Jeff Rice (1)

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the first in the series, (KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER), but I think I enjoyed this one a touch more, only because it kept all the good from the first one (the slowly building mystery, Kolchak's sarcasm, overall narrative tone) while letting some of the longer-winded info dumps go.

What results is a nice, tight, well-written adventure with Kolchak once again in the hotseat. If there's anything missing, it's that we really don't meet the titular show more Night Strangler until pretty much the end.

But this was a fun one. Both these books are absolutely worth the read. show less

Perhaps because this second of The Night Stalker series books was based upon the Richard Matheson screenplay (before changes were made for the second telefilm) it is actually more fun than the original book in the series by Jeff Rice. While keeping most of the pulp style elements of his original book, the tone is a bit less norish, and a little leaner and less meandering. It also has a fabulous ending, and a nice little love story for Kolchak. There are some interesting facts about the show more history of alchemy too, and some thrills near the end, when our favorite rumpled and grumpy reporter confronts a madman the police refuse — al always — to admit exists. This one is simply pure fun, the only caveat being a technical one, which is the horrendous Kindle version. Nothing has been justified, and incorrect words pop up now an again, and in a few cases are missing (usually a preposition). Proofing errors exist in all books, mainstream and independent, and if minimal, are no biggie. This however, is ridiculous, the frequency staggering. Fortunately, it’s such a fun story to read, it’s a small caveat. I refuse to knock off a star, because this is about the transfer to Kindle, and lack of attention to detail, rather than Richard Matheson’s fabulous fabulous story itself, as adapted by Jeff Rice. Fun stuff! show less

Huh. That went better than expected.

I expected the book to be as fun/schlocky as the series I dimly remember scaring the crap out of me was. But it was written in an interesting, sarcastic style, with some side-trips into social commentary that I didn't expect, but didn't mind.

Then again, it had to offer up something that way, as Rice pretty much kept all the action off-stage until the very end, which is why, I think, this book may not vibe with everyone. There's a couple of cringe moments show more (a homosexual being described as a "limp wrist" for example) but, having grown up in that time period, the vernacular used was...common. I literally remember my father and my uncles using the exact same terms. Hopefully, in the intervening 55 years, we've learned something.

But the book itself, I found, was actually a great romp, overall. The Jack The Ripper coda at the end felt like filler, as well as puzzling, and it was wholly unnecessary, but the rest, barring the odd cringe, wasn't bad. Kolchak is more real here. show less

I picked this up some time back because I really loved the classic television show. Sort of expecting it to be representative of the show, I was quite surprised at the pulp style taken by the author. The Night Stalker is presented as a true story, told in an old pulp style. I think it is for this reason a few people, either unfamiliar or not enamored of pulp, knock it. It is however, despite being somewhat uneven, quite engrossing on a pulp level.

In essence, this is a pulp story presented by show more the narrator as an honest account of the happenings in Las Vegas, which were later covered up, with witnesses later disappearing, as did Kolchak. The author uses Kolchak’s notes to tell the story, after having confirmed to his satisfaction that Kolchak’s notes are indeed accurate. This lends an element of fun to the story, and there is some good stuff here. You can almost hear Darren McGavin’s voice in spots, yet in other spots that sense of fun is replaced by some very gruesome and enthralling accounts of a vampire at large in Sin City. Despite some unevenness at times, this is a much better read than you’d think.

I think it is unfair to compare this to Richard Matheson’s television film adaptation of the book, because the book is quite deliberately pulpy in nature, an entirely different critter from a screenplay written by more a serious writer. If you can manage to separate the two in your head, Jeff Rice’s The Night Stalker is pretty good for a noir pulp story. On the technical side, however, the Kindle version has oodles of typos I am certain weren’t in the original book — which was apparently released after the show came out. Definitely worth a look if you enjoyed the show, but only if you like pulp. show less