He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson [Hardcover]

Christopher Conlon (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2009

A TRIBUTE TO ACCLAIMED AUTHOR RICHARD MATHESON, THESE ARE ORIGINAL STORIES BASED ON PLOTS AND CHARACTERS OF RICHARD MATHESON. THE BOOK CONTAINS THE FIRST COLLABORATION BETWEEN FATHER AND SON STEPHEN KING AND JOE HILL ENTITLED "THROTTLE" AND BASED ON MATHESON'S "DUEL."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Poet and author Conlon (Midnight on Mourn Street) includes 16 original stories, each inspired by a different Richard Matheson work, in this heartfelt tribute to the "legendary" author. The quality is variable, ranging from the modest competence of Mick Garris's "I Am Legend Too" to Gary A. Braunbeck's pleasingly vindictive "Everything of Beauty Taken from You in This Life Remains Forever." Some stories, like Nancy Collins's "Return to Hell House", are mere retellings, while others, like the superlative "Throttle" (the first collaboration between Stephen King and his son, Joe Hill), are distinctive works in their own right. Conlon also includes the complete script for Matheson and Charles Beaumont's screen adaptation of Fritz Leiber's novel "Conjure Wife," which unfortunately replaces the protagonist's cunning final ploy with a Hollywood-style resolution. This anthology is aimed at Matheson aficionados, but the strength and quality of the stories will attract a wider audience.
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From Booklist

Stalwart speculative-fiction fans recognize Richard Matheson as the mastermind behind numerous sf and horror films and TV shows, including the recent Will Smith vehicle based on Matheson’s novel I Am Legend (1954). This homage consisting of stories by admiring colleagues is one of two new books celebrating Matheson (see The Twilight and Other Zones, reviewed on p.17). Stephen King and his son Joe Hill open the volume with a take on the Matheson story Steven Spielberg filmed as Duel; this time, instead of terrorizing average citizens, the faceless semi driver’s victims belong to a gritty motorcycle gang. John Shirley revises the destination of the time-traveling protagonist of Matheson’s Somewhere in Time (1975), dropping him in on the OK Corral to prevent a present-day suicide. Other contributions, including one by Matheson’s son Richard Christian, vary or follow up on some of the master’s other best-known works. Constituting a nice bonus is Matheson’s own, previously unpublished screenplay for Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife (1953), which quite surpasses that of the 1962 movie. --Carl Hays

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 525 pages
• Publisher: Gauntlet Press; 1 edition (February 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887368108
• ISBN-13: 978-1887368100
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,456,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Arnzen (http://gorelets.com) is an award-winning author of horror and dark suspense fiction, a poet, and an English professor. His trophy case includes four Bram Stoker Awards and an International Horror Guild Award for his often funny, always disturbing stories. The best of these appear in the Bram Stoker Award-winning career-length retrospective, Proverbs for Monsters, which Dread Central called "a guided tour of insanity and the macabre, with a few moments of touching grace combined with repulsive terror...[which] serves to document the evolution of a great writer."

Arnzen holds a PhD in English from the University of Oregon (where he researched his non-fiction book, The Popular Uncanny) and he is presently a Professor at Seton Hill University, where he teaches horror and suspense fiction in the country's only graduate program in Writing Popular Fiction (http://fiction.setonhill.edu).

Arnzen resides near Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife of many years, Renate, and a brood of deranged cats.

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"In a little over a decade, Michael A. Arnzen has achieved what few writers manage in a lifetime. He has become the master of a brand of literature that is uniquely his own, and I do not doubt that his approach to horror will soon (if it has not already) be referred to as 'Arnzenian.' When you begin an Arnzen story, you embark on a journey where the old maps do not apply. Soon you find yourself deep in new territory, barreling through landscapes more fascinating and twisted than any previously encountered. Be assured, you will be amazed, startled, amused, and creeped out along the way, but whatever the road has in store, you will not be able to stop reading until the story ends. Horrifying, captivating, ironic -- Arnzenian! -- the works of Michael A. Arnzen are in a class all their own. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!" -- Lawrence C. Connolly, author of Veins

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of the King-Hill Collaboration, March 18, 2009

By 

Andrew Shaffer "Author, Blogger" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson (Hardcover)

Make no mistake: the Stephen King and Joe Hill tale "Throttle" is the main attraction here. How does the father-and-son literary duo fare in their first collaboration? Pretty good, especially considering that their mission was to craft an homage to Matheson's original tale "Duel" (also included). The father and son in "Throttle" don't have the best relationship, which could be a sly wink to readers expecting a tender family story.

"Throttle" and the original Matheson tale "Duel" are entertaining for entirely different reasons. While the two stories share a similar premise (a faceless truck driver with road rage), they are very different. Matheson's story is all about escalating tension; the King/Hill collaboration begins at full throttle and never lets up. "Duel" is subtle; "Throttle" is visceral.

If you're a King fan but don't want to spend $60 for this limited edition anthology, the Road Rage audiobook is an economical alternative. I would expect it to be collected in a future King or Hill collection, though, so it's not a necessary purchase for most King fans. The film option has already been picked up, so it could see a mass market paperback release when (if?) the movie is released.

But if you do spring the $60 for this anthology, you'll be pleasantly surprised--Richard Matheson IS a legend, and it's fun to watch current authors try to match wits with the master.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Stick to the real deal..., March 21, 2009

By 

Joseph Madden - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson (Hardcover)

Anybody interested in the stories of Richard Matheson should stick to his work and not this hodgepodge of rather ordinary sequel and prequels of his own vastly superior work. The only real selling point for this anthology is the unreleased script for "Conjure Wife" written in collaboration with Charles Beaumont. Do yourself a favor, and order some original Matheson work from Amazon. You'll be glad you did.