A collection of a presumably large chunk of Klein's non-fiction writings. The book's major sections: (1) essays on Lovecraft; (2) essays on writers other than Lovecraft, most of whom wrote weird fiction of one sort or another; (3) essays from Klein's time as an editor of Twilight Zone magazine (mostly short editorial notes); (4) Klein's film reviews; (5) Klein's miscellaneous writings on a wild variety of topics, from animal rights to the state of crime in America; (6) Klein's reviews of various books.

I came to this one as a fan of Klein's fiction and interested in what he had to say about Lovecraft and other weird fiction. I wasn't disappointed by any means--Klein is a gifted writer, no matter what subject he's writing--but I'm not certain that all readers will find all sections of the book equally valuable. For my purposes, the first two sections were the most rewarding. It's certainly a comprehensive compilation of Klein's essays, reviews, and interviews, so I do appreciate that it's all here in one place, but I don't know that many of the shorter pieces from decades ago really matter much. Do we really care about what Klein had to say about a substandard book of movie quotations? Perhaps not, but his essays on Lovecraft and other weird fiction writers are worth the price of admission alone. There was one notably painful interview included that I couldn't help but find amusing: an academic is attempting to interview Klein using terminology and syntax that are simply impossible to follow, and Klein has to keep asking the interviewer to rephrase his questions, then gives a two-sentence answer to each. Ah, to have been an uncomfortable fly on that wall during the interview!

For particularly obsessive fans of Klein's work and those seeking copies of his essays on Lovecraft. ( )