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Kolchak: Penny Dreadful Double Feature
Two novels in one book! In PENNY killings in LA appear to be copycat murders based on the Tate-LaBianca slayings. Kolchak meets Domino Patrick (daughter of the original Domino Lady) & learns that the killings are the work of one of the Manson girls. In TIME STALKER, Dan Sutton encounters Janos Skorzeny in 1943, and is attacked by the vampire just as he begins the transformation into the pulp hero Zero. This propels him and Skorzeny forward in time. Sutton meets Kolchak & they track the vampire.
- GenresHorror
213 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 18, 2016
About the author
Chuck Miller
43 books44 followersThe Black Centipede and related characters are part of a grand concept I came up with myself and started writing and publishing on the web.
They had actually been festering in my skull for more than 20 years-- a proposed comic book that never made it off the ground-- and it seemed about time to let them out.
I realized I wasn't getting any younger. So I started cranking out prose like a man possessed. Well, the Black Centipede Press web project caught the eye of Tommy Hancock at Pro Se Press, and they have now published the first Black Centipede novel, "Creeping Dawn: The Rise of the Black Centipede." (Order it now from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Creeping-Dawn-R...)
The Black Centipede is a traditional pulp action hero who refuses to behave like one. He casually breaks every rule in the book. Then he writes new rules. Then he breaks those. He is the world's greatest action hero. He is a dangerous madman. He is both criminal and crimefighter, pursuing an agenda that he himself has yet to fully define.
His career has spanned 80 years (so far), and he has become involved with some of the most famous and infamous individuals of the 20th and 21st centuries. "Creeping Dawn" takes up his story in the pivotal period between 1927 and 1933.
In his fictional world, the Centipede is both a real-life crime fighter and the star of a successful pulp adventure magazine, which presents highly-fictionalized accounts of his adventures. The series explores, among other things, the disparity between the public image and the man himself. We also learn the "shocking truth" about several well-known historical people and events. In the world of the Black Centipede, absolutely nothing is what it seems to be.
THE CITY OF ZENITH, home of the Black Centipede, is a living example of the uncertainty principle. It is on the East or West Coast, or one of the Great Lakes, or the Mississippi River. Everyone has lived there at one time or another, including you.
Zenith is one of the most versatile cities in the United States. It is as large or as small as it needs to be for whatever story I happen to be writing at a given time. I did not, however, discover it myself. The city was founded by Sinclair Lewis. According to WIKIPEDIA, "Winnemac is a fictional U.S. state invented by the writer Sinclair Lewis. His novel Babbitt takes place in Zenith, its largest city (population 361,000, according to a sketch-map Lewis made to guide his writing). Winnemac is also the setting for ‘Gideon Planish,’ ‘Arrowsmith,’ ‘Elmer Gantry,’ and ‘Dodsworth.’"
Inspired by the work of the late Philip Jose Farmer, I have developed the habit of treating fictional characters as though they actually lived, and people who actually lived as though they were fictional characters. The Centipede has an elaborate history, for which I have created artifacts. Amelia Earhart, Frank Nitti, and William Randolph Hearst have prominent roles in the saga.
They had actually been festering in my skull for more than 20 years-- a proposed comic book that never made it off the ground-- and it seemed about time to let them out.
I realized I wasn't getting any younger. So I started cranking out prose like a man possessed. Well, the Black Centipede Press web project caught the eye of Tommy Hancock at Pro Se Press, and they have now published the first Black Centipede novel, "Creeping Dawn: The Rise of the Black Centipede." (Order it now from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Creeping-Dawn-R...)
The Black Centipede is a traditional pulp action hero who refuses to behave like one. He casually breaks every rule in the book. Then he writes new rules. Then he breaks those. He is the world's greatest action hero. He is a dangerous madman. He is both criminal and crimefighter, pursuing an agenda that he himself has yet to fully define.
His career has spanned 80 years (so far), and he has become involved with some of the most famous and infamous individuals of the 20th and 21st centuries. "Creeping Dawn" takes up his story in the pivotal period between 1927 and 1933.
In his fictional world, the Centipede is both a real-life crime fighter and the star of a successful pulp adventure magazine, which presents highly-fictionalized accounts of his adventures. The series explores, among other things, the disparity between the public image and the man himself. We also learn the "shocking truth" about several well-known historical people and events. In the world of the Black Centipede, absolutely nothing is what it seems to be.
THE CITY OF ZENITH, home of the Black Centipede, is a living example of the uncertainty principle. It is on the East or West Coast, or one of the Great Lakes, or the Mississippi River. Everyone has lived there at one time or another, including you.
Zenith is one of the most versatile cities in the United States. It is as large or as small as it needs to be for whatever story I happen to be writing at a given time. I did not, however, discover it myself. The city was founded by Sinclair Lewis. According to WIKIPEDIA, "Winnemac is a fictional U.S. state invented by the writer Sinclair Lewis. His novel Babbitt takes place in Zenith, its largest city (population 361,000, according to a sketch-map Lewis made to guide his writing). Winnemac is also the setting for ‘Gideon Planish,’ ‘Arrowsmith,’ ‘Elmer Gantry,’ and ‘Dodsworth.’"
Inspired by the work of the late Philip Jose Farmer, I have developed the habit of treating fictional characters as though they actually lived, and people who actually lived as though they were fictional characters. The Centipede has an elaborate history, for which I have created artifacts. Amelia Earhart, Frank Nitti, and William Randolph Hearst have prominent roles in the saga.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 11, 2017
I've always been a huge Night Stalker fan, and this one didn't disappoint. It's two short novels, and we get to see Kolchak team up with some pulp heroes. In the first one, he teams up with Domino Lady to investigate a series of murders involving the Manson Family, and Charles Manson even shows up. In the second one, the pulp hero Zero and the vampire from the original Night Stalker novel and movie, Janos Skorzeny both are involved. It was cool to see a vampire vs a super hero even if it was a brief scene, and also interesting to see more of probably Kolchak's most famous villain. Even though Kolchak is teamed up with pulp heroes, the stories aren't diminished because of it and these are great reads for any Night Stalker fan.
January 31, 2018
Twice the Kolchak
Two good stories with Kolchak charm and flawed efforts ... He means well but is not a superhero just a guy in the right place at the right time to keep us safe from what lurks in the dark ...
Two good stories with Kolchak charm and flawed efforts ... He means well but is not a superhero just a guy in the right place at the right time to keep us safe from what lurks in the dark ...
October 30, 2016
Fun flashback for me
Used to watch Kolchak on TV with dad growing up. The two novellas were a fun flashback. I enjoyed the second story a bit more than the first simply because the plot was a little more complex and developed.
Used to watch Kolchak on TV with dad growing up. The two novellas were a fun flashback. I enjoyed the second story a bit more than the first simply because the plot was a little more complex and developed.
May 3, 2016
Loved it. I feel this should delight any confirmed Kolchak fan. I particularly enjoyed the second story, in which we learn a bit more about Janos Skorzeny, the vampire who was Kolchak's first foe.
March 25, 2016
I really hate to go low-end here, but while I enjoyed the first story of the two, I really could not get into the second one. Still enjoyable though.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews