Good Brian Lumley stories?

[Felon]

A friend recommended Brian Lumley as a good source of inspiration for a d20 Cthulhu-mythos campaign. His thinking was that Lumley's characters are actually heroes that manage to score victories against the elder evils. Problem is, the short stories I've been reading are pretty awful IMO. I read a couple of Titus Crow tales: "Lord of Worms" was incredibly predictable and devoid of surprises, and "Name & Number" is not so much a story as the cliff notes of a story.

I'm starting on one of the Harry Keogh "Necroscope" tales, and hopefully that'll get me going in the right direction. Anyone care to steer me along to the best of Lumley's stuff?

 

[Joshua Randall]

I have to concur with "awful" as the appropriate adjective to describe Lumley.

For Cthulhu inspiration, why not read Lovecraft? Or one of his contemporaries, Clark Ashton Smith.

 

[jonesy]

Good Brian Lumley stories?

Thus spaketh the horrid unspeakable in all its many tentacled ways within the cyclopean halls of the vast nightmare madness of my mind. What it meant I still do not understand for the use of the dread name of Brian Lumley together with the said spoken "good" thus loosed my mind from its tracks of sanity altogether forever.

And if you want good inspiration for a Mythos campaign read The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

 

[WayneLigon]

Most of Lumley's better Cthulhu stories are from later in his career, where he starts to develop style and characterization. The Titus Crow stories are from a much earlier period. Chaosium's book with his tales from the Severn Valley are generally very good. I can't really speak to the Necroscope ones; I don't think they are directly or even indirectly Mythos related. Just normal horror. They seem to be quite popular.

 

[jaerdaph]

Chaosium's book with his tales from the Severn Valley are generally very good.

Severn Valley - I think you are thinking of Ramsey Campbell, another British author.

I can actually think of one Lumley Cthulhu Mythos tale I liked - Rising with Surtsey, which can be found in this collection: Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. If you don't like the Lumley tale, at least it's the only one by him and there are some other really good stories in there as well. If you have a lot of Chaosium's anthologies, check the TOC before you buy - there is some overlap.

 

[Thotas]

I read the first Necroscope book, felt no need to run down any more. I see I'm not the only one who was dissapointed with him.

 

[Shemeska]

Lumley's lovecraftian homages are incredibly second rate at best.

When he's writing his own stuff he can be an enjoyable read, if predictable (I read the Necroscope series years ago, back in highschool, and enjoyed it then). However he is to August Derleth as August Derleth was to Lovecraft, and that's well... not a good thing.

Read Lovecraft, C.A. Smith, and some of their contemporaries. The modern day attempts to write in the same vein are all too often hit or miss, but some of the Chaosium anthologies are pretty good.

 

[WayneLigon]

Severn Valley - I think you are thinking of Ramsey Campbell, another British author.

Well, that would explain how the writing got so much better, then... :/