Earlier this month, I reviewed DC Larson's spectacular, space-opera novella, "Stratosphere Boogieman". I'm still riding intergalactically high off the Captain Atomic adventure, but I'm equally impressed by the author's latest outing: "Ballad of the Riegelsberg Werewolf and Other Fantastic Accounts".
That's because "Ballad..." churns its flavor from a number of nostalgic shorts. Not only is there the aforementioned lycanthropy tale, but twelve additional weird and eclectic entries (heralded by a nifty, memory-lane intro) that imagi-fans are certain to relish:
(Intro: A Midnight Well Spent)
1 - The creeping ghost of Edwardshire
2 - Dracula invades the Castle of Frankenstein
3 - Ballad of the Riegelsberg Werewolf
4 - Johnny Jupiter: The Lost Episode That Never Was
5 - Commando Cody battles the Purple Monster from Mars
6 - Make like a monster
7 - Final Performance
8 - Blinky the little robot spy-smasher
9 - Just a man in a monster mask
10 - The Iowa water heater who knew Crash Corrigan
11 - Terror in the Pain Parlor of Doctor Aurora
12 - The crawling amoeba
13 - Adam and Eve on Monster Island
For horror's sake, Larson's Riegelsberg shape-shifter is a grand example of hairy, old-world brio (and the anthology's meatiest morsel), recalling the sublime pathos of "Werewolf of London", "The Wolf Man" and "The Undying Monster".
The same sturdy approach marks Larson's moody "creeping ghost", which rests its concept not only on spectral visitation, but an engrossing, probing process straight out of Universal's liveliest undead lore.
This atmospheric tactic saturates Larson's titular Dracula/Frankenstein team-up as well, where he insinuates set-ups from "House of Frankenstein" and "House of Dracula", while spiking the match with that trusty, ol' standby, angry villagers. Those villagers, of course, are rebelling against run-amok devilry and inflated science: influential components that penetrate the writer's other stories through other clever means.
In those examples, Larson sustains all villainous traces, but filters them through kiddie-tech reinvention. In his sentimental Johnny Jupiter and Commando Cody sequels, Larson's insight of the good-vs-bad characters (puppet and otherwise) is as amazing as it's affectionate. In much the same way, Larson's robotic "Blinky" uses a carefree, '50s context to achieve a cute and charming effect.
Such wistful penchant accentuates "Make like a monster" and "Just a man in a monster mask", where a garnishing of "How to Make a Monster", "The Giant Gila Monster", "Invasion of the Saucer Men" and "Earth vs the Spider" is discernible, bolstered by breezy hot-rodding and mesmerized, teen spirit.
Larson furthers these cool components with reflective, Ray Bradbury-type prose for a boy's Aurora-kit reverie; a movie-serial "Iowa water heater"; and a phantom-of-the theater mystery, all the while referencing Crash Corrigan, Sammy Petrillo, Duke Mitchell, and (though more by allusion than label) Lon Chaney Sr.
Concluding the anthology are morphing, merging mutants (think Joseph Payne Brennan's "Slime" meets Shorty Yeaworth's "The Blob" meets Kinji Fukasaku's "The Green Slime") and a veritable monster island that springs one helluva "Twilight Zone" twist.
Each story is a treat to savor, but the culmination will leave one beyond inebriation, as one travels back to greet fantasies that one never experienced and yet one knows like the back of one's hand. Larson pulls off this uncanny overlap like few authors can. (I'm astounded by how the son of a gun did it!)
If Universal Studios really desires a resurgence of its Dark Universe, or even a revival of its old-time sci-fi, the blueprint for success lies in this masterful raconteur's "Ballad..."
Fortunately, you don't have to wait until some myopic, movie exec sees the light to enjoy Larson's successful formula. His fantastic accounts await at ... http://retroriffbooks.blogspot.com/ ... and ... https://www.facebook.com/DCLarsonBooks/.
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