The must-watch made-for-TV movies, the cult ’70s series, and the endearing performances by Darren McGavin as he investigated all manner of paranormal predicaments: anything and everything that had to do with Kolchak: The Night Stalker all started with Jeff Rice's unpublished novel, which is being resurrected on February 11th by James Aquilone's Monstrous Books, who have teamed up with Blackstone Audio to release an audiobook version that will be narrated by legendary actor William Katt (The Greatest American Hero, Carrie, House)!
Read on for additional details on the Kolchak: The Night Stalker audiobook (including Katt's excitement to step into the world of Kolchak), and to learn more this new release of Rice's novel, read our previous Q&A with James Aquilone and visit Monstrous Books' official website!
In 1972 KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER transfixed audiences. The movie became the highest-rated TV movie in U.S. history and spawned the cult TV series starring Darren McGavin. The TV movie’s iconic screenplay was written by horror legend and novelist Richard Matheson (I Am Legend) and was based on an unpublished novel by Jeff Rice, which was released the following year. Now Bram Stoker Award-winning editor and writer James Aquilone and Monstrous Books have acquired the print rights to Kolchak and will be teaming up with Blackstone Audio to release an audiobook of Jeff Rice’s original, cult novel narrated by actor William Katt (Greatest American Hero, Carrie).
“It was a humbling experience working in the shadow of Jeff Rice and Darren McGavin!” William Katt said. “The cult classic Kolchak: The Night Stalker laid the groundwork for so many shows that followed—including The Greatest American Hero and so many others that borrowed generously and paid homage to the amazing world of Carl Kolchak!”
“I always thought William Katt would make a great Carl Kolchak,” said James Aquilone, publisher of Monstrous Books and editor of the award-winning Kolchak: The Night Stalker 50th Anniversary graphic novel. “So when I had the opportunity to choose a narrator for Monstrous Books’ reprint of the original Kolchak: The Night Stalker novel, I knew I had to reach out to the star of one of my favorite shows as a kid, The Greatest American Hero.”
The new, deluxe edition of KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER also features a new foreword by writer and actor David Dastmalchian (Count Crowley; Late Night with the Devil), a new afterword by writer and producer Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia), a new essay on Jeff Rice by Kolchak expert Mark Dawidziak, (The Night Stalker Companion) and a cover by Russ Braun (The Boys).
In the KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER novel, the corpses of young women – many of whom are working night jobs — are discovered, drained of blood, with unusual puncture marks on their necks, and it’s up to intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak to find out what happened to them.
Monstrous Books’ definitive edition of KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER — which publishes on February 11, 2025 — is also available as an ebook and trade paperback.
For more information, go to the Monstrous Books website or follow Monstrous Books on Facebook, Instagram and X.
ABOUT WILLIAM KATT
William Katt is an American actor and musician best known for his roles as Paul Drake Jr. in the television series The New Adventures of Perry Mason and as Ralph Hinkley in the television series The Greatest American Hero.
Katt was born on February 16, 1951 in Los Angeles, California. He is the son of actor Bill Williams and actress Barbara Hale, both of whom were well-known performers in the 1940s and 1950s. Katt began his acting career at a young age, appearing in various television shows and films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1980, Katt gained widespread recognition for his role as Ralph Hinkley in The Greatest American Hero, a science fiction comedy-drama series about an ordinary man who is entrusted with a superhero suit. Katt's performance as Hinkley earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
In addition to his work in television, Katt has also appeared in several films, including Carrie (1976), First Love (1977), and Big Wednesday (1978). He has also lent his voice to several animated series and video games, including The Batman and World of Warcraft.
Aside from his acting career, Katt is also a talented musician, playing the guitar and singing in several bands over the years. In recent years, he has performed with his band The Wild Ones at various venues across the United States.
ABOUT MONSTROUS BOOKS
Monstrous is an independent publisher focused on dark fiction and action-packed stories. Owned and operated by Bram Stoker Award-winning editor and writer James Aquilone, Monstrous Books is dedicated to creating high-quality print and digital comics, graphic novels, and prose books that aim to entertain with its stories and delight with its aesthetics. Monstrous is the new home of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Its other titles include Monstrous magazine, Dead Detectives Society, Shakespeare Unleashed, and The Omega Eleven.
Cover by Russ Braun:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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