2024 the best of richard matheson review

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One of the finest and most influential horror writers of the 20th century, Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Somewhere in Time) has left his stamp on the collective imagination. Here are more than 20 of Matheson's most memorable tales of fear and paranoia, personally selected by the author. Many of these stories have already entered into popular culture, including the title story, which became a landmark episode of The Twilight Zone, and "Duel", the nail-biting tale of man versus machine that inspired Steven Spielberg's first film.

Other stories include "First Anniversary", "Dress of White Silk", "Witch War", "Dance of the Dead", "Mad House", "Prey", "Blood Son", "Crickets", "Wet Straw", "The Children of Noah", "Through Channels", "Old Haunts", "Disappearing Act", "The Holiday Man", "Legion of Plotters", "The Distributor", "Long Distance Call", "Slaughter House", and "The Likeness of Julie".

Find out why Stephen King (who wrote the introduction) has called Matheson one of his favorite writers.

Narrated by Richard Powers, Malcolm Hillgartner, Arte Johnson, Jay Karnes, Ray Porter, Lawrence Pressman, Yuri Rasovsky, Lorna Raver, Ned Schmidtke, Conrad John Schuck, and Christine Williams.

Reviewer: Cheryl Stout
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Richard Matheson - master storyteller - his stories stand the test of time
Review: I am a Matheson fan and first read this compilation of short stories when it first came out (it was published in 2002 and I probably read it about then). The stories themselves were written in the 1950s and 1960s, which is helpful to know so you realize just why some of the stories seem dated. Read them as period pieces, like I did, and you'll enjoy them more.I am usually not a huge fan of short stories but I tend to like those that are of the horror genre. In this book of short stories and novellas some stories are good and some are great. I liked them all, some more than others.My favorites:1. First of all, the introduction by Stephen King. Matheson is a favorite of King's and he considers him to be a father figure. High praise indeed from another master of the horror genre.2. NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET - I think of this story each and every time I fly (first published in 1962).3. SLAUGHTER HOUSE - haunted house, anyone? (first published in 1953)4. DANCE OF THE DEAD - probably my favorite story in the book - come along and dance the loopy dance (first published in 1954)5. THE CHILDREN OF NOAH - watch out for small towns (first published in 1957)6. THE DISTRIBUTOR - evil, nasty man (first published in 1958)7. And, of course, PREY - a gift that takes on a life of its own (first published in 1969)Matheson was truly a master at the horror genre of writing. His works will still be read for as long as there are books - and horror fans.

Reviewer: Chava Méndez
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Awesome read; Good Kindle edition.
Review: This was my first Richard Matheson book and I can't wait to read one of his novels. I liked his straight-to-the-point style... it's a burden when a writer tries to over-explain stuff or tries to show-off his gigantic lexicon. Matheson seems to be more interested in story, character, and the effect of the audience. And it works.Even though there's one or two short stories that feel as if they were written by somebody else, this was a delightful read. I read it in a couple of days and I'm not a fast reader at all. Matheson just has a way with characters and their emotions. He takes you on a ride and actually makes you feel with the characters in even the wildest setups.About the Kindle Edition, I found it well formatted and it's one of the few books with close-to-no-typos or other content errors. I still feel the Kindle edition of every book should be considerably cheaper than the printed ones. Just sayin'

Reviewer: TheRainbowZebra
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Writer for Twilight Zone and Trilogy of Terror!
Review: I really love anthologies of short stories. While many may not recognize Richard Matheson's name, you will probably know the films made from his stories. In this collection, there's Nightmare at 20,000 Rest --made famous by the Twilight Zone Movie (part played by John Lithgow). At the other end of the Book is Prey, better known as the Zuni Fetish doll in Trilogy of Terror.Some stories were just ok, Others quite spooky. Definitely great to read for Halloween!

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Matheson is the king.
Review: I love this guy's style of writing, he's responsible for some of the classic sci-fi and horror of our times. These short stories don't disappoint - especially the title one, which has been done in two different versions on TV for the Twilight Zone (I think, they did a version in the movie too). I'd already read I am Legend and The Shrinking Man so I knew what to expect. There's a wry, dark humor to his stuff. Worth a read!

Reviewer: Thomas
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Not as great as I had hoped.
Review: I like to read short stories once in a while to give myself a break from monotony. Since I have loved the novels that Richard Matheson has wrote, it seemed only natural that his short stories would be as good. Unfortunately, they weren't. They were interesting and sometimes held a twist ending, but after a few stories it started to become obvious what would happen and they lost their appeal. A few were not good at all. I think this would be a good book for tweens or teens, but as an adult reader they left me a bit flat. In the future I will stick to his full length novels.

Reviewer: David F. Nolan
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: More Creepy than Scary
Review: Richard Matheson is a skilled writer who knows how to ratchet up the tension without going "over the top" or devolving into needless gory detail. The stories in this collection, for the most part, are more psychological thriller than "horror stories" in the usual sense. Most of them were written in the 1950s, and they evoke the feeling of the horror comics of that era, which drew such ire from Fredric Wertham and others.Matheson has a knack for creating truly creepy characters, and letting you see the dark recesses of the human mind. His message, often, is that anyone - the man next door, the shy girl in your English class, or even your wife - may be a monster.As with any collection, the stories are uneven in quality. "Mad House" is THE best depiction of someone going insane that I've ever read, and several other stories create vivid images that will make you want to keep the light on if you read them shortly before retiring to bed. Others, unfortunately - "Holiday Man" for example - seem contrived and almost pointless. And Matheson is a bit too fond of closing with a flat, matter-of-fact sentence that is supposed to make the preceding horror all the more terrifying, but usually doesn't.So, overall, I'll have to give this collection a high 4, more like a 4.5 ... but not quite a full five stars.

Reviewer: Ricky Kimsey
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Horror Master
Review: This collection of horror stories by the author shows why he is one of the masters of horror. The title story that leads off this collection is ten times better than it's Twilight Zone adaptation.

Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A quick read, his writing style is very efficient. It is so economical, all these stories could be transformed into screenplays with the slightest alterations

Reviewer: Michelle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: One of the true great writers in the genre. This collection of stories is a must have for any fan.

Reviewer: Ilya
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Excellent book delivered in excellent condition

Reviewer: yamajin
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Richard Matheson の小説は非常に面白く、文章も平易なので英語の勉強のために読むのに適当と思います。この本に関しては印刷が悪く、読むには支障はありませんがところどころかすれています。同時に購入した他の本の印刷はきれいなのでこの出版社（又はこの本）だけなのかも知れません。

Reviewer: Faiz Rahman
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Most (but not all) stories in this collection all very good and make for enjoyable reads. However, I am often left somewhat unsatisfied with the endings and the way Richard Matheson wraps up the tales. Other than that, many of these stories are extremely enjoyable. My personal favourites being:Nightmare at 20,000 feetBlood sonDisappearing actLong distance callWet strawThe children of NoahThe distributorCricketsPreyI would recommend this book to all horror and thriller fans.