|
Maze of Worlds by Brian Lumley Brian Lumley, one of the most successful British horror novellists, returns with an SF novel, a sequel to the earlier 'House of Doors'. Unlike the original, it is not set in Scotland. Instead, it has a cosy travelogue feel, hopping all over the globe (and the universe). |
 |
|||
|
The plot? A group of renegade aliens set out to take over Earth by terraforming it to suit their own needs. The characters from the previous story already have experience of dealing with these aliens and are called in to assist by the UK governement. These include Turnbull the minder, Gill the machine-man and Barney the sheep dog. As is usual with Lumley stories, the novel features good action, excellent characterisation, moral dilemmas, black humour and a hint of philosophy. It makes for an entertaining but somewhat light read. Brian Lumley writes well and creates stories which are dynamic and fascinating, but lately he seems to have been resting on his laurels. The successful 'Necroscope' serious has grown to huge proportions whilst his punchier short fiction has all but disappeared. This novel is essentially a rehash of the previous 'House of Doors' and the best writing in the world cannot disguise this fact. Lumley fans will appreciate all his trademark black touches, but ultimately the reader is left with a sense of missed opportunity. Having said all that, Lumley going through the motions is better than 95% of his competitors at their best., a fact which has won him many fans. Those who have yet to discover Brian Lumley would be advised to look at earlier output such as 'Necroscope' or 'Fruiting Bodies' to get a real flavour of Britain's master of the macabre. Peter Devlin, (c) 1st September 1998 |
||||
