Book review
Written by Brian Lumley
Solaris paperback
Release date 18 March 2010

Some glimpses into the past of Harry Keogh, the man through whom the dead communicate...

Brian Lumley's Necroscope series has sometimes become overly convoluted, with different versions of various characters – even of Harry Keogh, the Necroscope, himself. This short story collection on the whole avoids those continuity traps by setting itself early in Keogh's career, with the necessary background provided both within the stories and in Lumley's foreword.

It's as if someone had said to the author, "Here's a character who can talk to the dead. How many different kind of stories can you write about him?" Lumley presents us with a detective story, a ghost out for revenge, a crossover of sorts with his Lovecraftian tales, an unusual alien invasion, and two vignettes to round the book off which both ironically resonate more than the much longer tales that precede them.

Of the four main stories, Dead Eddy, set in early 1980s Las Vegas, is probably the best, with Dinosaur Dreams a close second – which is unfortunate for Lumley fans, as these were originally published in 2003 in an earlier collection. Both Harry and the Pirates, and For the Dead Travel Slowly lose pacing around their mid-point, and could have done with a little more tightening. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10
Each story contains a few hints about Keogh's other adventures, and if you enjoy these, be sure to check out the rest of the sequence – but be warned, read them in order!