Necroscope

Personally, the Necroscope series are some of my favorite books. If you happen to be a fan of horror, Stephen King, or maybe even Edgar Allen Poe, then I would think that you would want to at least try these books. In his style of writing, Brian Lumley depicts the most vicious, malicious, and evil of vampires (the most powerful calling themselves Wampyri).

In the first book, Necroscope, the main characters of the book are Harry Keogh and Boras Dragosani. Dragosani is a Necromancer, a man who tortures the dead to acquire information. He works for a Russian intelligence group as second in command to the ESP leader, Gregor Borowitz. At first, you hear of the Russian's problems with traitors and such, but once you go deeper into the book, you will go deeper into his past. He was an orphan, taken in by farmers in Romania, and as a child he came upon something odd. There was a voice that seemed to talk to him in his mind, telling him things, and it was that mysterious voice that led him to become the Necromancer that he is in the present. He follows what this voice says, becoming stronger, and even overthrowing Borowitz to become leader of the crumbling group.

The other main character spoken of, and the protagonist of the Necroscope books, is Harry Keogh. In the beginning, you start in his life story, his past. His mother had already died when he was younger and his step-father will not allow him to live with him. He appears to be a day dreamer to any normal person, when in truth it is his talent for speaking to the dead forming. When he gets older, and more happenings start to occur, he is approached by a man by the name of Keenan Gormley. He is the E-Branch ESP group leader, and he is looking to recruit Harry. Harry's ability works much differently from Necromancy. As a Necroscope, the dead see him as a light in eternal darkness; he is the only person they have to talk to. What the deceased did in life, they continue to do after death, and Harry can help them accomplish what they can't because they are in the grave. Before he consents to join the ESP group though, Harry has his own vendetta that he needs to take care of.

This leads his path to cross with Dragosani's. Seeing Harry as a threat, Dragosani tries to have him killed, but Harry believes in "an eye for an eye". The dead have come to him, hearing of his kindness towards him, and asked him to avenge their untimely murders. This is how Harry becomes a vampire hunter, the first known, and the vampire's number one enemy. So, enough of spoiling the entire book!

For advanced readers who enjoy detail, and for those who love the supernatural and gore, this would be your book. Brian Lumley gives you incredible insight into the character's life, and it is obvious that he worked hard on the book. This is a brilliantly composed book, full of action and mystery. The first book to this series is most definitely the best while the rest of the series may not be so good, and with his original plot and ideas, Necroscope is definitely one book that I would recommend to horror fans everywhere. Trust me, if you think Stephen King is scary and his ideas even remotely creepy, you have not read from a true mastermind of horror until you've read Brian Lumley.

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