Bloodwars

Necroscope, Book 8

By: Brian Lumley

Narrated by: Joshua Saxon

Length: 29 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

The twin sons of Harry Keogh, the Necroscope, have taken very different paths. Nathan as his father's powers - to talk to the dead, to travel instantly through space. Like Harry, this new Necroscope fights evil wherever he finds it.

His twin, Nestor, has become the most horrifying evil imaginable: a shape-shifting, blood sucking Wamphyi Lord! Devoid of human feeling, Nestor and his companion, the beautiful, malevolent Wratha the Risen, hunt without mercy.

The battle between the brothers mirrors the war between vampires and humans. On mankind's side: terrible weapons brought from Earth by Nathan's allies. But the vampires are numerous and powerful, and neither side has a clear advantage...until Nathan and his legions of the dead discover a way to destroy the vampires forever.

In the midst of a titanic battle, Nathan makes a desperate move that forever changes millions of lives and two worlds: the vampire world...and Earth.

©1995 Brian Lumley (P)2020 David N. Wilson

Nice conclusion. Don't go further.

Saxon did a splendid, splendid job reading. The story dragged like hell and Lumley needs a thesaurus so he doesn't have overuse the same word ad nauseum.

the best

loved this book the narrator Joshua is hands down the best I have listened too. how he can keep so many voices strait. he kept me transfixed.

What a ride!

This review is for my free copy of Bloodwars.
This series has been a part of my life for 30 years. I remember checking it out in high school. Mr. Saxon did it justice and is engaged, giving the characters life and depth.
The haunting continuation of the vampire saga that is too real for television keeps the bits that made earlier books terrific, all while creating its own path. Lumley is a horror enthusiast's dream/ nightmare come true!!!

So fantaric!

The necrscope series is the benchmark series all other vampires should be judged against. The Wamphri are just amazing creatures and the story grips you through each series.
Joshua Saxon is a fantastic talent reading these books. So great that you never lose your concentration on the story. He never breaks stride and you will be totally transported to this vampire world without ever being distracted.

Amazing

This has been an amazing series so far. The best series since The Dark Tower. Maybe better.

The title does not lie

The title does not lie.

The epic Vampire World trilogy concludes with a crescendo as the new Necroscope and his allies at last cross back over into the horror of Sunside/Starside and the Wamphyri and their armies of abominations descend on the human resistance. Modern weapons are brought to bear against Lovecraftian, blood-drinking abominations and will even the Necroscope's powers over distance and death be enough to turn the tide?

And the audiobook is utter perfection.

the best book I have ever listened to so far

a superb heart-wrenching storyline wonderful narrator and a mad genius of an author
to anybody that has a taste in literature this is a wonderful addition to your collection

Fantastic

A really great listen. Brian Lumley is a superb writer and Mr. Saxon a gifted storyteller.

always a great series

i have enjoyed the series since i was introduced to it. i am so grateful it has been audiobooks converted just such a great series

A work of Art on so many levels.

This 3rd book in the Vampire World trilogy (8th book in the overall NECROSCOPE series) is Brian Lumley at his very best story telling.
Im grateful beyond words that Lumley's work is finally being masterfully produced, and performed in audio format. Ive waited so long for this dream to come true, and thanks to CROSSROADS PRESS, and the fantastic narrations of John Langton, Michael Throughton, and Joshua Saxon...im blessed that even MORE of Brian's incredible stories are in my near future.

A Triumphant Finale

The most truly Epic of the Necroscope series, Bloodwars is a climactic showdown between multiple factions in a high fantasy but well grounded setting. There are giant monsters, a final war for dominance between distinct and memorable vampire characters, brother pitted against brother, romance, family legacy, betrayal, portals in time and space and a psychically endowed british spy group. There is memorable horror and gore aplenty but there is a lot more here.

Brian Lumley is on peak form and has a total grasp of his style, his world, it's lore and what he wants to do. It's an enormous story with almost 4 decades of plot behind it at this point, but it's never unwieldy or rambling. No space is wasted, Lumley just patiently lays out these incredible events and walks you through them.

I've heard Lumley do something similar in the conclusion to his Titus Crow series. An epic battle with multiple supernatural armies and a huge ensemble cast. But for my money this is where Lumley sounds more like himself and less like an imitation of writers who's style he clearly loves. There is a real sense of a master genre writer in full command of his craft flexing his own unique authorial voice.

Add to that the fact that it's all delivered to you by the velvet tones of Joshua Saxon? And what you have is an extremely satisfying experience.

I work at home and spend long hours staring at screens doing repetetive tasks so during lockdown in particular Audiobooks have been a godsend for me. And the one thing that can make or break my ability to get immersed is the narrator. A bad narrator can kill a good book. A great narrator can perform a bad book well. But give a great novel to a great narrator and it's something truly special.

I've made no secret that I'm a huge fan of Saxon. He has the quality you normally only get from a narrator who is also a trained theatre actor: a sense that performing the characters is as important as simply relaying the events without ever overplaying his hand or intruding upon the experience. Since he took over reading the Necroscope series my enjoyment of is has increased %200 and I'll be following him onto whatever he lends his voice to next.

All in all this is a 10 out of 10 for me. Heartily recommend to fans of the series.

A Fitting Way to End The Series

In Bloodwars Brian Lumley manages to pull together all of the various strands, in the Necroscope story to date, and tie them up neatly.

Joshua Saxon has firmly placed himself as the voice of this audiobook series. His performance brings to life Brian’s characters making them jump into “reality”.

I have really enjoyed all of the audiobooks to date.

So it will be interesting to see if Brian can continue the story without it feeling like a story for stories sake. Only time, and Necroscope The Lost Years will tell.

outstanding

The many threads and sections of this book move at the right pace to keep the listener chained to the story. After spending many many hours in the company of both narrator and author, I was hooked. Eight previous books in the series, generations of characters developed, genuine relationships created using believable fully rounded characters gave this book the huge job of closing this gripping, exciting, sad terrifying world. I will truly miss these characters, their strengths, weaknesses, decision making and emotions. The narrators ability to bring the various characters personalities to life through accents, pace and pauses is nothing short of genius. Very entertaining, highly recommended.

A Masterful Epic Fantasy Horror Superbly Told

Bloodwars is the final book in Brian Lumley's epic Vampire World trilogy. Following on from the excellent Necroscope books, this series uses the characters and concepts previously established and takes them to a whole new level of imagination.
I'm a big fan of Lumley and I believe that this trilogy is his crowning achievement. Each book is excellent.
Joshua Saxon once again provides a faultless narration. It's beyond doubt that he's a natural storyteller, and his performance here is further proof that he has quickly become the definitive Lumley narrator. Though his work is consistently excellent no matter the author, there is something truly special about his collaborations with Lumley.
Another absolute essential from Crossroad Press.
Recommended without hesitation.