Paperback. Tor Books 1999-01-15.
ISBN: 0312868677 / 0-312-86867-7
EAN: 9780312868673
Publisher description
The two novels contained in the first volume of Titus Crow--"The Burrowers Beneath" and "The Transition of Titus Crow" (originally published in 1974 and 1975)--are a matched set marking the introduction of Brian Lumley's Sherlockian paranormal investigator, Titus Crow, and Crow's Watsonesque partner, Henri-Laurent de Marginy. Both tales are grounded in the Cthulu mythos originated by H.P. Lovecraft, but Lumley offers an effortless introduction to Cthulu for newcomers.
While Lumley is perhaps best known now for Necroscope, the Crow novels (which also include those collected in Titus Crow, Volume Two and Titus Crow, Volume Three) offer an early glimpse at the creative talents of a contemporary horror master. Crow is a fascinating character--an obsessed genius uncovering ancient gods in a late-20th-century world that is blind to its imminent destruction. At the same time, de Marginy, writing through epistles and journals, brings a naive immediacy to the narratives. Lumley's prose has a baroque feel that lends an antique patina to Crow's world (supposedly in the 1960s and '70s), and his blend of horror à la Lovecraft, adventure reminiscent of Edgar Rice Burroughs, and techno-science fiction with shades of Asimov is always pleasantly surprising. Titus Crow makes for solid and enjoyable reading that deftly crosses genres. It's a pleasure to have these novels in a readily available form again. --Patrick O'Kelley
The Burrowerseneath (Rating 3 of 5)
» TITUSCROW
I was first introduced to Lovecraft when I was 9 years old. The story was the Dunwich Horror. I was hooked. The characters the landscapes and the Ancient Ones came alive and stayed alive. I read all of Lovecraft's stories. I found August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smith. All great writers.
I would suggest reading at least Lovecraft before reading Lumley. He refers to all the Elder Gods and Ancient Ones as if everyone knows about them. Crow is the Indiana Jones of the Cthulu mythos. I don't feel the same horror as Lovecraft was able to inspire. Crow's stories are more adventures. Well written,but not Lovecraft by any stretch of the imagination
One of the greatest in his Cthulhu origins (Rating 4 of 5)
» S. C. ONeil
While there are some areas of this compilation that are slow and even tedious, overall it is a wonderfully original expansion of the Cthulhu cycle. Titus Crow is an out of bounds character that is made more believable through the recordings of his 'assistant' de Marigny. This collection begins the expansion of Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe. You might be turned off by the 'fleshing out' of the undescribable, however, it is a very entertaining take on what has long been an obsession of many. While I enjoy his short stories more, this is an unmistakably wonderful delving into the universe as we are afraid to see it. In the end we will all fall to the evil, but until then let us dream of the universe held by good
Great Book (Rating 4 of 5)
» Glenn G. Thater
"Lumley's Titus Crow books are excellent fantasy stories mixed with a good sampling of horror from the Cthulhu mythos. Highly recommended for any fantasy or Mythos fan."
-- Glenn G. Thater, Author of 'Harbinger of Doom'
Lumley Takes Up the Call of Lovecraft (Rating 5 of 5)
» Ryan Thomas
Brian Lumely has successfully carried on the tradition of Lovecraft, Derleth, Bloch, Smith, Howard, and the rest of the original Cthulhu mythos writers. Though some may scorn Lumley for straying outside the lines of the Lovecraft Mythos, I praise him for his acheivments. Instead of just building on what Lovecraft started Lumley takes the Mythos and adds to it and takes it in a new direction.
Lumley expounds on his classic hero Titus Crow and molds a somewhat Mythos of his own in these books. Like those before him who took liberties and created dieties in the Mythos (Chaugnar Faugn was created by Frank Belknap Long and Tsathoggua was created by Clark Ashton Smith) Lumley creates Shudde M'ell in THE BURROWERS BENEATH and takes what Lovecraft started to a new level.
With these books Lumley cements his place as one of Lovecraft's hier's and the leader of today's Mythos writers. Anyone who likes Lovecraft will see that these books take the reader into the life of one of literature's greatest occult heroes, Titus Crow
Starts Strong, Goes Downhill FAST In Act II (Rating 2 of 5)
» Daniel V. Reilly
I have always been divided in my love of the great H.P. Lovecraft. Works like At The Mountains of Madness are classics- Well written, imaginative, creepy.....true masterpieces. Others, like Imprisoned With The Pharoes, were clearly paid-by-the-word pulp trash. And I have always hated his Dream-stories, finding them to be nothing but run-on nonsense filled with weird names, and devoid of any kind of coherence. Lumley here delivers one great "Mountains of Madness"-esque story, The Burrowers Beneath, and one Dreams-esque story, The Transition of Titus Crow, that is virtually unreadable.
Burrowers introduces us to Titus Crow and his sidekick, Henri, who tells the story through diary entries and news clippings. The story concerns their fight against the monstrous titular Burrowers, spawn of Lovecraft's horrific Cthulhu and his ilk. Burrowers is nothing short of gripping, a real treat for Lovecraft fans. Had Lumley stopped there, the book would have been a 5-Star affair.....Unfortunately he gives us Transition, which brings us from the creepy horror of Burrowers to flying interstellar clocks, robot planets, the youthening of the elderly Crow (Via a robot body!), and his trip to the home of the Elder Gods, where he meets with lisping, flying Dinosaurs, and falls in love with a green haired girl. This IS all as bad as I'm making it sound.....
Horror fiction walks a tightrope between the believable and the laughable, and with the second part of the book, Lumley leaps right into the laughable, and I'm now sorry I bought the other two books, which I'm really dreading reading, since they seem to be in the same vein as Transition.....I spent most of the second half of this book either saying "Oh, Stop...", or "COME ON, ALREADY!!!". It was a really torturous read. I would advise reading Burrowers, and quitting while you're ahead.
On the plus side, Bob Eggleton's cover is great, and the three hardcovers look great together on the bookshelf, with their unifying "Eyeball" motif
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