布莱恩·兰莱

Brian Lumley (2 December 1937 – 2 January 2024) was an English author of horror fiction. He came to prominence in the 1970s writing in the Cthulhu Mythos created by American writer H. P. Lovecraft but featuring the new character Titus Crow. He went on to greater fame in the 1980s with the best-selling Necroscope series, initially centered on character Harry Keogh, who can communicate with the spirits of the dead.

Biography

Born in County Durham, he joined the British Army's Royal Military Police and wrote stories in his spare time before retiring with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 1 in 1980 and becoming a professional writer.

While searching for books written by H. P. Lovecraft, Lumley contacted Lovecraft's publisher August Derleth. After reading some of Lumley's stories, Derleth invited him to contribute to Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos. He added to the Cthulhu Mythos cycle of stories, including several tales and a novel featuring the character Titus Crow. Several of his early books were published by Arkham House. Other stories pastiched Lovecraft's Dream Cycle but featured Lumley's original characters David Hero and Eldin the Wanderer. Lumley once explained the difference between his Cthulhu Mythos characters and Lovecraft's: "My guys fight back. Also, they like to have a laugh along the way."

Later works included the Necroscope series of novels, which produced spin-off series such as the Vampire World Trilogy, The Lost Years parts 1 and 2, and the E-Branch trilogy. The central protagonist of the earlier Necroscope novels appears in the anthology Harry Keogh and Other Weird Heroes. The last entry in the Necroscope saga is The Mobius Murders.

Lumley served as president of the Horror Writers Association from 1996 to 1997. He served as Master of Ceremonies at the World Horror Convention in both 1992 and 1995. In 1998 he was named the Grand Master of Horror and Author of the year at the convention. He received the 2009 Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Horror Writers Association. He also received a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010. His short story Fruiting Bodies won a British Fantasy Award in 1989.

Fans of Necroscope gathered at the annual KeoghCon from 2000 to 2007. They were joined by Lumley and his wife Barbara Ann, known as "Silky". The books have been published in thirteen countries and have sold over three million copies in the US.

Lumley died on 2 January 2024, at the age of 86.

Inspiration

Lumley's list of his favourite horror stories – "not complete by any means and by no means in order of preference" – included M. R. James' "Count Magnus", Robert E. Howard's "The Black Stone", Robert W. Chambers' "The Yellow Sign" from The King in Yellow, William Hope Hodgson's "The Voice in the Night", and H. P. Lovecraft's "The Haunter of the Dark" and "The Colour Out of Space".