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Offbeat: Uncollected Stories
In the aptly titled Offbeat, Richard Matheson, a modern master of strange fiction, offers 13 excursions into the unsettling and bizarre. In these stories you will encounter a major league pitcher with a horrific secret for his astonishing success; an ordinary man who wakes to find himself in a silent, empty world; a death row prisoner with an extraordinary explanation for his innocence; and a novelist whose fictional creations transcend the printed page.
Originally published as a limited edition hardcover, now long out of print, the remarkable and rare tales offered in Offbeat display the brilliant imagination that gave birth to such classics as I Am Legend and Hell House.
Narrated by Elizabeth Wiley, William Dufris, Scott Brick, Peter Berkrot, R.C. Bray, Anna Parker-Naples, Eric Martin, Jeffrey Kafer, Sean Runnette, Caitlin Davies, Mike Ortega, and Matt Godfrey.
"Perhaps no author living is as responsible for chilling a generation with tantalizing nightmare visions." - The New York Times
"The author who influenced me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson." - Stephen King
"Matheson is one of the great names in American terror fiction." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
©2002 Richard Matheson (P)2017 Valancourt Books
Originally published as a limited edition hardcover, now long out of print, the remarkable and rare tales offered in Offbeat display the brilliant imagination that gave birth to such classics as I Am Legend and Hell House.
Narrated by Elizabeth Wiley, William Dufris, Scott Brick, Peter Berkrot, R.C. Bray, Anna Parker-Naples, Eric Martin, Jeffrey Kafer, Sean Runnette, Caitlin Davies, Mike Ortega, and Matt Godfrey.
"Perhaps no author living is as responsible for chilling a generation with tantalizing nightmare visions." - The New York Times
"The author who influenced me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson." - Stephen King
"Matheson is one of the great names in American terror fiction." - The Philadelphia Inquirer
©2002 Richard Matheson (P)2017 Valancourt Books
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First published May 1, 2002
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About the author
Richard Matheson
760 books4,782 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 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 23, 2020
Relics
Blunder Buss
And Now I'm Waiting
All and Only Silence
Phone Call from Across the Street
And in Sorrow
Maybe You Remember Him
Mirror, Mirror
Two O'Clock Session 4.5
The Prisoner 4
Always Before Your Voice
That Was Yesterday 3
Blunder Buss
And Now I'm Waiting
All and Only Silence
Phone Call from Across the Street
And in Sorrow
Maybe You Remember Him
Mirror, Mirror
Two O'Clock Session 4.5
The Prisoner 4
Always Before Your Voice
That Was Yesterday 3
December 3, 2017
Often, 'uncollected' stories are that way for a reason.
Not so with this fabulous collection from Richard Matheson. Ignore it at your own risk.
Not so with this fabulous collection from Richard Matheson. Ignore it at your own risk.
December 14, 2018
I haven't read Matheson before. So running into this book I gave it a try, even though I was aware that Uncollected Stories are probably for fans only.
I was pleasantly surprised with the mastery of the craft. The language and the way Matheson plays with it are superb. Most of the stories could have been the Twilight Zone episodes - the one most memorable actually is. However, there is really a reason these stories have not been collected before. The actual resolutions fall a bit flat and the stories fade easily from the mind. Of special interest to aspiring writers for the analysis of the language and treatment, but for the casual reader not so much.
In any case I confirmed my belief that Matheson is worthwile reading.
I was pleasantly surprised with the mastery of the craft. The language and the way Matheson plays with it are superb. Most of the stories could have been the Twilight Zone episodes - the one most memorable actually is. However, there is really a reason these stories have not been collected before. The actual resolutions fall a bit flat and the stories fade easily from the mind. Of special interest to aspiring writers for the analysis of the language and treatment, but for the casual reader not so much.
In any case I confirmed my belief that Matheson is worthwile reading.
October 16, 2020
I usually don't read anything shorter than a novella. I think Matheson is not only a master of horror novels, but also a master of the short story. Included are the following thirteen stories, with my ratings:
1. Relics: 3 stars
2. Blunder Buss: 4 stars
3. And Now I'm Waiting: 3 stars
4. The Last Blah in the Etc.: 4.5 stars
5. Phone Call from Across the Street: 4 stars
6. Maybe You Remember Him: 4.5 stars
7. Mirror, Mirror: 3 stars
8. Two O'Clock Session: 3 stars
9. And in Sorrow: 4.5 stars
10. The Prisoner: 4.5 stars
11. Always Before Your Voice: 3-4 stars
12. That Was Yesterday: 2-3 stars
13. Life Size: 2-3 stars
1. Relics: 3 stars
2. Blunder Buss: 4 stars
3. And Now I'm Waiting: 3 stars
4. The Last Blah in the Etc.: 4.5 stars
5. Phone Call from Across the Street: 4 stars
6. Maybe You Remember Him: 4.5 stars
7. Mirror, Mirror: 3 stars
8. Two O'Clock Session: 3 stars
9. And in Sorrow: 4.5 stars
10. The Prisoner: 4.5 stars
11. Always Before Your Voice: 3-4 stars
12. That Was Yesterday: 2-3 stars
13. Life Size: 2-3 stars
June 12, 2017
This is a wonderfully written book of short stories with not so ordinary endings.Narrated perfectly by : Peter Berkrot , R.C. Bray , Scott Brick , William Dufris , Matt Godfrey , Jeffrey Kafer , Mike Ortego , Anna Parker-Naples , Elizabeth Wiley.Hopefully people give it a try! I was given this book free for review by either the author, narrator or publisher.
November 30, 2020
A collection of some of the author's previously unpublished early work. The quality is pretty uneven. All And Only Silence was just odd. I couldn't get through it. Mostly these are some pretty good stories, though, kind of Twilight Zone-ish, not exactly firmly in any one category (SF, Horror, Detective).
December 8, 2023
Surisingly meh collection of early short stories from the normally excellent Richard Matheson. This was published when he was still alive and he wrote an afterward for it in which he apologizes for the low quality of the stories!
August 6, 2020
Fun, experimental early vignettes that, while feeling unfinished, still capture the classic Matheson voice. A quick read.
April 15, 2021
Some really good stories with a few entertaining fillers
I recommend the audiobook the cast of narrators was the highlight
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
I recommend the audiobook the cast of narrators was the highlight
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
May 5, 2024
There were more misses than hits and one of the better stories, “The Prisoner”, features in a short story collection of Matheson’s I have previously read.
January 1, 2025
An obscure book of short stories that should remain obscure. I struggled with them.
July 3, 2025
More like 3.5 stars. My personal favorites were The Last Blah in the Etc., Maybe You Remember Him, Two o' Clock Session, and Always Before Your Voice. There were none I disliked and most are Twilight Zone-esque, quite fitting for a Matheson collection. I enjoy The Twilight Zone, even when the "zappers" end more as damp squibs. Just because I know the end of a campfire tale doesn't make it worthless. A lot of the fun is in how it's told.
Read
March 10, 2017So happy to be involved with this great collection of stories and great collection of narrators.
March 20, 2025
Richard Matheson, best known as the original author behind blockbuster films like I Am Legend and Hell House, was also a prolific writer of short stories. His output was so extensive that many of his works, published in magazines, never made it into book form.
This anthology, Offbeat, compiles 13 such stories—pieces written long ago but never previously collected.
Here is the lineup:
• Relics
• Blunder Buss
• And Now I’m Waiting
• The Last Blah in the Etc.
• Phone Call from Across the Street
• Maybe You Remember Him
• Mirror, Mirror...
• Two O’Clock Session
• And in Sorrow
• The Prisoner
• Always Before Your Voice
• Life Size
• That Was Yesterday
The book also includes a foreword by horror writer David J. Schow, known for his screenplays for Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III and The Crow. Schow reminisces about his experiences with Matheson during his lifetime.
Additionally, Matheson himself provides an afterword, reflecting on the inspiration behind each story.
Nearly every story in this collection bears Matheson’s lifelong thematic imprint—the crisis of blurred identity—manifested in various unsettling forms.
• A schoolteacher leading children on a field trip to a museum harbors an astonishing secret. (Relics)
• A man, suspecting his brother-in-law of having an affair, confronts him—only to be confronted with a terrifying truth of his own. (And Now I’m Waiting)
• A mysterious caller provokes a police standoff with a gunman, but who is he really? (Phone Call from Across the Street)
• A psychiatrist treats a woman with a disturbing past, but what is her true nature? (Two O’Clock Session)
• A man wakes up in a prison cell, sentenced to death—how can he prove his real identity? (The Prisoner)
Throughout these tales, Matheson’s protagonists are pushed to the brink by supernatural or surreal circumstances, forcing them to grapple with existential horror: Who am I? How do I prove that I am who I claim to be?
Among the stories, my personal favorite is That Was Yesterday. It begins as a seemingly straightforward tale about a man who, upon discovering his new wife’s infidelity, kills her lover. What follows is an account of his next day—or so it appears. The final revelation, delicately delivered, left me stunned. Watching this character unknowingly lose his grip on his own identity sent shivers down my spine.
Twelve years have passed since Matheson’s death. I find great joy in tracking down and reading these overlooked short stories—one by one.
February 20, 2013
Even the Introduction by William F. Nolan is wonderful in this book! Matheson's stories are of course true visions of terror. None of the stories have been in previous collections, and five have not previously been published.
I especially liked "Maybe You Remember Him", about a major league pitcher whose astonishing career conceals an equally amazing secret.
Turns out that Matheson is quite a baseball fan!
In the afterword, Matheson discusses the sources for all twelve tales.
Noticed that this public library copy is signed by both Matheson and Nolan--one of only 750 such copies!
I especially liked "Maybe You Remember Him", about a major league pitcher whose astonishing career conceals an equally amazing secret.
Turns out that Matheson is quite a baseball fan!
In the afterword, Matheson discusses the sources for all twelve tales.
Noticed that this public library copy is signed by both Matheson and Nolan--one of only 750 such copies!
April 26, 2017
Matheson was a consummate professional in 20th century short-story writing. These little gems are not his best work, but they don't disappoint either. Recommended for fans of The Twilight Zone.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews