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Shock #4
Shock Waves
A look at the ugliest doll ever seen, a self-murderess, the man who bled oil, a machine that promises never to stop, the lights around the moon and other horrors bizarre, believable and bone-chilling!
Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Richard Matheson
746 books4,917 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 15, 2024
I enjoyed most of the stories in this book but the longest story was also the dullest and most disappointing, which really lowered my overall rating.
January 5, 2024
This was the final volume in the series of Matheson collections with the Shock title. I always wondered why they called this one Waves instead of simply continuing as #IV; it's no different in theme or concept than the first three. It's a nice selection that spans work from pulps in the early 1950s to original pieces from 1970. My favorite story was Prey, from a 1969 issue of Playboy, which was subsequently adapted to film very nicely, and my least favorite was a novel fragment that they must've included just to fill up some pages. Matheson was a fine craftsman with an eye to the O'Henry twist and while some bits and pieces have begun to show their age here and there these are still entertaining and amusing reads.
November 6, 2015
I'm sure everyone reading this is familiar with the work of Richard Matheson.
A great many of his short stories and a few of his novels have been adapted for film and television.
The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Omega Man (and its remake I Am Legend), Duel, and some of the best episodes of TV's The Twilight Zone.
Shock Waves is the fourth in a series of 4 collections published by Berkley Books in 1979.
All of these stories have "shock" or suprise endings in the O. Henry tradition. A couple are futuristic, one is a Western, a couple are thrillers. All are very well written.
Matheson's writing is so clean and so perfect in every detail.
The man was a craftsman.
My favorites in this collection were "Finger Prints", "Deus Ex Machina", "The Thing", "The Conqueror", "Dying Room Only" and "Prey".
"Prey" many will remember from Matheson's adaptation for the made-for-tv horror anthology Trilogy of Terror -the one with Karen Black being terrorized in her own apartment by an evil doll.
Recommended!
April 9, 2008
I picked this one up primarily for the story "Prey"--the basis for the third story in the 1975 movie "Trilogy of Terror" starring Karen Black. Man, that little Zuni fetish doll scared the bejeezus out of me as a kid. Anyway, the movie follows the story almost exactly (not surprising, considering that Matheson also wrote the screenplay).
The other stories in the collection make it worth picking up.
The other stories in the collection make it worth picking up.
February 3, 2022
In the first story in this collection of shorts, a man leaves his wife in the car at a mall parking lot, while feigning the loss of his keys so that another man he's arranged to murder her can pick them up and drive her away. The story focuses on the tension and inner turmoil of the man as he takes his son through the mall to meet Santa, trying to distract you from the fact that it makes no sense. In the end, the killer, who was paid in advance, doesn't take her. The lead has been cheated. Why, then, did the killer even show up? He doesn't steal the car, so the keys are useless. He already had his money. The story uses its suspense to distract you from it's nonsensical nature. This first tale not holding water was immediately concerning. Was I to suffer through a whole book of poorly conceived stories?
Thankfully, the answer is no. Why on Earth this story was put first is beyond me. The last story is also a bit of nonscensical clunker, but sandwiched between those cheap pieces of chemical-packed .99cent white bread from Walmart that never expires are some of the finest meats I've ever encountered.
These are remarkably short and efficient stories that make their point quick. Some are only a few pages long. Even with that, the characters still feel sufficient for the story. His grip on how to write a short--what to keep and what to leave out--is nothing short of masterly. It's the kind of book a writer should go back to for reference.
There's also a wonderful amount of variety. Some horror, some sci-fi, even a western. Some are moral tales, some loosely impressionistic, some surreal, some straight-forward, sad endings, happy ones, first person and third, traditional format and epistolary.
The biggest bummer is the three chapters from a proposed 2000+(!) page book about spiritualist mediums and child abuse that never got finished.
I didn't realize just how many of Matheson books have been adapted into big films. I knew I Am Legend and Hell House, but not Stir of Echoes, What Dreams May Come, or Trilogy of Terror. He's definitely on my radar now. Somehow I also didn't realize this was the fourth book in the series, preceded by Shock 1, 2, and 3, which I'm already in the process of acquiring.
Thankfully, the answer is no. Why on Earth this story was put first is beyond me. The last story is also a bit of nonscensical clunker, but sandwiched between those cheap pieces of chemical-packed .99cent white bread from Walmart that never expires are some of the finest meats I've ever encountered.
These are remarkably short and efficient stories that make their point quick. Some are only a few pages long. Even with that, the characters still feel sufficient for the story. His grip on how to write a short--what to keep and what to leave out--is nothing short of masterly. It's the kind of book a writer should go back to for reference.
There's also a wonderful amount of variety. Some horror, some sci-fi, even a western. Some are moral tales, some loosely impressionistic, some surreal, some straight-forward, sad endings, happy ones, first person and third, traditional format and epistolary.
The biggest bummer is the three chapters from a proposed 2000+(!) page book about spiritualist mediums and child abuse that never got finished.
I didn't realize just how many of Matheson books have been adapted into big films. I knew I Am Legend and Hell House, but not Stir of Echoes, What Dreams May Come, or Trilogy of Terror. He's definitely on my radar now. Somehow I also didn't realize this was the fourth book in the series, preceded by Shock 1, 2, and 3, which I'm already in the process of acquiring.
July 1, 2016
Few authors created tension in their fiction as well as Richard Matheson, be it science fiction, horror, or western. My favorite story in this uneven collection, "Dying Room Only," about a woman whose husband just disappears after going into the men's room of a seedy restaurant, is a perfect example. "The Conqueror," a western story about a city boy that challenges the fastest shot in town, is another taut tale. Of historical interest is "Come Fygures, Come Shadows," a 46-page fragment of a novel about ESP/mediums that Matheson never finished, though a hard-to-find 140 page version of it was published in 2003, thirty years after this collection.
August 29, 2010
A good set of stories. I really enjoyed A Drink of Water and Advance Notice, but Wet Straw reminded me of the days when I scoured the library for excellent ghost stories.
May 21, 2024
The first three stories in this collection are knockouts. Among them is Matheson's third story about a man who finds out he's a robot, which joins the other two from Shock II. Finger Prints is this collection's most subtly effective, about a man disturbed by the relationship between a sexually repressed woman and her verbose deaf colleague. Also included is one of Matheson's most famous stories, Prey, which was turned into a highly effective segment of Trilogy of Terror, but works even better as a short story. The violence is so palpable, my hands and feet hurt after reading it. Two stories, A Drink of Water and Dying Room Only, had such incredible setups - setups which really could have gone anywhere, and with Matheson should have gone anywhere - that I was disappointed when Matheson went the traditional route, ending one with a lame joke and the other with a TV movie wrap up. Dying Room Only reminded me of the du Maurier story Split Second. Its setup is vaguely similar. Comparing the two stories, you can see how du Maurier went for broke and Matheson wrote the magazine version.
September 18, 2023
Es curioso que esta colección de relatos pase de dos primeros recopilatorios increíbles a otros dos en los que, aunque se sigue presenciando la relevancia e influencia histórica de Matheson en diversos géneros, sí que parecen ser más "cajón desastre". Al punto de tener un "planteamiento de novela" en forma de relato largo conceptual, una historieta western o la historia que daría a pie a la "Trilogía del Terror" televisiva de Dean Curtis. Seguimos topandonos con buenas muestras de suspense literario, pero el SHOCK en esta última tanda es totalmente tibio.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews