Blood Brothers

When vampires venture out into the world, wreaking havoc on innocent citizens, it is up to Harry Keogh's twin sons, both possessing their father's powers, to stop them

From Publishers Weekly

Vampires, sons borns of mortals, thralls, crones, trogs, the undead, shape-shifters, leeches, hags, flyers, cartilage creatures--all are characters in this diverting if drawn-out tale of the twin sons of Harry Keough. The late Keough (previously seen in Nec ro scope and four other outings), a telepathic vampire hunter able to speak with the dead, has passed the torch to his unwitting sons, Nestor and Nathan, who not only think their father was a humble gypsy but also mistakenly believe that all the vampires in the world were destroyed long ago. The young men--one seemingly simple and innocent, the other strong and fiercely intelligent--are separated when their settlement on Sunside is attacked by vampire warriors from Starside known as Wamphyri. As their personalities undergo drastic transformations and Keough's legacy reemerges in new and very strange surroundings, each must struggle to retain his identity as evil forces threaten. Naturally, one twin proves more successful than the other. While the brothers' travails are somewhat compelling, as is the course of their love for the same woman, it is the villains here--Wratha, the Unrisen and Maglore of Runemanse--who are bound to engage readers most. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This fantasy inaugurates a new cycle in the author's "Necroscope" series, which chronicles the war between vampires and the Szgany people, fought in a world ravaged by the remnant of a deteriorated black hole and divided into Starside and Sunside. The story here concerns Nathan and Nestor, twin sons of vampire-slayer Harry Keogh of the previous novels. Separated by the recently renewed vampire attacks, the brothers travel the world, each seeking to understand the mysterious gifts their heritage has given them. Meanwhile, the vampires mass for a civil war that threatens to overwhelm the Szgany as well. The many tantalizing references to events in previous novels make this book a bit confusing, but libraries where the series has been popular will find the new title in demand.- A.M.B. Amantia, Population Crisis Committee Lib., Washington, D.C.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Sixth symphony in the Necroscope series, an epic vampire cycle begun in paperback (Deadspawn, 1991, etc.) and now shifting to hardcover, with 480 pages of dense lyricism and small print in need of a guide like Frank Herbert's Dune Encyclopedia. In his Necroscope cycle, Lumley falls victim to a historical giganticism endemic among fantasy writers like Mervyn Peake, Gene Wolfe, and others who write long and lust after the vanished three- decker. Vampire hunter Harry Keogh, the Necroscope, called The Hell-lander and sometimes Dwellersire, can talk with the dead and move effortlessly through time and space. Earlier, Harry battled the near-immortal masters of the Starside, the Wamphyri, and drove what remained of them to the Icelands. The Sun now circles from Sunside to Starside, but Harry is ailing, for he himself has been corrupted by Wamphyri evil and been robbed of his ability to enter the forbidden Mobius Continuum (``Trapped in its flux, he drifted useless as a ship with neither sail nor rudder, a waterlogged hulk rocked and slowly twirled by mathematical tides and algebraic whirlpools, through straits of Pure Number where he was now innumerate''). Are the Wamphyri truly gone? No, they still live in hidden vampire caverns and, strangely refined by unclean vampire science, have come forth to prey on innocent humankind. Harry's twin sons inherit some of his powers and may save mankind; but during a vampire raid, one has been snatched by a flying monster, and the other must find him so that together they may fight the revived evils of the Wamphyri. Frenzied deliria! Hair-tearing madness! Death in high purple! But just the draught that Lumley's faithful have ordered. Next: The Bloodwars! -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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