Collected Stories, Volume 3 »

Some time ago, reviewing a reprint collection of old stories by an elderly, well respected and multi-awarded master of horror (whom I won't mention here), I commented that "some legends don't last forever." The stories, twenty years or so later, appeared dated, obsolete, disappointing.

Afraid of re-living the same experience I've started reading this book, assembling Richard Matheson's short fiction written between 1959 and 1971, holding my breath. I shouldn't have worried at all, knowing that the author of so much great fiction and so many great scripts for the legendary The Twilight Zone and other countless successful TV series has produced material meant to last.

Originally part of a huge volume of collected stories published in a limited hardcover edition by Dream/Press in 1989, the present book includes some ageless classics as 'Duel' and ' Nightmare at 20,000 Feet' -- too widely known to require any further comment -- as well as a number of less famous stories so fresh and entertaining that they give the impression of having been written only yesterday.

The themes and the atmospheres are extremely varied, ranging from the macabre vignette ('Big Surprise') to the powerful tale of black magic ('From Shadowed Places'), from the unorthodox vampire story ('No Such Thing As a Vampire') to the humourous SF piece ('The Creeping Horror'), from the typical weird tale ('Deadline') to the pure Twilight Zone story ('Mute'). Much to your satisfaction you'll read about a church organ acting weird ( 'Shockwave') , discover how a family secret is finally revealed to a distraught wife-to-be ( 'Interest') , realize how being thirsty can become a nightmare ('A Drink of Water') and what kind of tricks aliens can use to be loved by men ('First Anniversary').

Sometimes Matheson uses light tones apt to simply surprise and amuse, sometimes he deeply digs in the reality of human condition, creating little masterpieces that, in his clear and unassuming narrative style, go beyond the limits of the weird story to probe the mysteries of life.

Fine examples of the latter type are 'Mantage' where life becomes a sequence of scenes like it happens in a movie, 'Fingerprints' depicting an odd love encounter on a bus riding in the night and 'Girl of My Dreams' where a sensitive able to predict deadly accidents greatly disappoints her greedy husband.

Many of the tales included in this collection have been subsequently adapted as TV episodes, which is not surprising not only because they are good stories but because they possess a vivid visual character. Especially popular were the three segments of Trilogy of Terror starring Karen Black and directed by Dan Curtis, first broadcasted in 1975: 'The likeness of Julie' about a plain-looking but dangerous girl managing to lure men into her arms, 'Therese,' a cruel example of how Voodoo can work (and fail) and 'Prey' where a girl's quiet evening is turned into an ordeal by an aggressive, exotic doll.

In Matheson's own words the common leitmotif of his work is "the individual isolated in a threatening world, attempting to survive" and the reason for writing those stories was to exorcise his paranoia. Unfortunately for us, he stopped writing short fiction in 1971, just after completing 'Duel.' Another good reason to go back and rediscover those perfect literary gems.

(GF Willmetts) - SFCrows nest.com

From one of the post-scripts from the 28 short stories in this volume, author Richard Matheson declares that all of his works develop out of paranoia. As these stories clearly illustrate, this paranoia isn't unfounded cos people or something out there is determined to get you as well. There are also testimonials included from the likes of Stephen King, Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury as to effect Matheson's work has influenced their own writing, making this all the more an important book. If you've been picking up on the original 'Twilight Zone' TV series DVD releases, then no doubt you'll have seen Matheson's name cropping up a lot. Many of his scripts for TZ and 'Dead Of Night' started off as short stories and are in this book. Unlike other TZ luminaries Rod Serling and Chuck Beaumont, many of Matheson's stories came before screenplays.

Picking out titles is going to either have some of you wondering what I'm referring to or me choosing titles that everyone has some familiarity with. 'Nightmare At 20,000' feet was used both in the original series and as part of the later 1983 film. A man on a late night aeroplane flight is convinced there is a gremlin tearing apart one of the wing engines and has no one believing him. There is also 'Duel' that the Spielberg TV movie evolved from where a driver on the road finds himself versus a mad homicidal lorry driver determined to take him off the road. One of my favourites here is 'The Girl Of My Dreams' where a scheming husband takes advantage of his wife's ability to make more of her ability to predict people's deaths from taking place. A beautifully twisted tale in more ways than one.

Matheson's strength lies in setting a scene and briskly moving you into what is going on. Even if the characters are not always wholesome, it is a delight to see what fate he has in store for them. If you're going to learn off a master writer then Richard Matheson should really be high on your list. This book is a must read.