NECROSCOPE / Brian Lumley / Book Review / Brian Lee Durfee (spoiler free)

Overview

In this spoiler-free book review, Brian Lee Durfee praises Necroscope (1986) by Brian Lumley as a hugely popular 1980s-era horror/vampire thriller that launched a long-running vampire series.

He starts by spotlighting the standout cover art, emphasizing the bold “1980s horror” skull imagery. Durfee credits artist Bob Eggleton for the artwork, describes the paintings as “dope,” and highlights Eggleton’s success—including multiple Hugo Awards. He also adds a personal touch, claiming he met Eggleton in college when Eggleton presented him an illustration award.

Premise & Tone

Durfee then breaks down the book’s setup: the story is set mostly during the Cold War (beginning in 1971, despite being published in 1986). It blends spycraft/espionage with vampires—capturing, in Durfee’s words, a Tom Clancy / Robert Ludlum vibe “with vampires in it.”

At the center is the horror-magic mechanism: necromancers/necroscopes can communicate with the dead.

Key Antagonist: Dragonasi

One major villain, Dragonasi, is a necromancer-in-training who can speak to the dead by examining them as they die—extracting memories/essence. He becomes valuable to the KGB, which uses him to uncover secrets from people who won’t talk while alive.

Protagonist: Harry Keogh

Durfee introduces the protagonist, Harry Keogh, as a coming-of-age “good Will Hunting” type: a math-genius school kid with a rare ability to speak to the dead as a necroscope—without relying on the grisly method of “rooting around in guts.”

Because he’s one of the few who can talk to the dead, the dead continuously “bombard” him with requests, creating a distinctive emotional/character dynamic alongside the Cold War thriller plot.

Why It Still Works

Durfee argues that the Cold War setting is part of why the book remains compelling today. If Russia had been “breeding vampires” back then, it would have felt plausible—grounded in the era’s fears.

He closes by praising the vampires themselves as especially badass, explicitly contrasting them with modern “sparkling” vampire trends.

Rating

Durfee gives Necroscope a 9.5/10, describing the writing, characters, and pacing as “relentlessly good,” with Harry Keogh singled out as the standout.

Key Highlights / Jokes

• Heavy emphasis on how cool the 1980s cover art is, plus name-drop-heavy bragging about meeting both the cover artist and the author.
• The “Good Will Hunting on your team” comparison for Harry Keogh.
• Cold War humor framing vampire-breeding as a fear people would plausibly believe in during that time.
• A clear jab at modern vampire culture: these vampires don’t sparkle.

Main Plot (High-Level, Spoiler-Free)

A Cold War espionage thriller where Russian intelligence exploits a necromancer to interrogate the dead and harvest secrets, while a rare necroscope protagonist investigates the KGB’s vampire-breeding operations—mixing thriller tension with themes of life after death and communication beyond death.

Personalities Mentioned

• Brian Lee Durfee (reviewer/host)
• Brian Lumley (author)
• Bob Eggleton (cover/illustration artist)