Customer Reviews

Complete Stories of Robert Bloch: Bitter Ends (Complete Stories of Robert Bloch, Volume 2)

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Despite being famous for the film adaptation of a single novel, Robert Bloch's greatest contributions to genre literature were arguably in the short story format. Whether he was writing for the pulps or the slick professional magazines, Bloch could be counted on delivering a unique and addictive blend of twisted shock and sarcastic black humor. Each of these 'Complete Stories of' volumes, of which Bitter Ends is the second of three, are pretty much required in any genre fans library. Highly recommended.

someone should tell you what is inside this magic book of wonder and marvel

Water's Edge

The Real Bad Friend

Man With a Hobby

Welcome, Stranger

Terror Over Hollywood

Luck Is No Lady

Crime in Rhyme

The Cure

Sock Finish

Broomstick Ride

Daybroke

Betsy Blake Will Live Forever

Terror in Cut-Throat Cove

Word of Honor

That Old Black Magic

The Deadliest Art

The Screaming People

The Hungry Eye

Show Biz

The Gloating Place

The Man Who Knew Women

The Big Kick

Night School

Sabbatical

The Funnel of God

'Til Death Do Us Part

The Show Must Go On

A Matter of Life

Pin-Up Girl

The Baldheaded Mirage

The Masterpiece

Although Robert Bloch has come to be treated more as the author of "Psycho" than as anythingh else, his claim to fame is most vehemently supported by his short-stories. Bloch's stories, despite being bound by the usual limitations of the pulps (inadequate remunerations forcing even creative brains to go barren after over-production to meet the various deadlines, themes that would cause shudders, gross neglect by the blue-blooded intellectuals and critics, lack of enthusiasm among editors to give the short-stories a more durable resting place in hardcover format), never got bogged down. His genius lay in creating something terrific as well as terrifying within a few pages, no matter how many times he covers the same ground. Five stars for the stories, but not so for the edition in question, since it fails to give any editorial information about the stories and their creator, apart from listing the sources.