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Shock #3
Shock III: 13 Electrifying Tales
Contents:
Girl of My Dreams · ss F&SF Oct ’63
’Tis the Season to Be Jelly · ss F&SF Jun ’63
Return · ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct ’51
The Jazz Machine · pm F&SF Feb ’63
The Disinheritors · ss Fantastic Story Magazine Jan ’53
Slaughter House · nv Weird Tales Jul ’53
Shock Wave [“Crescendo”] · ss Gamma #1 ’63
When the Waker Sleeps [“The Waker Dreams”] · ss Galaxy Dec ’50
Witch War · ss Startling Stories Jul ’51
First Anniversary · ss Playboy Jul ’60
Miss Stardust · ss Startling Stories Spr ’55
Full Circle · ss Fantastic Universe Aug/Sep ’53
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet · ss Alone By Night, ed. Michael & Don Congdon, Ballantine, 1962
Girl of My Dreams · ss F&SF Oct ’63
’Tis the Season to Be Jelly · ss F&SF Jun ’63
Return · ss Thrilling Wonder Stories Oct ’51
The Jazz Machine · pm F&SF Feb ’63
The Disinheritors · ss Fantastic Story Magazine Jan ’53
Slaughter House · nv Weird Tales Jul ’53
Shock Wave [“Crescendo”] · ss Gamma #1 ’63
When the Waker Sleeps [“The Waker Dreams”] · ss Galaxy Dec ’50
Witch War · ss Startling Stories Jul ’51
First Anniversary · ss Playboy Jul ’60
Miss Stardust · ss Startling Stories Spr ’55
Full Circle · ss Fantastic Universe Aug/Sep ’53
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet · ss Alone By Night, ed. Michael & Don Congdon, Ballantine, 1962
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
1 person is currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Richard Matheson
759 books4,776 followersBorn in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and moved to California in 1951. He married in 1952 and has four children, three of whom (Chris, Richard Christian, and Ali Matheson) are writers of fiction and screenplays.
His first short story, "Born of Man and Woman," appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950. The tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar, it was told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English) and immediately made Matheson famous. Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres.
Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Mad House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most famously, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening.
He wrote a number of episodes for the American TV series The Twilight Zone, including "Steel," mentioned above and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe for Roger Corman and Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films; and scripted Steven Spielberg's first feature, the TV movie Duel, from his own short story. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series "The Lawman" between 1958 and 1962. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic (US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Talullah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers.
Novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire novel, I Am Legend, which has been filmed three times under the titles The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth and once under the original title. Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Bid Time Return (as Somewhere in Time), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House) and the aforementioned Duel, the last three adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror, including "Prey" with its famous Zuni warrior doll.
In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II.
He died at his home on June 23, 2013, at the age of 87
http://us.macmillan.com/author/richar...
His first short story, "Born of Man and Woman," appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950. The tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar, it was told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English) and immediately made Matheson famous. Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres.
Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Mad House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most famously, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening.
He wrote a number of episodes for the American TV series The Twilight Zone, including "Steel," mentioned above and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe for Roger Corman and Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films; and scripted Steven Spielberg's first feature, the TV movie Duel, from his own short story. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series "The Lawman" between 1958 and 1962. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic (US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Talullah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers.
Novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire novel, I Am Legend, which has been filmed three times under the titles The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth and once under the original title. Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Bid Time Return (as Somewhere in Time), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House) and the aforementioned Duel, the last three adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror, including "Prey" with its famous Zuni warrior doll.
In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II.
He died at his home on June 23, 2013, at the age of 87
http://us.macmillan.com/author/richar...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 2, 2024
This is a third Shock-titled collection of short fiction by Matheson from 1950-'63, most of which originally appeared in genre pulps such as Weird Tales, Startling Stories, and Thrilling Wonder Stories, or digests like F&SF, Fantastic Universe, and Galaxy. Some of them are a bit older than most of the stories selected for the first two volumes in the series, and I suspect a few of these are ones that are ones that didn't make the first-round cut. Some of them have aged poorly, but Matheson was a very talented writer with an entertaining and slick style, and many of these are clever and amusing little surprises that are worthwhile diversions, though I didn't think any of them were really shocking. The best known one is Nightmare at 20,000 Feet because of the famous TZ episode. It's interesting that the story Shock Wave is included in this book rather than in the fourth (and final) volume of the series, which was called Shock Wave.
December 12, 2024
Richard Matheson writes weird stories. One can't pinpoint exactly what genre they are: science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy, horror, humour all come into these strange concoctions. What characterises all these stories is their extreme readability.
This volume contains a bunch of stories which are mildly entertaining, if not exactly "electrifying" - except for one, a story written in verse, which I found to be truly unique. But more of that later.
The tales are:
1. Girl of My Dreams - a distressingly dark tale of a clairvoyant woman who can foresee tragedies. Great except for the predictable ending.
2. ’Tis the Season to Be Jelly - a droll story, written in dialect, of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future.
3. Return - vintage SF story of the type one used to see in old SF comics. Dark and enjoyable.
4. The Jazz Machine - a tale written entirely in verse, about the darkness that creates jazz music. Extremely poignant.
5. The Disinheritors - again, period SF. Readable, but nothing great.
6. Slaughter House - old-fashioned ghost story. Very, very dated.
7. Shock Wave [“Crescendo”] - interesting premise about a church organ which comes to life, but not very engagingly written.
8. When the Waker Sleeps [“The Waker Dreams”] - another old SF tale. This one bored me to death.
9. Witch War - cute tale about witches. A light read, and mildly enjoyable.
10. First Anniversary - typical Matheson product, mixing love with darkness. Loved it.
11. Miss Stardust - a humorous tale of an intergalactic beauty contest. I didn't find it that funny - so it fell flat for me.
12. Full Circle - a poignant story where the author explores the theme of xenophobia using aliens. Still relevant after seven decades.
13. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - this story is famous for being adapted as a Twilight Zone episode, but taken by itself, nothing to write home about.
Now, before closing this review, I have to share something from "The Jazz Machine":
Overall - three stars.
This volume contains a bunch of stories which are mildly entertaining, if not exactly "electrifying" - except for one, a story written in verse, which I found to be truly unique. But more of that later.
The tales are:
1. Girl of My Dreams - a distressingly dark tale of a clairvoyant woman who can foresee tragedies. Great except for the predictable ending.
2. ’Tis the Season to Be Jelly - a droll story, written in dialect, of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic future.
3. Return - vintage SF story of the type one used to see in old SF comics. Dark and enjoyable.
4. The Jazz Machine - a tale written entirely in verse, about the darkness that creates jazz music. Extremely poignant.
5. The Disinheritors - again, period SF. Readable, but nothing great.
6. Slaughter House - old-fashioned ghost story. Very, very dated.
7. Shock Wave [“Crescendo”] - interesting premise about a church organ which comes to life, but not very engagingly written.
8. When the Waker Sleeps [“The Waker Dreams”] - another old SF tale. This one bored me to death.
9. Witch War - cute tale about witches. A light read, and mildly enjoyable.
10. First Anniversary - typical Matheson product, mixing love with darkness. Loved it.
11. Miss Stardust - a humorous tale of an intergalactic beauty contest. I didn't find it that funny - so it fell flat for me.
12. Full Circle - a poignant story where the author explores the theme of xenophobia using aliens. Still relevant after seven decades.
13. Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - this story is famous for being adapted as a Twilight Zone episode, but taken by itself, nothing to write home about.
Now, before closing this review, I have to share something from "The Jazz Machine":
Jazz isn't only musicNow this... this is exquisite literature.
It's a language too
A language born of protest
Torn in bloody ragtime from the womb of anger and despair
A secret tongue with which the legions of abused
Cry out their misery and their troubled hates.
This language has a million dialects and accents
It may be a tone of bitter sweetness whispered in a brass-lined throat
Or rush of frenzy screaming out of reed mouths
Or hammering at strings in vibrant piano hearts
Or pulsing, savage, under taut-drawn hides
In dark-peaked stridencies it can reveal the aching core of sorrow
Or cry out the new millennium
It's voices are without number
Its forms beyond statistic
It is, in very fact, an endless tonal revolution
The pleading furies of the damned
Against the cruelty of their damnation
Overall - three stars.
December 16, 2015
This is a really good collection of stories, although some are repeated in other collections of Matheson's. I really enjoy his style - there's something about it that just grabs me, and even the mundane things interest me.
I didn't love all of the stories in this collection, but out of the lot there was only one I didn't bother to finish. I just wasn't feeling it. But when it works, it works, and this mostly did, so I can't complain. Even the story written in *shudder* verse, The Jazz Machine, while making my brain bleed due to the format, was a great story that made me really think. This section stood out to me:
'Why are the greatest jazz interpreters
Those who live beneath the constant gravity of prejudice?
I think because the scaldings of external bias
Focus all their vehemence and suffering
To a hot, explosive core
And, from this nucleus of restriction
Comes all manner of fissions, violent and slow
Breaking loose in brief expression
Of the tortures underneath
Crying for deliverance in the unbreakable code of jazz.'
I can just FEEL that, you know?
Anyway, great collection, and as usual, I highly recommend everyone to read Matheson at least once.
Horror October 2011: #3
I didn't love all of the stories in this collection, but out of the lot there was only one I didn't bother to finish. I just wasn't feeling it. But when it works, it works, and this mostly did, so I can't complain. Even the story written in *shudder* verse, The Jazz Machine, while making my brain bleed due to the format, was a great story that made me really think. This section stood out to me:
'Why are the greatest jazz interpreters
Those who live beneath the constant gravity of prejudice?
I think because the scaldings of external bias
Focus all their vehemence and suffering
To a hot, explosive core
And, from this nucleus of restriction
Comes all manner of fissions, violent and slow
Breaking loose in brief expression
Of the tortures underneath
Crying for deliverance in the unbreakable code of jazz.'
I can just FEEL that, you know?
Anyway, great collection, and as usual, I highly recommend everyone to read Matheson at least once.
Horror October 2011: #3
June 22, 2017
Поредната порция шокчета от Матисън, написани с неподържаемия му стил. Бързи, остри и с изненадващи извивки. Част от разказите бях чел в друг сборник, но не ми попречи пак да им се насладя.
Girl of My Dreams – Криминална история с паранормални елементи. Един пълен задник изпозва способностите на приятелката си, която не може да понася, за да изнудва хора. Омраза та му го поглъща и кармата го захапва за задника.
‘Tis the Season to be Jelly – Едно южняшко семейство се приготвя за сватбата на сина си със съседско момиче, докато телата на всички бавно се разпадат в постапокалиптичния им свят. Много тежък диалект в диалозите, направо ме изпоти.
Return – Класическа времева фантастика с малко мелодрама за привкус и приятна врътка накрая. Малко ми напомни за ранните неща на Зелазни.
Можеш ли да пропътуваш 500 години, да си свършиш работата и да си вкъщи за вечеря? Какво си годов да направиш, за да го постигнеш?
The Jazz Machine – Засяга многогодишният спор между науката и изкуството. Любовта на Матисън към джаза води цялото произведение.
Един джазмен разбира, че някакви бледолики идиоти са направили машина обличащачувствавта влагани в музиката с думи. Отива да види за какво става въпрос.
The Disinheritors – Експериментално произведение издържано в класическите рамки на приказката, но с Матисънов обрат и доста фантаастичен заряд.
Slaughter House – Много добро класическо произведение за обитавана къща. Смразяващо и основополагащо за жанра. Ревюирал съм го и на друго място.
Shock Wave – Любимият ми разказ в сборника. Никой не вярва на стария органист, че още по-стария орган(:P) няма желание да бъде заменян и ще направи всичко да си остане в църквата. Музикален и доста изправящ косата.
When the Walker Sleeps – Брутален черен хумор на фона на уж военна фантастична история. Матисън отлично е хванал и осмял духа на времето в което живеем в момента.
Witch War – Също съм го ревюирал и преди. Брутална история, в която момиченца с паранормални способности са отглеждани като оръжия, без понятия за емпатия, добро и прочие.
First Anniversary – Много кингов разказ, не напразно Кралят посочва Матисън като един от любимите си автори. На първата годишнина мъжът започва да не усеща мирисът и вкусът на жена си. Разкъсван от вина и шок, той прави всичко възможно да запази връзката им, докато не става ясно ,че истината е съвсем различна от представите му.
Miss Stardust – А това все едно е писано от Шекли. Разказ подигравка за един конкурс по красота на гъза на географията, към който един извънземен организъм има претенции.
Full Circle – В едно близко бъдеше, един журналист успява да се срещне с марсиански актьор, който му излива цялата си горчилка от отношението на земяните към народа и планетата му.
Много силен. Алюзията с чернокожите е очевадна.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet – Класика на класиките, филмирана и ревюирана от мен и преди. Красивото вътре е, че не знаеш до финала има ли гремлин на крилото или човечецът просто е побъркан. И той не знае. Бонбон.
Girl of My Dreams – Криминална история с паранормални елементи. Един пълен задник изпозва способностите на приятелката си, която не може да понася, за да изнудва хора. Омраза та му го поглъща и кармата го захапва за задника.
‘Tis the Season to be Jelly – Едно южняшко семейство се приготвя за сватбата на сина си със съседско момиче, докато телата на всички бавно се разпадат в постапокалиптичния им свят. Много тежък диалект в диалозите, направо ме изпоти.
Return – Класическа времева фантастика с малко мелодрама за привкус и приятна врътка накрая. Малко ми напомни за ранните неща на Зелазни.
Можеш ли да пропътуваш 500 години, да си свършиш работата и да си вкъщи за вечеря? Какво си годов да направиш, за да го постигнеш?
The Jazz Machine – Засяга многогодишният спор между науката и изкуството. Любовта на Матисън към джаза води цялото произведение.
Един джазмен разбира, че някакви бледолики идиоти са направили машина обличащачувствавта влагани в музиката с думи. Отива да види за какво става въпрос.
The Disinheritors – Експериментално произведение издържано в класическите рамки на приказката, но с Матисънов обрат и доста фантаастичен заряд.
Slaughter House – Много добро класическо произведение за обитавана къща. Смразяващо и основополагащо за жанра. Ревюирал съм го и на друго място.
Shock Wave – Любимият ми разказ в сборника. Никой не вярва на стария органист, че още по-стария орган(:P) няма желание да бъде заменян и ще направи всичко да си остане в църквата. Музикален и доста изправящ косата.
When the Walker Sleeps – Брутален черен хумор на фона на уж военна фантастична история. Матисън отлично е хванал и осмял духа на времето в което живеем в момента.
Witch War – Също съм го ревюирал и преди. Брутална история, в която момиченца с паранормални способности са отглеждани като оръжия, без понятия за емпатия, добро и прочие.
First Anniversary – Много кингов разказ, не напразно Кралят посочва Матисън като един от любимите си автори. На първата годишнина мъжът започва да не усеща мирисът и вкусът на жена си. Разкъсван от вина и шок, той прави всичко възможно да запази връзката им, докато не става ясно ,че истината е съвсем различна от представите му.
Miss Stardust – А това все едно е писано от Шекли. Разказ подигравка за един конкурс по красота на гъза на географията, към който един извънземен организъм има претенции.
Full Circle – В едно близко бъдеше, един журналист успява да се срещне с марсиански актьор, който му излива цялата си горчилка от отношението на земяните към народа и планетата му.
Много силен. Алюзията с чернокожите е очевадна.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet – Класика на класиките, филмирана и ревюирана от мен и преди. Красивото вътре е, че не знаеш до финала има ли гремлин на крилото или човечецът просто е побъркан. И той не знае. Бонбон.
December 17, 2024
A lot of great short stories in third edition including 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'.
July 18, 2018
I found this in the free library, and had recently been talking about 'Terror at 20000 Feet', only just then learning that the Twilight Zone episode had been based on a story by the guy who wrote 'I am Legend'. So hey, why not give it a try? Well because it's overall pretty dull, nothing to redeem the sexism of the time.
December 1, 2008
Previous to picking this up I had read "I Am Legend" and found it competent if tepid; this collection, however, threw my imagination into high gear and walked me through some awesome sights. Matheson knows how to craft a complete story around a neat idea and deliver it all with good characters, good prose, and mood that transports the senses. There were great and I'm going to find more.
March 6, 2023
A collection of 13 stories by Matheson printed in 1966. I've been a fan of Matheson's television and film tales so I was glad to have happened upon a copy of this book and FINALLY read his original text. I was not disappointed. Some I loved, others I did not, but that's to be expected with a collection of short stories.
"Girl of My Dreams": a woman has dreams that can predict the future and her abusive boyfriend uses her to get money from others. Great characters and perfect ending. GRADE: A
"'Tis the Season To Be Jelly": a very short tale of someone who's going to propose to another. Not my cup of tea, but must be read to be believed. GRADE: B-
"Return": a scientist goes into the future with surprising results. This should have been a Twilight Zone episode. GRADE: A+
"The Jazz Machine": poetry gives form to someone who can translate jazz with a machine. Outstanding in every possible way. GRADE: A+
"The Disinheritors": a jaunt in the woods has a woman experience a memory. The ending didn't come across as honest. GRADE: C-
"Slaughter House": the longest piece in the collection. Two brothers buy a haunted house and things happen. Excellent tone and tension. Superior ghost story. GRADE: A+
"Shock Wave": a very short story where someone realizes something is wrong. Can't say any more without spoiling. GRADE: A
"When the Waker Sleeps": my hat's off for what was attempted, but this ending was forced and really preachy. GRADE: D
"Witch War": Incredibly short tale of modern warfare where one side has a surprising force. Predictable, but I'm sure this was new at the time. GRADE: B
"First Anniversary": A unique tale of an odd sensation that spills into something else. I loved this. GRADE: A+
"Miss Stardust": A beauty pageant goes cosmic for comedic effect, but it didn't generate any chuckles. Though, the ending is very clever. GRADE: C
"Full Circle": a puppet show involving Martians takes an oddly effective social turn. Couldn't tell where this was going was impressed by it. Comes off as a Ray Bradbury story. GRADE: A
"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet": This was difficult to read without thinking of the classic Twilight Zone episode. Enjoyable, but not as much as the episode. GRADE: B
I am eager to find more by Matheson after reading this.
"Girl of My Dreams": a woman has dreams that can predict the future and her abusive boyfriend uses her to get money from others. Great characters and perfect ending. GRADE: A
"'Tis the Season To Be Jelly": a very short tale of someone who's going to propose to another. Not my cup of tea, but must be read to be believed. GRADE: B-
"Return": a scientist goes into the future with surprising results. This should have been a Twilight Zone episode. GRADE: A+
"The Jazz Machine": poetry gives form to someone who can translate jazz with a machine. Outstanding in every possible way. GRADE: A+
"The Disinheritors": a jaunt in the woods has a woman experience a memory. The ending didn't come across as honest. GRADE: C-
"Slaughter House": the longest piece in the collection. Two brothers buy a haunted house and things happen. Excellent tone and tension. Superior ghost story. GRADE: A+
"Shock Wave": a very short story where someone realizes something is wrong. Can't say any more without spoiling. GRADE: A
"When the Waker Sleeps": my hat's off for what was attempted, but this ending was forced and really preachy. GRADE: D
"Witch War": Incredibly short tale of modern warfare where one side has a surprising force. Predictable, but I'm sure this was new at the time. GRADE: B
"First Anniversary": A unique tale of an odd sensation that spills into something else. I loved this. GRADE: A+
"Miss Stardust": A beauty pageant goes cosmic for comedic effect, but it didn't generate any chuckles. Though, the ending is very clever. GRADE: C
"Full Circle": a puppet show involving Martians takes an oddly effective social turn. Couldn't tell where this was going was impressed by it. Comes off as a Ray Bradbury story. GRADE: A
"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet": This was difficult to read without thinking of the classic Twilight Zone episode. Enjoyable, but not as much as the episode. GRADE: B
I am eager to find more by Matheson after reading this.
Read
March 10, 2016A story by story review:
Girl of My Dreams
An extortionist uses his girlfriend’s precognition to extort money from the loved ones of people who are going to die. For the right sum, the man will provide the time and location of the accident so it can be avoided. But the man is getting tired of the weepy girl and is going to make a break from her after one last job.
Typical Matheson prose – tight and taut. Does anybody know better than Matheson how to pace a story and develop a character with fewer words? I love the guy!
‘Tis the Season to be Jelly
A family contemplates and discusses the marriage of one of their own in a world where their bodies are breaking down and deteriorating because of nuclear fallout.
This story was lackluster. Sometimes, writing phonetically and in a hillbilly patois is effective. Matheson misses the mark in this attempt – and misses it badly.
Return
A scientist travels ahead in time 500 years in a time machine, promising his wife he will return in time for dinner. When he gets there, he is told he is of that time and cannot return. But his wife can be brought forward for a limited time. He struggles to return anyway.
This is the kind of story that makes me love science fiction. No fancy literary props. No hidden message or subtext. Just a well told story full of action and emotion. Matheson is the king!
The Jazz Machine
A black jazz musician learns that a white guy in his audience has developed a machine that can take the music of a jazz musician and put words to describe the emotions behind it. The musician is disturbed and appalled.
I liked the clipped narrative and dialogue in this story. It was way too heavy on the phonetic dialogue for my tastes. Matheson’s love of jazz is clearly reflected in this story.
The Disinheritors
A married couple drives off into the woods to have a picnic. After a large meal, she wants to walk. He wants to take a nap. She wanders off and finds herself living out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Part of her disbelieves she is actually living a fairy tale. Another part of her seems to be ordering her to live the fairy tale.
This story had the feel of a young reader story. It was told like a story teller would tell a story to children – without dialogue and a steady rhythm of “this happened, then this happened, then she thought this.” The twist had a childlike feel and the last sentence was the capper that screamed for ages eight and up.
Slaughter House
A pair of fussy brothers move into a house haunted by the evil spirit of the former resident whose picture hangs over the mantle. Each in his own turn falls for the lusty succubus and turns on the other. The story is revealed through a manuscript mailed to a newspaper.
It’s interesting how Matheson can take all the worn out haunted house tropes and weave them into a story that is interesting and compelling reading. The main characters are brothers, but one can’t help but feel the homosexual overtones in the narrative. The two brothers react to each other’s feelings and emotions like lovers.
Shock Wave
A church organist tries to convince the lay leader that something is wrong with their immense pipe organ. It seems the organ does not want to be replaced and when it goes, it intends to take a few people with it.
How can you not love a haunted organ story? It’s not as tongue in cheek as the description might make it seem.
When the Walker Sleeps
A space hero must defeat aliens who threaten his planet’s power supply and defend a young, pretty nurse who is to see to his health.
Sound like a science fiction cliché? It is supposed to be. Matheson twists it in the end quite effectively. Most of the story is told in a second person narrative, which can make reading it difficult and the prose unwieldy. Again, all is revealed in the twist.
Witch War
Pre-adolescent girls with the powers of telekinesis are deployed as weapons in a war. They engage the enemy with no sense of right or wrong, sympathy, or empathy.
Today, the story would be considered sexist given the stereotypical dialogue employed by Matheson for the young girls. Perhaps it was social commentary on the amorality of teenagers or perhaps just teenage girls. It was a creepy story given the helplessness of the targets.
First Anniversary
As he celebrates his first anniversary with his wife, a man loses the ability to smell and taste his wife. He is perplexed, frightened, and sad. He sees a doctor who tries to help him psychologically. But one evening at home, he discovers the truth while still trying to convince himself that the problem lies within himself.
This story was not as risqué as it might sound in my summary and has the creepy ending that would have made it suitable juvenilia or comic book fare.
Miss Stardust
A public relations man is brought on board to promote a beauty contest that advertises itself as crowning the most beautiful woman in the universe. But when aliens arrive from other planets demanding their women be exhibited and judged, the whole event becomes complicated.
I am never too pleased when Matheson tries to engage in dark humor. It usually doesn’t work for me and falls flat. In this case, the trope is long worn out and probably was when Matheson wrote this story back in the 1950s. The humor might have worked if his descriptions of his various aliens weren’t so silly.
Full Circle
A newspaper writer is dispatched to attend and review a play put on by Martian performers. As he watches the show, the reporter is intrigued with the actor who plays Rip Van Winkle. He goes backstage to meet him and finds a man full of bitterness and anger at what Earth people have done to his planet and his race.
This story’s subtext was paper thin and time has dated its subversive intent and social commentary. Still, Matheson does capture the raw emotion American blacks must have felt – particularly entertainers – at being good enough to entertain white audiences and not good enough to be societal equals with whites.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
A man riding in a plane notices a creature on the wing determined to damage the aircraft’s engines. He alerts the stewardess, to no avail. The creature hides from everyone but him. Wilson is desperate to alert someone – anyone – as to the creature and the danger he presents.
I’ve always loved the Twilight Zone episode based on this story. Frankly, I enjoy it just a little more than the short story itself. Perhaps that is because I’ve seen the show so many times, any anticipation of the climax has been diminished.
Girl of My Dreams
An extortionist uses his girlfriend’s precognition to extort money from the loved ones of people who are going to die. For the right sum, the man will provide the time and location of the accident so it can be avoided. But the man is getting tired of the weepy girl and is going to make a break from her after one last job.
Typical Matheson prose – tight and taut. Does anybody know better than Matheson how to pace a story and develop a character with fewer words? I love the guy!
‘Tis the Season to be Jelly
A family contemplates and discusses the marriage of one of their own in a world where their bodies are breaking down and deteriorating because of nuclear fallout.
This story was lackluster. Sometimes, writing phonetically and in a hillbilly patois is effective. Matheson misses the mark in this attempt – and misses it badly.
Return
A scientist travels ahead in time 500 years in a time machine, promising his wife he will return in time for dinner. When he gets there, he is told he is of that time and cannot return. But his wife can be brought forward for a limited time. He struggles to return anyway.
This is the kind of story that makes me love science fiction. No fancy literary props. No hidden message or subtext. Just a well told story full of action and emotion. Matheson is the king!
The Jazz Machine
A black jazz musician learns that a white guy in his audience has developed a machine that can take the music of a jazz musician and put words to describe the emotions behind it. The musician is disturbed and appalled.
I liked the clipped narrative and dialogue in this story. It was way too heavy on the phonetic dialogue for my tastes. Matheson’s love of jazz is clearly reflected in this story.
The Disinheritors
A married couple drives off into the woods to have a picnic. After a large meal, she wants to walk. He wants to take a nap. She wanders off and finds herself living out the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Part of her disbelieves she is actually living a fairy tale. Another part of her seems to be ordering her to live the fairy tale.
This story had the feel of a young reader story. It was told like a story teller would tell a story to children – without dialogue and a steady rhythm of “this happened, then this happened, then she thought this.” The twist had a childlike feel and the last sentence was the capper that screamed for ages eight and up.
Slaughter House
A pair of fussy brothers move into a house haunted by the evil spirit of the former resident whose picture hangs over the mantle. Each in his own turn falls for the lusty succubus and turns on the other. The story is revealed through a manuscript mailed to a newspaper.
It’s interesting how Matheson can take all the worn out haunted house tropes and weave them into a story that is interesting and compelling reading. The main characters are brothers, but one can’t help but feel the homosexual overtones in the narrative. The two brothers react to each other’s feelings and emotions like lovers.
Shock Wave
A church organist tries to convince the lay leader that something is wrong with their immense pipe organ. It seems the organ does not want to be replaced and when it goes, it intends to take a few people with it.
How can you not love a haunted organ story? It’s not as tongue in cheek as the description might make it seem.
When the Walker Sleeps
A space hero must defeat aliens who threaten his planet’s power supply and defend a young, pretty nurse who is to see to his health.
Sound like a science fiction cliché? It is supposed to be. Matheson twists it in the end quite effectively. Most of the story is told in a second person narrative, which can make reading it difficult and the prose unwieldy. Again, all is revealed in the twist.
Witch War
Pre-adolescent girls with the powers of telekinesis are deployed as weapons in a war. They engage the enemy with no sense of right or wrong, sympathy, or empathy.
Today, the story would be considered sexist given the stereotypical dialogue employed by Matheson for the young girls. Perhaps it was social commentary on the amorality of teenagers or perhaps just teenage girls. It was a creepy story given the helplessness of the targets.
First Anniversary
As he celebrates his first anniversary with his wife, a man loses the ability to smell and taste his wife. He is perplexed, frightened, and sad. He sees a doctor who tries to help him psychologically. But one evening at home, he discovers the truth while still trying to convince himself that the problem lies within himself.
This story was not as risqué as it might sound in my summary and has the creepy ending that would have made it suitable juvenilia or comic book fare.
Miss Stardust
A public relations man is brought on board to promote a beauty contest that advertises itself as crowning the most beautiful woman in the universe. But when aliens arrive from other planets demanding their women be exhibited and judged, the whole event becomes complicated.
I am never too pleased when Matheson tries to engage in dark humor. It usually doesn’t work for me and falls flat. In this case, the trope is long worn out and probably was when Matheson wrote this story back in the 1950s. The humor might have worked if his descriptions of his various aliens weren’t so silly.
Full Circle
A newspaper writer is dispatched to attend and review a play put on by Martian performers. As he watches the show, the reporter is intrigued with the actor who plays Rip Van Winkle. He goes backstage to meet him and finds a man full of bitterness and anger at what Earth people have done to his planet and his race.
This story’s subtext was paper thin and time has dated its subversive intent and social commentary. Still, Matheson does capture the raw emotion American blacks must have felt – particularly entertainers – at being good enough to entertain white audiences and not good enough to be societal equals with whites.
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
A man riding in a plane notices a creature on the wing determined to damage the aircraft’s engines. He alerts the stewardess, to no avail. The creature hides from everyone but him. Wilson is desperate to alert someone – anyone – as to the creature and the danger he presents.
I’ve always loved the Twilight Zone episode based on this story. Frankly, I enjoy it just a little more than the short story itself. Perhaps that is because I’ve seen the show so many times, any anticipation of the climax has been diminished.
April 12, 2023
Me ha resultado la lectura más floja de toda esta colección de relatos de Richard Matheson. Con mayor predominio del género fantástico y sci-fi (siempre tirando por el costumbrismo o perspectivas más contenidas), apenas me atrevo a destacar el relato Los Desheredados. Que conserva algo de esa gran maestría que muestra Matheson en sus relatos más breves y contundentes. Hay algún que otro relato que me entusiasma el planteamiento como Oh, Blanda Navidad, Cuando Duerme el que Vela y Onda Expansiva. Pero por uno u otro motivo no me funcionan como deberían (mayormente ligado a pormenores lingüisticos y culturales de la época). Siendo otro caso el de ciertos relatos que entran en zonas más peliagudas de un sexismo que cuesta encarar aún a día de hoy como La Chica de mis Sueños. Guerra de Brujas o Miss Encanto Sideral. Y la decepción general alcanza el archiconocido Pesadilla a 20.000 pies, el cual queda claro que le debe MUCHÍSIMO a las adaptaciones audiovisuales posteriores (incluso la parodia de Los Simpsons). Puede que esté condicionade por estas revisiones, pero justamente la narrativa tiene una gran ventaja a la hora de trasmitir esa paranoia por la que tanto caracterizo esta historia.
De todas formas, sí. Todos estos relatos siguen demostrando la importancia de este autor y cómo ha influido aún a día de hoy en tantos medios (por ejemplo, no me esperaba ver paralelismos claros de Guerra de Brujas con la reciente serie de televisión Motherland. Pero a pesar de que el creador del proyecto ha asegurado desconocer este relato a la hora de crear su propuesta. Pues resulta curioso que esa premisa fuese abordada ya hace tantos años).
De todas formas, sí. Todos estos relatos siguen demostrando la importancia de este autor y cómo ha influido aún a día de hoy en tantos medios (por ejemplo, no me esperaba ver paralelismos claros de Guerra de Brujas con la reciente serie de televisión Motherland. Pero a pesar de que el creador del proyecto ha asegurado desconocer este relato a la hora de crear su propuesta. Pues resulta curioso que esa premisa fuese abordada ya hace tantos años).
April 29, 2024
A subpar collection of horror stories. Only Witch War and Nightmare at 20,000 Feet stand out, and of those Nightmare at 20,000 Feet worked better as a segment of the Twilight Zone Movie, and Witch War, while mischievous and full of memorable violence, is too slight to be worth getting this collection for. The rest of these stories seem like bottom drawer picks cobbled together to fill out the page count.
January 23, 2020
Richard Matheson is a wonderfully writer of weird stuff.
March 22, 2024
Love the lurid cover and title though this isn’t really a horror collection. There’s all sorts of goodies here, demonstrating that Matheson was a superb story teller.
November 18, 2016
Shock II: 13 Electrifying Tales by Richard Matheson.
A collection of the early short stories of a great horror/science fiction writer.
To be honest, I didn't really enjoy this book, although there were a few notable exceptions.
Girl of My Dreams tells the story of a woman who can see the future, and how/when you are going to die. Unfortunately her "other half" uses this gift for extortion. He gets what he deserves.
Slaughter House is a classic horror story about two brothers who buy a haunted house. Really good horror.
First Anniversary is about a young couple whose marriage is about to come apart when the man starts losing his senses (literally) when it comes to his wife.
A few others in the book are good, but on the whole, I have enjoyed his other works (I Am Legend in particular) much more. Some of these shorts were so bizarre and laughable that they didn't seem true horror or science fiction.
A collection of the early short stories of a great horror/science fiction writer.
To be honest, I didn't really enjoy this book, although there were a few notable exceptions.
Girl of My Dreams tells the story of a woman who can see the future, and how/when you are going to die. Unfortunately her "other half" uses this gift for extortion. He gets what he deserves.
Slaughter House is a classic horror story about two brothers who buy a haunted house. Really good horror.
First Anniversary is about a young couple whose marriage is about to come apart when the man starts losing his senses (literally) when it comes to his wife.
A few others in the book are good, but on the whole, I have enjoyed his other works (I Am Legend in particular) much more. Some of these shorts were so bizarre and laughable that they didn't seem true horror or science fiction.
December 12, 2011
Unlike Shock I, I couldn't wait for Shock III to finish. I still loved reading a Richard Matheson piece, but it felt forced, as though the stories weren't coming as smoothly as the first book. I wasn't shocked either, somehow I lost the connection with these stories and it left me feeling bad. I love my short stories.
I'm going to read more of Richard Matheson's work, this is nothing but a minor setback.
I'm going to read more of Richard Matheson's work, this is nothing but a minor setback.
May 9, 2019
Terzo volume (di quattro) dedicato ai racconti del grande Matheson. Inventiva sempre al massimo e alcune perle succulente (come "Incubo a 6000 metri", ripreso da "Ai confini della realtà") ne fanno un libro davvero gustoso.
February 29, 2020
Girl of My Dreams
’Tis the Season to Be Jelly 4.5
Return 5
The Jazz Machine 2
The Disinheritors 5
Slaughter House
Shock Wave 5
When the Waker Sleeps 5
Witch War 5
First Anniversary
Miss Stardust
Full Circle
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet 5
’Tis the Season to Be Jelly 4.5
Return 5
The Jazz Machine 2
The Disinheritors 5
Slaughter House
Shock Wave 5
When the Waker Sleeps 5
Witch War 5
First Anniversary
Miss Stardust
Full Circle
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet 5
March 10, 2015
Matheson has a way of really surprising you with the last sentence. I really like his writing.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews