Kolchak: The Night Stalker was a fantastic show. Two movies and one season of a TV show from the 70s basically paved the way for later shows like The X-Files and Fringe. The tale of one obnoxious reporter to followed stories wherever they took him, no matter how strange or terrible the eventual outcome, makes for great TV. When I heard it was being resurrected as a comic series, I was curious, but when I found out it was from ultra-small press, and frequently quality challenged Moonstone, my interest waned. But, last month, when a small mass market paperback drifted past me at my job, I snapped it right up. A Kolchak novel? 124 pages? 4.99? I think I’ve heard of this C.J. Henderson person. Why not?
And I got my money’s worth. It’s a fun, quick read. Basically an extended episode in book form, without the location shooting restrictions that would have made its Ecuador excursion impossible. Not a great story, but not bad. Something about seventy-two chanting people in the jungle. The writing isn’t too bad. Captures Kolchak’s slightly burnt, sarcastic reporter vibe. The ending was a bit anti-climactic, and the characters being moved to L.A. in the modern day didn’t do anything for me. I’d rather read it as a period novel, embracing the 70s feel of the show. However, considering how low my expectations were for a media tie-in novel from Moonstone, it wasn’t bad. And I’d like to see them produce more, maybe better books. I’d read a Kolchack novel every few months, no prob.
Kolchak: The Night Stalker: The Lost World
Author: C.J. Henderson
Publisher: Moonstone Entertainment Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-936814-16-9
Pages: 124
-Matt
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