Necroscope: The Lost Years, Volume 1

I’ll be honest: *Necroscope* demands patience. The first act is a slow burn of political maneuvering between vampire factions and Harry’s psychic reconnaissance, and if you’re expecting nonstop action, you might chafe at the deliberation. But stick with it, because Lumley’s worldbuilding is *relentless*—this is a horror novel where the real terror isn’t fangs in the dark, but the quiet realization that the dead are *listening*, and the vampires have been playing 4D chess since the Crusades. Joshua Saxon’s performance is a masterclass in tonal balance. He doesn’t overdo the voices (a pitfall in long fantasy audiobooks), but his Harry Keogh has just enough weary charm to make you believe this is a man who’s spent decades outsmarting immortals. The production is clean, though I’ll dock half a point for a few odd pacing choices—some of the dialogue-heavy scenes feel *too* measured, like Saxon’s holding back when the tension should snap. That said, the payoff in the final third, when Harry’s plans finally detonate, is worth every minute of setup. My only real critique? The female characters often feel like afterthoughts in Lumley’s boys’ club of undead intrigue. But if you’re here for vampires as Machiavellian operatives, psychic spycraft, and a protagonist who fights with wit as much as weapons, this is peak horror for thinkers. Just don’t start it if you’re not ready to binge—once the dominoes start falling, you won’t want to pause.