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Psychomech #3
Psychamok
Brian Lumley is an international horror phenomenon, with books published in thirteen countries, including China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Russia, and Spain. More than two million books have been sold in his Necroscope series alone, but that barely taps the potential of this wildly imaginative author. Lumley's horror often crosses the dividing lines between fantasy and horror or between science fiction and horror. The Psychomech trilogy, of which Psychamok is the conclusion, is a perfect blend of science fiction, adventure, and horror, combining in a fast-paced whirlwind of a story that leaves the reader doubting the evidence of his or her own senses.
Richard Garrison was once a corporal in the British Military Police, until a terrorist's bomb destroyed his eyesight and his career. Repaying Garrison for saving his wife and child from the blast, millionaire industrialist Thomas Schroeder introduced him to the Psychomech, an amazing machine that could either gift its users with astonishing mental powers-or destroy them utterly.
Having successfully harnessed the Psychomech, Garrison discovered the Psychosphere, a strange plane of existence where mental abilities were all. Thought became intent, word became deed, and Garrison became like unto a god.
Two decades later, Garrison is utilizing his unique powers to explore the universe. On Earth, his son, Richard Stone, is happily in love, until his beloved falls victim to "The Gibbering," a plague of madness that destroys men and women by destroying their minds. There is no obvious cause. There is no cure. There are no survivors.
When Richard Stone himself is infected by the Gibbering, the mental powers he inherited from his father enable him to defeat the madness, at least for a while. Then, to his horror, Stone discovers that the Psychomech has run amok and that the Gibbering is the result! Even though the insanity it creates batters his struggling mind, Stone realizes he is the only man with the knowledge and power capable of destroying the berserker mind-machine.
The son of Garrison is at war with Psychomech. Who will survive the final
battle, man or machine?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Richard Garrison was once a corporal in the British Military Police, until a terrorist's bomb destroyed his eyesight and his career. Repaying Garrison for saving his wife and child from the blast, millionaire industrialist Thomas Schroeder introduced him to the Psychomech, an amazing machine that could either gift its users with astonishing mental powers-or destroy them utterly.
Having successfully harnessed the Psychomech, Garrison discovered the Psychosphere, a strange plane of existence where mental abilities were all. Thought became intent, word became deed, and Garrison became like unto a god.
Two decades later, Garrison is utilizing his unique powers to explore the universe. On Earth, his son, Richard Stone, is happily in love, until his beloved falls victim to "The Gibbering," a plague of madness that destroys men and women by destroying their minds. There is no obvious cause. There is no cure. There are no survivors.
When Richard Stone himself is infected by the Gibbering, the mental powers he inherited from his father enable him to defeat the madness, at least for a while. Then, to his horror, Stone discovers that the Psychomech has run amok and that the Gibbering is the result! Even though the insanity it creates batters his struggling mind, Stone realizes he is the only man with the knowledge and power capable of destroying the berserker mind-machine.
The son of Garrison is at war with Psychomech. Who will survive the final
battle, man or machine?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
13 people are currently reading
472 people want to read
About the author
Brian Lumley
444 books1,354 followersBrian Lumley was born near Newcastle. In 22 years as a Military Policeman he served in many of the Cold War hotspots, including Berlin, as well as Cyprus in partition days. He reached the rank of Sergeant-Major before retiring to Devon to write full-time, and his work was first published in 1970. The vampire series, 'Necroscope', has been translated into ten languages and sold over a million copies worldwide.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
He was awarded the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2010.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 23, 2024
Let me start with my negatives. The book is too long, the story never fully comes together fully cohesively, and the ending was a little lackluster. The story was interesting and the action was well done. To me, this was perhaps the weakest of the trilogy but it was still an entertaining and easy read.
3.5/5
3.5/5
June 16, 2024
Finished book 3 of the psychomech trilogy on audible today. The opening threw me off a bit but once it got going I found it as much fun as the previous two
Interesting to note that this was written before the Necroscope saga, in that there are some very familiar themes from that series in an early form. Metempsychosis, paternity, amnesia, hypnosis, prophetic dreams & the elevation of man into something almost god like
The only thing missing really was the villain of the second book, who although implicitly present throughout doesn’t have that really ominous menace that the Wamphiri had in the Necroscope books
Still, a very enjoyable adventure with some clever twists & nice set pieces
Interesting to note that this was written before the Necroscope saga, in that there are some very familiar themes from that series in an early form. Metempsychosis, paternity, amnesia, hypnosis, prophetic dreams & the elevation of man into something almost god like
The only thing missing really was the villain of the second book, who although implicitly present throughout doesn’t have that really ominous menace that the Wamphiri had in the Necroscope books
Still, a very enjoyable adventure with some clever twists & nice set pieces
November 2, 2011
Pschamok
By Brian Lumley.
I read the book Pyschamok the third book in the Psychomech trilogy. This book opens in a utopic world, free of war, pollution and work. However there is a serpent in paradise. A horrible mind plague known as the Gibbering is sweeping the world at a tremendous and rapidly growing rate. Victims of the Gibbering hallucinate, rave, grow violent, and die within twelve months of their first "attack". The protagonist of the story is Richard Stone, the adopted son of a very wealthy business man, and an early Gibberer. Unknown to him, his actual father is Richard Garrison, the protagonist of the first two books. The Antagonist is J. C. Craig, a man that believes that he is god's second prophet (thanks to the villain from the last book.) Craig builds an "Oracle", the second psychomech, and plans to let the Gibbering be his deluge into a new world. Psychomech can cure the Gibbering, or at least hold it at bay, so he and his "Disciples" can be kept save from the so called "Mind Plauge". This story chronicles Richard's quest for answers in a world plunged into Dementia, as well as J. C.'s Decent into sane Madness.
As a fan of the Pyscomech series, This book brought everything together for me. It was fun to read, action packed and smartly written. The author of this book, Brian Lumley, is a geniusOf horror writing. He is undeniably insane, which makes for a fun story. Psychamok is one of those books thats a great story on it's own, but great as part of the series as a whole.
I would give this book a 5 out of 5. It is great if you like the genre (which I do). However, if you aren't a horror fan, then this book is NOT for you. The story is easy to follow (if you've read the other two books in the series), but could be hard for those with vocabulary issues. The book MUST be read after reading the first two, otherwise the storyline that your supposed to know doesn't make sense.
By Brian Lumley.
I read the book Pyschamok the third book in the Psychomech trilogy. This book opens in a utopic world, free of war, pollution and work. However there is a serpent in paradise. A horrible mind plague known as the Gibbering is sweeping the world at a tremendous and rapidly growing rate. Victims of the Gibbering hallucinate, rave, grow violent, and die within twelve months of their first "attack". The protagonist of the story is Richard Stone, the adopted son of a very wealthy business man, and an early Gibberer. Unknown to him, his actual father is Richard Garrison, the protagonist of the first two books. The Antagonist is J. C. Craig, a man that believes that he is god's second prophet (thanks to the villain from the last book.) Craig builds an "Oracle", the second psychomech, and plans to let the Gibbering be his deluge into a new world. Psychomech can cure the Gibbering, or at least hold it at bay, so he and his "Disciples" can be kept save from the so called "Mind Plauge". This story chronicles Richard's quest for answers in a world plunged into Dementia, as well as J. C.'s Decent into sane Madness.
As a fan of the Pyscomech series, This book brought everything together for me. It was fun to read, action packed and smartly written. The author of this book, Brian Lumley, is a geniusOf horror writing. He is undeniably insane, which makes for a fun story. Psychamok is one of those books thats a great story on it's own, but great as part of the series as a whole.
I would give this book a 5 out of 5. It is great if you like the genre (which I do). However, if you aren't a horror fan, then this book is NOT for you. The story is easy to follow (if you've read the other two books in the series), but could be hard for those with vocabulary issues. The book MUST be read after reading the first two, otherwise the storyline that your supposed to know doesn't make sense.
March 29, 2015
I would have given this book a much higher rating but it was so hard to get into. The beginning is confusing and the build up was too slow to hold my attention. As a result it took me three times as long to wade through it. By the time it got exciting enough to follow, it was over. I picked up two of this author's books at the library but this one has left such a bad impression I'm uncertain if I will attempt the second book. Highly disappointed.
February 10, 2016
I liked this story. Unfortunately, everything I read by Brian Lumley I compare to the Harry Keogh stories, and nothing matches them. I did think this entire story was very interesting. Very sci-fi and "out there." I like that. I just haven't found any characters that I like as much as Harry except for maybe Suzy, the Doberman bitch. I loved her.
September 25, 2021
While the characters were occasionally a bit flat and rushed, this is my favorite of the three books. There is a bit cringey and bigoted language in there that took me out of the story for a bit (as with the first two books), but this was, IMO, a stronger story.
September 1, 2022
This one started a little slow, but ended up being probably the most engaging of the series.
November 6, 2025
★★★★★ — 4.75/5
Brian Lumley’s Psychamok, the final installment in the Psychomech trilogy, is nothing short of a masterstroke of psychological and cosmic horror—a crescendo of madness, revelation, and the terrifying fragility of human sanity. Where the first two books (Psychomech and Psychosphere) dared to explore the boundaries of mind and metaphysics, Psychamok tears those boundaries apart completely, plunging the reader into a world that has achieved perfection only to discover that perfection itself is the breeding ground of ruin.
The novel opens in a seeming utopia: Earth has been purged of war, pollution, and toil. Mankind lives in an effortless peace—until a corruption begins to slither through the collective consciousness. They call it the Gibbering, a mind plague spreading with horrifying speed, reducing its victims to hallucination, raving violence, and death within a year. This is not a disease of the body, but of the soul—a madness that eats thought, memory, and identity until only chaos remains. Lumley captures this descent into delirium with an unnerving realism, blending horror with the disintegration of self.
At the center of this unraveling world stands Richard Stone, the adopted son of a powerful magnate and one of the early victims of the Gibbering. Unknown to him, he is also the true son of Richard Garrison, the protagonist of the first two books and the original wielder of the mysterious Psychomech—the machine that bridges the human mind and godlike power. Stone’s search for truth, both about himself and the plague consuming the world, becomes a metaphysical odyssey through madness and revelation.
Opposing him is J. C. Craig, a self-proclaimed prophet whose delusions of divine purpose are fed by the lingering influence of the previous book’s villain. Craig’s ambition is apocalyptic: he constructs a new Psychomech, “The Oracle,” and seeks to use the Gibbering as his purifying flood—a divine reckoning through insanity. To him, the plague is not a curse but a cleansing, a way to reshape humanity into his image. It is in this grotesque faith that Lumley finds one of his most terrifying creations: a man who sees salvation in destruction, and godhood in madness.
The confrontation between Stone and Craig is not merely physical but deeply psychological—a battle of will and identity within a collapsing world. Lumley uses this conflict to explore the darkest recesses of belief, power, and self-delusion. The result is both cerebral and brutal, filled with hallucinatory imagery and haunting insight into the fragility of reason.
As a fan of the Psychomech series, I found Psychamok to be the perfect culmination of Lumley’s vision. It binds together every thread from the previous books, amplifying their philosophical horror into something grander and more dreadful. The story is tightly written, yet vast in scope; action-packed, yet profoundly introspective. Lumley writes like a man unafraid to stare directly into the abyss—and to invite you to do the same. His genius lies in the way he makes madness feel not alien, but familiar, lurking just beneath the veneer of consciousness. There’s an undeniable sense that Lumley himself has danced close to the edge of insanity to capture what he has here.
In terms of ratings, Psychamok earns a ★★★★★ — 4.75/5 out of 5 for me—a triumphant close to a trilogy that began with brilliance (Psychomech, ★★★★★ — 4.5/5), dipped slightly in its middle act (Psychosphere. ★★★★ — 3.75/5), and then ascended into something unforgettable. The novel can stand on its own as a dark and thrilling narrative, but it gains immense power when read as part of the trilogy. To skip the first two entries would be to lose the foundation of its mythos and the emotional gravity that drives Richard Stone’s journey.
This is not a story for the faint of heart or casual readers of horror. Lumley’s vocabulary is rich, his concepts often metaphysical, and his imagery unflinching. But for those who crave horror that bleeds into philosophy—stories where sanity and existence are questioned at every turn—Psychamok is a feast. It is a fitting and ferocious conclusion to one of the most original trilogies in horror literature, a symphony of madness conducted by a writer who truly understands the darkness of the human mind.
Brian Lumley is, without question, a genius of horror—and possibly a bit insane. But it’s that madness, that unfiltered willingness to explore the forbidden corners of consciousness, that makes Psychamok not just a book, but an experience.
For those who dare: read all three. You won’t emerge the same.
Brian Lumley’s Psychamok, the final installment in the Psychomech trilogy, is nothing short of a masterstroke of psychological and cosmic horror—a crescendo of madness, revelation, and the terrifying fragility of human sanity. Where the first two books (Psychomech and Psychosphere) dared to explore the boundaries of mind and metaphysics, Psychamok tears those boundaries apart completely, plunging the reader into a world that has achieved perfection only to discover that perfection itself is the breeding ground of ruin.
The novel opens in a seeming utopia: Earth has been purged of war, pollution, and toil. Mankind lives in an effortless peace—until a corruption begins to slither through the collective consciousness. They call it the Gibbering, a mind plague spreading with horrifying speed, reducing its victims to hallucination, raving violence, and death within a year. This is not a disease of the body, but of the soul—a madness that eats thought, memory, and identity until only chaos remains. Lumley captures this descent into delirium with an unnerving realism, blending horror with the disintegration of self.
At the center of this unraveling world stands Richard Stone, the adopted son of a powerful magnate and one of the early victims of the Gibbering. Unknown to him, he is also the true son of Richard Garrison, the protagonist of the first two books and the original wielder of the mysterious Psychomech—the machine that bridges the human mind and godlike power. Stone’s search for truth, both about himself and the plague consuming the world, becomes a metaphysical odyssey through madness and revelation.
Opposing him is J. C. Craig, a self-proclaimed prophet whose delusions of divine purpose are fed by the lingering influence of the previous book’s villain. Craig’s ambition is apocalyptic: he constructs a new Psychomech, “The Oracle,” and seeks to use the Gibbering as his purifying flood—a divine reckoning through insanity. To him, the plague is not a curse but a cleansing, a way to reshape humanity into his image. It is in this grotesque faith that Lumley finds one of his most terrifying creations: a man who sees salvation in destruction, and godhood in madness.
The confrontation between Stone and Craig is not merely physical but deeply psychological—a battle of will and identity within a collapsing world. Lumley uses this conflict to explore the darkest recesses of belief, power, and self-delusion. The result is both cerebral and brutal, filled with hallucinatory imagery and haunting insight into the fragility of reason.
As a fan of the Psychomech series, I found Psychamok to be the perfect culmination of Lumley’s vision. It binds together every thread from the previous books, amplifying their philosophical horror into something grander and more dreadful. The story is tightly written, yet vast in scope; action-packed, yet profoundly introspective. Lumley writes like a man unafraid to stare directly into the abyss—and to invite you to do the same. His genius lies in the way he makes madness feel not alien, but familiar, lurking just beneath the veneer of consciousness. There’s an undeniable sense that Lumley himself has danced close to the edge of insanity to capture what he has here.
In terms of ratings, Psychamok earns a ★★★★★ — 4.75/5 out of 5 for me—a triumphant close to a trilogy that began with brilliance (Psychomech, ★★★★★ — 4.5/5), dipped slightly in its middle act (Psychosphere. ★★★★ — 3.75/5), and then ascended into something unforgettable. The novel can stand on its own as a dark and thrilling narrative, but it gains immense power when read as part of the trilogy. To skip the first two entries would be to lose the foundation of its mythos and the emotional gravity that drives Richard Stone’s journey.
This is not a story for the faint of heart or casual readers of horror. Lumley’s vocabulary is rich, his concepts often metaphysical, and his imagery unflinching. But for those who crave horror that bleeds into philosophy—stories where sanity and existence are questioned at every turn—Psychamok is a feast. It is a fitting and ferocious conclusion to one of the most original trilogies in horror literature, a symphony of madness conducted by a writer who truly understands the darkness of the human mind.
Brian Lumley is, without question, a genius of horror—and possibly a bit insane. But it’s that madness, that unfiltered willingness to explore the forbidden corners of consciousness, that makes Psychamok not just a book, but an experience.
For those who dare: read all three. You won’t emerge the same.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews