Necroscope (series)
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| Necroscope | |
| Author | Brian Lumley |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror/Science fiction/Adventure |
| Publisher | Harper Collins |
| Publication date | 1986 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-586-06665-9 |
| Followed by | Necroscope II: Wamphyri |
Necroscope is the name of a series of horror fiction books by Brian Lumley.
The term necroscope, as defined in the series, describes someone who can communicate with the dead (coined Deadspeak later in the series). Unlike necromancers, who, in this series, attempt to command the dead through rituals, spells, bodily mutilation and sometimes necrophilia, a necroscope simply communicates with them without any physical interference.
The term "necroscope" originally (in Greek) meant someone that can "see" (scope) into the dead (necro). It was used as a formal legal and scientific term for "Coroner" up to the middle of the 20th century. After the 1950s it ceased to be used, but can still be found in early 20th century books and encyclopedias (see Helios' Encyclopedia, 1954 Athens). Necroscope, as a term for Coroner, came to be considered distateful as it was associated with the coroner's "tools" of the day, knives, saws and drills, and today is not in use (has been replased by the neutrally sounding term for the coroner, "doctor-judge" - iatrodikastis). Notably, in the series the "necroscope" communicates with the dead without any tools, or bodily mutilation, an ability normally attributed to a "necromancer" (in Greek), whereas the "necromancers" in the series use tools like those used by the real "necroscopes", the coroners.
The abilities of a necroscope are defined as a type of ESP.
Contents |
[edit] Harry Keogh, Necroscope
The protagonist of the Necroscope series of books, its main hero — or anti-hero, as the story unravels — is Harry Keogh. He is a son of a Russian mother and father. His mother later remarried and is eventually killed by Harry's stepfather. In his early childhood he (Harry) is raised in County Durham by other relatives. Keogh would eventually return to exact vengeance on his Russian stepfather.
Whilst at school, and not particularly popular or academically inclined, he discovers his ability to speak to people who have died, and through them learn what they know.
The author also puts forward the idea that death is not the end, and that whatever someone was or wished to be in life, he or she continues to be in death, within the restraints that death imposes. For example, a mathematician would continue perfecting his math, an inventor would keep inventing new things, and a psychic would continue to practice using their powers.
Not only can Harry speak to the dead (thus earning him their eternal admiration, almost amounting to worship), but he can also form a bond with them which allows them a degree of control over him when he permits. For example, when faced with a dangerous situation, Harry hands his mind over to the control of a former gym teacher who was an army sergeant, and learns martial arts skills. He does not forget what he learns, and continues to use this skill and many others throughout the series. In addition, if the dead are nearby and the physical situation permits, they will literally raise themselves up out of the ground and fight for him. This gives him powerful allies as, being dead already, they have nothing to lose and almost nothing to fear.
[edit] The Vampires
Thibor Ferenczy - Technically the first vampire to appear in the novels. Once a Wallachian barbarian transformed by Faethor Ferenzy. Conquers territories for hundreds of years until he is finally staked, chained, and buried beneath cruciform hills in Romania. Later discovered by necromancer Boris Dragosani.
Faethor Ferenczy - An old and very powerful Wamphyri residing on earth in the Dark Ages in a keep at the top of a mountain range in Szgany territory. After transforming Thibor he is attacked by his progeny one night upon his return to his castle. Burned almost to death, he plummets into a river and re-emerges centuries later, finally to die during a bombing raid during World War II.
Janos Ferency - Son of Faethor Ferenzy.
Fess Ferenc - A monstrous Wamphyri from the vampire homeworld of Sunside/Starside and the supposed progenitor of the Ferenczy bloodline. His face and head have taken the standard form of the transformed Wamphyri; a mix of wolf and bat with great pointed ears and a convoluted snout.
[edit] The Shing`t
In Necroscope: The Touch a race of aliens known as the Shing`t are introduced to the world. The Shing`t supposedly seeded the earth long long ago with a mix of native DNA and their own to create a sentient race they could return to some day.
The Shing`t organize themselves into "Three groups" that consist of three Shing`t who study, think, and work together. These three groups allowed them to study every facet of science and all other fields accurately. Each three group was dedicated to a different path. The Shing`t adopt their number in the three group along with the name of the number one in that group and that is their name.
[edit] Plot summary
[edit] Necroscope
Harry is an English youth in school, and strange things occur as he grows up, such as a sudden increased intellect in mathematics, and the ability to fight beyond his experience after a teacher is killed. Eventually he marries his childhood sweetheart, Brenda, who slowly realizes there is more to her now-successful writer husband: that he can speak to the dead, whose collective consciences remain behind, at the location of dying.
These dead can talk only to Harry at first, but eventually, they can "deadspeak" to each other. Coinciding with Harry's evolving abilities, Boris Dragonasi is contacted by a long-chained vampire, Thibor Ferenczy. Boris gains the ability to become a necromancer, who can forcefully extract secrets from the dead by playing with their remains and even eating them.
Harry goes to visit his stepfather, who he knows killed his mother by drowning her in a lake, and lives on a house at that lake. Harry, realizing his stepfather is a Russian spy who plans to kill him for his talents, sabotages his father, but both fall in the frozen lake. As he tries to get out, Harry discovers a new ability of the dead when his mother's corpse drags his stepfather down into the cold river, drowning him also.
Eventually, Harry is contacted by E-Branch, who deal with ESPionage using psychic investigators and spies, while Boris is hired by the U.S.S.R. equivalent, the Opposition. Boris tracks down rumors of vampires, finding a World War 2 veteran who killed one, Faethor Ferenczy, along with a Russian Mongul, Max Batu, whose talent is to kill someone just by looking into their eyes. Eventually, Thibor manipulates Dragonasi and reveals that he is in a symbiotic relationship with a vampire, and they can reproduce but once per lifetime. He gives his offspring to Boris, who later betrays and kills Thibor with Batu, and in turn kills Batu so he can gain the secrets of using the "Evil Eye".
Meanwhile, the head of E-Branch, who was killed by Boris, requests Harry's help in defeating the necromancer. Harry uses his ability to talk to the mathematician Mobius, who teaches him to travel time (and later space) by using "the Mobius Continuum". Harry uses "doors" to leap to places, and goes to Russia where Boris is now the head of Russia's ESPionage unit, having killed the former leader. Using an army of walking undead, he eventually finds Boris, who uses his "evil eye" to kill Harry. Harry uses a mirror to reflect the eye back at Boris, killing him. Unfortunately, Harry himself dies in the conflict, but his mind also lives on like his dead friends.
[edit] Necroscope II: Wamphyri!
The spirit of Harry now resides in his son, Harry Jr. When his infant son sleeps, Harry can roam the Continuum and speak to the dead, but is gradually losing his control as the son "reels" his father's spirit back in.
Roaming in his spare time, Harry discovers that Thibor had infected a pregnant woman with a small part of his flesh, which results in a lesser breed of vampire, albeit a still formidable one. This youth, Yulian Bodescu, retains many vampire abilities: hypnotism, increased lust, bodily transformation, regeneration, and creating thralls (lesser vampires that are infected with a shed body part of the master vampire).
Harry eventually contacts Faethor Ferenczy, a master manipulator (as all vampires are), who wasn't ready to die but was forced to when he was pinned beneath an unmovable column. When Faethor died, a small worm like creature left his body, which was also killed. Talking to Faethor, Harry discovers that the creature responsible for the relationship is called Vamphyri, and when the two beings are merged, they are Wamphyri.
Faethor tells about Thibor, who was a mighty warrior centuries prior, and how he infected Thibor with his sole vamphyric egg. Thibor was to watch over Faethor's castle and servants while gone, but after disobeying him, Faethor had him chained underneath the earth (leading to the events of the prior book).
Yulian is creating thralls out of his family, and Thibor uses deadspeak to tell him Harry Jr. is a great enemy. Yulian sets out to kill the infant, and Harry informs E-Branch that Thibor has a piece of dead skin left behind, to further Yulian's mutation. E-Branch teams up with the current Russian head to destroy Thibor's remains and a "finger mutation" left behind in Castle Ferenczy. Russians have meanwhile captured Alec Kyle and mindwiped him believing him to be a spy.
As Yulian prepares to murder Harry Jr, the youth slips through the Mobius Continuum to parts unknown with Brenda, after releasing Harry's consciousness, which takes over Alec's body, changing his appearance. Meanwhile, the dead rise to slaughter Yulian. Harry does not know where his wife and child are.
[edit] Necroscope III: The Source
The series starts to explore the origins of the Wamphyri manifestation on Earth.
[edit] Necroscope IV: Deadspeak
[edit] Necroscope V: Deadspawn
[edit] Series bibliography
[edit] Necroscope
- Necroscope (1986)
- Necroscope II: Wamphyri (1988); US title: Necroscope II: Vamphyri! (1988)
- Necroscope III: The Source (1989)
- Necroscope IV: Deadspeak (1990)
- Necroscope V: Deadspawn (1991)
[edit] Vampire World
- Vampire World I: Blood Brothers (1992)
- Vampire World II: The Last Aerie (1993)
- Vampire World III: Bloodwars (1994)
[edit] The Lost Years
- Necroscope: The Lost Years [Volume I] (1995)
- Necroscope: The Lost Years Volume II (1996); US title: Necroscope: Resurgence The Lost Years Volume II (1996)
[edit] E-Branch trilogy
- E-Branch: Invaders (1998); US title: Necroscope: Invaders (1998)
- Necroscope: Defilers (1999)
- Necroscope: Avengers (2000)
[edit] Supplemental
- Harry Keogh: Necroscope and Other Weird Heroes (2003)
[edit] New Adventures of the Necroscope
[edit] Related role-playing games
- Ed Bolme. The World of Necroscope (1995) published by West End Games.
[edit] Supplements
- Miranda Horner, Daniel Scot Palter, Brian Sean Perry and Jesse VanValkenburg. Deadspeak Dossier (1995)
- Miranda Horner and George R. Strayton. The E-Branch Guide to Psionics (1996)
- Edward Bolme and Andrew Heckt. Wamphyri (1996)
- Mark Barnabo, Edward S. Bolme, Angel McCoy, and Christopher E. Wolf. Operation: Nightside (1997)
[edit] Related comic books and graphic novels
- The Necroscope series of comic books published by Malibu Comics, collected in a graphic novel titled Necroscope:
- October 1992
- December 1992
- February 1993
- April 1993
- June 1993
- The Necroscope Book II: Wamphyri series of comic books was published by Malibu:
- August 1993
- November 1993
- January 1994
- Another series of comic books entitled Necroscope was published by Caliber Comics:
- 1997
- 1998
[edit] Other media
- German heavy metal band Rage released a song based on the Necroscope series titled "Talking to the Dead" on their End of All Days album in 1996.
[edit] External links
- Necroscope pages at Brian Lumley's website
- Necroscopy: A Guide to the Necroscope series
