Tomes of Shadowstalking
Tomes of ShadowstalkingWelcome to the land of shadows, where evil is the greatest power, where nightfall marks the birth of terror, where your very soul is at risk. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with black magic and dark souls and encounter the monsters rule these wicked places.
This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.
That said, on to the review!
Who or what is Harry Keogh, who can speak with the dead, makes friends with the dead, can become the dead and more? Who is he that he can step out of the known universe and reappear seemingly instantaneously clear across the globe? What strange birthright gave rise to his stupendous talents and for what purpose? There are too many possible answers that scarcely touch upon the truth, save one: he is the Necroscope.
It is the near future. Great Britain has begun exploring the realm of ESP--extra-sensory perception--by developing hidden and latent mental talents into useful tools. Britain's highly secretive ESP branch has established itself in the ESPionage game against the Opposition, their Soviet equivalent. Both sides are secretive to the point of obsession, and only through careful, diligent research can either side acquire new operatives, for those gifted--or cursed--with ESP are more secretive still. Telekinetics and telepaths are most common. Prognosticators and locators have similar numbers, though the variations in all the fields are many. However, only Harry Keogh possesses "deadspeak," and so there is only one necroscope, and it is through his deadspeak that he becomes the world's only teleporter.
A conflict between warring ESP branches is titanic enough--look at any Marvel mutant title to see an example--but Brian Lumley throws in an added complication: a vampire on the ascendancy. This is not your ordinary vampire, however. He covets blood and knows the art of necromancy--a darker version of the Necroscope's deadspeak--but he is still living! He offers forth a new take on an old myth, and makes it all--vampire, Necroscope, and ESP--entirely believable. All the author requires of you is a willing suspension of your disbelief; he'll take it from there.
I enjoy reading about vampires, and I enjoy reading about psychic phenomena. This book (and its nine related siblings) combines both my interests into a potent, compelling novel that I couldn't put down. What's more, I couldn't rest afterwards until I went to the bookstore and bought the next book in the series. I don't normally like blood and guts flying all over the place, but it makes this novel even more interesting! Warning: contains some graphic/sexual content.
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