James Aquilone’s Monstrous Books is teaming up with Blackstone Audio to release a new Audiobook of the recent rerelease of Jeff Rice’s original Kolchak: The Night Stalker novel.
The Audiobook is narrated by Greatest American Hero and Carrie star William Katt, bringing the rough-and-ready Karl Kolchak to life in a new medium.
We spoke to Aquilone again about all things Kolchak and specifically, the new Audiobook (available now for download) in this exclusive interview.
How did William Katt become involved in the Kolchak Audiobook?
James Aquilone: I’ve been a big fan of his ever since I was a kid. The Greatest American Hero was one of my favorite shows. His voice is so iconic to me. I can still hear him bickering with Robert Culp from the series. William was one of the first people I thought of when I was thinking of doing an audiobook, so I reached out to him and he said yes.
How would you describe Katt’s reading of the text and his take on Carl Kolchak?
Aquilone: He definitely has a Darren McGavin quality to his voice and there’s the same wry sense of humor. William makes an excellent Kolchak!
Looking back on the original novel (and the recent new edition), in what ways does the novel’s Kolchak differ from Darren McGavin’s film/tv version?
Aquilone: The novel reads more like the work of a reporter, with all the detail and background you’d expect to see in an expose. Of course, Kolchak creator Jeff Rice was a real-life reporter so it’s no surprise that it shows in the novel. Most of the plot points are the same and the voice is similar, so fans of the TV movies and series will definitely find the novel to be familiar.
What episode of the TV series is your favorite and why?
Aquilone: I think the two TV movies, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, are superior to the series, though I don’t think any of the episodes are bad. I love “Horror in the Heights” and “Chopper,” but it’s “Firefall” that to this day still gives me the creeps.
You’ve produced a number of Night Stalker projects. Plans for more? When should fans look for a new announcement?
Aquilone: Funny you should ask that because we’re about to announce something very big, and it’s something Kolchak fans have been anticipating for a long time. But I can’t say anything about that just yet.
We are close to publishing the Kolchak Meets the Classic Monsters series of comics, which has stories by David Dastmalchian, Rodney Barnes, and Steve Niles.
Other projects you are working on?
Aquilone: We’ll be launching a Kickstarter for the second issue in our new comic book series, The Omega Eleven #2. It’s a time travel epic with fantastic art by Zac Atkinson and a ton of interesting characters that we’ll be revealing soon.
Check out a preview of the audio book below. The Kolchak: The Night Stalker novel is also available for purchase from Monstrous Books and finer book sellers everywhere.