The Early Fears

The Early Fears is a comprehensive collection of horror and fantasy short stories by Robert Bloch, published in 1994 by Fedogan & Bremer. The volume combines stories from two earlier collections, The Opener of the Way and Pleasant Dreams: Nightmares, plus three additional tales. The collection spans multiple decades of Bloch's career and includes his Hugo Award-winning story "That Hell-Bound Train." The 39 stories originally appeared in various publications including Weird Tales, Unknown, and Fantasy and Science Fiction magazines. The stories range from supernatural horror to psychological suspense, featuring vampires, ancient Egyptian gods, haunted houses, and serial killers. Two collaborative works are included: "The Light-House" written with Edgar Allan Poe, and "The Grab Bag" co-authored with Henry Kuttner. These stories showcase Bloch's ability to merge psychological insight with horror elements, often incorporating dark humor and unexpected twists that examine human nature's darker aspects. The collection represents a significant portion of his earlier work that helped establish his reputation in the horror genre.

Readers appreciate this collection of Bloch's early horror stories from the 1930s-1950s for its mix of Lovecraftian cosmic horror and psychological suspense. Multiple reviews note that while some tales feel dated, the collection demonstrates Bloch's development as a writer before Psycho. Liked: - Stories "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" and "Enoch" receive frequent mentions as standouts - Mix of supernatural and psychological horror elements - Historical value in seeing Bloch's early writing evolution Disliked: - Uneven quality across stories - Some dated language and dated social attitudes - Several reviewers found the earlier Lovecraft-influenced tales less effective Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (92 ratings) LibraryThing: 3.8/5 (28 ratings) "An interesting window into horror fiction's past," notes one Goodreads reviewer, while another describes it as "a mixed bag with some genuine chills among the more amateur early works."

The October Country by Ray Bradbury The short story collection blends horror and fantasy with profound psychological elements that probe the dark corners of human nature.

Cold Hand in Mine by Robert Aickman These "strange stories" occupy the same twilight zone between supernatural horror and psychological unease that characterizes Bloch's early work.

Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos edited by August Derleth This anthology connects directly to Bloch's Lovecraftian influences and features contributions from the same circle of Weird Tales writers.

Dark Gods by T. E. D. Klein The collection's novella-length stories mirror Bloch's mix of cosmic horror and psychological suspense while drawing from similar pulp traditions.

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by M. R. James These tales share Bloch's fascination with scholarly protagonists encountering supernatural forces and ancient mysteries.

🔸 Robert Bloch was a mentor and close friend of H.P. Lovecraft, who encouraged his early writing career through extensive correspondence and guidance 🔸 "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" was adapted multiple times for television, including notable versions for Thriller (1961) and Star Trek (1967) 🔸 The author would later achieve mainstream fame as the writer of "Psycho," which became the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's legendary 1960 film 🔸 Many stories in this collection were written when Bloch was just a teenager, contributing to Weird Tales magazine alongside established authors like H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith 🔸 "That Hell-Bound Train" won the 1959 Hugo Award for Best Short Story, making Bloch one of the first horror writers to receive this prestigious science fiction award