Rating: 
Summary: unintentionally funny, otherwise garbage
Review: I wanted to like this book. The cover was nice, I had friends who said very nice things about it, I enjoy the Cthulu mythos. Unfortunately, everything about this book annoyed me. The characters were unconvincing, the monsters read like something from a twelve year olds Dungeons and Dragons game, the dialog was horrible and the stories plodded along at a snails pace. It was a struggle to stay awake through the leaden prose that made up these novellas. I only hope that Lumley was trying to be humorous when we wrote this garbage. Save your money and reread your old Lovecraft
Rating:
Summary: unintentionally funny, otherwise garbage
Review: I wanted to like this book. The cover was nice, I had friends who said very nice things about it, I enjoy the Cthulu mythos. Unfortunately, everything about this book annoyed me. The characters were unconvincing, the monsters read like something from a twelve year olds Dungeons and Dragons game, the dialog was horrible and the stories plodded along at a snails pace. It was a struggle to stay awake through the leaden prose that made up these novellas. I only hope that Lumley was trying to be humorous when we wrote this garbage. Save your money and reread your old Lovecraft
Rating:
Summary: Egad, NO!
Review: Lumley has written good fiction, when he stays away from Lovecraft pastiches. The problem with these two "novels" isn't just thet they're pulpy (though they are) or that Lumley doesn't handle Lovecraft's ideas very well (though he doesn't). The problem is that they're poorly-constructed, ridiculous examples of the worst kind of pulp pastiche; think Lin Carter, only worse. Yes, if you think that long lists of horrible cosmic monsters from outside, ancient forbidden tomes of ghastly magical lore, and various other Lovecraftian arcana represent some kind of accomplishment(and apparently many HPL fans do), then you may find something to enjoy here, because that represents the bulk of both stories. "Burrowers" is two of Lumley's (weak) early short stories, with pages (and pages, and pages) of Titus Crow and his buddy De Marigny making lists of Lovecraft deities and books (endlessly) and theorizing about the "Mythos." Then they try to kill a "Cthonian." Then their house gets blown away. End of book 1. "Transition" is even worse, much of it made up of fragmentary notes (supposedly Crow's taped or recorded comments about his cosmic journeys) none of which actually adds up to anything (just more Lovecraft name-dropping). It also introduces us to such "brilliant" concepts as a "good" Cthulhu who's a big chief of the "Elder Gods" (complete with shimmering white-light aura around his blobby tentacled bod, if I recall correctly) and Cthulhu's daughter (fortunately, Lumley never got around to giving us "Bride of Cthulhu" or "Son of Cthulhu"). Look for Lumley's non-Lovecraftian short fiction, and you'll find a supernatural horror author with real talent. Unless you're just starving for anything with the words "Cthulhu" and "Necronomicon" in it, do yourself a favor and pass on the Crow books (especially this one).
Rating:
Summary: Egad, NO!
Review: Lumley has written good fiction, when he stays away from Lovecraft pastiches. The problem with these two "novels" isn't just thet they're pulpy (though they are) or that Lumley doesn't handle Lovecraft's ideas very well (though he doesn't). The problem is that they're poorly-constructed, ridiculous examples of the worst kind of pulp pastiche; think Lin Carter, only worse. Yes, if you think that long lists of horrible cosmic monsters from outside, ancient forbidden tomes of ghastly magical lore, and various other Lovecraftian arcana represent some kind of accomplishment(and apparently many HPL fans do), then you may find something to enjoy here, because that represents the bulk of both stories. "Burrowers" is two of Lumley's (weak) early short stories, with pages (and pages, and pages) of Titus Crow and his buddy De Marigny making lists of Lovecraft deities and books (endlessly) and theorizing about the "Mythos." Then they try to kill a "Cthonian." Then their house gets blown away. End of book 1. "Transition" is even worse, much of it made up of fragmentary notes (supposedly Crow's taped or recorded comments about his cosmic journeys) none of which actually adds up to anything (just more Lovecraft name-dropping). It also introduces us to such "brilliant" concepts as a "good" Cthulhu who's a big chief of the "Elder Gods" (complete with shimmering white-light aura around his blobby tentacled bod, if I recall correctly) and Cthulhu's daughter (fortunately, Lumley never got around to giving us "Bride of Cthulhu" or "Son of Cthulhu"). Look for Lumley's non-Lovecraftian short fiction, and you'll find a supernatural horror author with real talent. Unless you're just starving for anything with the words "Cthulhu" and "Necronomicon" in it, do yourself a favor and pass on the Crow books (especially this one).
Rating: 
Summary: A valuable expansion to the mythos
Review: Oh, this was nice. This was *very* nice. One *ought* to be a Lovecraft fan before reading this happy work, but--as I am an example--it isn't a requirement for enjoying the heck out of it. I have read some small amount of Lovecraft, but my interest in the mythos stems primarily from a vast fascination with squid and other squamous beings.Then was lent this book by a friend, on the premise that it might do well toward broadening my appreciation of the Cthulhoid. It was immediately engrossing, written in the grand old vocabulary-expanding style. Readers of H.P. will find that the tone rings perfectly true, complete with the lapses into rhapsodic description (of, say, a prehistoric pear's flavor). Titus does, in classic form, lapse at intervals into raving insensibility. Oddly comforting, that. While The Burrowers Beneath deals with Cthulhu himself, and his creatures, and is gloriously well-written, I shall direct most of my comments toward The Transition of Titus Crow. The Burrowers Beneath is a fine Cthulhu yarn, but I found 'Transition' to be a more fascinating read. The world, and the metaphysical realms it resides in, are still undoubtedly Lovecraftian. The territory explored, however, is utterly new and it s a joy to see how well and freshly the science-fiction-flavored material can be treated with the old master's pen.
Rating:
Summary: Lovercraft? Snorecraft!
Review: Ok, I have to agree 100% with the review below, don't waste your money. Silly plot premise...plodding plot....stifled, clunky prose (and waaay too much of it), and stupid oversized catepillars for evil creatures. The protagonists were supposed to be scary? Come on, you could get creeped out more reading Harry Potter! I forced myself through about 75 pages before throwing it down in disgust. Awful, awful book. Don't let it ruin your opinion of Lumley though, Necroscope is an excellent series.
Rating:
Summary: Lovercraft? Snorecraft!
Review: Ok, I have to agree 100% with the review below, don't waste your money. Silly plot premise...plodding plot....stifled, clunky prose (and waaay too much of it), and stupid oversized catepillars for evil creatures. The protagonists were supposed to be scary? Come on, you could get creeped out more reading Harry Potter! I forced myself through about 75 pages before throwing it down in disgust. Awful, awful book. Don't let it ruin your opinion of Lumley though, Necroscope is an excellent series.
Rating: 
Summary: A little pulpy, but good Mythos worship.
Review: This series is Brian Lumley doing a science-fiction fantasy take on Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Titus Crow is an erudite scholar of the Supernatural, with an assistant (I forget his name) that conjures up images of the Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson duo. Once again, the Old Ones (Cthulhu, Hastur, etc.) are at it again, trying to take over the world, and what ensues is a wonderfully pulpy adventure with Crow trying to save the world. Not terribly deep, but more than anything a fun read.
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