Beneath the Moors and Darker Places

by Brian Lumley

Book Overview

In addition to his stellar Necroscope series, Brian Lumley is highly regarded for his short fiction, for which he has won the British Fantasy Award. Beneath the Moors and Darker Places, a companion to The Whisperer and Other Voices, collects nine of Lumley's best long short works, many of them unavailable for decades in any form.

The Cthulhu Mythos of the immortal H. P. Lovecraft provides inspiration for much of Lumley's work,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312878370
• ISBN13: 9780312878375
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

A good short story read

Typical Lumley writing, which is enjoyable. The Lovecraft influence is obvious in this collection so if you enjoy the H.P. stories, then you will probably enjoy these.

a fun and scary read

this book was a blast. if youre a fan of horror (sometimes very graphic horror) order it today. Big C is one of the more original sci-fi/horror stories i've ever read. fantastic.

Chaos and Crustaceans, What Lurks Beneath The Skin

Beneath the Moors and Other Places exhibits the plethora of talents that Brain Lumley, the personification of what a short story writer should be, brings with him, showcasing exactly why he is considered by some, myself included, as one of the best storytellers readers can have the been fortune of running across. Besides the fact that he can take anything that crosses his path, from the ordinary things strewn about your house, those microscopic worms that you studied in science classes, or that pesky outerworldly terror that your next-door neighbor seems to drag out on rain days, and make it frightful, he also has an inner eye for detail, one that allows him to convey surroundings with remarkable detail. This is easily seen any time he divests the surroundings of his newest horror, taking some blank canvas and giving contours and colorations most authors forget and making you, the immersed reader, actually feel its chest heaving life. Besides that, the detail within the inner workings of both the background and the characters themselves, the believability with which they are portrayed, is remarkable, making even the shortest of tales teem with a cast that you can actually feel suffering. Within this collection itself are some highly notable pieces, including the much acclaimed Lovecraftian pieces Dagon's Bell, The Fairground Horror, the Rising of Surtsey, plus the short Novel, Beneath the Moors, and the ones I favor, David's Worm and The Sun, The Sea, and The Silent Scream. This mingle together in a lovely fashion, taking different aspects of horrors that are both physical and psychologial and placing them in a stew that o so well. Shortly breaking down some of the inclusions and listing the rest at the end, they are: David's Worm, a story about the lowly planarian worm that David, a scientist's son, sees upon a slide, notices is alive, and lovingly liberates by letting it go into a pond behind his home. Here it feeds and grows, taking on the abilities and mentalities of many of the things it consumes before finally wobbling onto land and confronting David and his family as well. I personally found this story entertaining because it shows why some things make good additions to a slideshow and shouldn't be freed and why I would only play fetch with a cute little blob like Planny if I had a kid to bait it with, plus the ending is wonderfully cruel device that sent a tiny shiver down my entertained spine. As a reader, I truly appreciate that. Dagon's Bell, is a tale about the wonders of home acquisition and what sometimes lurks beneath our wonderful abodes. Here, a home once possessed by a man thought to be a bit crazed becomes vacant when he, disappearing altogether, can no longer display the wonders of shotgun love to an adoring public and a newly married couple decides that this place, an extensive fixer-upper, would be a dream come true. Little do they know that somewhere beneath the grounds the sounds of a bell, Dagon's Bell, can be heard when

He's more than just the "Necroscope" guy

A marvelous anthology which allows us to see a talent grow and develop. Lumley has a very effective touch. The first story in the anthology, "David's Worm", hit so hard I had to put the book down for a few days before trying the next. Masterfully done. I *really* appreciate the fact this book is so well-constructed. So many of today's hardbacks have a squishy feel to them; this doesn't. It's solidly put together and I am confident it will survive future readings and re-readings.Highly recommended.

Fabulous anthology

Many horror novelists and filmmakers have tried to capture the essence of the Cthulhu mythos, but most fail even when the effort attempts to pay homage to Lovecraft. BENEATH THE MOORS AND DARKER PLACES succeeds in achieving the essence of Lovecraft's works and paying respect to the master supernatural writer yet feels fresh. Brian Lumley includes a potent novella (BENEATH THE MOORS) not published since the 1970s (at least in the United States) and a new gripping ending to the powerful "Second Wish". The other seven stories are terse thrillers too. The reader has nine taut tales in which each one entertains the audience in a manner Lovecraft and other horror grandmasters would have been proud to claim authorship. Fans of Mr. Lumley (see Necroscope) or Mr. Lovecraft will relish this trip to darker places.Harriet Klausner