Vamphyri!

 

Level: Explicit

Genre: Fantasy/Horror >Vampire

Obtained: Purchased at  Border's

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

So it's been forever and a day since I have posted, and for that I apologise. I could come up with a variety of excuses, but no, I simply did not feel like reading. It was one of those I enjoyed reading when I opened the book, but the thought of picking up the book was simply very meh to me. Bad reviewer. Shame on me, I know, and because of it, I am now very far behind on my Anita Blake reread. Anyway, on with the review.

Cover:

Like the Necroscope cover, this cover also easily conveys that you are about to delve into a book of terror. Although I personally do not like it as much as its predecessor, it is still wicked awesome. Even without it having the word Necroscope on it, you would be able to tell that it was part of the series. It's also neat to see the skull take on a wolfish appearance as many vampire lore has it where they can take on the shape of a wolf or have the ability to control wolves. Once again, we have a terrifying yet simple cover that is bound to bring in it wanted readers.

About the Book:

The UK E-branch had thought all of the vampire menace was eradicated. Boy were they mistaken. Not only is there still vampire spawn in the world, but it's in their very own country. Harry Keogh, nercoscope, finds this out when he learns more of Thibor's past and that Thibor has planted a bit of himself in a pregnant woman, resulting in the dreaded Yulian Bodescu. Meanwhile, they have the KGB getting in their way as they try to take out the source, causing more danger for our heroes.

Rating: 9/10

Before I go more in depth of my review, I would like to point out that this barely made a nine instead of a ten, and honestly, I felt that was more a personal choice than the book's quality. Really the only thing that brought this book down for me was when I was reading about Thibor's past (well until we got to Faethor). He was just very much the fearsome warrior, which is not something I find all that interesting so getting through that was a bit of a drag. Still, it was interesting to see where Thibor had come from, what he was like, and how he had become a vampire. It was also interesting to see the power play between Faethor and Thibor as both constantly try to come out on top.

Easily, my favourite bit of the book was when Yulian Bodescu was on the page as we got to witness his coming into power and his depravity worsen as his vampiric nature took a hold of him more. We also get to see the going ons of the E-Branches and Harry Keogh. Sadly, for reasons I am unable to divulge, Harry had less to do in this book and pretty much just went around collecting information. He still managed to have some major problems of his own though, which ended up leading to an amazing twist at the book's end. Brian Lumley certainly knows how to write some amazing climaxes. I guess that leaves us to look at the E-branches. This time, there is less of the UK vs. USSR as both want the vampire problem dealt with. Well, someone in the USSR E-Branch wants to use them and is still determined to get any information they can on the UK E-branch so the KGB start sticking their noses into the E-branch's affairs. 

Unfortunately, I don't really feel there is much else I can comment on when it comes to Vamphyri! as its good qualities and features are pretty much on par with Necroscope. Both are unique, but as Vamphryi! is the second is the series, it's not as new. Still, it leads us deeper into the world and its characters and still manages to have an entertaining plot that, while similar to the one in Necroscope, varies enough that it doesn't feel that we are walking the same path. Is it one of my favourites in the Necroscope series? No. Would I still recommend it? Hell yes!

What I'm Reading Next: