Shadow on the Sun (Evans Novel of the West) [Hardcover]

Richard Matheson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 1994 | Series: Evans Novel of the West

Young Indian agent Billjohn Finley has forged an uneasy truce between the U.S. Government and an Apache tribe. When two white men turn up dead, the angry townsfolk of Picture City think the Apache have broken the treaty--but Finley knows better. He is in for a shock when he discovers the real killer, however.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Richard Matheson:

''The author who influenced me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson.'' -- Stephen King

''Perhaps no other author living is as responsible for chilling a generation with tantalizing nightmare visions.'' --New York Times --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

Richard Matheson is the award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of such classics as I Am Legend, Hell House, The Incredible Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come, Earthbound, and others.  A Grand Master of Horror, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Life Achievement.  He lives in Calabasas, California.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: M.Evans & Company; 1st edition (September 2, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871317656
• ISBN-13: 978-0871317650
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,283,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Matheson was born in 1926. He began publishing SF with his short story 'Born of Man and Woman' in 1950. I Am Legend was published in 1954 and subsequently filmed as The Omega Man (in 1971), starring Charlton Heston, and I Am Legend (in 2007), starring Will Smith. Matheson wrote the script for the film The Incredible Shrinking Man, an adaptation of his second SF novel The Shrinking Man. The film won a Hugo award in 1958. He wrote many screenplays as well as episodes of The Twilight Zone. He continued to write short stories and novels, some of which formed the basis for film scripts, including Duel, directed by Steven Spielberg in 1971. A film of his novel What Dreams May Come was released in 1998, starring Robin Williams. Stephen King has cited Richard Matheson as a creative influence on his work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Took me by surprise...., April 9, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Sleepy Hollow, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow On The Sun (Paperback)

Unlike Richard Matheson's other novels of frontier fiction (Journal of the Gun Years, The Gunfight), Shadow on the Sun is a horror novel set in the Old West. The book begins with an Indian agent negotiating peace between Apaches and the U.S. Government, before introducing a supernatural creature out of Indian legend bent upon survival whatever the cost. As a result, I got two stories for the price of one. Like The Gunfight, the author first creates an atmosphere full of hope and future promise, then chapter by chapter, slowly lowers that future into a lake of quicksand. The contrast between the main characters--the Indian agent and the Washington D.C. bureaucrat--are excellently drawn, but it is the growth of the bureaucrat--from skeptical adversary to heroic friend--that is the heart of the novel. Despite the suspenseful build up, the climax of the story seemed rushed with an ending more fitting to a short story than a novel. Nevertheless, Richard Matheson delivers another entertaining novel.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised, July 26, 2007

By 

Russ (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow On The Sun (Paperback)

This is a short book, about 178 pages. Still, it is entertaining. Maybe more books should get to the point and not drag out with useless narrative and subplots.

This book surprised me. First, I've never really read a "Western" novel, let a lone a "Western / Mystery / Horror" novel. It was a good read, a page-turner, very entertaining. The story begins when the US Government has reached a treaty with the Apache Indians. Strange things begin to happen immediately afterwards. Two young men go missing and are later found murdered, while a stranger in town is wearing their clothes!

Not much else can be said without giving away the story. Take a day and read it!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much better than I was expecting...., March 31, 2005

By 

Michael Beveridge (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow on the Sun (Evans Novel of the West) (Hardcover)

This is a very short book, and I wasnt really expecting anything that will blow me away, but this book was much better than I thought it would be. The whole story line is just great.
The characters involved, and Indian fokelore just tie in soo well. I thought this was a great little read, but you have to give it about 20 pages to actually get into the 'real' story of the book. You wont believe what happens :)