The Compleat Crow

De: Brian Lumley

Narrado por: Simon Vance

"He was tall and broad-shouldered, and it was plain to see that in his younger days, he had been a handsome man. Now...his hair had greyed a little, and his eyes, though still very bright and observant, bore the imprint of many a year spent exploring - and often, I guessed, discovering - along rarely trodden paths of mysterious, obscure learning."

Mysterious, obscure learning....

To many thousands of listeners world-wide, Titus Crow is the psychic sleuth - the cosmic voyager and investigator - of Brian Lumley's Cthulhu Mythos novels, from The Burrowers Beneath to Elysia.

But before The Burrowers and Crow's transition, his exploits were chronicled in a series of short stories and novellas uncollected in the USA, except in limited editions. Now these stories can be told again. From Inception, which tells of Crow's origins, to The Black Recalled, a tale of vengeance from beyond the grave, here in one volume, from the best-selling author of the epic Necroscope series, is The Compleat Crow.

©1987 Brian Lumley (P)2015 David N. Wilson

Fascinating tales of horror and sci-fi

The Titus Crow stories are some of the most iconic tales set in the Cthulhu Mythos. They're also some of the most unlike H.P. Lovecraft since the protagonists routinely kick the asses of the supernatural forces they're facing. The Compleat Crow follows the adventure sof Titus Crow before the book series where he becomes a time and space travelling stand-in for the Doctor from Doctor Who. They're spooky and enjoyable with quite a few twists and turns as well as more atmosphere than the main series. This is probably the best of the works aside from The Burrowers Beneath which I recommend as well.

A must for Lovecraft fans

What did you love best about The Compleat Crow?

It's a wonderful set of stories about crow and his battles with minions of the CCD. It's a great companion to Lumleys other Titus stories. Truly a great listen

Who was your favorite character and why?

Demagogue reminds me of Watson

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

HE does a great job with the voices

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

A few laughs and quite a few shivers

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided to me free of charge by the author, narrator or publishe via audiobookblast in exchange for an unbiased review

The Art of Building Horror.

When it comes to horror, there are two things that strike me, first the build up, and second the hard metaphorical push off the edge! Lumley delivers both, his style may seem slow but not a word is not chosen without purpose, if the book feels at times uncomfortable then all the better! One should I dare say feel bothered amongst voidsent monsters! I came here after reading the first three volumes of The Necroscope series and I was not disappointed! I'm now even more curious about Titus Crow and I enjoyed this foray into his world! He reminds me of Sherlock Holmes a bit, with just a little more soul on the line quite literally and because of this, I recommend this book to any horror loving Sherlock fan or Mary Shelley fan! Personally I think Titus could have given Sherlock a good run for his money!

A fun collection, but less than I expected.

Here we have a fun collection of stories about Titus Crow, ranging from his birth to shortly before the adventures leading to his Transition. Dark. Atmospheric. Exciting. But little was new.

Simon Vance is, of course, an excellent narrator. His voices are varied and distinct. His tempo shifts are effective. And if somewhat less (accurate to the text) than I'd like, his inflections are skillful.

I think my disappointment with the narrator lies in the fact that several of these stories are in other collections (The Taint and Haggoppian, read by Joshua Saxon) and here just don't have the same depth of atmosphere and resonance as those other recordings.

Now, the stories themselves.

Naturally, Titus Crow is my favorite Lumley character. That is much if what drew me to this series in the first place. However, it was nice to also find a new character (Henri Marigny) who I connected with as well.

I most confess, however, to a bit of disappointment at how few of these stories are told from Crow's perspective. Most are about other characters who come into contact with Crow.

That said, however, each story is interesting and unique, with a different feel and a different focus, do there's plenty of variety.

As before, my favorite Crow story is still Lord of the Worms. I just love the ambiance, the overtones, and the air of mystery about the story and how it brilliantly presents Crow's expertise and brilliance while also showing his weaknesses and humanity.

One thing I will absolutely grant the author is his deftness with twist endings. Most are brilliantly put together.

A bit short of a classic

After the gripping, vivid introduction, I was disappointed that the pace of the storytelling often lagged to a halt. The prose is very compelling, but the adventures were sometimes too plodding to keep me engaged. This was no fault of the narrator, who is always excellent.