The Night Stalker

I have to admit to my guilty pleasure in both the series and the book. I think it is actually well written. The character is likable and the plot at the beginning leaves it open as to whether this is a crime or a crime of nature.Truth be told, I loved it.

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 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 show more 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

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 (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, show more 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

The movies and TV shows based on this novel have been among the most extraordinarily accurate Hollywood portrayals of journalism ever made. Every week, reporter Carl Kolchak risks his life to expose a ring of vampires or werewolves or editors; and every week, his lickspittle editors kill the story. This book should be taught in journalism school.

Loved the original TV series. This wasn't a bad story. It just didn't really flesh out characters or hold my attention.