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julianxiv's review against another edition
3.0
i'm gonna be honest, i did not read all the stories in here, and that's because i was getting bored. there were two stories that i really loved, where there's a will and button, button. as for the other ones, there is no doubt that matheson was a great writer, but they didn't really catch my eye and, while some of them were just okay, i found myself quite bored at the majority of the ones i read, so i decided to spare myself from most of the longer ones in the latter half of this volume.
booksafterten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
unmj's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
puhnner's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
The story settings may be a bit dated, but great to read and remember the Twilight Zone Episodes made from several of the stories.
samdalefox's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I picked this book up from my local library to read over Halloween. I can't believe I didn't know of Matheson before, I recognised many of his stories (mainly from The Simpsons Halloween specials) and can clearly see the influence he's had on the next generation of writers... I'm looking at you Stephen King, verging on plagerism.
As such I found this collection difficult to rate. The stories themselves are straightforward, unpretentious and sophisticated/novel for the time they were written in. Matheson clearly was a trailblazer in changing the genre of horror short stories from settings of the fantastical to the mundane. However, precisely because of his wide-reaching influence, many of these stories seemed familar, old, or boring to me. I've rated the book based on an average, see below for individual story ratings and calculation. I'd recommend reading any of the stories I've rated as 3.5 or higher. My personal favourites were 'Button, button', 'Duel', and 'Deus ex machina'.
I found a review that categorised the collection into three themes, which I agree with:
As such I found this collection difficult to rate. The stories themselves are straightforward, unpretentious and sophisticated/novel for the time they were written in. Matheson clearly was a trailblazer in changing the genre of horror short stories from settings of the fantastical to the mundane. However, precisely because of his wide-reaching influence, many of these stories seemed familar, old, or boring to me. I've rated the book based on an average, see below for individual story ratings and calculation. I'd recommend reading any of the stories I've rated as 3.5 or higher. My personal favourites were 'Button, button', 'Duel', and 'Deus ex machina'.
I found a review that categorised the collection into three themes, which I agree with:
- Stories which paint a portrait of individuals who suddenly find themselves alone and afraid in an unfamiliar or threatening world
- Stories that examines the fragility and antifragility of relationships, which keep people strong and sane under pressure, but which can also imperil them in times of crisis
- Stories which anatomise the manias of people in a state of quiet desperation, painting portraits of minds that have slipped into in a state of mania, and teaching us that anger is a momentary madness, as are fear and anxiety
As a side note, I enjoyed the intro by Victor Valvalle, don't skip this part!
Born of man and woman - 2.5
Prey - 3.5
Witch war - 1
Shipshape home - 2
Blood son - 2
Where there's a will - 2
Dying room only - 1.5
Counterfeit bills - 1
Death ship - 2
Dance of the dead - 1.5
Man with a club - 2
Button, button - 4
Duel - 4
Day of Reckoning - 2
The prisoner - 2
Dress of white silk - 3.5
Haircut - 2
Nightmare at 20,000 feet - 4
The funeral - 2
Third from the sun - 3
The last day - 4
Long distance call - 4
Deus ex machina - 4
One for the books - 4
Now die in it - 2.5
The conqueror - 2.5
The holiday man - 2
No such thing as a vampire -2.5
Big surprise - 1.5
A visit to Santa Claus - 3
Finger prints - 2
Mute - 3
Shock wave - 3.5
86 / 33 = 2.6 average
Quotes that stood out to me
"When life was dull, any element added seemed unnaturally intriguing." - excerpt from Long distance call
"Death is a fascinating lure to men who can stand aside and watch it operate on someone else." - excerpt from The conqueror
"He was the one. How could he have failed to know it? His fear, his dread, his hatred. His fear if also being scrapped, replaced; his dread if being shut out from the things he loved and needed; he hatred of a world that had no use for aged things." - excerpt from Shock wave
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
ireadslow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
otherwyrld's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of people (myself included) probably think of Matheson as the author of [b:I Am Legend|14064|I Am Legend|Richard Matheson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390170456s/14064.jpg|19273256] and little else, though possibly they might also come up with [b:The Shrinking Man|33549|The Shrinking Man|Richard Matheson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327914031s/33549.jpg|936694]. We tend to forget that he was a notably successful screenwriter, with stories for The Twilight Zone and Star Trek amongst others. Some of the short stories in this collection were adapted for the screen such as "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and "The Duel", a TV movie which was an early success for Steven Spielberg. Both of the latter appear in this collection, along with a number of much less know stories.
As a screenwriter, the author was used to writing in a wide variety of genres, which is well represented in this collection. Whatever their genre though, they all seem to have the hallmark of a rising sense of tension (and dread in the more horror orientated stories) which comes to a sudden and sometimes shocking denouement.
All in all, this was a good collection, but not a great one. Some of the stories have not aged well, particularly in the way in which women are written. One of the issues I had with this collection is that there is no feeling of continuity or development of the author over a period of time. The stories were written over a 30 year period from the 50s to the 80s but you can't tell because there is no listing of when they were written. This seems to be a curious omission for a "best of" collection, especially as the compiler takes the time to mention which publication each story appeared in, so why not go one step further and add the date. You can find the information easily enough on the Wikipedia page, which lists all the short stories in chronological order (you can find it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Matheson), and it seems a shame that a similar format wasn't adopted for this collection.
As a screenwriter, the author was used to writing in a wide variety of genres, which is well represented in this collection. Whatever their genre though, they all seem to have the hallmark of a rising sense of tension (and dread in the more horror orientated stories) which comes to a sudden and sometimes shocking denouement.
All in all, this was a good collection, but not a great one. Some of the stories have not aged well, particularly in the way in which women are written. One of the issues I had with this collection is that there is no feeling of continuity or development of the author over a period of time. The stories were written over a 30 year period from the 50s to the 80s but you can't tell because there is no listing of when they were written. This seems to be a curious omission for a "best of" collection, especially as the compiler takes the time to mention which publication each story appeared in, so why not go one step further and add the date. You can find the information easily enough on the Wikipedia page, which lists all the short stories in chronological order (you can find it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Matheson), and it seems a shame that a similar format wasn't adopted for this collection.
carlatemis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
propamanda's review against another edition
4.0
Masterful short stories capable of inducing that delicious existential dread we all crave.
graywild's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I am a big fan of good short stories and sci-fi/horror themes. Richard Matheson wrote many stories that were used in the Twilight Zone series. This book is the "best of" his short stories. It does not disappoint. While some are horror/sci-fi many are just good short stories. Recommend highly.