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Earthbound: An Erotic Ghost Story
David and Ellen Cooper came to the lonely beachside cottage in hopes of rekindling their troubled marriage. Yet they are not alone on their second honeymoon. Marianna, a beautiful and enigmatic stranger, comes to visit David whenever Ellen is away.
Who is Marianna, and where has she come from?
Even as he succumbs to her seductive charms, David realizes that Marianna is far more than a threat to his marriage, for her secrets lie deep in the past and beyond the grave. And her unholy desires endanger the life and soul of everyone she touches.
Who is Marianna, and where has she come from?
Even as he succumbs to her seductive charms, David realizes that Marianna is far more than a threat to his marriage, for her secrets lie deep in the past and beyond the grave. And her unholy desires endanger the life and soul of everyone she touches.
223 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
28 people are currently reading
629 people want to read
About the author
Richard Matheson
760 books4,768 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 - 30 of 104 reviews
December 18, 2020
An absolutely terrific and hauntingly beautiful story. A haunted cottage by the shore and a troubled couple trying to relive their honeymoon- back before adultery and boredom had torn them asunder. A fantastically beautiful mesmerizing ethereal woman that entrances the protagonist to the point where he can't say no even as his life force is sucked out of him.
Matheson purposefully kept this story simple. There are very few characters and very few scene changes. But, he magically draws the reader into an ethereal world with imagery such as the never-ending cold temperature and the cold marriage of David and Ellen.
Plot wise, the story could have been told in a much shorter fashion, but this isn't so much about the plot as it is about longing and desperation and felling trapped and imprisoned.
Matheson purposefully kept this story simple. There are very few characters and very few scene changes. But, he magically draws the reader into an ethereal world with imagery such as the never-ending cold temperature and the cold marriage of David and Ellen.
Plot wise, the story could have been told in a much shorter fashion, but this isn't so much about the plot as it is about longing and desperation and felling trapped and imprisoned.
February 2, 2017
Earthbound follows Ellen and David Cooper to an isolated seaside cottage not far from the one where they spent their honeymoon twenty years earlier. Only now, their marriage is in a state of disrepair due to David's recent infidelities. Shortly after their arrival, David discovers that the derelict beach house is haunted by the beautiful spirit of Marianna, a nympho-ghost whose lust-filled depravity has doomed her not just to earth but to the very confines of the cottage. Unholy desires fill David with each unabated visitation by Marianna (who only appears whenever David’s wife is away). When David inevitably succumbs to Marianna’s temptations he resents the liaison and vows to be faithful to Ellen. However, his errant impulses and foolish skepticism cause him to disregard the warnings of the mysterious heiress on the hill who urges the couple to leave immediately… and David finds himself growing deeper in his carnal knowledge of Marianna’s ghost, even as their dalliances begin to literally sap away at his health and energy, leaving him powerless to stop himself.
Billed as “A Lover’s Ghost Story” and comprising few characters and a claustrophobic setting, Earthbound defies straightforward genre classification as it blends elements of horror and suspense in a tale of paranormal erotica. The story is more sexual than terrifying—though the sexual content is more restrained in language than you might expect. Sure, legendary author Richard Matheson injects some quality suspense into this rambling tale; however, he also veers into shameless bathos and outright titillation. And yet, one could reasonably argue that the sex scenes were as flat and lacking as the dialogue. On the other hand, Matheson deserves props for deftly exploring the complexities and unforeseen flaws of both relationships and the human mind, even if it comes across as heavy-handed and didactic in the epilogue.
Earthbound is far from being his best work, though it is (somehow) hauntingly erotic and occasionally exciting. Any faithful readers looking for a Matheson tale that’s of the same masterpiece league as The Shrinking Man, The Beardless Warriors (my favorite Matheson novel, by far), and—to a lesser extent—Duel will likely want to skim over this meager addition to Matheson’s legacy.
Billed as “A Lover’s Ghost Story” and comprising few characters and a claustrophobic setting, Earthbound defies straightforward genre classification as it blends elements of horror and suspense in a tale of paranormal erotica. The story is more sexual than terrifying—though the sexual content is more restrained in language than you might expect. Sure, legendary author Richard Matheson injects some quality suspense into this rambling tale; however, he also veers into shameless bathos and outright titillation. And yet, one could reasonably argue that the sex scenes were as flat and lacking as the dialogue. On the other hand, Matheson deserves props for deftly exploring the complexities and unforeseen flaws of both relationships and the human mind, even if it comes across as heavy-handed and didactic in the epilogue.
Earthbound is far from being his best work, though it is (somehow) hauntingly erotic and occasionally exciting. Any faithful readers looking for a Matheson tale that’s of the same masterpiece league as The Shrinking Man, The Beardless Warriors (my favorite Matheson novel, by far), and—to a lesser extent—Duel will likely want to skim over this meager addition to Matheson’s legacy.
December 26, 2020
2.5/5
Oddly enough, there were no psychic little boys running around in this. This is instead a classic ghost story with a slight twist: A horny ghost.
Richard Matheson - the third recipient of the Grand Master of Horror award and the author of I Am Legend - has been on my check out list for a while. I saw this book at the library and decided to give it a shot, not at all realizing what I was getting myself into.
The writing itself isn't bad. In fact, there are some downright beautiful sentences. But some of the dialogue is heavy without the flow of real conversation and the characters have a bad habit of repeating themselves. Also, Matheson loves the verb "hissed". Everything and everyone hisses in his bleak, gray world.
The story is fairly quick paced - everything takes place in the span of a few days, mostly in the same location. There were no major scares; it instead relies upon an overall sense of creepy wrongness. I did enjoy the plot and the overall theme, although the denouement was a bit heavy handed and preachy.
Bonus - The longest sentence about an orgasm I have ever read:
Oddly enough, there were no psychic little boys running around in this. This is instead a classic ghost story with a slight twist: A horny ghost.
Richard Matheson - the third recipient of the Grand Master of Horror award and the author of I Am Legend - has been on my check out list for a while. I saw this book at the library and decided to give it a shot, not at all realizing what I was getting myself into.
The writing itself isn't bad. In fact, there are some downright beautiful sentences. But some of the dialogue is heavy without the flow of real conversation and the characters have a bad habit of repeating themselves. Also, Matheson loves the verb "hissed". Everything and everyone hisses in his bleak, gray world.
The story is fairly quick paced - everything takes place in the span of a few days, mostly in the same location. There were no major scares; it instead relies upon an overall sense of creepy wrongness. I did enjoy the plot and the overall theme, although the denouement was a bit heavy handed and preachy.
Bonus - The longest sentence about an orgasm I have ever read:
March 31, 2016
What a joylessly depressing read. Wow! I mean, my day was going good until I listened to this story. From the moment the married couple arrived at their destination, the cold unyielding drabness of their surroundings literally sucked the happiness out of me. It was crazy.
This read is void of real emotional attachment. I did not believe the husband and wife wanted to work on their relationship. I just...didn't believe in this story.
It passed at creating emotion. It was just the wrong one.
Skip this one folks. Nothing to see here, but despair. Not the good kind either. The kind where you want to slit their throats for them so it can be over already.
This read is void of real emotional attachment. I did not believe the husband and wife wanted to work on their relationship. I just...didn't believe in this story.
It passed at creating emotion. It was just the wrong one.
Skip this one folks. Nothing to see here, but despair. Not the good kind either. The kind where you want to slit their throats for them so it can be over already.
January 14, 2019
This is not something I'd come to expect from the likes of Matheson, but it certainly turned out pretty good with some original thought and creative ingenuity put into it. I do not like to give away spoilers, so I will simply say this has content that's for a variety of readers, including, suspense, horror, eroticism, steamy romance, tragedy, thriller and even a little twisted, or possibly more so that I let on.
December 18, 2020
A nice little ghost story by Graham Masterton under a pen name, published in 1982 by Playboy Books. This would make a killer low-budget b-movie as the entire story takes place in a cottage by the ocean and only has four characters of any note. Ellen and David are returning to the site of their honeymoon in an attempt to patch up their marriage. David (who is basically a cad) was caught cheating on Ellen and she is very mixed on the forgiveness angle. Little did they know that the cottage has a secret, and as the title pages proclaims: "Don't go into the cottage she's waiting for you."
It is freezing cold on the ocean front, and David and Ellen arrive cold and travel worn; power will not be on for a day, so they make do. The first night, David has trouble falling asleep and while wondering about the house, he meets Marianna, an 'earthbound' ghost (as we find out later). Marianna is lovely and all she wants is sex and sex right now! Afterwards, David is feeling guilty (as he should) but also strangely drained...
This is a short read, and the novel takes place in only a few days. What is happening to David? Is Marianna really a ghost? Masterton utilizes aspects of nature to make create a really creepy feeling throughout the novel. The cold, freezing temperature, the rain, the endless beach combers, etc., play almost a role in them selves. This unfolds nicely and has something of a surprise ending. 3.5 stars!!
It is freezing cold on the ocean front, and David and Ellen arrive cold and travel worn; power will not be on for a day, so they make do. The first night, David has trouble falling asleep and while wondering about the house, he meets Marianna, an 'earthbound' ghost (as we find out later). Marianna is lovely and all she wants is sex and sex right now! Afterwards, David is feeling guilty (as he should) but also strangely drained...
This is a short read, and the novel takes place in only a few days. What is happening to David? Is Marianna really a ghost? Masterton utilizes aspects of nature to make create a really creepy feeling throughout the novel. The cold, freezing temperature, the rain, the endless beach combers, etc., play almost a role in them selves. This unfolds nicely and has something of a surprise ending. 3.5 stars!!
June 10, 2008
A Chilling Ghost story. Dark and fascinating. Grabs you immediately. I could not put it down. It's hightly erotic,sometimes disturbingly so. Beneath the the ghost story is an intelligent probing of the relationshiop between mind and body, and a sharp and provoking contrast between lust and craving on the one hand, with it'd deadly and empty results; and Love and intimacy on the other, with it's power to renew, redeem, and and ultimately save us all . . from ourselves.
January 10, 2024
Richard Matheson is one of my literary heroes..
but this was a 2.25 out 5...Disappointing ..
but this was a 2.25 out 5...Disappointing ..
January 5, 2025
Part ghost story, part relationship drama, part smut-lite, all in all, not too bad. The dialog is a bit clunky at times, but nothing that gets in the way. There are some genuine strange vibes of possession and psychological unraveling. The cold, rainy winter vibes of the isolated cabin on the water sink its icey fingers into your psyche and add to the feeling of disconnect between self and spirit. Worthwhile spooky winter read.
January 10, 2015
Damn! This book was fantastic! Richard Matheson is the man! I know some of the reviews said this book was horrible, but from where!? Yeah, the guy in the book is shitty to his wife, but doesn't he get his coming in a way? The dialogue was masterful. Being that there were only like 4 characters in this book was refreshing. I really got a sense of the married couple; their problems, their issues, their faults. They're trying and it was just so real to me. Then throw in Marianna to mix the pot and bam! I'm hooked. Is she real, isn't she? Who the heck is real! Right? Can't say anymore other than grab this book if you see it! It made me a fan! Beware! This book turns exorcist on you too which is just genius. Loved it!
June 4, 2018
A day into reading this book and I was prepared to not like it. I didn't like the direction it was heading, and I had problems with the characters. That continued for about half the book. It was only the interesting storyline that kept me going. So you can imagine my surprise when I wound up being impressed by the end and the moral of the story. It was much deeper than I would have imagined or guessed from the beginning.
I'm not sure this is a great book, but I learned something from it, and I think it will haunt me for a long time in a very good way. So I recommend it.
I'm not sure this is a great book, but I learned something from it, and I think it will haunt me for a long time in a very good way. So I recommend it.
February 19, 2014
The good thing is it's just typical. The bad thing is it's just typical. For some reason (i.e., I'm stupid) I was mistakenly convinced it was Stephen King behind the pseudonym. When I realized it's actually Richard Matheson, I felt disappointed, for I had read Matheson before, and expected better. Kudos for great edition, though.
June 18, 2015
Beautiful cover.................. that's it.
Oh actually there is one more thing - next time I'm feeling frisky I must remember to "cup my breasts" (or "thrusting cones" as they are also described) and say "for you, with love".........NOT!
Oh actually there is one more thing - next time I'm feeling frisky I must remember to "cup my breasts" (or "thrusting cones" as they are also described) and say "for you, with love".........NOT!
November 1, 2024
It was a decent story, short and effective. You've got this creepy isolated haunted house and a seductive ghost that David can't resist (I mean, who could?). The story has a great atmosphere and the overall writing is very good. I enjoyed it but not enough to rate it higher. I felt like it lacked some real horror elements, and the dialogue was dull. Still, I'm a fan of Matheson's style. 3.25*
March 1, 2025
The most boring succubus story ever told.
January 30, 2015
I read Earthbound alone in a strange house on a dark and stormy night, so I enjoyed the book more than its merits justified. I get the impression that Richard Matheson was under contract to produce a novel and reworked an unsold teleplay into Earthbound.
The two main characters, David and Ellen, are not very well fleshed out and come across as vague and two-dimensional. The story is told in third person almost exclusively from David's point of view. Until the very end, we do not see inside the thoughts of any other character, and at times, this effectively casts doubts on whether what we see happening is objectively real or if David is imagining the whole thing.
But other portions of the book are just too shoddy to keep up the illusion. We learn that David and Ellen have rented a remote cabin in order to work out difficulties in their troubled 21-year marriage. This just seemed like too dumb an idea to be believable. Don't they have friends who could have suggested couples therapy instead of self-imposed bleak isolation? There are other details in this scenario which make this even more unbelievable (such as the imminent birth of their first grandchild, et alia).
Additionally,the very end of the book is also a bit shoddy:our viewpoint shifts to another character, and this shift ruins some of the ambiguities in the story that might have been interpreted to have originated in David's mind.
The two main characters, David and Ellen, are not very well fleshed out and come across as vague and two-dimensional. The story is told in third person almost exclusively from David's point of view. Until the very end, we do not see inside the thoughts of any other character, and at times, this effectively casts doubts on whether what we see happening is objectively real or if David is imagining the whole thing.
But other portions of the book are just too shoddy to keep up the illusion. We learn that David and Ellen have rented a remote cabin in order to work out difficulties in their troubled 21-year marriage. This just seemed like too dumb an idea to be believable. Don't they have friends who could have suggested couples therapy instead of self-imposed bleak isolation? There are other details in this scenario which make this even more unbelievable (such as the imminent birth of their first grandchild, et alia).
Additionally,the very end of the book is also a bit shoddy:our viewpoint shifts to another character, and this shift ruins some of the ambiguities in the story that might have been interpreted to have originated in David's mind.
June 2, 2019
Fun, quick read!
June 18, 2021
Oggi vi parlo di Ghost del grandissimo Richard Matheson, autore che ha forgiato il "fantastico" contemporaneo, influenzando cinema, fumetti, videogiochi, scrivendo libri e sceneggiature memorabili. David ed Ellen, coppia adulta, si rifugia a Logan Beach per ricucire un rapporto in crisi e sin da subito si mischiano atmosfere tese e ambientazioni misteriose, cupe, con spiagge desolate e una casa fredda e tenebrosa. Questo riflette a pieno il loro stato d'animo in bilico tra la voglia di ricominciare e la desolazione di un distacco, di sentimenti ormai freddi e logori. E qui prende vita Marianne, splendida fanciulla di una bellezza assoluta che entra nella casa e fa perdere a David la cognizione di cosa sia reale, lo seduce e per lui inizia un vero e proprio stillicidio angoscioso ed altalenante tra sensi di colpa, euforia sessuale, esaltazione e prostrazione fisica e mentale. La vicina lo avverte, Marianne non è quello che crede, è un fantasma malvagio che cerca solo uomini per portarli alla follia. Ma David continuerà a non crederle e questo porterà i coniugi sull'orlo del baratro. La scrittura è ricca di mistero, pathos e sussurri e i protagonisti sono ben delineati. Matheson gioca con la nostra psicologia, con le paure ancestrali, le case infestate, l'erotismo e la suspence. Non ci sono grandi colpi di scena, ma la tensione cresce, si sente che la storia andrà verso un epilogo terribile ed il finale sarà sorprendentemente inquietante.
November 18, 2025
I picked up a copy of Earthbound at a used bookstore, and while I didn’t know the title, the hardcover was signed, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to own a book autographed by one of the greats. I just wish this book had been one of his greats. Wow! It’s basically gothic soft core pornography. Look, I don’t want to read too much into this, but it seems Matheson had a real fascination with boobs. While all the below-the-waist stuff was left pretty vague (mercifully), he went into a lot of detail about all the female characters’ breasts. A LOT OF DETAIL! Most heterosexual men are pretty fond of them, but give it a rest, Richard! It didn’t help that this puerile erotic fantasy was placed in the hands of a thoroughly unlikeable main character. He and his wife escape to their honeymoon spot to try to rekindle a marriage damaged by his adultery. Within a day he has committed adultery again, this time with a succubus. Do you want to know how lame this dude is? He eats margarine and buys his martinis pre-mixed in the bottle! This is soft core erotic horror fantasy, and I was very grateful when it was over. (Spoiler alert: it left off with a final “ewwwww” moment when the sexy succubus takes over the body of her elderly sister and stands naked admiring herself in the mirror, describing in detail why she hates her new aged breasts. Dude, stop!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2017
L'ho letteralmente bevuto, non riuscivo a staccarmi dal libro continuando la lettura anche nelle ore diurne e mi ha rapito completamente.
All'inizio la storia parte a rilento accentuando la routine dei due coniugi finiti a Logan Beach per recuperare il loro rapporto, la freddezza fra i due è subito palpabile, intervallato da momenti di noia e una routine che li ha deteriorati nel corso degli anni e rischia di deteriorare qualcosa anche nel cuore del lettore...
I loro movimenti sono calcolati, ogni parola misurata e pesata, la paura del dolore è latente e traspira in ogni riga, finché, lentamente e con una calma quasi innaturale arriva Marianna, una bellissima ragazza che metterà David alla prova... di nuovo, come se il suo esame non dovesse mai finire.
Un dipinto misterioso, la casa in cima alla scogliera in cui due corpi si uniscono e qualcosa di oscuro rischia di rovinare la loro esistenza. Non posso dire altro, il libro è breve e si legge d'un fiato.
Preferisco di gran lunga "Io sono leggenda" ma Ghost non è assolutamente da sottovalutare.
C'è tutto quello che un amante del terrore cerca in un libro e il finale inaspettato mi ha sorpreso ancora di più.
All'inizio la storia parte a rilento accentuando la routine dei due coniugi finiti a Logan Beach per recuperare il loro rapporto, la freddezza fra i due è subito palpabile, intervallato da momenti di noia e una routine che li ha deteriorati nel corso degli anni e rischia di deteriorare qualcosa anche nel cuore del lettore...
I loro movimenti sono calcolati, ogni parola misurata e pesata, la paura del dolore è latente e traspira in ogni riga, finché, lentamente e con una calma quasi innaturale arriva Marianna, una bellissima ragazza che metterà David alla prova... di nuovo, come se il suo esame non dovesse mai finire.
Un dipinto misterioso, la casa in cima alla scogliera in cui due corpi si uniscono e qualcosa di oscuro rischia di rovinare la loro esistenza. Non posso dire altro, il libro è breve e si legge d'un fiato.
Preferisco di gran lunga "Io sono leggenda" ma Ghost non è assolutamente da sottovalutare.
C'è tutto quello che un amante del terrore cerca in un libro e il finale inaspettato mi ha sorpreso ancora di più.
April 8, 2023
Not as exciting as the synopsis made me believe it would be. Wasn’t super fond of the writing style. It starts out so slow that I almost gave up on it before anything happens! At 210 pages when the action doesn’t start till page 60 that’s not a good sign. Still a decent read… a couple trying to rekindle their 21 year relationship after husband is caught cheating stays at a cottage where a sexy ghost resides. Ending was decent. Not great but it was enjoyable. I just wish the story would have been a bit more creepy. With this being a Playboy Press release you expect there to be erotica but this was PG at best and I actually would have expected more with a cheating husband and a sexy ghost 🤷🏻♂️ this book could have been so good but alas…3 stars. Not a terrible read but wasn’t even close to being the 5 star book I thought it would be going into it. If this is Richard Matheson at his best I’m not a fan.
October 22, 2024
all i saw was it was by the author of i am legend and gave it a read, ive never read anything “erotic” before and im just going to hazard a guess that matheson should just stick to horror.
this book is very much written from the male gaze. the women in the story are… lacking aside from very detailed descriptions of their bodies. it’s amazing every woman he meets is a 10 in this book haha. mc takes his wife on a anniversary trip to repair their relationship after he cheated on her. and on this trip he does it again lol.
idk it’s about a horny ghost that “just wants to feel something again” and apparently all the men she encounters haven’t learned the word no. the sex scenes were, like i mentioned, very much focused on the females.
it’s not really even a compelling ghost story since the mc just can’t wait to see the ghost again. so idk, her being a ghost isn’t really that important to the plot.
tldr; cheaters gonna cheat, even with 👻🐱
this book is very much written from the male gaze. the women in the story are… lacking aside from very detailed descriptions of their bodies. it’s amazing every woman he meets is a 10 in this book haha. mc takes his wife on a anniversary trip to repair their relationship after he cheated on her. and on this trip he does it again lol.
idk it’s about a horny ghost that “just wants to feel something again” and apparently all the men she encounters haven’t learned the word no. the sex scenes were, like i mentioned, very much focused on the females.
it’s not really even a compelling ghost story since the mc just can’t wait to see the ghost again. so idk, her being a ghost isn’t really that important to the plot.
tldr; cheaters gonna cheat, even with 👻🐱
October 25, 2017
Juuuust okay. I almost DNF this book, but in the end I decided it was worth it to tough it out. I was listening to it on audio, which made it a lot easier to just sort of let it run, but damn if this wasn't clunky. Having just read Hell House, the sexual content didn't really bother me, except that it was like the lamest bad erotica ever published on some geocities webpage. So many conelike breasts and erect nipples, for crying out loud, we get it. Whatever. I'm absolutely positive that Star Trek TNG took their episode Sub Rosa from this book, and the book is just as lame as Sub Rosa always was. Aside from that, the ending and ultimate message did save it from a one star for me.
July 15, 2018
This was disturbing. Picked it up from the library because I absolutely love What Dreams May Come. Was not expecting to hate the characters in this story so much. I was literally groaning throughout because it was painful to read such a depressing, thrilling and disturbing tale. I hated the husband, but then hated that I felt for him in the end. Finished it in a day, so it was gripping, but I almost didn’t finish just because of how stressful it was. I love Matheson but overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this book, despite the fact that I enjoyed the end and found it thrilling at parts.
October 28, 2018
A book so heartfelt in its depiction of infidelity and regret, I wonder if it wasn't somehow confessional. Otherwise, this is a fine erotic ghost story (some sexual content due to its original Playboy publication), though Matheson's writing veers towards some strange descriptives and metaphors, both main characters are a bit pathetic and hard to warm to, and there's a lot of repetitive naval-gazing padding out what almost certainly would have been much stronger work at half the length.
June 4, 2021
While well written and with an advanced lexicon at times, this book ended up not being quite whst I had hoped. Yes there was a ghost, lots of sex, and some well-developed characters. The plot was a little thin and I would have liked more backgound about Marianna. The reveal was slow, but the climax was well-constructed.
I liked most of the ending with the exception of what happened with the ghost.
I liked most of the ending with the exception of what happened with the ghost.
March 4, 2018
Un romanzo emozionante. Il fantasma non è solo l'entità sensuale e spaventosa che domina la scena con la sua presenza, ma appare metafora di qualcosa di più profondo, proprio il qualcosa che da tempo sta mettendo in crisi il matrimonio della coppia protagonista. Matheson si rivela ancora una volta un maestro dell'emozione e del racconto horror/fantastico.
July 29, 2018
Uh, the story itself was okay, but the writing and delivery was not good. During the climactic scene, the protagonist decided to worry if his wife may catch a cold because, being possessed by a demon, she may notice how cold she was and get sick. There were so many bizarre metaphors and strange choices of adjectives. With all of that, it was still a fun read. I wish I could give it 2.5 stars.
April 11, 2022
Stephen King cites Richard Matheson as one of his primary influences, and you can really feel the connection between Earthbound and The Shining. It’s a place-based, seeping horror; erotic moments that reveal the main character’s utter loneliness. Earthbound is a difficult read even though it’s short - it feels like a haunted house. Repulsive.
June 3, 2022
Two and a half stars: A fairly rambling ghost story that is ultimately not on par with Matheson's classic Hell House, but is okay if you don't expect much. Too much introspection on the part of the "hero" and not enough stuff really happens. Might be a little too graphic sexually for some people looking for an old fashioned haunted house tale.
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