The Whisperer and Other Voices

Rating:
Summary: A vacation to Greece which turns into a deadly struggle
Review: Fans of Lovecraft's scenarios will relish this science fiction/horror blend which includes many elements of Lovecraft's horror tales, with the focus on racial memory and a concluding story of the Deep Ones based on Lovecraft's classic. Just as haunting is No Sharks In The Med, a short story about a vacation to Greece which turns into a deadly struggle for survival.

Rating:
Summary: Lumley Revived.
Review: I used to be a great fan of Brian Lumley's. The early Necroscope novels were chilling and unique. Lumley's Lovecraft derived tales were always great fun. He showed the kind of imagination and control over his writing that often spelled greatness.

Unfortunately, Lumley seemed to get stuck on mining the Necroscope series for all that it's worth, and I simply grew tired of the them. I can only do so much hideous, other dimensional, alien vampire reading. The last few books in the series moved onto my Someday Isle (as in Someday Isle buy them) list. It was in a moment of weakness that I picked up his latest collection of short(er) stories.

What a relief!! Just when I had almost completely given up hope, The Whisperer saved the day. This is the original, strong writing that I found so entrancing years ago. Readers will find much to enjoy as Lumley dips his pen into wells of humor, terror and pure fantasy. This one is right up there with Fruiting Bodies, and The Compleat Crow.

The Whisperer contains Snarker's Son, Aunt Hester, The Whisperer, No sharks in the Med, Vanessa's Voice, The Statement of Henry Worthy, The Disapproval of Jeremy, Cleave, The Luststone, and the complete novel The Return of the Deep Ones. The last is a fine piece of post-Lovecraftian writing that will delight all us addicts. Among the short stories, The Whisperer and No Sharks in the Med are among my favorites.

Now that the Necroscope series is finally drawing to a close, The Whisperer provides a comforting glance into the future of Lumley's writing. We can look forward to many more years of great Lumley thrills!!

Rating:
Summary: Lumley Revived.
Review: I used to be a great fan of Brian Lumley's. The early Necroscope novels were chilling and unique. Lumley's Lovecraft derived tales were always great fun. He showed the kind of imagination and control over his writing that often spelled greatness.

Unfortunately, Lumley seemed to get stuck on mining the Necroscope series for all that it's worth, and I simply grew tired of the them. I can only do so much hideous, other dimensional, alien vampire reading. The last few books in the series moved onto my Someday Isle (as in Someday Isle buy them) list. It was in a moment of weakness that I picked up his latest collection of short(er) stories.

What a relief!! Just when I had almost completely given up hope, The Whisperer saved the day. This is the original, strong writing that I found so entrancing years ago. Readers will find much to enjoy as Lumley dips his pen into wells of humor, terror and pure fantasy. This one is right up there with Fruiting Bodies, and The Compleat Crow.

The Whisperer contains Snarker's Son, Aunt Hester, The Whisperer, No sharks in the Med, Vanessa's Voice, The Statement of Henry Worthy, The Disapproval of Jeremy, Cleave, The Luststone, and the complete novel The Return of the Deep Ones. The last is a fine piece of post-Lovecraftian writing that will delight all us addicts. Among the short stories, The Whisperer and No Sharks in the Med are among my favorites.

Now that the Necroscope series is finally drawing to a close, The Whisperer provides a comforting glance into the future of Lumley's writing. We can look forward to many more years of great Lumley thrills!! --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful writing!
Review: Let me start by saying that, as others have said many times, Lumley's stories are a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft; some intentional, others not. His stories are written in a prose that seems to come from a somewhat gentler time, perhaps 60 years ago. The writing itself is beautifully done -- and wonderfully enough without lots of four letter words and overt sexuality. There's not anything wrong with foul language or sex used in a book per se, but it seems to have become the staple form of communication in the horror genre nowadays. It's nice to see a master at ratcheting up the tension level rely on subtleties instead of broad swaths of blood, gore and sex.

That said, Lumley's tales are not for everyone. For those who prefer King's bluntness, Hamilton's sexiness or just plain quick and dirty writing may not appreciate the style of these stories. Also, some may find the plots trite and older than dirt. A fine example of a story that every horror writer has written in some form is the opening tale, "Snarker's Son", where a stolid cop finds himself in an alternate reality and thus comes to grief. However tired the plots may seem in some cases, Lumley has that certain skill that few possess -- the ability to make the old seem fresh and riveting to boot.

My favorite stories are "Aunt Hester" and "No Sharks in the Med". The first tale is about a beloved aunt with a terrifying and ghastly power that she exercises without taking the proper precautions. It makes one consider anew the old and odd family spinster! "No Sharks in the Med" is a tale of terror that builds slowly to an exciting and horrible end. It plays on the meaning of the word shark. Two of the more raucously amusing tales are the title story,wherein a man is destroyed by a demented and grotesque little man who takes over his existence, and "The Disapproval of Jeremy Cleave" which chronicles a dead husband's way of getting revenge on his cheating wife and friend. The novela "Return of the Deep Ones", is one of the more Lovecraftian works chronicling the last days of a scientist driven to madness by his discovery of a new and strange species.

This collection of stories brings together many years of Lumley's work into a book well worth reading. The fact that it is also wonderful writing in and of itself is a bonus. Anyone who is a fan of horror should give it a try, even if it seems not to be of their usual, favorite style. "The Whisperer and Other Voices" is excellent reading!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful writing!
Review: Let me start by saying that, as others have said many times, Lumley's stories are a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft; some intentional, others not. His stories are written in a prose that seems to come from a somewhat gentler time, perhaps 60 years ago. The writing itself is beautifully done -- and wonderfully enough without lots of four letter words and overt sexuality. There's not anything wrong with foul language or sex used in a book per se, but it seems to have become the staple form of communication in the horror genre nowadays. It's nice to see a master at ratcheting up the tension level rely on subtleties instead of broad swaths of blood, gore and sex.

That said, Lumley's tales are not for everyone. For those who prefer King's bluntness, Hamilton's sexiness or just plain quick and dirty writing may not appreciate the style of these stories. Also, some may find the plots trite and older than dirt. A fine example of a story that every horror writer has written in some form is the opening tale, "Snarker's Son", where a stolid cop finds himself in an alternate reality and thus comes to grief. However tired the plots may seem in some cases, Lumley has that certain skill that few possess -- the ability to make the old seem fresh and riveting to boot.

My favorite stories are "Aunt Hester" and "No Sharks in the Med". The first tale is about a beloved aunt with a terrifying and ghastly power that she exercises without taking the proper precautions. It makes one consider anew the old and odd family spinster! "No Sharks in the Med" is a tale of terror that builds slowly to an exciting and horrible end. It plays on the meaning of the word shark. Two of the more raucously amusing tales are the title story,wherein a man is destroyed by a demented and grotesque little man who takes over his existence, and "The Disapproval of Jeremy Cleave" which chronicles a dead husband's way of getting revenge on his cheating wife and friend. The novela "Return of the Deep Ones", is one of the more Lovecraftian works chronicling the last days of a scientist driven to madness by his discovery of a new and strange species.

This collection of stories brings together many years of Lumley's work into a book well worth reading. The fact that it is also wonderful writing in and of itself is a bonus. Anyone who is a fan of horror should give it a try, even if it seems not to be of their usual, favorite style. "The Whisperer and Other Voices" is excellent reading!

Rating:
Summary: none
Review: Lumley ranks among the very best horror writers influenced by Lovecraft arounf today. A collection of 9 tales that are dark, humorous, and bone chilling; especially such classics as "No Sharks In The Med", "The Luststone", and the title story. Bar none, Lumley succeeds where others have only managed to imitate. Gary S. Potter Author/Poet.

Rating:
Summary: Horor at its best
Review: THE WHISPERER AND OTHER VOICES is an anthology consisting of a long novella (or is that a short novel as advertised by Tor?) and eight short stories. Each of the short stories is well written and for the most part pays homage to Lovecraft. They run the gamut from graveyard serious horror to satirical humor. The amusing tales like "The Lustone" show how talented Brian Lumley is as he provides an amusing twist to top his usual works. The title piece is classic horror that hits the reader in the gut. The novella, "The Return of the Deep Ones" is a journey into the deepest reaches of Lovecraftian environs. Fans of the author and those of Lovecraft will relish this devotion to the great writer while realizing how good Mr. Lumley is even outside his popular series.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Horor at its best
Review: THE WHISPERER AND OTHER VOICES is an anthology consisting of a long novella (or is that a short novel as advertised by Tor?) and eight short stories. Each of the short stories is well written and for the most part pays homage to Lovecraft. They run the gamut from graveyard serious horror to satirical humor. The amusing tales like "The Lustone" show how talented Brian Lumley is as he provides an amusing twist to top his usual works. The title piece is classic horror that hits the reader in the gut. The novella, "The Return of the Deep Ones" is a journey into the deepest reaches of Lovecraftian environs. Fans of the author and those of Lovecraft will relish this devotion to the great writer while realizing how good Mr. Lumley is even outside his popular series.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Earplugs and Hedgeclippers, Essentials for Urban Survival
Review: Within Brian Lumley's works is a certain something that oftentimes finds me late at night with my chin pressed to a book, a chill lapping the base of my spine, making me look over my shoulder and wonder because of his visions. Here I find my mind running rampant, dancing through gardens of strange delights that, if I'm luck, bring about some delicately crafted nightmares to lovingly caress me within my sleep. Its as if the words he crafts, working from some primal place that a reader can easily understand, can bring about feelings I had long considered dead and gone in my horror-hardened mind. This is something I find myself coveting more and more as the days press into years and time marches on.

In this installment of short stories, there are many notable pieces that include, among other things, a short novel dealing with some of my favorite Lovecraftian amphibians. There are also pieces here that found me laughing as well, picturing the dread of the characters as they learned valuable lessons on "juju" and the high cost of certain crimes, and pieces that make me remember why eating things I find outside is never a good idea.
Breaking some of these down, they are:

Snarker's Son, a tale involving an oddity at the police station and a policeman who is at first skeptical until being privy to a meeting of the "tubers," ending the tale in something bloodily to my liking and always full of teeth.

Aunt Hester, brimming with Lovecraftian themes that also dart in their own morbid direct, deals with a woman that can, for some strange reason, switch bodies with her twin brother if she wants to. She finds it out quite by accident at first, doing things innocently and then out of anger. Well, this doesn't sit too well with him, and she learns, in a not-so-wonderful manner involving a very valuable life lesson, why she shouldn't play in grounds she's been told to leave alone. The ending to this piece is a very good one, taking the main plot and standing it on its proverbial ear a bit, giving the reader something that they can take with them anytime they find themselves in a dark, silent void within the night.

The Whisperer, perhaps one of my favorites in the book, finds a Mr. Miles Benton communing with a small, rancid dwarf on the train, one that happens to interact with him in the most terrible of fashions. This run-in, not a good one in many respects, is only the beginning of a long nightmare, one he thinks himself mad for dreaming. Again and again the dwarf appears, whispering in the ears of people with horrible repercussions for Mr. Benton in the process, ruining his life and his sanity in the process. So, is it a dream, is it a nightmare, is it Lumley selecting a main character to torment horribly before introducing him to the rubbery undertow of demise? Its a question you'll love yourself for answering.

The Statement of Henry Worthy, dealing with the dark side of botany, is about plants of unknown origin that are discovered by a Germanic explorer, Horst Graumer, before he disappears and the horrors that these things actually hide when another botanist decides to go looking for them. Deciding to voyage into a certain area of marshlands, he finds what he's looking for and more, falling into a cavern of perpetual horror in the process, his dreams meshing with a reality that worsens as the days press on. Here is a very Lovecraftian, very entertaining piece, teaching everyone that eating greens, contrary to what your mother may have said, can be a wretched ordeal!!

The Disapproval of Jeremy Cleave, one of the funnier pieces I've seen produced by Lumley, focuses on the fun one can have if he were to suddenly decide to partake in extracurricular activities with his best friend's wife while that best friend, in his grave in the queerest of circumstances, stretches his juju a bit. Of particular merit is the ending to this one, fueled by a delicious melody of horror and suffering, making any fan smile with pride.

The Return of the Deep Ones, a story hitting novel lengths, touches upon those Lovecraftian tides and the dwellers that seem to always haunt them. After getting a conch from a certain Mr. Marsh of Innsmouth, our main character finds a change being thrust upon himself, one that spins and twists through oceans of plot and mini-stories, ultimately allowing him to press against that brick wall that all characters in stories really need to hit. While this is a bit older in the Lumley craft, it is still impressive and worth reading, letting those cute little men with the huge, unblinking eyes creep into your heart and make you yearn for the sea and immortality once more.

Excluded from description here are a few tales, No Sharks in the Med, Vanessa's Voice, and The Luststone, all worth of a synopsis in and of themselves but all finding and unwilling medium to do so at this time.

This, along with its companion piece Beneath the Moors, offers a wide variety of reading that don't really adhere to one way of recollecting the decrepit underbelly of living, making certain to entertain even the sloppiest of horror consumers. It makes me long for a house by the ocean, myself.