The Ritual of Illusion

by Richard Christian Matheson

A sinister love letter to the movies, acclaimed author Richard Christian Matheson’s The Ritual Of Illusion is a novella of modern fear about where stars truly come from. Oscar-winning film siren, Sephanie Vamore, meteors to iconic fame . . . but like cinema itself, nothing is as it appears. The fifty witnesses to her mythic ascent and bizarre fate are film royalty . . . many based on Hollywood glitterati; directors, stars, agents, studio heads, screenwriters, lovers, producers.

Widescreen with lies and revelation, Vamore’s story is told Rashomon-style with dialogue alone—each hypnotic character adding poignant or lurid details to the shocking truth of what she really is. Matheson’s insider’s voice is a scathing x-ray that leaves them bloodied, awaiting their close-up.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror

118 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Richard Christian Matheson, the son of author Richard Matheson, writes horror short stories, novels, and screenplays.

Reviews

[Allan Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blew me off the planet: In “The Ritual Of Illusion,” Richard Christian Matheson sets the reader seemingly adrift on a swift-moving river of greed and gold, graft and glory. It is a river to nowhere. A river of no return. A river rushing to the tortured Hollywood Heart Of Darkness. With a touch of Hollywood black magic we become the newsreel reporter - Jerry Thompson in Citizen Kane - tasked to ferret out the unspeakable secret of a macabre “Rosebud.” The secret is actress Stephanie Vamore who breaks the hearts of millions, and the banks of a wealthy few, when she disappears during a mysterious crash that takes three lives. Or is it four? Cinema verite style, we pick our way through the shards of a shattered Hollywood Sign, trying to make sense of this beautiful icon who cometed across the Silver Screen of our souls. There are three questions we keep asking of everyone we meet, be they weeping love/hate fans, terrified producers and agents, cynical writers or fame-hungry cops. And those questions are: Did she die? Is she alive?
Or did she ever live at all? - Allan Cole, (My Hollywood MisAdventures, Sten Series co-author)

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the hardcover from PS Publishing as it looked interesting.

The Ritual of Illusion is about a new young and beautiful film star who suddenly disappears, and as the story is told it becomes apparent that the circumstances are more sinister than they appear. The story's told in the format of comments/interview from others in the film industry (Hollywood), which works really well as it lends authenticity.

Overall a very effective story, with a nice supernatural twist, and it's also a biting satire on the shallowness of celebrity

[Luca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ben scritto ma abbastanza insipido.

[Raj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella has an unusual format, being in the form of fragmented interviews about a film star who has recently disappeared in mysterious circumstances, following a brief, but stellar career.

The story certainly makes the reader work to tease out the truth behind the disappearance (and presumed death) of Sephanie Vamore, as you try and untangle the distorted and sometimes contradictory evidence provided by Hollywood people, all with their own axe to grind. And how does Vamore's life tie in to a mysterious book from Jewish legend?

Frankly, I still don't have much in the way of answers to these questions. I enjoyed the book more than I was expecting, but a combination of a warm day, drowsiness and a headache means that I probably didn't put in the effort required to get maximum benefit from this short book. Still, it's short enough that it'd be quick enough to read again.

[Michael Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptional view of Hollywood drama and all of the players (mystical and real).

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can honestly say I've never read a book like that before. All done in snippets of conversation, many of which seem unrelated (at first). As it sucks you in and you begin to piece it all together, you also marvel at the impressive talent of the author to be able to pull this off. Superb and highly recommended.