Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Solaris (13 May 2010)
ISBN-10: 1906735646
ISBN-13: 978-1906735647
Copy: Reading Copy sent by the publisher
Reviewer: Yagiz
Harry Keogh makes his long-awaited return as the Necroscope in this collection of novellas ans short stories. Set during the fan-favorite Lost Years era of Keogh's career, these tales see the Necroscope do battle with horrors both real and imagined, eternal et ethereal. In "For The Dead Travel Slowly" Harry Keogh's encounter with an old school friend leads to a fight for his very soul against an ancient evil lurking in the woods. "Harry and the Pirates" finds the Necroscope hearing the confession of a long-dead pirate but is all as it seems or is Harry being taken for a fool?
"The world is full of dead things. How would you feel if you could hear their thoughts?"
Necroscope is the title of British author Brian Lumley's horror series. The first book, called Necroscope, was published in 1986. Even though Harry and the Pirates is the 15th book in the Necroscope series, I have to shamefully admit that it is the first book that I've read in this series. However, it definitely won't be the last one as I greatly enjoyed it.
The main protagonist of the Necroscope series is Harry Keogh, whose special ability gives its name to the series. According to the story, a Necroscope is someone who can communicate with the dead. However, unlike a Necromancer who tries to control the dead, a Necroscope simply communicates with them. And the dead not only communicate with him but they are also aware of his powers and feel his warmth when he is close by. And the Great Majority that most souls belong to includes also Harry's mother.
"Necroscope": a composite word created by Harry Keogh himself, and the only word that accurately described him or rather his function. For as the telescope spies on things afar and the microscope scans the incredibly small, so a Necroscope tunes in on the thoughts of the dead and can even converse with corpses!
What, Harry Keogh, a sunworshipper? No, far more likely a child of the night, the Necroscope: a creature of the moon and stars, a familiar of cobwebs, shadows and gloom... even of the gloomiest places of all, though the latter was more a matter of convenience than preference. For there in the darkness of the last and longest night, that was where the majority - even the Great Majority - of Harry's friends existed still.
I think (please correct me if I'm wrong) unlike the previous Necroscope books, Harry and the Pirates doesn't contain a single story. It contains two very short stories and four novellas. Even though the novellas are standalone, throughout them, Harry has his personal goal of finding his missing wife and his son.
In the first novella, called Dinosaur Dreams, Harry comes across a dead amateur fossil hunter whose death happened in strange circumstances. This is a nice story but it has a not-so-unusual plot development, even though some details and the end are surprising.
For the Dead Travel Slowly, the second novella is the longest of all and probably the best one, very closely followed by the novella that gives the book its name. In this second novella, Harry visits a boyhood friend James "Jimmy" Collins living next to a forest that has seen some disappearances throughout the history. In this story, I truly appreciated the fluency of the author's style. The setting, especially the idea of an old mining town creates some creepiness. Even though I was expecting a better ending, the whole story was a pleasure to read.
Dead Eddy is another good story. Even though it hinted to the contrary in the very beginning, the plot took a great twist that made me to want to read more. Its setting is Las Vegas, gambling and slot machines. Harry travels to Las Vegas in order to kill two birds with one stone: Have some much-needed fun and look for his wife and his son. However he meets Eddie Croker instead. Eddie Croker, as known as Eddy Slot but now Dead Eddy. He manages to convince Harry to be part of Necroscope's fun at the slot machines and the story takes an unexpected turn.
The novella that gave the book its name, Harry and the Pirates is another excellent novella. I can easily imagine that most of the readers would either pick this one or the second novella as their favorite. I loved this story that displays fantasy, horror and sci-fi traits. It is quite a dark one too.
All in all, I greatly enjoyed reading Brian Lumley's Necroscope: Harry and the Pirates. The author's smooth and fluent style was enough to convince me to go back and read the previous books of the Necroscope series. Highly recommended for horror and fantasy fans.
Characterization: 7
Style: 9
Plot: 8
Overall Rating: 8.5
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