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Bloch and Bradbury: Whispers from Beyond
Contents:
By Robert Bloch:
The Shadow From the Steeple
he Grinning Ghoul
Mannikins of Horror
The Druidic Doom
A Question of Etiquette
The Man Who Cried Wolf
By Ray Bradbury:
The Watchers
Fever Dream
The Dead Man
The Handler
By Robert Bloch:
The Shadow From the Steeple
he Grinning Ghoul
Mannikins of Horror
The Druidic Doom
A Question of Etiquette
The Man Who Cried Wolf
By Ray Bradbury:
The Watchers
Fever Dream
The Dead Man
The Handler
155 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
About the author
Robert Bloch
1,102 books1,310 followersRobert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer. He was the son of Raphael "Ray" Bloch (1884, Chicago-1952, Chicago), a bank cashier, and his wife Stella Loeb (1880, Attica, Indiana-1944, Milwaukee, WI), a social worker, both of German-Jewish descent.
Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over twenty novels, usually crime fiction, science fiction, and, perhaps most influentially, horror fiction (Psycho). He was one of the youngest members of the Lovecraft Circle; Lovecraft was Bloch's mentor and one of the first to seriously encourage his talent.
He was a contributor to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter. He was the recipient of the Hugo Award (for his story "That Hell-Bound Train"), the Bram Stoker Award, and the World Fantasy Award. He served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Robert Bloch was also a major contributor to science fiction fanzines and fandom in general. In the 1940s, he created the humorous character Lefty Feep in a story for Fantastic Adventures. He also worked for a time in local vaudeville, and tried to break into writing for nationally-known performers. He was a good friend of the science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. In the 1960's, he wrote 3 stories for Star Trek.
Bloch wrote hundreds of short stories and over twenty novels, usually crime fiction, science fiction, and, perhaps most influentially, horror fiction (Psycho). He was one of the youngest members of the Lovecraft Circle; Lovecraft was Bloch's mentor and one of the first to seriously encourage his talent.
He was a contributor to pulp magazines such as Weird Tales in his early career, and was also a prolific screenwriter. He was the recipient of the Hugo Award (for his story "That Hell-Bound Train"), the Bram Stoker Award, and the World Fantasy Award. He served a term as president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Robert Bloch was also a major contributor to science fiction fanzines and fandom in general. In the 1940s, he created the humorous character Lefty Feep in a story for Fantastic Adventures. He also worked for a time in local vaudeville, and tried to break into writing for nationally-known performers. He was a good friend of the science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum. In the 1960's, he wrote 3 stories for Star Trek.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 23, 2013
This was the first book I read when I was about 12 years old. It's still one of my favourite books. All the tales are fantastic.
August 22, 2011
This book is a compilation of short stories by Robert Bloch and Ray Bradbury. I haven't read Bloch before, and know only that he is the author of Psycho. I picked this book up as part of my Ray Bradbury reading project. It's interesting to see Bradbury's work juxtaposed next to that of another writer, because it reminds you just how good Bradbury really is. The Bradbury stories used here ("The Watchers," "Fever Dream," "The Dead Man" and "The Handler") aren't his best material, but they still blow the Bloch material out of the water, IMHO.
In fairness, Bloch is more attuned to the macabre and the occult and that has never been my cup of tea. But in stories such as "Mannikins of Horror" and "The Druidic Doom," Bloch also displays a penchant for purple prose. What Bloch seems to have forgotten (or perhaps never learned) is that sometimes less is more. The creep factor in Bradbury stories rarely comes from Egyptian curses or vengeful werewolves, it comes from everyday people and things (e.g. a buzzing fly or a young boy's fever) which suddenly take on ominous proportions in his brief sketches. With simple understated language, Bradbury builds from the known to the unknown, and is so doing creates true dread. Bloch's grand flourishes are over the top and frankly, a little boring.
In fairness, Bloch is more attuned to the macabre and the occult and that has never been my cup of tea. But in stories such as "Mannikins of Horror" and "The Druidic Doom," Bloch also displays a penchant for purple prose. What Bloch seems to have forgotten (or perhaps never learned) is that sometimes less is more. The creep factor in Bradbury stories rarely comes from Egyptian curses or vengeful werewolves, it comes from everyday people and things (e.g. a buzzing fly or a young boy's fever) which suddenly take on ominous proportions in his brief sketches. With simple understated language, Bradbury builds from the known to the unknown, and is so doing creates true dread. Bloch's grand flourishes are over the top and frankly, a little boring.
January 15, 2019
Great little intro to Bloch and Bradbury short tales - the Bloch tales are far more enjoyable than the Bradbury ones, which is fortunate because there are 6 Bloch stories and only 4 Bradbury ones. Maybe my least favorite tale being the title story by Bradbury about a kid who suffers from alien hand syndrome - only 7 pages thankfully. With the Robert Bloch tales you get some amazing bits of occult and macabre lore, mixed with a touch of Lovecraftian mythos. Favorite story: A Question of Etiquette, followed by The Druidic Doom...
March 25, 2013
Wow, algunas de las historias sí me dieron miedo, sobre todo las de Bloch, pero las que más me gustaron fueron las de Bradbury.
April 8, 2016
I'm an avid fan of both Bradbury and Bloch, so this collection of shorts was a welcome treat. It opens on a deliciously Lovecraftian note and ends with werewolves, what more could I ask for?
February 17, 2020
This anthology of short stories by Bloch and Bradbury shows the highs and lows of the pulp magazines that published horror stories. Bloch being the low part and Bradbury being the high part.
Bloch's writing is so awful that a drunk badger could have done better. Either he writes utterly inane Lovecraft fan fiction or he mangles folklore (Druids practicing voodoo, WTF?). And Bloch insists on having glorified versions of himself banging all the female characters. Credit due to Hitchcock for turning some of the garbage Bloch wrote into a good movie.
Bradbury on the other hand is absolutely brilliant. His skill at evoking a creepy mood in sleepy small cities in the Mid West is truly amazing. The contrast to Bloch is striking when their work is put next to each other.
Worth getting if you are a fan of Bradbury, just skip the short stories by Bloch
Bloch's writing is so awful that a drunk badger could have done better. Either he writes utterly inane Lovecraft fan fiction or he mangles folklore (Druids practicing voodoo, WTF?). And Bloch insists on having glorified versions of himself banging all the female characters. Credit due to Hitchcock for turning some of the garbage Bloch wrote into a good movie.
Bradbury on the other hand is absolutely brilliant. His skill at evoking a creepy mood in sleepy small cities in the Mid West is truly amazing. The contrast to Bloch is striking when their work is put next to each other.
Worth getting if you are a fan of Bradbury, just skip the short stories by Bloch
May 30, 2019
There are 10 stories here (6 Bloch/4 Bradbury) and my little marking system that I use tells me I enjoyed half of them; ironically, given the above ratio, I enjoyed 3 of the Bloch's and 2 of the Bradbury's. So no one comes out on top!
The 3 Bloch's that I liked are 'The Grinning Ghoul' (interesting tale of a psychiatrist who visits the graveyard seen in one of his patients nightmares); 'A Question Of Etiquette' (a witch invites someone to a meeting) and 'The Man Who Cried Wolf' (a nicely atmospheric werewolf story).
The 2 Bradbury's are 'The Watchers' (a man fears insects) and 'The Handler' (fascinating and gruesome tale of a vengeful and macabre undertaker who does strange things to bodies).
The 3 Bloch's that I liked are 'The Grinning Ghoul' (interesting tale of a psychiatrist who visits the graveyard seen in one of his patients nightmares); 'A Question Of Etiquette' (a witch invites someone to a meeting) and 'The Man Who Cried Wolf' (a nicely atmospheric werewolf story).
The 2 Bradbury's are 'The Watchers' (a man fears insects) and 'The Handler' (fascinating and gruesome tale of a vengeful and macabre undertaker who does strange things to bodies).
November 2, 2023
[Sphere Books Limited] (1970). SB. 157 Pages. Purchased from Cold Tonnage Books.
Ten tales: Bloch 6 / Bradbury 4.
Mostly Fair or Poor.
“The Man Who Cried Wolf!” (Bloch) is utterly banal; the closing twist is all too obvious.
“The Handler” (Bradbury) contains some effective dark humour and a few shocks. The writing’s poor in places - “…scratched by fingernail scratchings” would disappoint from an eight year old. I’d describe the dénouement as ludicrous trash. Best of the lot.
“The Druidic Doom” (Bloch) has faint echoes of Arthur Machen and a few creepy points. However, unlike the Welsh mystic’s work, this is neither subtle nor beautifully penned. It also ends clumsily.
Ten tales: Bloch 6 / Bradbury 4.
Mostly Fair or Poor.
“The Man Who Cried Wolf!” (Bloch) is utterly banal; the closing twist is all too obvious.
“The Handler” (Bradbury) contains some effective dark humour and a few shocks. The writing’s poor in places - “…scratched by fingernail scratchings” would disappoint from an eight year old. I’d describe the dénouement as ludicrous trash. Best of the lot.
“The Druidic Doom” (Bloch) has faint echoes of Arthur Machen and a few creepy points. However, unlike the Welsh mystic’s work, this is neither subtle nor beautifully penned. It also ends clumsily.
February 7, 2021
Interesting mix of stories--all good!
April 5, 2009
Very good stories by Bloch, obscure but good early stories by Bradbury, atrocious typesetting.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews