Japanese will publish Compleat Crow and the first 5 Necroscopes – and Wamphyri! will be published in Greek, clearing the way for The Source and so forth. Also, Mobius Entertainment -- er, great name, right? – will be working on a Necroscope CD-ROM during the next year or so. I’ve signed a contact with Mobius, so at long last things are in motion CD-ROM-wise… I have a signing (Avengers) at Forbidden Planet in London on February 3. But just because I’m there to sign the new book doesn’t mean I won’t sign a few old ones. So if you’re going to be there by all means bring along any unsigned Lumleys and I’ll sort it for you. (And you die-hard regulars remember: this time it’s just a signing. Sure we’ll get a chance to have a pint and a chat when my time’s up at Planet – but I won’t be going down slow under the great weight of champagne that (almost) sank me on the last occasion! And while it’s way in the future, still I’ll mention one last thing. I intend to do Las Vegas in September this year. I enjoyed meeting a whole bunch of great Americans the last time we were out there, and I’ll be delighted if they or any others turn up again. There’ll be more on this later – dates and what all – which you’ll read about right here in the Newsletter … and, of course, a post will be put on the MessageBoard by Silky about the signing when everything is set and finalized. So that’s all for now, and it only remains for me to say thanks to all contributors … and remember, we’re now into the Real New Millennium! Let’s hope it’s a good one for all of us. Cheers!
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Fellow Lumlians... Another Christmas and New Year come and gone. It seems to have come and gone so quickly. And now February 1, 2001 and another year of informative Newsletters. The business at hand: Necroscope: Avengers hardcover will be available now in the UK. Sorry you American Lumlians have to wait. Normally the publications run pretty close together. But you’ll find it’s well worth the wait… Right before Christmas Brian did his copy edit for Necroscope: Avengers and it’s been sent back to Tor. We’re now awaiting the page proofs to come in for correction. Then it’s back off to Tor again to be made ready for publication. We’ve also had the page proof corrections in for Necroscope: Defilers paperback which is now back in Tor’s hands as well. So both of the above will be coming out together in May. About a dozen of us are steadily working away on a Brian Lumley companion. Yep, the time has come. It will be loaded with all kinds of information. Although the book is about Brian and his work, and Brian is putting a lot of work into it, the book is being done by Stan Wiater who has done much work on these lines. And the book is being done by none other than Tor Books USA. No publication information at this time. A contract has been signed with Mobius Entertainment for the production of a Necroscope CD-ROM. Psychomech will be out late summer in a new format. It will be released as a trade paper edition. The jacket art by Bob Eggleton will be what they call a triptych … when you put all three of the trilogy together they match up to form a complete picture. You’ll be able to find information on the above as it’s available on the site, in the monthly update on the MessageBoard and bi-monthly newsletters. Brian will be doing a signing at Forbidden Planet in London on Saturday February 3. Details of this on the MessageBoard and in the Appearances section on the site. Brian has been asked to do a book signing at a Fantasy and Science Fiction bookstore in Aberdeen, Scotland. On our way back it might just be feasible to make stops at Edinburgh, Scotland, (to visit the Castle, Sgt./Major Lumley’s old Quartermaster stomping grounds, and possibly a bookstore signing), then back through the UK to Newcastle (a possible bookstore signing), Leeds (a possible bookstore signing), Manchester (a possible bookstore signing but we’ve a gaggle of fans there we want to meet and see again), and Birmingham. (Birmingham would be a signing at Forbidden Planet.) This wouldn’t be done before April as we are in the hopes that the rail system will have sorted itself out by then. The UK folks will know what I’m talking about on this one. If you’ve read the post on the board about our return trip from the London Christmas party you’ll see what a nightmare we had. All this is tentative and when we know for sure it will be covered in the usual places. And last but not least, I’m in the process of starting a mailing list. For those of you who haven’t already joined and want to, all the details can be found at http://www.brianlumley.com/email/list.html and I’d like to thank all of you who have responded so far. And now the lighter side: We had a great Christmas and a quiet ringing in of a new century and new millennium. We’re now looking forward to our holiday to Greece, which can’t come soon enough. It’s wishing my life away I know, but the weather has been totally horrific. There have been several times where I’ve felt like we should start building an ark… I need SUN! We also had a great time at the London Christmas Party and even a better time after that when the Lumlians hit the pub across the street from Fantasy Centre. Champaign flowed through the evening and there were even some chocolates to pop down with it. I don’t drink the stuff. Delicious as it might be, I only need to drink half a glass and I’ve got a wall-banging headache. Brian on the other hand … ahhhh … if I’d only thought to dig out my camera … a very interesting thing happened back at our room … one picture speaks a thousand words… A large deal of my time now is spent working on the BL Companion, compiling the new mailing list, and of course the on-going work that goes into the site, monthly update and taking care of the fan mail and other general business. Then it’s working out my plans for this year’s gardening. What I’m going to plant. What seeds/plants to order. Good grief … the grass hasn’t been mowed since October … it’s a jungle out there, possibly even Jumanji. Until next time…  |
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The FutureThe Necroscope series is complete. The loose ends are tied, the curtains are closed, and the fat lady has sung. Disparate throngs of Lumlians everywhere shuffle about here and there; no clear direction or purpose guides their literary lives now that the series is concluded. They cower in fear because the future of Brian’s work is shadowed and imperceptible. What will they do? The answer lies in Brian Lumley, and his next book. The news of it will howl through the twisting avenues and dark alleys within the fan’s minds. In packs they will descend upon the helpless, bleating vendors to purchase the forthcoming novel. Noses flared to the scent of hardcover and paperback, apprehension will raise the hair on the backs of arms and necks. Only their panting breath will break the silence as the embossed cover art is tenderly caressed and opened to the first page. Suddenly, blazing fires will ignite, the volatile gases will combust and the feverish temperatures will rise, as page after page is devoured in whatever will be Brian Lumley’s next creation. Rapturous joy will flood the senses as the final page is turned and the book is placed reverently down. Glistening will be the tears of exhilaration over the master’s triumphant return. What is this book? What is it about? Who the heck knows? The point is that there will be another book. Not another sequel, or continuation, or part of any series other than The Brian Lumley Catalog. Brian’s next novel will be unique. There is nothing to compare and contrast against. It will not be better or worse than any prior novel. It will be different, to be sure, and because it comes from Brian, it will be brilliant, rest assured! Somewhere in England right now, clacking keystrokes herald the birth of this new novel. Now that is a future to look forward to, but remember... What will be, has been. |
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WARNING! If you haven't read Invaders and Defilers STOP NOW!Anxiously waiting Peter...Well, here we are in another century, another Millennium even. As we went forward into this new era we were given a new Necroscope. The past Necroscope’s had taken care of the world pretty well. And it was time for some new blood. Why am I talking about all this you might ask? Well, for one simple reason, Avengers is on its way! Yes, that’s right Avengers is about to be published. In fact by the time you are reading this, your copy of Avengers might be in the post heading your way. Well, that is of course, if you live in England, for us in the United States we have to wait until May. However, there are some impatient souls such as myself that unfortunately cannot wait, and have ordered a copy already from Amazon.co.uk. Yes I am a Lumley addict and I admit it, do you? So I myself will be curling up and reading the last installment of the Necroscope series around the same time this article comes out as well. Ah and that is another thing, this is the last Necroscope book we are to receive. I have mixed feelings about this just as many others do. On the one hand I will miss the series dearly, However that is why I bought the books, so I can read them over and over again. So yes, I will miss the series, but it will also allow for Brian to start something new, if he doesn’t enjoy resting too much that is! So that is where we stand, on the brink of a new era. The close of one era has come, and a new era is yet to be written. What is in store for our new Necroscope as the series ends? Well to ponder that lets see what has gone before. From this point forward I will be talking about Invaders and Defilers. If you have not read them and do not wish for anything to be spoiled then read no further. I hope you enjoy them when you get to them. Why haven’t you read them yet???? You have been warned. However if you have read them, please continue. Or if you have not read them, but are just burning to know what has happened so far, well then, you can come along as well. YOU NOW ENTER OF YOUR OWN FREE WILL!!!So here we are, nice to have you here. As we began this new series we were introduced to a few new characters. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Lets start with the good, we have a new Necroscope in the form of a Mr. Jake Cutter. He has quite a shady past, but he has some similarities with Harry Keogh. Chief among those similarities is his idea of an eye for an eye. In Harry we saw this often, beginning with the way he disposed of his stepfather. His stepfather drowned Harry’s mother when Harry was a child. Later Harry returned the favor by drowning his stepfather. The way in which Harry treated the Wamphyri was much the same. Many times people mistook Harry’s edge and his strength as a lack of compassion. It wasn’t a lack of passion or compassion, but rather a determination to rid the world of this supreme evil at any cost, even at the cost of his own life and soul. Jake is similar, maybe not as good as Harry started out, but similar in thought. When the woman that Jake loved was killed by thugs, he went after them with brutal ferocity. He killed them one by one, doing to them, the same that they had done to his woman. He ended up in prison because of this brutal retaliation. So there are definite similarities between the two Necroscopes. As Jake progresses he comes even closer and closer to becoming like Harry. Is it the powers that do this, or is Jake coming more fully into his own? Either way we are witnessing the birth of a new hero as well as his progression as a character. Now lets take a look at the Bad as well as the ugly. We have been given powerful new evil monsters that must be destroyed. They are Malinari the mind, Vavara, and of course lets not forget our ugly, the Lord Szwart! Malinari is renowned for his mental abilities making him a dangerous creature indeed for E-Branch to try and hunt down. Vavara is a woman that only few men or women can resist. She hides her true hideous from under a mask of profound beauty. Last but certainly not least is the ever dark Lord Szwart. His body is as dark as his evil heart, he is a master of metamorphosis and hideously evil. So far they have been thwarted in their attempts, but they have not been captured. So that tells us about the main characters. We are not however, without many other strong characters though. We have Ben Trask, who is driven by hatred to hunt and kill every last Wamphyri alive. Upon entering this world the Wamphyri killed the woman he loved, Zek Foenor. A powerful telepath in life, and a great friend to many people in E-Branch. As well as becoming a great friend to Jake in death. Since her death she has been hounding the dead to help Jake. Because of the potential hurt a necromancer can cause the dead have been trying to avoid Jake. It is Zek who strives to convince the dead to trust Jake, and give him the help he so dearly needs. Just before she was killed she spoke to Ben telepathically telling him what was happening and also telling him that she loved him. To feel what they did to her has driven Ben into a hellish fever, he will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. And his goal is nothing short of the annihilation of all Wamphyri. Another character fighting on Jake’s side is Ian Goodly, a powerful precog, who has a talent for seeing what will be. He is Trask’s second hand man, and a voice of reason. Then there is Liz Merrick. She is a beautiful woman who Jake is falling for. She is also falling in love with Jake as well. She is a telepath that was teamed with Jake when he first was taken in by E-Branch. So there are some of our characters. At the beginning of Invaders we meet Jake, he is on assignment with Liz. They are in the Australian outback. Jake gets his first taste of real battle against Wamphyri right here. Let alone to say it leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Through this fight they learn that Malinari is somewhere in Australia. Jake and Liz get closer as Jake learns more and more about the powers he has received. The dead will not talk to him, but he hears them talking about him. Finally Harry comes to Jake and tries to instruct him. But it is hard because Jake is a stubborn person. He can’t learn the knack of using the Möbius Continuum. Up until this point every time he has used the Möbius it has been under duress. We don’t get to see the other Wamphyri very much in Invaders other than to learn their history. During the hunt for Malinari Jake meets Korath. Korath was once a lieutenant of Malinari’s. In Jake Korath sees a grain of hope for rebirth, or at least some form of life. Korath makes himself indispensable to Jake, much like Faethor did to Harry. In the end it is Korath that helps Jake understand how to use the Möbius equations. They find Malinari and a huge battle ensues. Malinari is no push over though. He was expecting E-Branch to attack and set his entire (Aerie) to be a death trap. It would have worked as well had Jake not been there and been able to control the Möbius equations. So at the end of Invaders we have a harrowing escape. That takes us to Defilers. Jake is learning more and more control over his powers. Especially with the help of Korath, or so he thinks. But Jake still has a lot in his past that he can’t get over. The murder of the woman he thought he loved plagues him. He killed most of the people responsible, but the ones most responsible were still free. It was something that Jake couldn’t live with. It was also something he couldn’t keep putting off to help E-Branch. So Jake goes on his own investigations trying to discover where his enemies are. While Jake is doing this E-Branch is trying to hunt the Wamphyri down. In Greece there is a mysterious murder, and E-Branch begins to sniff in the area. They begin to pick up a trail. One left by Malinari and the Lady Vavara. They find her, she has taken over a monastery and turned all the nuns into undead vampires. Malinari has taken refuge with her after E-Branch's attack. Their plan had been to grow vampiric spores and infect mass amounts of people. Malinari’s garden was destroyed at the end of Invaders, but Vavara and Szwart still had theirs growing. While Ben and E-Branch are closing in on Vavara and Malinari, so Jake and Korath are closing in on Castellano. Korath has entrenched himself deep in Jake’s mind, making it hard for Jake to keep Korath out. The more Jake depends on Korath the deeper Korath gets into Jake's mind. It is a danger that Jake sees, but doesn’t stop for fear of losing Castellano. Finding and punishing Castellano is so important to Jake that he will stop at nothing. In his investigations he learns that he and Harry are more similar than he had once thought. It turns out that Castellano is in fact a Ferenczy. The same line of Wamphyri that plagued Harry now plagues Jake. Jake finally attacks Castellano and is about to be in deep trouble until the dead finally answer to Jake’s call. They rise from their graves and go against Castellano. Jake narrowly escapes the building as it burns to the ground. Killing all that were within its walls. While Jake is doing this Ben and E-Branch are attacking Vavara. But where is the other errant Wamphyri? The Lord Szwart has hidden himself deep underground London. He has a garden of almost ripe vampire spores that he plans to infect all of London with. He manages to kidnap Millicent Cleary. She is a telepath that works for E-Branch Ben is still trying to cope with the loss of Zek, but is becoming attracted to Millicent. E-Branch is able to destroy the monastery that Vavara and Malinari are hiding out in. They also find Vavara’s vampire spore garden and destroy it completely. In the process of all this Jake learns that Korath has been deceiving him. All along Jake has thought that Korath held the secret to using the Mobius. In fact Korath had been suppressing Jake’s ability so that he would have to rely on Korath. But by now it is almost too late, Korath is so deep in Jake’s mind that he has no idea how he will be able to get Korath out. When Ben finds out that the new woman he is beginning to love has been kidnapped he is outraged. Millicent is deep under London in Lord Szwart’s hideaway and there is no telling what has happened to her. Jake is now back with E-Branch, since he has gotten his revenge. Now with total control of the Möbius he is able to rescue Millicent from Szwart’s grasp. The spores in Szwart’s vampire garden are already ripe and ready to be dispersed upward through the sewers into an unsuspecting London. Jake narrowly gets Millicent out in time to escape Szwart. However the garden starts to release its spores. Jake sets them on fire hopefully destroying them. Jake sets the place ablaze, but is unable to tell where Szwart has escaped. Jake takes Millicent back to E-Branch headquarters and tells Ben what has happened. Well and that is where we have left off. Some of the dead are finally starting to help Jake, but is it too late. Korath is deep in Jake’s mind and it may be too late to do anything about it. Jake is coming more fully into his powers. He can speak to the dead, as well as raise them up. He can traverse the Möbius Continuum with relative ease and has partially accepted what he has become. The Wamphyri lords and Lady are on the run, after their gardens were destroyed and they have to form new plans. No doubt they will be devious. Was London able to escape the dangers that Szwart posed to them before Jake razed the underground? And what will E-Branch think about Jake and his unwanted tenant residing in his mind? Ben is shaken up no doubt, and his war against the Wamphyri must be entering a fever pitch. But is that a good thing? When Harry went against the Wamphyri he always said you had to be cold as ice, or else you would make a mistake. Is that what may happen to Ben? It is a dangerous thing to hunt vampires, and in the past it eventually destroyed the best vampire hunter there ever was. Will Jake be up to the challenge? And lets not forget that there is one other vampire hunting Necroscope still a-hunting. Nathan was standing against the Wamphyri in Starside, how will his battles have come out? No doubt this last book in the Necroscope saga will be explosive (literally)! Just sitting here writing about it is making me want to get that book even sooner. I keep telling myself its only a little while longer, but how long can I hold up? For that matter how long can you? I hope you have enjoyed this little foray into the last stories of the Necroscope. Next article you can bet will be on Avengers. So until then read well, and always read silently. Some incantations may be fake, but who knows which ones are eh? The calling of the black is only an incantation away! |
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Giornale di Sicilia Venero 9 Giugno una esplosione ha invaso l'isola di Sicilia, la scorsa notte, come il silenzio de le Manse Madonie quando fù distrutta da uno sbarramanto che divenne una bomba mortale. Nelle prime ore del mattino regnava ancora la confusione totale, ancora non ci sono morti o dispersi. The Daily Tattler Friday 9th June: Bombing in Sicily a possible sabotage? An explosion rocked the island of Sicily last night as the silence of the infamous Manse Madonie was broken by a barrage of what was thought to be a mortar bombing. In the dark hours of the morning, confusion reigned as 3 blasts were heard by staff at the house. No injuries or losses have been reported as yet. (Cont. page 2 Col. 1) (Page 2 Col.1) Le Manse Madonie is the home of the notorious Francezci Brothers who have been rumored to be part of the Sicilian Mafia as advisors to the Dons. The home lies in mountains of Cefalu by the Tyrrhenian in between the western route to Palermo and the eastern route to Messina. From our sources in Sicily, the hardest hit areas were in the lower recesses of the home which is believed to hold all the private belongings of the brothers. The attack took place in the early hours of the morning when most of the staff were asleep. The Francezci brothers, Anthony and Francesco have lived in this almost palatial home for several years but it is thought to have been in the family for at least a century holding the riches of the family. The brothers are very seldom seen as they are extremely private people and have not been available for comment. An anonymous telephone call has led us to believe that a large amount of money has gone missing as well as the destruction of a large amount of gold believed to have been taken from Germany after the second world war. This has led us to consider the possibility of a sabotage attack and rumored to be Mafia related as a possible warning to the brothers. More news as we get it. The Daily Tattler Saturday 10th June Update on Sicilian bombing The Francezci brothers have announced they will be holding an interview with the News at Nine this coming Thursday. Reports of one death have come through although we are not sure who it is. There are no other injuries as such and we hope to establish the amount of loss the brothers have ascertained. The Daily Tattler Friday 16th June: Jane Simmons column. Well, here I go again apologising for our very slight mistakes we make here at The Daily Tattler. First off, a misprint in last weeks paper, we meant the Prime Minister was a cutie and all mothers would vote for him in re-election, not that he had cooties...oops. And secondly, I'd like to make a sincere apology to the Francezci brothers. It seems that they were offended by the accusation that their property damaged and stolen in the blast last week was of a suspicious nature. It is now known that it was all property of sentimental value. |
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Interview with the VampiresGood evening and welcome to the News at Nine, I’m Denise Alstock. Following last week's explosion at Le Manse Madonie in the mountain heights of Cefalu, our reporter in the area has been granted an interview with the brothers who reside there, Anthony and Francesco Francezci, advisors to some of the world’s top political and intelligence agencies. I’m told we can now go over to our satellite link-up, broadcasting live from Julio’s Cafe in Palermo... Linda, can you hear me? ‘Yes I can hear you Denise, and I’m with the Francezci brothers now. Francesco, Anthony, thank you for granting us this interview. Now Francesco, what can you tell us about the blast that rocked your mountainside residence only a few days ago?’ ‘Yes, the blast... but first could you turn down these lights for your TV cameras? My brother and I suffer from photophobia and are sensitive to such bright lights.... thank you. Ah, the explosion? It was just after 1 o’clock in the morning last Thursday. We were disturbed by a loud bang just outside the entrance to Le Manse Madonie, which we now assume was a decoy blast, to distract us. Minutes later there was a louder explosion in the very heart of Le Manse Madonie which wrecked our vaults and did considerable damage to the surrounding levels.’ ‘Anthony, your brother mentioned a decoy blast... this was a deliberate act of sabotage then?’ ‘That would seem to be so, yes. We captured images of an intruder in our strong-room on our security cameras.’ ‘In your strong-room? So the motive for the intrusion would seem to be theft... was much of value taken, Francesco?’ ‘We’re not sure Linda... so much was damaged in the blast, mostly all of sentimental value. Furthermore, the intruder then prevented a search by contaminating the ventilation system with tear gas. But I do not think that the motive was purely theft, not with the amount of damage that was caused.’ ‘What other possible motive could there be, Anthony? And do you have any suspects for the attack?’ ‘Other motives? We are powerful men Linda... there could be any number of motives. As for the suspect, we have him on film, and his face is not unknown to us... but more we cannot say on that matter.’ ‘I understand. And finally Francesco, was anyone from Le Manse Madonie injured in the explosions?’ ‘Yes, it was most unfortunate... our nightwatchman, Guy Cavee, was wounded during the blast and died later... from loss of blood. Our thoughts are with his family of course.’ ‘Of course. Well thank you both for agreeing to speak to us, and the best of luck in catching your intruder. Now back to the studio...’ "Thanks Linda... now for today's weather report..." |
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‘Death is a marvellous thing when taken in small doses.’ Great quote that; I can’t remember who said it though. And what’s more it bears very little relation to what I’m going to write this month – just thought I’d throw it in here for the sake of it. You see, what I’ve been working on lately is death – how people die in films, on TV, and what’s more – in literature. Especially in literature. Especially Brian Lumley. Let me ask you a question – how do you want to go? When your time’s up and the Grim Reaper comes a-knocking – how is it you want to shed your mortal coil? Do you want to go with a bang as Harry Snr did at the end of Necroscope V: Deadspawn? Or would you rather be abed with a wry comment on the state of the curtains? I can see some of you out there now saying, ‘Well, I don’t know about you but I don’t intend to die...’ And that’s fair enough. Take a look at the closest to immortals in Brian’s works, the Wamphyri. The longest lived of them, Shaitan, needed to be hiding in the side of a volcano on the Ice-planes of Starside for millennia, feeding on the Bird’s Eye range of frozen Lords; even after going through and surviving that he shared a split atom or two with Harry. And then there’s the Thief Immortal, he managed to live a long and fruitful existence through stealing the life of others – whole islands, species and more. But in the end he couldn’t go on so time imploded on him and he ended up a pile of dust. So much for immortality... OK. So now you know that you’re going to die. In that case you want to make sure you get as much out of life as you possibly can... Easy, a life of unadulterated debauchery! Simple huh? You still have to be careful, mind; Peter Collins thought he was on a good thing when the beautiful Adrienne invited him to share a bed – if he did he could have grown old in her arms – in a matter of minutes! (Necros) Or do you want to live you life in comfort and ease (this week I is mostly including tautologies as grammatical errors...)? And where are you going to get the money to pay for this? Well, the Lamia Orbiquita has a little house in the Desert of Sheb – all you have to do is spend the night there, resist her seductions and if you are still there by the time the sun has risen her wealth is yours. Tharquest had a crack at this little challenge, and would have won too if he hadn’t fell into the arms of a woman he’d met the day before and made love to her there and then – for she was just another shape of Orbiquita and he too died a grizzly death. In that case you don’t want adventure, riches or passion? What do you want then? To live your life in peace, a comfy chair, a bottle of good whisky (or whiskey if like me you are partial to a little Black Bush) and a good book. Sounds, well, nice – people do it all the time. But don’t forget about the village on the northeast coast of Britain – people there were content to sit back and watch the world go by. In the end they were happy to allow a fungus to creep up on them and absorb, osmos, or whatever it is fungi does to gain sustenance. Moral? Mushrooms are for pizzas and pastas, if you’re going to let them into your home make sure they taste nice first. So you’re not going to sit still, adventure or have passion in your life? Just going to work for a good wage and travel a little? In that case I must suggest you take a reputable road-atlas with you. The last thing you want is to be a couple of junctions away and realise there’s No Way Home. Not doing too well are we? Rest assured, these things don’t happen often – for example the Lamia Orbiquita hasn’t pestered anyone for... well, a VERY long time indeed... And when was the last time you were in a roadside service station and saw someone huddled in a corner babbling about getting home? OK, forget the last, a bad example. The truth is you can live you life without anything extraordinary at all happening to you. You could live in a nice terrace in London; you know the kind – one’s that seem disproportionately tall and narrow. But they’re lovely inside I can assure you. And hardly anyone’s been folded into little cubes by the tall, Thin People that could pass off as light-posts – well, not recently. Life in Brian’s books isn’t too safe now is it? Why not go out and make some new friends instead? Join a club – just don’t annoy anyone lest you need to take a quick shower as your only means of survival. Having a representative, a Caller of the Black pay you a visit would cause that! Let’s just say that you don’t join any clubs that Alistaire Crowley used to be a member of! If nothing else you can rely on your friends. Especially if your friend’s a man who’s saved the Earth, this and another Earth, on numerous occasions. You can always trust him to keep his word, not to do anything to put you in danger. Even if he is becoming his own worst enemy. Well, you can trust so long as you don’t dwell on what happened to Darcy Clarke. Not worth living? If that’s the case you could be A Really Game Boy or girl and be well hung... If you do decide to live you could always meet an ex-Nazi with more toys then Q and find yourself ascending to a Godhead! Let’s face it – you couldn’t live the way you want to, survive the way you want to, love the way you want to or even die the way you want to in the perilous, precipitous, perverse world of Brian Lumley. So let’s just enjoy looking in through the window to that world and thank God we’re on this side...? Well, that’s my morbid meanderings done for this month. Pybob P.S. I’ve been at a loss for words after meeting Silky and Brian back in December, as well as a whole host of other Lumlians – I honestly can’t wait till I get to meet everyone again. It’s hard to believe that so many people from such disparate backgrounds all get on so well when their only apparent connection is in the writings of one horror author, even if he is undoubtedly the greatest in his field! |
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All Good Things Come To An EndWell, for fans of Brian Lumley the end of an era is creeping ever closer. NECROSCOPE: AVENGERS, book 13 of a series that has spanned 15 years, will soon be available. And now I’ll take a look back to cover a few of the ideas that Lord Lumley has given us. People who read the NECROSCOPE Series have been given new ways of looking at one of the most terrifying “creechurs” of the night. Vampires and the Wamphyri. When you read a vampire book or watch a film you sort of think at the end: “Wasn’t the Vampire a little too easy to kill? Or they get portrayed as single-minded creatures. I think Lord Lumley has got rid of that way of thinking. He has given each member of the Wamphyri a unique character profile. Like Gorvi the Guile; I’ve always seen him as a vampire who relied more on his stealth and all round sneakiness rather than brute strength. Or you have Lesk the Glut, who (let’s be honest) was totally insane even by Wamphyri standards! These are only two of the Wamphyri that greet you in the world of the Necroscope. Werewolves. This is another of the legends that Brian has given us a different way of seeing. He gave us the idea that Werewolves are the product of a human who has been bitten by a wolf carrying a leech. I have to admit I’ve always had a soft spot for the wolves. Canker Canison, the dog-Lord, being one of the main Wolf/Wamphyri characters… (You can picture the image in your head of Canker howling to his mistress moon from a landing bay in his aerie.) Humans. Again Brian has given us the idea that some people out there are willing to protect us from the evil glance of the Wamphyri. But many fans wanted protection? Probably not many. We all wanted to be one. Wamphyri! I know I haven’t covered all the ideas of these things that Brian has given us. And he has inspired many people like myself. For the 13 books we can only give praise… Thank you for 15 years of your hard work and immense talent. And now its time for this “creechur” to go out and get food! Paul Davis – Creechur of Lochivar |
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To finish off this newsletter, we bring you the people involved. If you have a question for anyone, please e-mail them and let them know about it.
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All Material Contained Herein is Copyright © 1998-2001
Brian Lumley
Not to be reprinted or reused in any form, print or digital, without permission
Well
- what can I say? IT'S HERE!!! The final chapter in the Necroscope
Saga can now be yours. Necroscope: Avengers - the
final novel in this series is now shipping in the UK from Hodder
and Stoughton. You can order the 
The
collection The Whisperer and Other Voices is now shipping
from Tor in hardcover! You may now order 
