Necroscope: The Touch

Necroscope #14

by Brian Lumley

To test of the power of God, an insane triad of malevolent aliens decides to become so evil that God himself will have to stop them. They have already destroyed their homeworld, an entire solar system, and most of their own race. Their next Earth!
In addition to advanced science mankind can only dream of, the Mordri Three have the unique ability to forever alter skin, bone, and muscle with a simple touch. Once this powerful touch was used only for healing, but the Mordri Three use it as a weapon, literally turning people inside out, mutating them in front of their horrified loved ones, or seeding them with cancer.
Scott St. John is mourning the painful death of his beloved wife when he is struck by a golden arrow of light--a fragment of the soul of Harry Keogh, the original Necroscope--and gains powers he does not understand. Soon after, a mysterious, beautiful woman begins appearing everywhere he goes. She warns him to keep silent--about what, he does not know--and keeps trying to tell him something critically important, but each time, she vanishes before she can fully explain. And Scott begins to dream of a very unusual Wolf, who begs Scott--in human speech--to rescue him before the hunters come.
A fledgling Necroscope, a telepathic Wolf, a beautiful woman from beyond the stars, the ghost of Harry Keogh, the best of E-Branch's psychic fighting forces, and a dead girl who is not yet ready to seek her just reward must defeat three impossibly strong, psychically gifted monsters whose touch literally melts flesh from bone.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Horror Thriller, Science Fiction

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Brian Lumley was born near Newcastle. In 22 years as a Military Policeman he served in many of the Cold War hotspots, including Berlin, as well as Cyprus in partition days. He reached the rank of Sergeant-Major before retiring to Devon to write full-time, and his work was first published in 1970. The vampire series, 'Necroscope', has been translated into ten languages and sold over a million copies worldwide.

He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.

Reviews

[Carl Bluesy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After 13 books of fighting the Wamphyri it seemed appropriate for there to be something new to fight agents. At first I thought aliens was an odd chose that wouldn’t fit. But as has comes so common whenever I doubt Brian Lumley, I was proven happily wrong.

The aliens come off as familiar to the Wamphyri but still come off as fresh and unique.

I found it easy to connect with the new cast of main characters. Perhaps because Brian Lemmy has changed them so often in this series at this point.

This may not be my favorite the series. But that doesn’t mean that this is not an enjoyable story, or addition to the series. It is still a part of the net go scope series and it’s still fun not just like all the others.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since a book made me care so much about the characters that I was actually worrying about their fate and that goes doubly when a book makes you worry about an alien slug-like creature! Well that's what this book did. Not only does it have a fantastic plot and great characters but it makes you feel stuff too. I actually got misty eyed at the end! And I didn't want it to end, either!

This book sort of restarts the necroscope series with a story about a new character named Scott. Scott is an ordinary person more or less; nothing unusual in his life except for the fact his wife has died some months ago under somewhat suspicious circumstances. Then strange stuff starts happening to him..and these weird people from E-Branch are looking at him..but Scott doesn't believe in the supernatural. And he's certainly not hearing voices, is he? Well maybe he is.

I really loved this story and going on the long, hard journey with Scott. He faces many problems, both of a physical nature (as in many battles) but also of an emotional nature as he struggles to find self confidence in himself. That second one is actually much harder and it takes a lot of bravery. I also grew to love Shania, her tiny Khiff and the Wolf that made up their group of three. I also could relate very well to Scott's great lack of belief, because it would be very hard to believe that something like the Mobius Continium is real! Or to face that awful math (because I'm not good at math)! It requires a great leap of faith. It's also about grief, revenge and believing in things you cannot see.

And the bad guys in here...truly grotesque and rotten to the core! The things they do are awful for words. Truly horrendous! They make other famous movie villians look like saints.

The story has plenty of action, fights, great descriptions of both locations and things...and a really great plot. I was close to the end and the situation was so dire I just didn't see how they could get out of it. So a powerful climax too! And the fate of the entire world is at stake too. Because those Mordri Three are evil with a capital E!

This story is not about vampires. Just so you know. It's about the Shing't. And the awful Mordri Three. But you still have a Necroscope.

I plan on reading the entire series. If you are new to Necroscope this book works very well as a stand alone and can be read on it's own. It basically explains many of the things as Scott is learning it from scratch. So you could start with this one and then start reading the series from the beginning, with the first book Necroscope.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun, very familiar, and yet very unique. A very fast-paced love letter to the Necroscope series as a whole.

[Chris Healey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun sequel, quite detached from the overarching story which was refreshing. In many ways the antagonists are more dreadful than the Wamphirii & the stakes of the adventure much higher. Lumley does a great job of making us squirm with some really disgusting body horror, and the narrative moves along at a good pace compared to some of the more bloated instalments that preceded it.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that is the last book I will read in this series. Rest are hard to find and it wasn’t my favorite series.

[Dollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will miss Harry Keogh very much. Now on to my next Lumley book.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 14th book in the Necroscope series. 4 star book in my opinion.

I enjoyed this one for a few reasons:
- we get new villains. No more vampires (although this series has the best vampires around). The Mordri 3 were truly horrific alien creatures and produced some of the most disgusting "body-horror" scenes I have read.
- we get new characters ( Shania and Scott and Wolf) who work closely with E-Branch and older characters we remember from original series ( Zek and Jazz).
- I felt this series was a great blend of 2 works that Lumley is known for ( Necroscope and HP Lovecraft cosmic horror stories). These villains are easily cosmic horror baddies and I can see them being mentioned or in a Titus Crow story or other stories that are in the HP Lovecraft universe.

I thought Scott was a great addition to the Necroscope mantle. I liked him a lot better off the bat then Jay Cutter.

[Nick Belhomme · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love all the necroscope books.
They are all awesome.
Yet only this book took me a while to read for a second time. I miss the whampiry (or the lycanthropes).

Found the shingt hard to get into and a bit childish.
Same for Wolf. Telephatic conversations with a wolf just dont work especially such basic simple minded conversations. Normally i remember each and every book but i honestly thought i hadn't read it yet beginning it. Then whilst the book progressed i remembered reading it again. But couldnt recall how the story evolved.

All in all a good book but only if you have no reference to the other books in the series which are mindblowing.

Will not read it again 🫣

[Stacy Croushorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. Another spin on someone else being the Necroscope, with Harry making these “dreamlike” appearances. There wasn’t any vampires. Why do you do a Necroscope with no vampires? They have stretched this series as far as it can go. If they go back and add more stories to when Harry was alive and the Wampiri were a threat those might be ok. However, this “Touch” thing is stupid. This cash cow needs to go to pasture.

[Roger Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coming straight from reading Necroscope: The Lost Years part II, I found The Touch rather slow paced. The story seemed to drag right up until the the last 8 chapters and the main character didnt seem to progress for most of the story which was a little frustrating. However the last few chapters move along at break neck speed right up to the end which made up for the slow first half. Overall a good story with a satisfying ending.

[SOTERO RIVERA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good side story to break the typical Keogh adventures.

This was a good way of switching things around for the E Branch bunch. A different set of evil other than the crazy vampire sort.
The story had a great plot and excellent characters with a bit of their own diamond in the rough issues to deal with. There was an element of Sci Fi to the story as well. Very well played Mr. Lumley!
I highly recommend this book as a side story to the Necroscope series.

[Michelle Nakagawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did it! I finished the series!
This last book entered a whole new realm, if you will. It involved no vampires, but instead there were aliens. I admit it was a tad disappointing, but when I got used to it...
E-branch is still involved as is Harry Keogh and his Mobius Continuum but it's a completely different thing.
Not my favorite in the series, but I am glad I read it.

[Carla Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this addition to the Necroscope World. No Harry but Scott was an ok replacement. Also good to let some of the lesser but no less important members of E Branch to get a bit more of the spotlight.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a shame to think this is the final Necroscope(barring two collections of shorts and novellas) this has been my side reading for quite a while now.

[Mamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The well of these books is about dry. Not sure I have the energy for new characters and the same ground returned. Still this wasn't too bad, it had its moments.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable follow-up to the Necroscope series. Or serieses. I guess the plural is still 'series'. Now, keep in mind that I read this at least 5 years since I last picked up a volume in this series. As a result, in some ways it was like getting back to see old acquaintances. If I had read this right on the tail of prior series entries, however, I likely would have been more frustrated by some of the novel's shortcomings. Primarily, these are the length of time that it takes to get to any substantial action; the amount of time spent by the characters reviewing events, both from past Necroscope novels and from within this novel itself, and the failure to use the Necroscope abilities to their fullest for the bulk of the story. The same applies to many of the characters' natural talents. For example, the main character is hailed as being a martial arts expert, sufficiently so that others are reluctant to approach him physically, but these skills are never put to any substantial use. But since it had been in fact a while, in many ways I enjoyed the slow burn and build up to the final confrontations. One remaining issue is the alien nature of the threat in this story, which the characters seem to accept rather readily; I guess having dealt previously with extradimensional and supernatural issues, the extraterrestrial holds little additional fascination to the characters. Overall, 'The touch' ranks below most of the prior Necroscope novels, but is not a totally unworthy addition to the series.

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first two Necroscope series... and the third series was a big sign of fatigue on Lumley's part... not bad, but nothing special like the first two.

This book...

Did not suck, but was far from worth it. Nothing new was presented, the story was acceptable but seemed forced, and the ending was a GIANT cop-out. Plus, having the evil villians be motivated by *horrors* atheism was as about as thrilling as watching golf. I am sorry, but religious people have committed more atrocities and evil in the name of their gods than any atheist ever. But that is another argument... let's just say I had a hard time buying this motivation.

Probably the best thing about the book was the fact that there were no vampires in it, which was definitely new for the series. But when the villians have much of the same powers, it makes me think this was a rework of an older, rejected story in some parts.

Anyway, I think I am done with any new Necroscope books. They will never match the original series and the second series set in the vampire world. So why bother torturing myself reading them?

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a side story to the main Necroscope saga, The Touch benefits from not having much of the baggage that comes with the Harry Keogh character. Things feel fresh and a little more laid back than usual.

Lumley is always pulpy, but I appreciate his commitment to this kind of silliness. After dozens of stories about trans-dimensional vampires and Russian necromancers, he decides that, hell with it, he'll throw in some space aliens, too. Why not?

If things feel a bit too similar to Necroscope: Invaders, it's made bearable by wacked-out crazy scenes involving people turned inside out or aliens fighting zombies. Even despite a fairly mediocre plot and resolution, it's still crazy fun reading about the teleportation powers of mystical, mathemagical Moebius and the British Ghostbusters.

[Tom Boshell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to have something new in this area. It may be me, but this just doesn't have the old feel any-more. Harry was built-up over many books. He developed as a character. As a new beginning this would be great, and with aliens it would allow for many possibilities. But now, if there is a new hero needed they would simply be the recipient of one of Harry's golden arrows and two weeks later they can defeat any threat.
Lumley does go more into the godly aspect with allusion to the trinity and to the older stories from the alien race.

It is worth reading to follow the series, but don't expect too much on the old characters.

I am a bit undecided on the stars: I would give it 2.5 stars.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this one in an airport, and was very happy to see Lumley continuing his story with different enemies. No, this one isn't about vampires, but it still has some very lethal and interesting villians.

On a side note, the villains wear watches that allow them to travel from place to place. A week after I finished the book I was watching the John Carpenter classic 'They Live', only to be see the aliens wearing watches that give them the same ability. Since I love the books, I'll just say great minds think alike!

[Michael Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Necroscope novel without vampires is like a peanut butter sandwich without the jelly. I did learn a new word: evaginate. The badguys had a nasty habit of turning their victims outside in while still alive.

Parts of this one seemed a bit repetitive, making me want to skip over the previously known history of E-Branch and Harry Keough. Unlike the other three Necroscope cycles this book seemed to be more of a stand alone in the series, so would probably be good for someone who has no idea what a Necroscope is.

[Guy Ferguson]

I have to declare my bias here. I have thought at times that Lumley was a worthy successor to HP Lovecraft, maybe even channeling the statesman at times. And with that in mind I forced myself through this latest work of his. Loosely tied to the Necroscope series, but really more of an E-Branch story than a Necroscope story, this standard "Crazy evil aliens" story offers little new. And I could not engage with any characters really. I got the feeling that Lumley really had to prodice a book for contractual reasons, not because he had a story to tell. I was very disappointed.

[Angraecus Daniels · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept trying to force myself to finish this book. Finally decided it wasn't worth the effort.
I enjoyed the first book in the series. But compared to that first book, Touch is sluggish, bloated and repetitive. Shania is a cliched female with no interesting traits. The scenes in E-Branch headquarters do little more than recap the previous 1-2 chapters.

[Joseph Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the entire series. I think the only thing I would change would be the fact that the Author repeats "phrases" and the background of the characters over and over. That really isn't necessary and distracts from the flow of the storyline.

[Carl Alves · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was a bit tedious. The plot was pretty solid, but as a fellow writer, Brian Lumley's attention to the craft did not impress me. I wouldn't recommend it, and had a hard time making it through the whole book.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

had to read this for my book club... weird. it was kinda scarey and if ya like vampire ish stuff then go for it but it is a series so maybe start with the first one

[Michel-Éric]

a book on evagination

[Cazann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok.... after reading nearly everything that Brian has written ...I kinda found this average ...Vampires with a difference are much more his style..

[Andy Craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply the best Vampire series ever written!