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Titus Crow #0
The Compleat Crow
MASTER OF ARCANE ARTS
‘He was tall and broad-shouldered, and it was plain to see that in his younger days he had been a handsome man. Now his hair had greyed a little and his eyes, though they were still very bright and observant, bore the imprint of many a year spent exploring – and often, I guessed, discovering – along rarely trodden paths of mysterious and obscure learning.’
Mysterious, obscure learning...
To many thousands of readers all over the world Titus Crow is the occult investigator, psychic sleuth and cosmic voyager of Brian Lumley’s novels of the Cthulhu Mythos from The Burrowers Beneath to Elysia.
But before the Burrowers and Crow’s Transition, his exploits were chronicled in a series of short stories and novellas previously uncollected in a British edition. Now these stories can be told. From ‘Inception’, which tells of his origins, to ‘The Black Recalled’, a tale of vengeance from beyond the grave, here in one volume, from the bestselling author of the epic NECROSCOPE series, is THE COMPLEAT CROW.
‘He was tall and broad-shouldered, and it was plain to see that in his younger days he had been a handsome man. Now his hair had greyed a little and his eyes, though they were still very bright and observant, bore the imprint of many a year spent exploring – and often, I guessed, discovering – along rarely trodden paths of mysterious and obscure learning.’
Mysterious, obscure learning...
To many thousands of readers all over the world Titus Crow is the occult investigator, psychic sleuth and cosmic voyager of Brian Lumley’s novels of the Cthulhu Mythos from The Burrowers Beneath to Elysia.
But before the Burrowers and Crow’s Transition, his exploits were chronicled in a series of short stories and novellas previously uncollected in a British edition. Now these stories can be told. From ‘Inception’, which tells of his origins, to ‘The Black Recalled’, a tale of vengeance from beyond the grave, here in one volume, from the bestselling author of the epic NECROSCOPE series, is THE COMPLEAT CROW.
276 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
January 7, 2017
This is a collection of stories featuring or related to Lumley's occult investigator and researcher Titus Crow. They are vaguely in the vein of Lovecraft, though they do not rely too heavily upon his mythology, nor attempt to ape his writing style--a reference to the Necronomicon here or there; that's about it, which I was glad of, because I generally do not like pastiches. The stories feel original. The wonderful cover art by longtime Lumley illustrator Bob Eggleton is rather misleading, implying high adventure in alien landscapes with fantastic beasts. There are creepy creatures, to be sure, but much of the action takes place in darkened mansions, and in at least one instance, on a train. Frequently, the stories are recounted in the past tense by one character to another. They have as much the air of the mystery story as the horror, and I enjoyed them thoroughly.
December 30, 2025
First published in 1987 by one-man small press Paul Ganley to collect all of the Titus Crow short stories in one place, to accompany Ganley's re-issues of the novels starring (but not really) the same character. It would go on to be reprinted in paperback by other publishers. In terms of the 'Titus Crow' series, this is the one book that is actually about Titus Crow more than another main character.
The stories are presented in story chronological order, which differs significantly from writing or publication order. I don't care for the former, at least in this case; Lumley's writing style and skill evolved over the two decades these stories were produced, and in general I prefer to experience fiction in the order it sprang from the author's mind, which doesn't necessarily match publication order and may not be firmly established without extensive research or notes from the author. Here, the first story was written last (and specifically for this collection), the second story was published third to last, and the third story was written first but published third.
This collection adds an introduction and brief forewords to each story, all by the author.
I am going to review the stories in publication order (largely adapting my sub-reviews for those stories that appeared previously in The Caller of the Black and The Horror at Oakdeene and Others). For reference, the Table of Contents order, with dates of first copyright, is:
Introduction (1987, written 1985)
Inception (1987)
Lord of the Worms (1983)
The Caller of the Black (1971)
The Viking's Stone (1977)
The Mirror of Nitocris (1971)
An Item of Supporting Evidence (1970)
Billy's Oak (1969)
Darghud's Doll (1977)
De Marigny's Clock (1971)
Name and Number (1982)
The Black Recalled (1983)
Billy's Oak: The final, titular part of the story is weak. Spoiler: ghost tree. But the rest does some hefty groundwork, introducing us to Lumley's indefatigable hero, the aristocratic occult investigator Titus Crow, along with his Blowne House residence and de Marigny's clock. All of this, plus other stories also included in Lumley's first published collection The Caller of the Black, launched Lumley's second novel and first series, The Burrowers Beneath. In his earliest stories, Lumley was rapidly establishing his own detailed corner of the Cthulhu Mythos. It's a bit odd, therefore, to see this and other of the earliest published Crow stories appear only in the second half of this collection, but many of the preceding (as arranged in this collection) stories are not specifically Cthulhoid necessarily.
An Item of Supporting Evidence: Another early Titus Crow story, I found this one irritating. Crow is shown to be a writer of Cthulhu Mythos stories, and the text indicates that Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard were real people in the story's setting, but Crow is an investigator of the kinds of things they wrote about and invariably proves them real, so was Lovecraft secretly writing non-fiction here? Crow acts like a smarmy jerk, and the ending is also confusing: he unveils a giant creature's skull, which he was using as a paperweight, which would make it quite large since it came from a 10-foot being, and it also says the skull has wings that make good coatracks when no prior physical description of the being supports this. The story's author introduction in this collection, however, was very welcome. It taught me that Brian Lumley's father was a well-read coal miner and lover of ancient history and antiquities, which clearly influenced the younger Lumley's interests and writing. They lived near Hadrian's Wall and passed it often, enhancing the personal nature of this story, even if I didn't care for it on its own merits.
The Caller of the Black: As Lumley reveals in his story introduction here, this was the first Titus Crow story ever written, and one of the first stories he ever submitted for publication. It was, of course, successful, becoming the titular story of his first Arkham House collection, The Caller of the Black It has malice and energy. I'm a mixed fan of how Crow solved the problem with research; it's only due to his access to esoteric texts that he found the solution to the looming threat. I would like to revisit the story someday to check if it made sense at all for Crow to, apparently, have a shower in his den.
The Mirror of Nitocris: I haven't been impressed so far with the early jump-scare-ending stories, including this one. It's only notable for introducing Henri-Laurent de Marigny, son of Lovecraft minor character Etienne-Laurent de Marigny from Through the Gates of the Silver Key, a sequel story to The Silver Key and one that reveals the later fate of Randolph Carter. Henri-Laurent is a wealthy scion, seemingly exiled or fled from America and living in England. He impulsively purchases the titular mirror at auction. This de Marigny later becomes Titus Crow's sidekick (and mostly stars in his own adventures in The Clock of Dreams and In the Moons of Borea. The former refers to his father's clock, called de Marigny's clock, first seen in Billy's Oak. In this collection's story introduction, Lumley indicates a similarity between it and Lovecraft's The Terrible Old Man, which didn't leave much of an impression on me when I read it but might be worth revisiting now.
De Marigny's Clock: This mysterious clock-like object (good luck telling time from it), imported from Lovecraft's Through the Gates of the Silver Key, itself a sequel to his Silver Key and The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, and now in the possession of Titus Crow, despite that the original owner's son, Henri-Laurent de Marigny, also lives in town. The two haven't met yet at this point in the full Crow narrative. This was my favorite Titus Crow story published up to this point, possibly because he's powerless in it, merely a witness to the horrors that unfold when his home is invaded by armed robbers. The events of this story are referenced whenever the clock comes up in later tales.
The Viking's Stone: It's short, it's serviceable. Although the core story about a curse invoked by disturbing a viking's tomb, could have been told with any other framing and didn't have to feature Titus Crow.
Darghud's Doll: Yikes, the colonial racism is strong here, portraying "savage" South African tribes extremely unfortunately. It calls to mind T.E.D. Klein. The dismissive colonialist gets his comeuppance, at least. Other than that, it's another goofy, typical horror tale using Titus Crow as a framing device.
Name & Number: Lumley's introduction to this story cites "a personal interest in numerology, cryptography, and biblical prophecy," and I hope that was solely for the purpose of writing inspiration. In any case, it deeply informs this story and the one after. It's a passable story at most, in which Crow relates how he stopped global nuclear holocaust.
The Black Recalled: Featuring only tangential characters from the first written Crow story, The Caller of the Black, it doesn't serve any meaningful purpose in the saga, but I won't begrudge Lumley the callback to the start of his writing career. It takes place in between The Burrowers Beneath and The Transition of Titus Crow and if you're looking for a story chronological reading order this settles the matter of reading this collection before all but the first novel.
Lord of the Worms: The concept of numerology was applied much better in this, the longest Crow story and the second last written. It details a pivotal incident in Titus Crow's adult life, with the end result drawing a straight line to the status of certain of his property as seen in every other story. It was delightfully macabre and tense, with effective use of dramatic irony. It made its first appearance in Weirdbook, a serial publication also by Paul Ganley.
Inception: The last written and the first appearing in this book, this is the definitive origin of Titus Crow. It's a good story, fitting well in the vein of horror and suspense that characterizes Lumley's best stories, but I waffle on whether it truly adds anything to his overall story. If you felt you needed an explanation for why Titus Crow is such a Mary Sue, it offers that at least, but given that other humans have been shown to also possess various psychic abilities in the course of the Titus Crow series, it muddies that picture since it applies to only one individual.
Introduction: The book's opening provides a brief overview of Titus Crow's life and previously published novels, but otherwise serves no function other than to reassure you that the author is himself a fan of his creation. This is a well-deserved opinion. With everything I know of Lumley, I think he was satisfied with the sum of his work and readers' reception.
With the stories now all reviewed in strange order if you're trying to follow along with the book, I turn to the illustrations. All of the Paul Ganley hardcover reissues (and original publications) of Lumley's work include several illustrations, with a different artist for each book. This one's is Stephen E. Fabian and I enjoyed his creations. First, a look at Titus Crow nestled in his oft-described study at Blowne House (Goodreads desktop site required to see photos, FYI). This illustration also forms the cover art for this edition (image missing from Goodreads):
And here is a nicely tentacled scene of eldritch horror:
The stories are presented in story chronological order, which differs significantly from writing or publication order. I don't care for the former, at least in this case; Lumley's writing style and skill evolved over the two decades these stories were produced, and in general I prefer to experience fiction in the order it sprang from the author's mind, which doesn't necessarily match publication order and may not be firmly established without extensive research or notes from the author. Here, the first story was written last (and specifically for this collection), the second story was published third to last, and the third story was written first but published third.
This collection adds an introduction and brief forewords to each story, all by the author.
I am going to review the stories in publication order (largely adapting my sub-reviews for those stories that appeared previously in The Caller of the Black and The Horror at Oakdeene and Others). For reference, the Table of Contents order, with dates of first copyright, is:
Introduction (1987, written 1985)
Inception (1987)
Lord of the Worms (1983)
The Caller of the Black (1971)
The Viking's Stone (1977)
The Mirror of Nitocris (1971)
An Item of Supporting Evidence (1970)
Billy's Oak (1969)
Darghud's Doll (1977)
De Marigny's Clock (1971)
Name and Number (1982)
The Black Recalled (1983)
Billy's Oak: The final, titular part of the story is weak. Spoiler: ghost tree. But the rest does some hefty groundwork, introducing us to Lumley's indefatigable hero, the aristocratic occult investigator Titus Crow, along with his Blowne House residence and de Marigny's clock. All of this, plus other stories also included in Lumley's first published collection The Caller of the Black, launched Lumley's second novel and first series, The Burrowers Beneath. In his earliest stories, Lumley was rapidly establishing his own detailed corner of the Cthulhu Mythos. It's a bit odd, therefore, to see this and other of the earliest published Crow stories appear only in the second half of this collection, but many of the preceding (as arranged in this collection) stories are not specifically Cthulhoid necessarily.
An Item of Supporting Evidence: Another early Titus Crow story, I found this one irritating. Crow is shown to be a writer of Cthulhu Mythos stories, and the text indicates that Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard were real people in the story's setting, but Crow is an investigator of the kinds of things they wrote about and invariably proves them real, so was Lovecraft secretly writing non-fiction here? Crow acts like a smarmy jerk, and the ending is also confusing: he unveils a giant creature's skull, which he was using as a paperweight, which would make it quite large since it came from a 10-foot being, and it also says the skull has wings that make good coatracks when no prior physical description of the being supports this. The story's author introduction in this collection, however, was very welcome. It taught me that Brian Lumley's father was a well-read coal miner and lover of ancient history and antiquities, which clearly influenced the younger Lumley's interests and writing. They lived near Hadrian's Wall and passed it often, enhancing the personal nature of this story, even if I didn't care for it on its own merits.
The Caller of the Black: As Lumley reveals in his story introduction here, this was the first Titus Crow story ever written, and one of the first stories he ever submitted for publication. It was, of course, successful, becoming the titular story of his first Arkham House collection, The Caller of the Black It has malice and energy. I'm a mixed fan of how Crow solved the problem with research; it's only due to his access to esoteric texts that he found the solution to the looming threat. I would like to revisit the story someday to check if it made sense at all for Crow to, apparently, have a shower in his den.
The Mirror of Nitocris: I haven't been impressed so far with the early jump-scare-ending stories, including this one. It's only notable for introducing Henri-Laurent de Marigny, son of Lovecraft minor character Etienne-Laurent de Marigny from Through the Gates of the Silver Key, a sequel story to The Silver Key and one that reveals the later fate of Randolph Carter. Henri-Laurent is a wealthy scion, seemingly exiled or fled from America and living in England. He impulsively purchases the titular mirror at auction. This de Marigny later becomes Titus Crow's sidekick (and mostly stars in his own adventures in The Clock of Dreams and In the Moons of Borea. The former refers to his father's clock, called de Marigny's clock, first seen in Billy's Oak. In this collection's story introduction, Lumley indicates a similarity between it and Lovecraft's The Terrible Old Man, which didn't leave much of an impression on me when I read it but might be worth revisiting now.
De Marigny's Clock: This mysterious clock-like object (good luck telling time from it), imported from Lovecraft's Through the Gates of the Silver Key, itself a sequel to his Silver Key and The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, and now in the possession of Titus Crow, despite that the original owner's son, Henri-Laurent de Marigny, also lives in town. The two haven't met yet at this point in the full Crow narrative. This was my favorite Titus Crow story published up to this point, possibly because he's powerless in it, merely a witness to the horrors that unfold when his home is invaded by armed robbers. The events of this story are referenced whenever the clock comes up in later tales.
The Viking's Stone: It's short, it's serviceable. Although the core story about a curse invoked by disturbing a viking's tomb, could have been told with any other framing and didn't have to feature Titus Crow.
Darghud's Doll: Yikes, the colonial racism is strong here, portraying "savage" South African tribes extremely unfortunately. It calls to mind T.E.D. Klein. The dismissive colonialist gets his comeuppance, at least. Other than that, it's another goofy, typical horror tale using Titus Crow as a framing device.
Name & Number: Lumley's introduction to this story cites "a personal interest in numerology, cryptography, and biblical prophecy," and I hope that was solely for the purpose of writing inspiration. In any case, it deeply informs this story and the one after. It's a passable story at most, in which Crow relates how he stopped global nuclear holocaust.
The Black Recalled: Featuring only tangential characters from the first written Crow story, The Caller of the Black, it doesn't serve any meaningful purpose in the saga, but I won't begrudge Lumley the callback to the start of his writing career. It takes place in between The Burrowers Beneath and The Transition of Titus Crow and if you're looking for a story chronological reading order this settles the matter of reading this collection before all but the first novel.
Lord of the Worms: The concept of numerology was applied much better in this, the longest Crow story and the second last written. It details a pivotal incident in Titus Crow's adult life, with the end result drawing a straight line to the status of certain of his property as seen in every other story. It was delightfully macabre and tense, with effective use of dramatic irony. It made its first appearance in Weirdbook, a serial publication also by Paul Ganley.
Inception: The last written and the first appearing in this book, this is the definitive origin of Titus Crow. It's a good story, fitting well in the vein of horror and suspense that characterizes Lumley's best stories, but I waffle on whether it truly adds anything to his overall story. If you felt you needed an explanation for why Titus Crow is such a Mary Sue, it offers that at least, but given that other humans have been shown to also possess various psychic abilities in the course of the Titus Crow series, it muddies that picture since it applies to only one individual.
Introduction: The book's opening provides a brief overview of Titus Crow's life and previously published novels, but otherwise serves no function other than to reassure you that the author is himself a fan of his creation. This is a well-deserved opinion. With everything I know of Lumley, I think he was satisfied with the sum of his work and readers' reception.
With the stories now all reviewed in strange order if you're trying to follow along with the book, I turn to the illustrations. All of the Paul Ganley hardcover reissues (and original publications) of Lumley's work include several illustrations, with a different artist for each book. This one's is Stephen E. Fabian and I enjoyed his creations. First, a look at Titus Crow nestled in his oft-described study at Blowne House (Goodreads desktop site required to see photos, FYI). This illustration also forms the cover art for this edition (image missing from Goodreads):
And here is a nicely tentacled scene of eldritch horror:
August 21, 2012
I'm going to b a little controversial here - I think Brian Lumley is better at the short story than he is at the novel.
These tales revolve around Titus Crow - urbane , intelligent , & a master of the arcane - an occult John Steed....& his battles against eldritch powers....
Standout tales here are "The Viking's Stone" & "The Black Recalled" , but all these tales are well-written & very entertaining . There is definitely something of the Holmes or Nayland Smith about Crow , who is a flawed but engaging hero.
Definitely worth a look.
These tales revolve around Titus Crow - urbane , intelligent , & a master of the arcane - an occult John Steed....& his battles against eldritch powers....
Standout tales here are "The Viking's Stone" & "The Black Recalled" , but all these tales are well-written & very entertaining . There is definitely something of the Holmes or Nayland Smith about Crow , who is a flawed but engaging hero.
Definitely worth a look.
May 30, 2020
Wow this was great. I've only read some of Lumley's Necroscope series, so this was my introduction to his Lovecraftian Titus Crow stories, and I was duly impressed. I actually like it much better than the Necroscope materal, although I'm not sure if it's the writing or just the subject matter I like better.
Titus Crow is a white magician, and finds himself battling various evil magicians as well as Chtulhu type old gods. Just top notch stories if you enjoy this type.
I will definitely be checking out the other Titus Crow novels.
Titus Crow is a white magician, and finds himself battling various evil magicians as well as Chtulhu type old gods. Just top notch stories if you enjoy this type.
I will definitely be checking out the other Titus Crow novels.
September 16, 2020
Stories in the style of early-mid 20th century horror pulps. These stories have a lot of Lovecraftian ideas, but the stories themselves feel more Howard than Lovecraft (they aren't quite nihilistic enough and the Crow is a capable hero rather than a hapless victim).
Lumley really nails the old school pulp feel with these stories. If someone gave me these to read and didn't tell me they were rather modern, I wouldn't really be able to tell the difference.
Lumley really nails the old school pulp feel with these stories. If someone gave me these to read and didn't tell me they were rather modern, I wouldn't really be able to tell the difference.
January 12, 2022
a collection of 11 short stories staring Titus Crow set before and after the 6 Cthulhu Cycle novels. All excellent stories that inspire imagination. I've read these stories multiple times and never get tired of them!
March 7, 2016
The Compleat Crow is not going to be a five star book for everyone. But then, ‘everyone’ can get knotted because this is exactly what I hoped it would be. That is, thoroughly entertaining and high quality pulp.
Titus Crow is very much a Sherlock Holmes figure, if Holmes were in a bonkers alternate universe where every ancient mystery and occult, mystical and supernatural horror is real. That includes such varieties as Judeo-Christian, Cthulhu Mythos, Norse, African, you name it really. It’s preposterous that the world is seething with so many unnatural menaces and it’s also a lot of silly fun.
I haven’t started on the novels as yet though I feel this gave me a pretty solid idea of the titular white wizard, his sidekick Henri de Marigny and the setting in mid-20th century England. Admittedly it’s not a coherent work at all, being a collection of miscellaneous stories spanning about two decades of writing and being set at various points throughout Crow’s life. I quite enjoyed piecing together a mental picture from those select snapshots nonetheless.
And despite its overt reliance on Lovecraftian tropes, I couldn’t accuse this of being a ‘Lovecraftian’ work in any meaningful sense. Stylistically and philosophically it’s not at all in the vein of HPL and is not trying to be. As such I can’t agree with the descriptions of it as ‘Lovecraftian pastiche’ since it doesn’t fit either of those descriptors particularly well.
Also, these Subterranean Press hardcover reissues of various Brian Lumley books featuring the artwork of Bob Eggleton are some of the most beautiful Cthulhu Mythos items you’ll ever see. The one for The Compleat Crow features astonishingly vibrant colours and artwork that wraps around the entire cover in one unbroken image. You’ll want to get hold of one of these if at all possible.
Titus Crow is very much a Sherlock Holmes figure, if Holmes were in a bonkers alternate universe where every ancient mystery and occult, mystical and supernatural horror is real. That includes such varieties as Judeo-Christian, Cthulhu Mythos, Norse, African, you name it really. It’s preposterous that the world is seething with so many unnatural menaces and it’s also a lot of silly fun.
I haven’t started on the novels as yet though I feel this gave me a pretty solid idea of the titular white wizard, his sidekick Henri de Marigny and the setting in mid-20th century England. Admittedly it’s not a coherent work at all, being a collection of miscellaneous stories spanning about two decades of writing and being set at various points throughout Crow’s life. I quite enjoyed piecing together a mental picture from those select snapshots nonetheless.
And despite its overt reliance on Lovecraftian tropes, I couldn’t accuse this of being a ‘Lovecraftian’ work in any meaningful sense. Stylistically and philosophically it’s not at all in the vein of HPL and is not trying to be. As such I can’t agree with the descriptions of it as ‘Lovecraftian pastiche’ since it doesn’t fit either of those descriptors particularly well.
Also, these Subterranean Press hardcover reissues of various Brian Lumley books featuring the artwork of Bob Eggleton are some of the most beautiful Cthulhu Mythos items you’ll ever see. The one for The Compleat Crow features astonishingly vibrant colours and artwork that wraps around the entire cover in one unbroken image. You’ll want to get hold of one of these if at all possible.
October 5, 2023
This book of short stories was a good introduction to Titus Crow. Crow is a famous occultist. He has all kinds of talents. During WWII, he advised the War Committee about Hitler’s occult obsession. He also decoded cyphers, codes & cryptograms in the war. Numerology is also one of his specialties. The man is brilliant. He solves mysteries, like Sherlock Holmes, only of the supernatural kind. He has an extensive library of occult knowledge. Black magicians fear him. He’s written books and has had books written about him. He’s a devotee of H.P. Lovecraft. He believes in a lot of things most people don’t. There are 11 short stories in this book, each with an introduction by the author, which I really liked. I will definitely be reading more about Titus Crow. He’s no Harry Keogh, but he is interesting.
October 9, 2020
I was hoping that the short stories of Titus Crow would be a good introduction to the character. I was wrong. I ll read the novels, but I was kinda dissapoionted by the collection…
(stories i didnt comment on, were commented/read from other collections)
"Inception"
The chase of the fugitive holding a magical elixir waz suspencfull, and the ending with Titus was wholesome. A good intro!
"Lord of the Worms"
An a-ma-zing novelette! A young crow gets a job in the house of a mysterious stranger to catalogue and put a system to his vast library, soon he finds out his host is drugging and hypnotizing him. Crow decides to find why and as the plot thickens, we get one of the best cthulhu stories EVER!
"The Caller of the Black"
An ok story. Two friends are murdered by a mysterious caller, Titus kills him. Ok…
"The Viking's Stone"
De Marigny and Crow join forces once again to fight an evil Viking curse. The Viking ship with the skeleton warriors riding next to the train, was just a blast, but after all, a so n so story.
"The Mirror of Nitocris"
De Marigny is the hero here and the story was very meh. A haunted mirror and the destruction of it. Ok…
"An Item of Supporting Evidence"
Speaking of a beast that none believes it exists, until the skull ov it iz shown. Meh.
"Billy's Oak"
I really liked this one! Like the two previous stories, it is more than a suggestion/ implied horror than actually giving you the tingie. In this one, the tree which a wizard waz hang is creaking even when there is no wind, even tho… the tree isn’t there anymore!
"Darghud's Doll"
Africa, black magic, people dying. Meh meh…
"The Black Recalled"
Two visitors of the ruins of Titus house, remember the incidents of the ‘’caller’’ and the Black returns!
(stories i didnt comment on, were commented/read from other collections)
"Inception"
The chase of the fugitive holding a magical elixir waz suspencfull, and the ending with Titus was wholesome. A good intro!
"Lord of the Worms"
An a-ma-zing novelette! A young crow gets a job in the house of a mysterious stranger to catalogue and put a system to his vast library, soon he finds out his host is drugging and hypnotizing him. Crow decides to find why and as the plot thickens, we get one of the best cthulhu stories EVER!
"The Caller of the Black"
An ok story. Two friends are murdered by a mysterious caller, Titus kills him. Ok…
"The Viking's Stone"
De Marigny and Crow join forces once again to fight an evil Viking curse. The Viking ship with the skeleton warriors riding next to the train, was just a blast, but after all, a so n so story.
"The Mirror of Nitocris"
De Marigny is the hero here and the story was very meh. A haunted mirror and the destruction of it. Ok…
"An Item of Supporting Evidence"
Speaking of a beast that none believes it exists, until the skull ov it iz shown. Meh.
"Billy's Oak"
I really liked this one! Like the two previous stories, it is more than a suggestion/ implied horror than actually giving you the tingie. In this one, the tree which a wizard waz hang is creaking even when there is no wind, even tho… the tree isn’t there anymore!
"Darghud's Doll"
Africa, black magic, people dying. Meh meh…
"The Black Recalled"
Two visitors of the ruins of Titus house, remember the incidents of the ‘’caller’’ and the Black returns!
May 19, 2020
Here we have a fun collection of stories about Titus Crow, ranging from his birth to shortly before the adventures leading to his Transition. Dark. Atmospheric. Exciting. But little was new.
Simon Vance is, of course, an excellent narrator. His voices are varied and distinct. His tempo shifts are effective. And if somewhat less (accurate to the text) than I'd like, his inflections are skillful.
I think my disappointment with the narrator lies in the fact that several of these stories are in other collections (The Taint and Haggoppian, read by Joshua Saxon) and here just don't have the same depth of atmosphere and resonance as those other recordings.
Now, the stories themselves.
Naturally, Titus Crow is my favorite Lumley character. That is much if what drew me to this series in the first place. However, it was nice to also find a new character (Henri Marigny) who I connected with as well.
I most confess, however, to a bit of disappointment at how few of these stories are told from Crow's perspective. Most are about other characters who come into contact with Crow.
That said, however, each story is interesting and unique, with a different feel and a different focus, do there's plenty of variety.
As before, my favorite Crow story is still Lord of the Worms. I just love the ambiance, the overtones, and the air of mystery about the story and how it brilliantly presents Crow's expertise and brilliance while also showing his weaknesses and humanity.
One thing I will absolutely grant the author is his deftness with twist endings. Most are brilliantly put together.
Simon Vance is, of course, an excellent narrator. His voices are varied and distinct. His tempo shifts are effective. And if somewhat less (accurate to the text) than I'd like, his inflections are skillful.
I think my disappointment with the narrator lies in the fact that several of these stories are in other collections (The Taint and Haggoppian, read by Joshua Saxon) and here just don't have the same depth of atmosphere and resonance as those other recordings.
Now, the stories themselves.
Naturally, Titus Crow is my favorite Lumley character. That is much if what drew me to this series in the first place. However, it was nice to also find a new character (Henri Marigny) who I connected with as well.
I most confess, however, to a bit of disappointment at how few of these stories are told from Crow's perspective. Most are about other characters who come into contact with Crow.
That said, however, each story is interesting and unique, with a different feel and a different focus, do there's plenty of variety.
As before, my favorite Crow story is still Lord of the Worms. I just love the ambiance, the overtones, and the air of mystery about the story and how it brilliantly presents Crow's expertise and brilliance while also showing his weaknesses and humanity.
One thing I will absolutely grant the author is his deftness with twist endings. Most are brilliantly put together.
July 15, 2019
old-school horror done right - very entertaining and not a little disturbing.
August 8, 2015
Despite being a nice hardcover (unfortunately bereft of illustrations, except the same headpiece being repeated for every story) despite there being ample scope thereof) containing some crisp tales about a person who is supposedly a master of Occult, I was disappointed with this book. But before I lament any further, let me state the contents of this book:
(*) Introduction from the author, bringing the book (first published in 1987) somewhat up-to-date.
1) Inception: This story explains why & how Titus Crow's destiny took that particular shape. The story is quick, but rather uni-dimensional.
2) Lord of the Worms: A rambling Lovecraftian novella that goes on & on before we get a haphazard climax.
3) The Caller of the Black: A decidedly inferior rip-off of "Casting the Runes", which pales before not only the original, but also H.R. Wakefield's masterpiece "He Cometh an He Passeth By".
4) The Viking's Stone: Pretty formulaic fare, without any additional thrill or pace.
5) The Mirror of Nitocris: Another formulaic story, this one doesn't even have Titus Crow (except few mentions here & there).
6) An Item of Supporting Evidence: Again, a story that depends entirely on its last paragraph for the effect (if any).
7) Billy's Oak: Fortunately devoid of Lovecraftian mumbo-jumbo, this story (again a direct lift from the master) again stretches on until the last paragraph where it tries to deliver the shock (fails, I should say).
8) Darghud's Doll: Reminiscent of "Lukundoo" but somewhat inferior to that classic, this story has some twists, and is a crisp read.
9) De Marigny's Clock: This story entirely robs Titus Crow of any "heroic" stature that he might have gained through the previous stories, and turns out to be another tiresome Lovecraftian read.
10) Name and Number: Another Lovecraftian novella that rambles on, trying to create lots of "atmosphere" without succeeding much.
11) The Black Recalled: A tired conclusion of the (supposed) arc begun with "The Caller of the Black", in which, again, Titus Crow has no role to play.
These stories have become rather badly dated, and the psychic sleuth Titus Crow seems to be a shadow of his chronological predecessors (literary successors) like the reinvented Carnacki (thanks to Willie Meikle), Charles St. Cyprian, et.al. Although Mythos stories have become popular again, the dry setting of the stories, which are also utterly devoid of female characters and humour of any sorts, make them dishearteningly drab.
Not Recommended.
(*) Introduction from the author, bringing the book (first published in 1987) somewhat up-to-date.
1) Inception: This story explains why & how Titus Crow's destiny took that particular shape. The story is quick, but rather uni-dimensional.
2) Lord of the Worms: A rambling Lovecraftian novella that goes on & on before we get a haphazard climax.
3) The Caller of the Black: A decidedly inferior rip-off of "Casting the Runes", which pales before not only the original, but also H.R. Wakefield's masterpiece "He Cometh an He Passeth By".
4) The Viking's Stone: Pretty formulaic fare, without any additional thrill or pace.
5) The Mirror of Nitocris: Another formulaic story, this one doesn't even have Titus Crow (except few mentions here & there).
6) An Item of Supporting Evidence: Again, a story that depends entirely on its last paragraph for the effect (if any).
7) Billy's Oak: Fortunately devoid of Lovecraftian mumbo-jumbo, this story (again a direct lift from the master) again stretches on until the last paragraph where it tries to deliver the shock (fails, I should say).
8) Darghud's Doll: Reminiscent of "Lukundoo" but somewhat inferior to that classic, this story has some twists, and is a crisp read.
9) De Marigny's Clock: This story entirely robs Titus Crow of any "heroic" stature that he might have gained through the previous stories, and turns out to be another tiresome Lovecraftian read.
10) Name and Number: Another Lovecraftian novella that rambles on, trying to create lots of "atmosphere" without succeeding much.
11) The Black Recalled: A tired conclusion of the (supposed) arc begun with "The Caller of the Black", in which, again, Titus Crow has no role to play.
These stories have become rather badly dated, and the psychic sleuth Titus Crow seems to be a shadow of his chronological predecessors (literary successors) like the reinvented Carnacki (thanks to Willie Meikle), Charles St. Cyprian, et.al. Although Mythos stories have become popular again, the dry setting of the stories, which are also utterly devoid of female characters and humour of any sorts, make them dishearteningly drab.
Not Recommended.
February 13, 2009
I'm attempting to read Brian Lumley's Mythos series in some kind of chronological order, so I haven't read all of the stories collected here yet, but I've read enough to know that this is a decent collection. Titus Crow is an occult investigator in the vein of Flaxman Low, John Silent, Carnacki and many more classic 'psychic detectives' and his adventures in a Cthulhu-themed world are wonderfully enjoyable pulps.
Here are my experiences so far:
THE CALLER OF THE BLACK - A decent take on the classic M. R. James story, THE CASTING OF THE RUNES. The affectionate storytelling and fluid style count for a lot here.
THE MIRROR OF NITOCRIS - Closer to Lovecraft, good old-fashioned cosmic horror.
AN ITEM OF SUPPORTING EVIDENCE - Cosy ephemera with plenty of references for Cthulhu fans.
BILLY'S OAK - A short, stand alone ghost story.
DE MARIGNY'S CLOCK - Crime meets Lovecraftian monstrosities in an unholy concoction as two unlucky thieves get more than they bargained for...
Here are my experiences so far:
THE CALLER OF THE BLACK - A decent take on the classic M. R. James story, THE CASTING OF THE RUNES. The affectionate storytelling and fluid style count for a lot here.
THE MIRROR OF NITOCRIS - Closer to Lovecraft, good old-fashioned cosmic horror.
AN ITEM OF SUPPORTING EVIDENCE - Cosy ephemera with plenty of references for Cthulhu fans.
BILLY'S OAK - A short, stand alone ghost story.
DE MARIGNY'S CLOCK - Crime meets Lovecraftian monstrosities in an unholy concoction as two unlucky thieves get more than they bargained for...
July 12, 2008
Terrifically terrifying collection of short stories in the Cthulhu Mythos vein; the creepy Lord of the Worms being the best, and longest. Love the extended descriptions of the evil occultic library, complete with a copy of The Necronomicon, ala H. P. Lovecraft.
Lumley's probably best known for his Necroscope series, but I personally prefer these Titus Crow stories. And this volume published by Ganley is especially worth having for the numerous full page illustrations by Stephen Fabian. A phenomenal artist. You can usually find copies on Ganley's ebay store, or at ABEbooks and Alibris. Don't pass this up.
Lumley's probably best known for his Necroscope series, but I personally prefer these Titus Crow stories. And this volume published by Ganley is especially worth having for the numerous full page illustrations by Stephen Fabian. A phenomenal artist. You can usually find copies on Ganley's ebay store, or at ABEbooks and Alibris. Don't pass this up.
January 15, 2025
He was tall and broad-shouldered, and it was plain to see that in his younger days he had been a handsome man. Now...his hair had greyed a little, and his eyes, though still very bright and observant, bore the imprint of many a year spent exploring—and often, I guessed, discovering—along rarely trodden paths of mysterious, obscure learning.
Mysterious, obscure learning…
To many thousands of readers world-wide Titus Crow is the psychic sleuth—the cosmic voyager and investigator—of Brian Lumley's Cthulhu Mythos novels, from The Burrowers Beneath to Elysia.
But before The Burrowers and Crow's Transition, his exploits were chronicled in a series of short stories and novellas uncollected in the USA except in limited editions. Now these stories can be told again. From Inception which tells of Crow's origins, to The Black Recalled, a tale of vengeance from beyond the grave, here in one volume, from the best-selling author of the epic Necroscope series, is The Complete Crow.
Stories included in this collection:
Inception
Lord of the Worms
The Caller of the Black
The Viking's Stone
The Mirror of Nitocris
An Item of Supporting Evidence
Billy's Oak
Darghud's Doll
De Marigny's Clock
Name and Number
The Black Recalled
November 30, 2020
I'd been meaning to read Lumley's Titus Crow novels for years but hadn't gotten around to it, but decided to finally give it a go after finding this compilation.
Imagine my surprise when after starting it I realized this wasn't an omnibus of the series but a compilation of short stories that were in addition to the novels themselves. I was under the impression that there were like three novels or so, and now after some research I realize there are like a half a dozen novels and this collection, so I'm going to be busy for a while.
As for the tales themselves, well, they're pulpy and fun, with enough Cthulhu Mythos and other supernatural stuff thrown in for our hero to encounter. Based on what I can extrapolate, the novels themselves deal with Titus Crow the occultist hero when he's already a world-renowned expert in the field, while this collection starts when he's still to become that man (and even before, truth be told).
As it happens often with Lovecraft's heirs, there is a much more defined good vs evil theme here as opposed to the classic Lovecraftian idea of an uncaring amoral universe with Elder Gods that simply don't give a crap about humanity instead of having evil intentions towards mankind. Whereas that's good or bad depends on your own preferences or at least your mood, I guess. I can enjoy both versions just fine.
Imagine my surprise when after starting it I realized this wasn't an omnibus of the series but a compilation of short stories that were in addition to the novels themselves. I was under the impression that there were like three novels or so, and now after some research I realize there are like a half a dozen novels and this collection, so I'm going to be busy for a while.
As for the tales themselves, well, they're pulpy and fun, with enough Cthulhu Mythos and other supernatural stuff thrown in for our hero to encounter. Based on what I can extrapolate, the novels themselves deal with Titus Crow the occultist hero when he's already a world-renowned expert in the field, while this collection starts when he's still to become that man (and even before, truth be told).
As it happens often with Lovecraft's heirs, there is a much more defined good vs evil theme here as opposed to the classic Lovecraftian idea of an uncaring amoral universe with Elder Gods that simply don't give a crap about humanity instead of having evil intentions towards mankind. Whereas that's good or bad depends on your own preferences or at least your mood, I guess. I can enjoy both versions just fine.
September 23, 2021
As a longtime HPL fan and a relative newcomer to Lumley from his excellent Necroscope series, I just HAD to check out his Mythos work. This collection of short stories was overall awesome! I think an anchor character like Titus Crow would have really helped a lot of HPL's work because it helps provide a through-line from story to story. The thing keeping this from 5 stars is that Lumley felt he needed to write these just like Lovecraft would, warts and all. Namely, the terrible racist crap that litters the original Mythos work is still being found here. That really did not need to carry over. These were written in the 70's and 80's for christsake! Especially the epithets toward black people. It's really trashy and I feel that alone drags this book down by at least a star. Other than that, Lumley almost out-Lovecrafted Lovecraft here.
August 25, 2022
Brian Lumley's Titus Crow short stories are a little more bearable than the interminable novel series which follows them chronologically, since Crow is effectively turned into a demigod and a Time Lord early on in the novels.
Nonetheless, of the stories collected here, many of them are from a very rough, early stage of Lumley's career, and others lean into the overly pulpy style of the novels. The only story which is really a keeper is the novella Lord of the Worms, not least because it's the only tale in which Crow actually seems imperilled and vulnerable - and that's been compiled elsewhere. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...
Nonetheless, of the stories collected here, many of them are from a very rough, early stage of Lumley's career, and others lean into the overly pulpy style of the novels. The only story which is really a keeper is the novella Lord of the Worms, not least because it's the only tale in which Crow actually seems imperilled and vulnerable - and that's been compiled elsewhere. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/201...
October 17, 2019
I’ve always been a fan of the short story, so to find out that the main characters from The Burrowers Beneath had a collection of them was a real treat. I thoroughly enjoyed these tales, as they help to flesh out the background behind Titus Crow and his friend / disciple Henry Laurent de Maringy, as well as the origins of one of the stranger tools in their employ, the coffin shaped clock. Each tale is concise and stand-alone, and any fans of the Crow series would be remiss to leave this title unread.
December 21, 2023
Despite some dated colonialist attitudes, this is a very entertaining set of short stories. There's a couple of misses in there that follow the formula: someone visits Titus, is incredulous about a claim and is then proven wrong in a mysterious and shocking manner. But take them at face value, they're still fun. Lord of the Worms is a masterpiece and the lion's share of stories just do what they say on the tin, the whole thing is Carnacki meets the old gods - it's earnest, it's well composed, it's fun.
February 4, 2021
Short Story Collection of Mystery Horror Cthulhu Mythos
Stories ranging from curses, spirits, and the battle of dark & light magic.
Review
Stories range from 3-5 stars, but as an interconnecting story this compilation is an easy 5/5. An addictive read. My first reading from Lumley, but I doubt it would be my last.
Stories ranging from curses, spirits, and the battle of dark & light magic.
Review
Stories range from 3-5 stars, but as an interconnecting story this compilation is an easy 5/5. An addictive read. My first reading from Lumley, but I doubt it would be my last.
July 19, 2020
I really loved the book. It’s the first book I’ve read inspired by cthulhu mythology. It’s a collection of short stories based on Titus Crow, a delver into the occult and mystical side of the world. The stories are set post World War II in England. I look forward to reading a full length novel.
October 5, 2023
These are well-written stories of the Cthulhu niche, but not particularly imaginative. Each is so straight forward as one accurately supposes what will the ending will be as soon as the plot lines are laid out. Is this called "anti-mystery?"
Excellent narrator.
Excellent narrator.
March 14, 2019
Great escapist fare.
April 24, 2019
Really good. It expands on the Cthulhu Mythos without all the pesky racism/antisemitism Lovecraft had.
July 21, 2021
A lot of 3-star stories in here, but worth it alone for the novella, "Lord of the Worms" -- superb story!
October 18, 2021
A fantastic collection of Crow short stories including favorites like Caller of the Black, Name and Number, and de Marigny's Clock. After reading Crows novels this felt like calling up an old friend.
July 16, 2023
The Robert E. Howard vibes are strong with this one.
July 24, 2023
Brilliant Lovecraft inspired horror
November 10, 2023
Brian Lumleyn Titus Crow -tarinoita ei yleisesti ottaen pidetä Cthulhu-mytologian korkeimpana huippuna, mutta kun on hyväksynyt Lumleyn rempseän tyylin ja tulkinnan, tarinoissa on puolensa. The Compleat Crow kokoaa yhteen novellin mittaiset Crow-tarinat. Kovin yllättävää ei ole, että okkultistisen salapoliisin seikkailut toimivat paremmin novelleina kuin romaaneina. The Compleat Crow on mukiinmenevää kioskikirjallisuutta, joka käy hyvästä viihteestä.
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