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Lizz's Reviews > The Source
The Source (Necroscope, #3)
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I don’t write reviews.
Oh my, oh my, this series is slipping away into the Mobius Continuum. Things are becoming slightly formulaic (I’ll take “raising an army of the undead� for 500, Alex) and there’s a lot of time piddling about and not getting into the story. Regardless, I want to know what happens next. Even after the weird non-ending and the robotic nature of Harry Jr. Let it never be forgotten that I am a glutton for punishment.
The Source is notable for its introduction of another world of wamphyri, travelers and trogs, reminiscent of The Saga of Pliocene Exile by Julian May (The Many-Colored Land, etc.). I enjoyed the characters Michael “Jazz� Simmons (because of his budding romance) and Zekintha “Zek� Foener (because through Zek we learned about how the wamphyri live and create creatures), but I didn’t really like any of the characters in the story. Darcy Clarke of E-Branch, who I liked in the second book, had a small part only to fan-girl over Harry Keogh, who spent most of his time brooding and consulting Mobius.
The wamphyri housing and mutant making is highly creepy. Imagine living in a house whose pipes are the circulatory system of a group of beings integrated into the architecture. Ew. However, I have no idea how the mutants are made. It’s not magic and the cultures of the other world are not scientifically advanced. Is it the vampire creature doing the work? How does it know what to make? Still creepy either way.
Spoiler.
Also I found the Karen wrap-up unsatisfactory. She went into a deep sleep from being locked in a room for a few days? Why? Lack of blood? Harry Jr. never drank blood and he was fine. Then Harry easily lured the vampire out with a blood trail and amazingly remembered an extremely convenient childhood nightmare of someone luring a parasitic creature out of a human. Then finished. No ending for Jazz and Zek, with whom we’ve spent the majority of the story. Alright Mr. Lumley, you want me to read number four. As you wish�
Oh my, oh my, this series is slipping away into the Mobius Continuum. Things are becoming slightly formulaic (I’ll take “raising an army of the undead� for 500, Alex) and there’s a lot of time piddling about and not getting into the story. Regardless, I want to know what happens next. Even after the weird non-ending and the robotic nature of Harry Jr. Let it never be forgotten that I am a glutton for punishment.
The Source is notable for its introduction of another world of wamphyri, travelers and trogs, reminiscent of The Saga of Pliocene Exile by Julian May (The Many-Colored Land, etc.). I enjoyed the characters Michael “Jazz� Simmons (because of his budding romance) and Zekintha “Zek� Foener (because through Zek we learned about how the wamphyri live and create creatures), but I didn’t really like any of the characters in the story. Darcy Clarke of E-Branch, who I liked in the second book, had a small part only to fan-girl over Harry Keogh, who spent most of his time brooding and consulting Mobius.
The wamphyri housing and mutant making is highly creepy. Imagine living in a house whose pipes are the circulatory system of a group of beings integrated into the architecture. Ew. However, I have no idea how the mutants are made. It’s not magic and the cultures of the other world are not scientifically advanced. Is it the vampire creature doing the work? How does it know what to make? Still creepy either way.
Spoiler.
Also I found the Karen wrap-up unsatisfactory. She went into a deep sleep from being locked in a room for a few days? Why? Lack of blood? Harry Jr. never drank blood and he was fine. Then Harry easily lured the vampire out with a blood trail and amazingly remembered an extremely convenient childhood nightmare of someone luring a parasitic creature out of a human. Then finished. No ending for Jazz and Zek, with whom we’ve spent the majority of the story. Alright Mr. Lumley, you want me to read number four. As you wish�
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Phil
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rated it 4 stars
Apr 29, 2023 02:56PM
I have several more volumes of this series, but I stopped after book 4 (which I thought was a let down). Looking forward to your thoughts on it as usual, however!
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I actually remember you saying that by four you had lost interest. When I’m reading it I feel that it’s too much of the same, but when I think about it later I’m impressed by the spectacle. If four is a stinker, I’ll likely stop.
![[Name Redacted]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1347082397p1/287915.jpg)
I find the series gets progressively weirder while also more grounded as time goes on.
Is that good or bad? :) It’s strange but in this series the weirdness seems normal.
I think it's good? I grew up with Lumley's books, so I go back and read one a year during October, but it's all a big YMMV. The only one I've actively hated so far in my re-read quest has been the second in the series.I think his Titus Crow series is the best exemplar of that "grounded and weird" at the same time dynamic. Azathoth is revealed to actually just be a thermonuclear explosion, like the Big Bang or something that the ancients & aliens mistook for a god, but then Crow is also traveling through time & space in a grandfather clock or on the back of a friendly dream-dragon.
Actually I was just recommended Titus Crow yesterday. I’m reading other things now, but out of nowhere I got an urge to continue this series. I thought “wonder what Harry’s up to now…�
