Nightmare At 20,000 Feet: Horror Stories By Richard Matheson

Fine Creep-fest Collection....with no gore.These 20 works of horror by Richard Matheson kick off with an introduction by Stephen King who says, "Without Richard Matheson, I wouldn't be around." And a book dedication that reads "To Stephen King, with much admiration for taking the ball and running with it all the way."Aside from the iconic first story Nightmare at 20,000 Feet and last Prey, the remaining 18 were all new for me....oldest from 1951 and newest 1969, with the majority written in the 50's.My top four favorites:...The Distributor - reminiscent of Stephen King's NEEDFUL THINGS....Wet Straw - revenge at its most deadly best....hehehe. Well deserved payback....Long Distance Call - the creepiest chilling kind....Through Channels - when F E E D turns to F E D.Definitely recommend. Would make a great October pick, but nothing really frightening here.....for me.

I am a Matheson fan and first read this compilation of short stories when it first came out (it was published in 2002 and I probably read it about then). The stories themselves were written in the 1950s and 1960s, which is helpful to know so you realize just why some of the stories seem dated. Read them as period pieces, like I did, and you'll enjoy them more.I am usually not a huge fan of short stories but I tend to like those that are of the horror genre. In this book of short stories and novellas some stories are good and some are great. I liked them all, some more than others.My favorites:1. First of all, the introduction by Stephen King. Matheson is a favorite of King's and he considers him to be a father figure. High praise indeed from another master of the horror genre.2. NIGHTMARE AT 20,000 FEET - I think of this story each and every time I fly (first published in 1962).3. SLAUGHTER HOUSE - haunted house, anyone? (first published in 1953)4. DANCE OF THE DEAD - probably my favorite story in the book - come along and dance the loopy dance (first published in 1954)5. THE CHILDREN OF NOAH - watch out for small towns (first published in 1957)6. THE DISTRIBUTOR - evil, nasty man (first published in 1958)7. And, of course, PREY - a gift that takes on a life of its own (first published in 1969)Matheson was truly a master at the horror genre of writing. His works will still be read for as long as there are books - and horror fans.

I love this guy's style of writing, he's responsible for some of the classic sci-fi and horror of our times. These short stories don't disappoint - especially the title one, which has been done in two different versions on TV for the Twilight Zone (I think, they did a version in the movie too). I'd already read I am Legend and The Shrinking Man so I knew what to expect. There's a wry, dark humor to his stuff. Worth a read!

"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" offers a generous collection of twenty spooky stories, led by the title story. "Nightmare" will be familiar to any fans of the original "Twilight Zone," and I struggled to not picture William Shatner as the protagonist. Other stories include: "Disappearing Act," about a man who gets his wish for a simplified life and does not like it one bit; "Mad House" and "Legion of Plotters," depicting mental illness; "Long Distance Call," another story that was adapted for a chilling "Twilight Zone" episode, about an aged woman receiving phone calls from an unexpected place; "Slaughter House" presents two brothers being driven to distraction by strange happenings; and "Prey," the Zuni fetish-doll story that was so memorable in "Night Gallery."

Richard Matheson is a skilled writer who knows how to ratchet up the tension without going "over the top" or devolving into needless gory detail. The stories in this collection, for the most part, are more psychological thriller than "horror stories" in the usual sense. Most of them were written in the 1950s, and they evoke the feeling of the horror comics of that era, which drew such ire from Fredric Wertham and others.Matheson has a knack for creating truly creepy characters, and letting you see the dark recesses of the human mind. His message, often, is that anyone - the man next door, the shy girl in your English class, or even your wife - may be a monster.As with any collection, the stories are uneven in quality. "Mad House" is THE best depiction of someone going insane that I've ever read, and several other stories create vivid images that will make you want to keep the light on if you read them shortly before retiring to bed. Others, unfortunately - "Holiday Man" for example - seem contrived and almost pointless. And Matheson is a bit too fond of closing with a flat, matter-of-fact sentence that is supposed to make the preceding horror all the more terrifying, but usually doesn't.So, overall, I'll have to give this collection a high 4, more like a 4.5 ... but not quite a full five stars.

Overall , these stories represent some of Matheson ' s better as well as some of his more boring and in many ways his most disjointed tales . Some stories were used not in 'The Twilight Zone ' television series but one , even ,was used in ' The Outer Limits ' . In my opinion, Charles Beaumont 's stories are much better . Too bad Beaumont ' s life was cut so short .

I like to read short stories once in a while to give myself a break from monotony. Since I have loved the novels that Richard Matheson has wrote, it seemed only natural that his short stories would be as good. Unfortunately, they weren't. They were interesting and sometimes held a twist ending, but after a few stories it started to become obvious what would happen and they lost their appeal. A few were not good at all. I think this would be a good book for tweens or teens, but as an adult reader they left me a bit flat. In the future I will stick to his full length novels.

Most (but not all) stories in this collection all very good and make for enjoyable reads. However, I am often left somewhat unsatisfied with the endings and the way Richard Matheson wraps up the tales. Other than that, many of these stories are extremely enjoyable. My personal favourites being:Nightmare at 20,000 feetBlood sonDisappearing actLong distance callWet strawThe children of NoahThe distributorCricketsPreyI would recommend this book to all horror and thriller fans.

Good service and good product

Such a loss to the writing community. This book exemplifies the amazing wordsmith that was Richard Matheson. A true genius at work.

One of the true great writers in the genre. This collection of stories is a must have for any fan.

It's a collection of short stories. Some are long. Some are flash-fiction-y. I've read about half the stories and gave the book 5 stars just for those stories I read.