The Best of Richard Matheson

By: Richard Matheson, Victor LaValle - editor/introduction

Narrated by: Donald Corren, Peter Berkrot, Richard Powers, Hillary Huber, Traber Burns, Scott Brick, Devon Sorvari, Kevin Kenerly

Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

Among the greats of 20th-century horror and fantasy, few names stand above Richard Matheson. Though known by many for novels like I Am Legend and his 16 Twilight Zone episodes, Matheson truly shines in his chilling, masterful short stories. Since his first story appeared in 1950, virtually every major writer of science fiction and fantasy has fallen under his influence, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, and Joe Hill, as well as filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg and J. J. Abrams.

Matheson revolutionized horror by taking it out of Gothic castles and strange cosmos and into the darkened streets and suburbs we recognize as our own. He infused tales of the fantastic and supernormal with dark explorations of human nature, delving deep into the universal dread of feeling alone and threatened in a dangerous world. The Best of Richard Matheson brings together his greatest hits as chosen by Victor LaValle, an expert on horror fiction and one of its brightest talents, marking the first major overview of Matheson's legendary career.

Narrated by Robertson Dean, Donald Corren, Peter Berkrot, Paul Michael Garcia, Hillary Huber, Traber Burns, Scott Brick, Devon Sorvari, and Kevin Kenerly.

©2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Save your credit

Most of the stories featured are available for free; however, there are small changes made. The first few stories fell flat both in story and performance.

Solid.

Like twilight zone? You'll probably dig this then. A bit sporadic in consistency but all solid.

Victor LaValle Introduction is NOT included

I was excited for this collection, as I've only read Matheson's novels and have always enjoyed his work. Unfortunately the introduction by Victor LaValle which is part of the reason I purchased this collection is not included even though it's listed in the book information on Audible.

There are several narrators here, which is a nice way to break up the stories. They are all very traditional style audiobook narrators, which isn't always my preference, but they fit Matheson's work nicely.

Hallelujah! Got What I Paid For

The audiobook does not contain the long sermon that serves as an "introduction" to the print and ebook versions. This is Matheson with his mystery, his humor and his epoch. No social-progress speeches unrelated to the wonderful content from a 20th century master of thrillers. No redemption needed. Fun for everyone. Isn't that what we want?

Equal Parts Horror and Weird Fiction

I had never heard of Richard Matheson before purchasing this audio book. The synopsis sounded interesting, and I felt adventurous so I downloaded it one weekend. The first story in this collection had me hooked, because of its unique perspective and empathetic portrayal. Overall, the whole collection is brilliantly written and narrated.

Wonderful

Absolutely terrific ! I had no idea. This is a great collection of stories; highly entertaining

Very good anthology

Anthologies are always hit and miss affairs. The best you can hope for is more hits than misses. By this measure, The Best of Richard Matheson is a success. This collection is a strong reminder of how influential Matheson was. He is also, bleak, original, and at times surprisingly funny.

A master in his element

After listening to this audiobook I had a profound realization...
Richard Matheson is the father of modern science fiction .

Rich and thrilling storytelling

Great stories from Richard Matheson. The complete list (I think) is below:

Born of Man and Woman
Prey
Witch War
Shipshape Home
Blood Son
Where There's a Will
Dying Room Only
Counterfeit Bills
Death Ship
Dance of the Dead
Man with a Club
Button, Button
Duel
Day of Reckoning
The Prisoner
Dress of White Silk
Haircut
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
The Funeral
Third From the Sun
The Last Day
Long Distance Call
Deus ex Machina
One for the Books
Now Die in It
The Conqueror
The Holiday Man
No Such Thing as a Vampire
Big Surprise
A Visit to Santa Claus
Finger Prints
Mute
Shock Wave

If you're unfamiliar with Matheson, think "Man on the Wing of the Airplane", "The Box", and "I am Legend";. His stories are often macabre and imaginative, but not always scary. This is much more "Twilight Zone" (for which he was a repeated writer) than "Tales from the Darkside". After reading a bit of Hell House, I wasn't a big fan of Matheson. After such a large sampling of his short stories, my opinion has changed. At his best (The Last Day, Duel) Matheson describes humanity at the brink...at the edge of its survival, its sanity, or its ability to endure.

If you like strange tales with a dark flavor, try this selection out.

When Matheson is good, he's very good....

But when he's bad...he's still pretty damn good. Super-fun collection by a true, if slightly demented, storyteller.