Vamphyri! Necroscope II
Vamphyri Necroscope II by Brian Lumley
Vamphyri — Harry Keogh, Necroscope, thought that the war with the vampires had ended with the destruction of Boris Dragasani–and of Harry’s body! But the man who talks to the dead lives on, more powerful than ever, able to transport himself instantly to any spot on the globe and to speak mind-to-mind with both the living and the dead.
Necroscope II: Vamphyri! begins where Necroscope left off and ratchets the tension up along the way. It also delves into the vampire legacy/mythology and explores the history of its vampire characters. While I’ve read some reviews that lament this or that it’s set in the world of Cold War espionage, I relish it. In fact, I give it an emphatic two thumbs up! I love that they explored the vampire history. It sets up Lumley’s parameters to his Necroscope mythos and is vital to the rest of the series. As for complaining about it being set in the Cold War world of espionage, did you not read the first Necroscope? That’s the setting they used and how someone could be upset that the second book in the series is a continuation of the same is beyond me. In fact, call me crazy, but I’m willing to bet a week’s salary that we’ll see more of that in the upcoming books in the series. So, if that bothers you, my suggestion is to stop now. For the rest of you, if you liked the first Necroscope, you’ll love the second. Great characters, more in depth history to the characters and answers to questions that were left open from the first. Just a great, great book. Can’t wait to see what Lumley has in store for me in Part III! (Partial review as posted by Ken McKinley on Goodreads)
Vamphyri — Stages of Vampirism
Lesser vampiric creatures. Wamphyrii are well known for creating, either deliberately or by accident, lesser vampiric creatures. These include Siphoneers, flyers, warriors, werewolves, gas beasts, and multiple other types of creature. These creatures are sometimes accidents where a vampire attempts to feed on an animal and it escapes, or an animal becomes infected by spores, a leech, or an egg, and at other times they are deliberate acts of breeding a creature for a specific purpose.
Thralls. Thralls are the lowest form of humanoid vampire. While faster, stronger, and harder to kill than humans they pale in comparison to later types. These are the cannon fodder of Wamphyrii wars, often newly created. Their powers are generally limited, unless bred specifically for a task (such as being a telepathic watchman) in which case they might have significant abilities in the areas related to that task.
on May 13, 2013Vamphyri….Lieutenants. The next phase are vampire Lieutenants, who are basically vampire thralls with increased attributes and abilities.
They are stronger, larger, and live much longer. In some cases a Lieutenant can even develop into full Wamphyri without any further infusion (such as an egg) if allowed long enough (usually centuries).
Eggson’s/Eggdaughters. – Egg transformed offspring typically pass out when the egg is infused. They skip the thrall stage, as well as lieutenant stage and go to being full blown Wamphyrii, though not quite lords/ladies in their own right quickly, sometimes in a matter of days. They add on mass rapidly, as well as fully developing powers much more quickly than other means of transformation. They are prone to rapid development though the precise speed is variable, ranging from days to a few months or years for full transformation and final form to settle in.
Bloodsons/Blooddaughters. – These are born vampires, as such there is, as a rule, no transformation period, though their development is often slower than that of eggchildren in terms of powers. This is largely due to having to mature as opposed to being “born” with an already mature host. They are often weaker than egg children. Additionally, in some cases such as that of Janos Ferenczy, it is shown that powerful sires can control, at least to an extent, how much vampirism infects them.
Vamphyri, Lords and Ladies. The most powerful of vampires are known as Lords and Ladies, and are referred to as true “Wamphyri.” They possess a wide range of abilities: enhanced transformational skills, psychic powers, extreme physical prowess, and a host of other skills. They have fully adult Leeches. They have exaggerated effects from sunlight, garlic and silver, but are more capable of recovery (unless the leech itself is damaged). These are truly monstrous creatures.
Vampire leeches produce only a single egg in their lifetime, except for “mothers,” who are highly feared due to their ability to produce a prodigious number of eggs and thus create many true eggsons/daughters to compete with the existing Wamphyri. However, becoming a “mother” is also a highly feared phenomenon, because the leeches of “mothers” (according to the legend of the one vampire “Mother”) produce eggs until the vampire was drained to a lifeless husk.
Unless the leech is fully destroyed, the vampire remains immortal, and can regenerate itself multiple times, although the regeneration process from grievous injuries leaves the creature more vampire than humanoid.
on February 6, 2015Vampires, the rising of the dead, espers, the mobius continuum, Yulian Bodescu, Harry Keogh, what more can you ask for in a book?
I really enjoyed Vamphyri much better than the first. Harry Keogh is an awesome character, it is worth the read just to learn more about him.
It took me a while to read this book after reading the first, because I wasn’t sure if I would like it, as I had a hard time getting into the first one. I am so glad I read it and am sure looking forward to the next one.
The leech itself is a snake-like creature, resembling a shovel-headed worm with fangs and no eyes. If fed, the leech can survive without a host, but lacks high-level intelligence. Leeches can leave doomed hosts (only in extremely dire situations) and seek new hosts, including animals, but animals can only be vampirized so long before they die.
About Vamphyri Author Brian Lumley
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20BRIAN LUMLEY, Author SciFi and Horror
Brian Lumley, author, born 12/2/1937. Known for Necroscope series as well as various other outstanding horror/scifi titles. Served in the Germany based Corps of Royal Military Police.
At an early age, Brian Lumley published in a number of Arkham House anthologies. Projects included the likes of: Beneath the Moors, The Caller of The Black and The Horror at Oakdeene. By nature of his love for the works of Lovecraft, Lumley set many of his early works to the echo of the Lovecraft archaic style of adjectival writing.
But the Brian Lumley breakthrough came with the 1984 crafting of Necroscope®, a graphic horror featuring Harry Keogh as the man who speaks with the dead. Afterward came:
Demogorgon, Dreamlands, and then a return to the man with dead speak, Harry Keogh. But there was yet another gap between Necroscope II and Necroscope III. But that's allright, for in the mean, we reaped: Wamphyri!
Bestsellers in the USA, Lumley's books quickly accumulated one million sales with a lead toward two million. The success of previous Keogh-based works brough about the massive Lumley Vampire World Trilogy. It's a horror collection totaling over 3/4 million words.
Thirteen countries and counting have now published, or are in the process of publishing these and other Lumley's novels and short story collections. In the US alone, Brian Lumley books have topped sales of over three million copies.
When they're not travelling, the Lumleys keep house in Torquay, Devon, England...
