Customer Reviews

Kolchak: The Night Stalker Chronicles

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Flush with the success of their wonderful line of comics (Kolchak: Tales of the Night Stalker) and graphic novels (Kolchak: The Night Stalker) Moonstone has gone one step further, offering up a prose collection of twenty-six original Kolchak spin-off stories by some of the more talented comic and mystery writers out there. Fans can think of this as the second season of Kolchak: The Night Stalker that never was. Some of the stories (The Last Temptation of Kolchak, The Pretty Dead Girl) tinker with the concept and character of Kolchak a tad too much, for my taste. Others perfectly replicate the format and character of the cult show. (Shadows from the Screen, - the best of the bunch, as far as I'm concerned - Don't Even Blink, Barrens, to name only a select few). Still more are playful examinations or ruminations on the meaning of Kolchak, or just what the character means to the writer writing the story. (Interview with the Vampire?, What Monsters Do, It Came from Monkey Skull Creek) With such a diverse selection of tales to choose from, this anthology will have something to satisfy any and all of Kolchak's fans.

Was there ever a more unlikely hero than Carl Kolchak? Or, for that matter, a more peculiar link in the well-established literary chain of "psychic detectives" such as Seabury Quinn's Jules de Grandin or Algernon Blackwood's John Silence? An unapologetically nosy, aggravatingly persistent, irredeemably rumpled little man with a Keaton-esque porkpie hat topping off a seersucker suit that had seen better days...and yet, Carl was and is indeed our hero. He was our man on the scene where all things macabre, preternatural, and downright weird were concerned, facing, at various times, a marauding robot, a perambulatory mummy, a shipboard werewolf, a subterranean dinosaur and the occasional vampire amongst other things.

Kolchak's heyday was unquestionably the early 1970s, making his debut in THE NIGHT STALKER (which garnered the highest ratings of any made-for-television program up to that point), following through with another TV feature, THE NIGHT STRANGLER, and an hour-long series that lived an unmercifully short life. Although a third go-around (THE NIGHT KILLERS) was bandied about, Kolchak's career seemed to be quite moribund in the wake of his cancelled series.

But in the realm of fantasy, anything is possible. Carl was duly resurrected by Moonstone to appear in a series of graphic novels for the old-timers who recalled his adventures of decades ago, updating the character in the process so as to introduce a whole new generation to his exploits. And now, we have a fully-fledged fiction anthology to savor. Each of these 26 tales can be enjoyably digested in the span of one sitting, appropriately like an episode of the series. What makes the collection work is the blatant love and familiarity that each author displays in regard to the protagonist. Or should that be plural? For not only does Carl make a return engagement, but fussy Ron Updyke, lovable Monique Marmelstein, sweet old Emily Cowles, and not least blustery boss Tony Vincenzo are on hand too.

Which brings me to my favorite selection here, Shadows from the Screen, penned by Richard Valley who also happens to be an inveterate Kolchak-aholic. As the title implies, Carl must contend with a phantom actress haunting Hollywood Boulevard and surrounds. Not only does Richard (being the editor and publisher of Scarlet Street, for which I write) display a lifetime of knowledge and inspire warmly nostalgic feelings in the reader where classic film is concerned, he even manages an historical first: "outing" Updyke!

Other segments take us to locations diverse as the sun-baked Arizona desert amid Native American mysticism (The Shadow That Shapes the Light by Ed Gorman and Alan Dean Starr), on location of a "Bollywood" extravaganza that quickly turns bloody (Kali's Final Cut by Adi Tantimedh), and even a sojourn to foggy Collinsport, Maine for a meeting with a certain Mr. Barnabas (Interview with a Vampire? by Mark Dawidziak). Evil wonders, ancient sorceries, and stalking monsters await our dogged reporter at every turn - join the fun!

I like this new book of short stories of the continued adventures of Kolchak. The stories are great. They are almost better than the TV series. I also like the number of stories included 26 I believe.

Kolchak is a great character, one of the best examples of what can be done with a credible protagonist in a supernatural setting. These tales pick up the character and run (along) with him. They update Kolchak (which I have mixed feelings about) and provide him with some real classics along with some very originals foes. I hope that this series sells well enough to warrant another (and another...) so long as it has the same level of quality.

I was a little skeptical (as Carl would be) that any one would be brave enough to put these stories into print. I was blown away at the level of quality, love and respect that these "professional" fans had for my favorite show of all time. If only ABC had been smart enough to tap this particular vein, then we would have had a show on our hands that would have rivalled CSI and the X-Files. I could almost hear Darren McGavin's voice relating the lurid details of each adventure. Read the stories at least twice! I WANT A SECOND SERIES!!!!!! LET'S GO MOONSTONE! The ball is on your court. The money is in my pocket waiting for you. SCI FI channel get ready to pick up the ball to run with it.

What a great collection of Kolchak stories, but a group of talented writers. Most deliver hands, making each story seem like episodes from the old series. The less said about the new one, the better.
I strong recommend this anthology to anyone who enjoys good, macabre tales of the supernatural.

With his camera, tape recorder, beat up hat and outdated suit Carl Kolchak is a symbol of an old fashion reporter who wants the story at any cost. Now, in 26 original short stories we can enjoy his humor, his intelligence and his hunger for the truth. With such authors as Peter David, P.N. Elrod, Mark Dawidziak and James Anthony Kuhoric you CAN'T go wrong. Each and every story is a gem and there is even illustrations, one for each chapter, that show Carl Kolchak in all kinds of trouble. A perfect gift for a fan.
New or used, you should get it.

A great find for Kolchak fans and even for ones new to the series. It is rare to find a collection of short stories where all the pieces are equally strong. There is not one weak link in this anthology.

Some actors are so spot on on their portrayal of a character that their portrayal comes to define the character. To a generation Christopher Reeves IS Superman. To a previous generation it's George Reeve who occupies the slot of the Man of Steel. Bela Lugosi and Dracula are one and the same for many fans, as it is with Basil Rathbone and Sherlock Holmes. And so it is with Darren McGavin and Carl Kolchak. McGavin was so thoroughly Kolchak that no one else will probably ever be able to play Kolchak convincingly again. He made Kolchak act the way we knew Kolchak should act, even though few of us had ever met a wiley, foot sore, down-on-his-heels investigative reporter who gets in way over his head in supernatural affairs before. Something in McGavin's performance rang true with audiences, as true as any performance by an actor ever had before.
The success of this book is due in large part to how true the author's portrayal of Kolchak rings with the reader's memory of him. I think the authors do succeed. Not only do the stories extend the legacy of Carl Kolchak by giving us that special Kolchak twist, sometimes they admirably add to it. The only way this book could be better is if Darren McGavin himself read the audio version.
Any fan of Darren McGavin, Carl Kolchak, or witty, suspenseful and scary writing will enjoy this book. And get Vincenzo to put it on the expense account. That's what Kolchak would do.
Here are a few of the many highlighs within:

***Frost-Bitten by Mark Leiren-Young***Kolchak is in Canada, caught between polar bears and a Windigo!

***Shadows from the Screen by Richard Valley***Are the ghosts of some of Hollywood's greatest actresses killing people in modern L.A.? Kolchak might just find out the hard way.

***Barrens by Chuck Dixon***Kolchak fights for his life against a devilish legend from New Jersey

***What Monsters Do by Peter David***What kind of Mom tells Carl Kolchak stories to her child to scare him into good behavior? A vampire Mom, that's what kind.

***The Way of the Matter by P.N. Elrod***Carl looks into the "why" of a seemingly ordinary murder and finds something, or someone, rather extraordinary.

***What Every Coin Has by C.J. Henderson***It's Kolchak vs. Chuthulu and the Televised Media!

***The Last Temptation of Kolchak by Steven Grant***One of this volume's best, this peek into the cynical Kolchak's heart is too short.

***Open House by Max Allan Collins***Kolchak encounters a nervous realtor trying to sell a haunted house that kills realtors!

***Interview with a Vampire? by Mark Dawidziak*** Carl Kolchak meets...Barnabas Collins! Dum Dum DUUUM!!

This book is not for the squeamish, so those of you with weak hearts, low tolerance of terror or other maladies, do not read this book. As for me, Kolchak is back.

In 26 short stories, you will walk the wierd and unusual with Carl Kolchak, so don't forget your road map or you may get lost in New Jersey. And as Carl Kolchak would tell you. "Remember, as you say to yourself, this couldn't happen to you."