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evione's review
Elolvastam kilenc novellát ebből a válogatásból, illetve belekezdtem a tizedikbe, de eddig nem találtam egy olyat sem, ami tetszett volna. Van, amikor alapból nevetséges az egész novella (alapötlet, felépítés, befejezés, minden); olyan is van, amikor jól indul, érdekes, de aztán valami baromsággal agyonüti a végén. Itt-ott sikerül hatásos légkört építenie, hogy aztán a következő pillanatban ugyancsak valami baromsággal agyonüsse. Karakterépítés semmi. És senki ne jöjjön azzal nekem, hogy ez novellában nehéz feladat. Lehet, hogy nehéz, de vannak írók akik képesek rá. Ott van pl. Nathan Ballingrud, aki képes két mondattal erős atmoszférát teremteni és emlékezetes karaktereket is felvázolni.
Szóval ez a válogatás nekem nagyon nem, nem is látom értelmét tovább erőltetni. Egyébként meg, ha arra gondolok, hogy Mathesontól már a Hell House sem tetszett, lehet végképp elengedem a szerzőt, és többet egy írását sem veszem elő.
Szóval ez a válogatás nekem nagyon nem, nem is látom értelmét tovább erőltetni. Egyébként meg, ha arra gondolok, hogy Mathesontól már a Hell House sem tetszett, lehet végképp elengedem a szerzőt, és többet egy írását sem veszem elő.
jeremyhornik's review against another edition
5.0
There is a sick perfection in the eerie short stories of Richard Matheson, and this is the best collection I’ve read. Whether they have a twist ending, or just proceed grimly to their fated climax, there is a mid century cleanliness to them like an Eames chair or a Dexter Gordon solo. Each element in the story is placed just so, in relation to the others. There is a rhythm that carries the reader along without the need to consciously follow the story... it tells itself to you. There is a simplicity of phrase that belies the precision of the imagery: less words draw cleaner pictures.
The stories are weird and sick, the characters smug or desperate, the relationships unwieldy, the violence often inevitable. Horror is the core of these stories, whether they are crime stories, sci fi, monsters, or even romances. It’s a cold horror, one that looks calmly at things and says that this thing is both wrong and inevitable (and if you think that’s easy to do, try it.)
Oddly delightful.
The stories are weird and sick, the characters smug or desperate, the relationships unwieldy, the violence often inevitable. Horror is the core of these stories, whether they are crime stories, sci fi, monsters, or even romances. It’s a cold horror, one that looks calmly at things and says that this thing is both wrong and inevitable (and if you think that’s easy to do, try it.)
Oddly delightful.
haversam's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great collection. Sometimes "Best of" short story collections are hit or miss to me, with 75% of the stories included I don't really enjoy. Lavalle put together a really good collection that showed off Matheson's talent very well and I enjoyed almost all the stories selected.
Though, because my first taste of Matheson was through The Simpsons, it was impossible to imagine Wilson from Nightmare at 20,000 Feet as anyone but Bart Simpson.
Though, because my first taste of Matheson was through The Simpsons, it was impossible to imagine Wilson from Nightmare at 20,000 Feet as anyone but Bart Simpson.
hankay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
rex_libris's review against another edition
4.0
Punchy, dark stories from someone who knows the form.
oisin175's review against another edition
4.0
A great collection. Some of the stories were less interesting than others, though the collection as a whole was stellar. There were so many stories that I had heard in some form that I can't believe can be traced back to a single source.
pasdeal's review against another edition
4.25
Some stories were good and some were less impactful than I had imagine them to be. Overall I liked it and it is the reason I gave it 4 stars. There might had been also this fact that I'm not someone used to read horror story and even more many short stories of this genre. However it had help me explore more on how horror stories are made and other things. I can finally conclude also that if I was an addept to the horror genre, I think I would have enjoy this book more.
joebathelt's review against another edition
4.0
This is an anthology of short stories by Richard Matheson selected by Victor Lavalle. I came across the author in an article about the origin of horror tropes in popular culture and, indeed, gained some insight by reading this collection. Despite their age, many of the stories seem instantly familiar. In fact, reading this book feels a bit like reading the plot of B-movies from the 60s. Richard Matheson clearly had a knack for creating an atmosphere of suspense and dread. Even seemingly mundane activities like driving on a motorway, buying a statue from a flea market, or going Christmas shopping can be transformed into utterly horrifying experiences. His writing style is very sparse, one might even say simplistic, and feels a bit like reading a story from a pulp magazine. The anthology provides a broad selection of quite different stories. Some of the stories are certainly more compelling than others, and some have aged better than others. This is a great book to read for any horror fan. Especially avid readers of Stephen King will probably see the influence of Matheson. For other readers, the book will open a fresh appreciation of the cultural root of the horror and suspense genre in American pulp fiction from the middle of the last century. Even for readers without any of these interests, the book should be enjoyable to read for the pure pleasure of well-crafted suspense in bite-sized stories.