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Post by dem bones on Jun 2, 2008 9:21:55 GMT
Robert Bloch - Firebug (Corgi, 1977: originally Regency, 1961: Lancer, 1967) John Holmes FIREBUG A FRIGHTENING LOOK INTO THE BLACK AND CHARRED SOUL OF A MANIAC
I was all alone, but somewhere out there in the city was another. A man I'd never met, but who knew about me, because he'd read about me in the papers. He'd know I was dangerous to his plans, and he was clever enough to act.
Schwarm, the head-shrinker, had said most firebugs were adolescent and subnormal. But these two crimes weren't the work of an adolescent, a kid doesn't kill five people intentionally. Abnormal would be the proper term. Abnormal and abnormally cunning.
Cunning enough to throw a great city into panic every time somebody lights up a cigarette.
No, this wasn't arson, this was murder. And how many more?
Philip Dempster, author. Messing up on his latest book, wrestling with a drink problem and badly in need of some money, he agrees to pen a series of articles for The Globe exposing local "Religious cults" of dubious authenticity. Why is Philip drinking? Because of that recurring nightmare. Because of that woman with the charred face and hollow eye-sockets groping toward him. Because he is afraid of fire. So Dempster sets about researching the first name on his list, messianic doom-monger Amos Peabody and his White Brotherhood. Peabody's thing is for predicting the end of the world, when he and God's chosen ones will ascend to the Heavens and the rest of us slobs will perish in the fiery pit and so on. None of his followers are the least bothered that the world refuses to implode when Peabody says it will and Dempster has soon amassed enough information to expose the Holy one as a money-grabbing charlatan. Now all he need do to complete the first article is infiltrate tonight's meeting at the tabernacle of the White Brotherhood. Perhaps a shot or two in Joe's Place first to steady the old nerves .... Philip never gets around to attending the nights get-together because the impossible happens. The most beautiful girl he's ever seen strolls into this otherwise empty dive ... and, when she notices him gawping at her, strolls up to him smiling and says: "Pardon me. But aren't you Philip Dempster? You know, I've always wanted to meet you." Diana Rideaux, it transpires. is a private secretary and former librarian who's a fan of Dempster's books on cults. She's a warm, intelligent drinking partner and holds her booze a lot better than he does. Soon he's blurted out the reason why he's hanging out here tonight, about Peabody, about the half dozen loony sects he's been hired to investigate, about ..... until Diana drives him home and sees him safely indoors. All he wants to do is sleep off his drunk but when he realises he's left his notes for the article back at the bar, there's nothing to do but drive over there. He approaches Joe's Place just in time to catch the inferno take hold. The tabernacle of the White Brotherhood is burning and so too are Peabody and three cult members who'd opted to sleep there overnight ..... And Philip is worried. What exactly did he get up to during the hours he can't account for? To be continued .... along with about five other novel's and a Filthy Creation I've got on the go just now ....
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Post by sean on Jun 2, 2008 9:35:29 GMT
Nice one Demonik, this is probably my favourite Bloch novel (just inching 'The Dead Beat' out of the lead).
Its a great twisty-turny thriller, with a perfect Blochian ending. The start (chapter '0') is a wonderful grisly bit of writing, but I'm sure I read somewhere that that was actually added by another author at the editors request. Unless I just dreamed it, of course.
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Post by weirdmonger on Jun 2, 2008 10:16:34 GMT
FIREBUG by Robert Bloch, I seem to recall, featured in the now famous Horror Orgies conducted by me and Redbrain in the Sixties in darkest Lancashire.
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Post by carolinec on Jun 2, 2008 12:14:21 GMT
FIREBUG by Robert Bloch, I seem to recall, featured in the now famous Horror Orgies conducted by me and Redbrain in the Sixties in darkest Lancashire. Blimey! I'm not sure I even want to imagine the pair of you engaging in that kind of behaviour! (or do you mean "horror reading orgies"? )
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Post by dem bones on Jun 2, 2008 13:08:47 GMT
Nice one Demonik, this is probably my favourite Bloch novel (just inching 'The Dead Beat' out of the lead). Hey, Sean. If you want to give us the lowdown on The Dead Beat I'd be interested. I'm thinking of attempting Psycho, Psycho II and Psycho House soon, though I'll certainly break it up with other stuff between books. Firebug is one of his better ones and fairly belts along, but I'm not sure it's my favourite, exactly. The Kidnapper has something very Jim Thompson about it and, I know it's awful and everything, but I just can't help loving Night Of The Ripper!
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Post by weirdmonger on Jun 2, 2008 13:27:38 GMT
Well, it was the permissive Sixties! ;-)
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Post by sean on Jun 2, 2008 16:49:19 GMT
Hey, Sean. If you want to give us the lowdown on The Dead Beat I'd be interested. I'm thinking of attempting Psycho, Psycho II and Psycho House soon.. No problem (see other thread). I haven't read Psycho House, look forward to hearing about it!
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Post by goathunter on Jun 6, 2008 13:11:42 GMT
I just can't help loving Night Of The Ripper! We seem to have a lot of common favorites, Demonik. I read Firebug many years ago and enjoyed it, but my favorite Bloch novel is also Night of the Ripper. Shortly after it came out, I found Bloch's address and wrote to him. He sent back a nice, hand-written postcard. I then, without permission, mailed my copy of Night of the Ripper to him, asking him to sign it. I was very naive---I just assumed that he wouldn't mind. I didn't even include return packaging (though I did include a few dollars for the postage). I was lucky in that he did sign it and return it, but he included another note asking me not to send anything else, as he lived far from his post office and it was not easy for him to send things back. I was very embarrassed when I read that, but appreciative that he had graciously signed my book anyway. Hunter
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Post by redbrain on Jun 6, 2008 15:50:35 GMT
I thought Chapter 0 of Firebug (most books don't even have a Chapter 0) was excellent. The rest of the book seemed to me... err... inessential.
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Post by weirdmonger on Jun 6, 2008 16:00:07 GMT
I thought Chapter 0 of Firebug (most books don't even have a Chapter 0) was excellent. The rest of the book seemed to me... err... inessential. Agreed. Both of us were Zeroists in those days, too.
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Post by redbrain on Jun 7, 2008 15:09:26 GMT
I thought Chapter 0 of Firebug (most books don't even have a Chapter 0) was excellent. The rest of the book seemed to me... err... inessential. Agreed. Both of us were Zeroists in those days, too. I hadn't thought of that, Des. But - yes - a Chapter Zero was almost bound to appeal to us. A little while back, I purchased a copy of the book really just to lay my hands on Chapter 0 for old time's sake. ;D
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Post by severance on Oct 22, 2012 16:31:03 GMT
Here's the 1967 Lancer edition:
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