Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques

Pictures are wonderful

Amazing piece written by Sai King Scary as Hell

Gargoyles in their manifold glory, from the small, twisted and misshapen, to the majestic and terrible, this coffee table collection of the rooftop monsters of New York is highlighted by text composed by none other than Stephen King. A lovely and atmospheric gathering of these sculpted nightmares, captured at varying angles and conditions of shadow, light, and sometimes in the rain, deftly calculated to heighten the effect of staring these treasures almost in the eye. I find a lot of meaning in this book, too, because, knowing how much I love old stone sculptures and gargoyles and the like, my grandfather gave it to me as a gift while I was home on spring break from college in the year 2000, and it was the last time I ever got to visit him.

I'm surprised to read that this is a hard-to-find book; I still occasionally find copies of it in the bargain bins of large booksellers. That will probably change now that the paperback version is being released. I really like this book. The photos are simple, but they capture the beauty and mystique of gargoyle images throughout New York and other American cities. I must admit, I bought this bargain book because Stephen King's name was on the cover and because I thought it was a quirky addition to my book collection. However, once I brought it home and started flipping through the pages, I was captivated by the grainy, sometimes eerie images. King's words add some interesting views and anecdotes, but the book stands alone just on Fitzgerald's photos. Some of the gargoyles are menacing, some are macabre, some are playful and some are downright comical. All of them attest to the creativity and imagination of their creators. This hardcover, 128-page (or so) volume would be right at home on your coffee table (it's an awkward size to try to squeeze into most standard bookshelves). King's writing shares page space for about 35 pages; the book is focused on the pics (as it should be). It's not for everyone; if you don't like "picture books" then stay away. But if you like interesting photos capturing a unique subject, and/or if you are at all a Stephen King fan, this is one to bring home.

personally, i don't even like steven king. actually, i hate his writing. he's a feminist with no talent.however, despite adding his drivel to these pages, the book is excellent. i enjoy just sitting down and flipping through the wonderful photographs. a must for any gargoyle lover.

I disagree that this is a Stephen King book. King's words are there just to fill in the white space around f-Stop Fitzgereld's fantastic photography. And he isn't even mentioned here!

Well, I'm a HUGE King-fan, the kind of fan who likes all he writes, his novels, stories, movies, poetry, non-fiction, you name it-this coffee-table book is a special item concerning King-books, but it's such a wonderful book. Most of his fans may not be interrested in this book, and that's a shame. King's introductory essay is good as always, interesting, especially when he explains his first encounters with HIS gargoyles. If the book was published without King's essay, maybe I would'nt have bought it. I admit that. But the photographs are all wonderful, some of them pretty scary and few of them pretty funny, too. To me it's a Stephen King-book, no matter the interior, and I like it. Off course what his fans and I wants from him is fiction, but that doesn't kept me from buying and reading and enjoying Danse Macabre and Nightmares in the Sky. King is just as great of writing non-fiction as horror-make-believe fiction.