The Twilight Zone: Complete Stories

by Rod Serling

Submitted for your approval...

These nineteen classic stories confirm Rod Serling as one of the finest fantasy writers of our time. Serling's legendary television series The Twilight Zone consistently demonstrated his remarkable gift for storytelling. In the years that have followed, millions have experienced and remembered these timeless scenarios, now airing regularly on the Sci-Fi Channel.

These haunting stories by the fabled creator, producer, and series host were the basis for some of the most celebrated, eerie programs ever seen on the home screen. In this collector's edition, compiled from three previously published volumes, we rediscover the brilliance of these beautifully turned, inspired stories by a uniquely American writer.

Rod Serling continues to leave us spellbound with his imaginative and unsettling tales.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Horror, Anthologies, Fantasy, Dystopia

415 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling (December 25, 1924–June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone.

Reviews

[Patrick Nichol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem. All of these stories were written by Serling himself, a master craftsman of the imaginary world. All critics of genre fiction should make this required reading before passing judgment.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love watching the Twilight Zone, but even more i love reading the original stories. Often they are even better and have amazing twists and ironies that were changed or removed from the tv shows. Rod Serling and all his writers for the TZ series had amazing gifts for story-telling.

[Aaron Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Serling's complete stories of The Twilight Zone is a wonderful, imaginative compilation of creative (science) fiction. The stories are descriptive, immersive and hold one's attention. Furthermore the stories provoke a reverence for an author who's body of work transcends temporal dimensionality; years later they still offer life lessons and insight that aren't bound to Serling's time period. Serling's work is applicable in today's age (circa 2015) and leaves one feeling appreciative and satisfied that works of literature can travel across the decades and still remain relevant in a technological, developed age. As a reader, I felt transfixed and enamored with each scene in every story. I couldn't help but feel the anticipatory excitement that comes with good story telling. The stories captivated my imagination. I don't know what else to say other than that I highly recommend this book for fans of The Twilight Zone and for anyone who's remotely interested in story telling. Rod Serling is a literary genius, you won't be disappointed.

[Alberto Bernal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great selection of the stories that Rod Serling wrote for his show " The Twilight Zone". Written with rich language and moving details, each story shows the nature of the human species in many different situations, beyond reality, beyond fantasy, all of them straight from... The Twilight Zone!

[Joseph Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highlights:
-Walking Distance
-Where is Everybody?
-The Monsters are due on Maple Street
-The Lonely
-The Shelter
-The Night of the Meek

[Matthew McDonough · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a lot of fun to read these stories written by Serling. Many (most!) of them I remembered from their TV versions, and as is almost always the case with short stories, some were better than others. All in all, a very good read.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed these stories. I could practically hear Rod Serling’s voice narrating certain parts. Each story sucked me in. Some of the stories felt Bradbury-esque. I’ve seen some of the episodes and these did them much more justice. Characters felt more distinguishable, there were more details, and the pacing was better.

The fact that they were related to the show made each story a little formulaic, which is the only reason I brought it down a star. They felt a little pulpy. The plots were unique and entertaining, though. My favorite was the one about the man banished to an asteroid. It legitimately made me think and gave an emotional reaction - I won’t spoil it.

I really enjoyed that this book captured the years it was written. It’s like a time capsule for that period. Some of the science was wrong, sure, but it made it that much more unique.

The Twilight Zone is a masterpiece in itself, and these stories are worth the read.

[Twilightzone]

I was born in 1949 and have watched The Twilight Zone since it first hit the airways on 10 02 59.
I carried the first(1960, 1961 and 1962) three collections through three(1967-70) tours of 'Nam.
In my opinion- still the BEST show ever on television, followed by the Outer Limits(1963-5).
Utterly impossible not to enjoy these stories.
I wish I had 10% of Rod Serling's talent!..
May he and his widow Carol(died 01 09 20 at the age of 90) rest in perfect peace-unless there is better. 02 02 20

[Sierra Nauslar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciate what science fiction has done for society. It has made us, as humans, branch out into a different way of thinking. This book has it all, from UFOs to different dimensions. It's a wonderful read and I'd recommend it to almost anyone with a brain!

[Jayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book from the mastermind of “The Twilight Zone” himself, Rod Serling. If you’re a fan of the classic series and are curious of how some of the episodes are told in a short story format, then pick this up. In this book, we get a sample of Rod Serling’s writing style and I have to tell you the only thing I’m disappointed with is that he didn’t write more in this format.

Just like the tv show, through his narrative, he has no trouble in sucking the reader into his twisted worlds with its complex characters. We’re not only now watching what his characters are going through, but now we’re now seeing what’s going through their minds and getting into their backgrounds. There’s a lot more.

My favorite, I would have to say was, “Walking Distance.” Check this out. You’ll just be as entertained.

[Larry Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rod Serling was part O. Henry and part Poe, with a Dickensian way of creating characters. The decades may have taken some of the luster off the surface veneer, but the core of most of these stories remains as fresh as it was decades ago.

For example, "A Stop at Willoughby" is wrapped in an office culture that hasn't existed for at least forty years, but its theme speaks as strongly today to the soul of those who don't feel they've gotten everything they could out of life as it did when it was written. And, sadly, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" functions as even more of a scathing critique of contemporary U.S. politics than it did when it was written in aftermath of McCarthyism. It was obviously allegorical fiction at the turn of the 1960s, but it veers painfully close to non-fiction today.

[Alcqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite complete woks to read. I watched the Twilight Zone growing up. Then, I read the book every year within the first few years in college. It always amazes me how I become captivated by these sci-fi stories. I easily read through each story as if it's the first time all over again.

[Jackson Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the stories and how they showed aspects of human want. I liked all of the stories a lot. my favorite were showdown with Rance McGrew and monsters are due on maple street. I liked the maple street one because it shows the cold war temper with the red scare and the accusations. I liked the Rance McGrew one for the historical depictions of western outlaws getting there justice in media.

[Kiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure if it put me in a slump or not, but this wasn't that exciting of a read. Interesting for sure, but not exciting. And kind of a bummer with how you knew something bad was going to happen in each story one way or another. Glad I read it, though.

[Matevž · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of stories. As in all collections - some excel, some fail.
The one thing that really did bother me was that towards the end, the stories loose their special ending - the narration of the ...Twilight Zone.

[Sir Percival Ereyesterday of Overmorrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I couldn't go wrong with these stories -- they are brilliant.

[Conan The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un gran libro, y muy entretenido, solo que se echan en falta algunas de las historias más icónicas de La Dimensión Desconocida.

[Madi]

DNF at around 50%. These stories just aren't hitting like I thought they would off-screen. Too simple for my liking.

[Aiti Carrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect

[Peter Dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

really enjoyed reading these stories while in my mind I was re-watching the TV episodes

He really was a fantastic story teller

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classics, just like the show.

[Drew Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strange and bizarre fifth dimension beyond the boundaries of imagination. A realm of fantasy, science fiction, horror, terror, suspense, and mystery. The characters, setting, and genre change, but there’s a constant in this incredible world of make-believe known as The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling, creator, producer, narrator, host, and writer. Of the 156 series episodes, he wrote 92 of them. The Twilight Zone: Complete Stories contains 19 short stories written by Serling which became episodes of the series...

To read the rest of this review go to https://drewmartinwrites.wordpress.co...

[Brandon O'Neill · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book I'm actually reading wasn't here - it is Rod Serling's Twilight Zone adapted by Walter B. Gibson. This was as close as I could get.
I finally finished this one - a collection of 23 Twilight Zone stories written by Rod Serling. I love the series, I didn't love the book. Some of the stories here were made into Twilight Zone episodes, and some were not. A few were pretty good - like The Edge of Doom and Ghost Train, but it could have been skipped.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as a souvenir of Tower of Terror in DisneyWorld. It is a collection of stories. I like Serling's writing, he is good with description. I liked the first story best. Too bad in a way, as most of the others were good, but didn't grab me the same way. Not every story is a gem, but he is always trying to make a point about society or humanity. I would recommend it.

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

19 stories from the Twilight Zone television series

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a fun read, especially if you've seen all the episodes. You can illustrate it as you read.

[Rhoda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a science fiction fan but Serling kept me spellbound.

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when I was nine or so; couldn't sleep for days.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories are tedious, but so many are just pure genius.