Customer Reviews

Stir of Echoes

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is another terrific thriller from Richard Matheson. When the film version came out a few years ago, it was instantly dismissed as a rip-off of The Sixth Sense -- a difficult feat considering that the novel that was the source of the film was written over forty years prior. As a fan of the film (it is highly underrated and will definitely provide entertainment for fans of the genre), and of Richard Matheson's work, I felt I owed it to myself to check out the original: A Stir of Echoes (What, a definite article is good enough for The Sixth Sense, but not for Stir of Echoes? I'll never understand Hollywood).

When Tom Wallace is hypnotized at a party by his brother-in-law, he turns out to be a surprisingly good subject. Afterwards, he is told how malleable he was, and a good laugh is had at his expense when he unwittingly performs a post-hypnotic suggestion. But afterwards things aren't the same for Tom: he begins having dreams that a woman in black is in his house, and then realizes that he is able to read people's minds. This comes in handy on more than one occasion, but generally appears to be a nuisance, especially to Tom's wife, Anne, who wants him to see a doctor.

Given what I have read of Matheson, I wasn't surprised by the level of quality presented in the story. What did surprise me, however, was that A Stir of Echoes, although first published in 1958, is not at all dated; it could have just as easily been written today, Matheson's story and characters are so "modern" and timeless. This is particularly true given the modern atmosphere of being more accepting to the idea of spirits "crossing over" from another plane.

As the story progresses, the tension ratchets higher and higher. Matheson hardly lets up, steadily adding more complications to the plot until the surprise revelation. This is one of the reasons that I like Matheson's work so much: the knowledge that I am always in for a ride.

(Fans of the movie please note: the plot of A Stir of Echoes differs from the film in many details. The base story is, of course, the same, but the identities of the participants -- the alleged ghost, the alleged killer -- are different, which allows for a novel experience in reading a book you think you're already familiar with.)

Although not one of Matheson's best efforts, it nevertheless makes for a page turning, good read. Written nearly half a century ago, the book still has a contemporary feel to it. There are just a few issues which remind one how long ago it was written. Its central themes, however, are as fresh today, as when the book was first published.

The main character in the book is Tom Wallace, a working stiff with a house and family, who goes to a local gathering of friends and family. There he allows himself to be hypnotized by a relative who is an amateur hypnotist. A doubting Thomas, he agrees to undergo hypnosis in the belief that he would not be susceptible to it. Much to his chagrin and the amusement of others, he is, indeed, put under. Shortly after coming out of his trance, he finds that life, as he knew it, had irrevocably changed.

What he had thought was a cheap parlor trick, turned out to be the catalyst that changed his immediate reality. His existence began to be punctuated by visions, telepathic intrusions, psychic impressions, and other paranormal experiences. The effect that this has on him, his life, and those whom he loves is what gives the book its substance.

It is this altered reality, however, that makes his new life more meaningful than the one he had been leading prior to his being hypnotized. The book barrels on to a climactic ending, as events from the past intrude on the present, demanding a resolution. The realization that things or people are not always what they seem is brought home here with great impact.

Do yourself a favor, read the book and skip the movie. They bear little resemblance to one another.

While "Stir Of Echoes" is not as emotionally compelling as Matheson's classics "I Am Legend" or "What Dreams May Come," this is still one hell of a good read. It's a tribute to Matheson's skill as a writer that this novel is almost as fresh as the day it was written - there are only two or three items throughout the entire book that might give away the fact that it was penned over four decades ago. The "horror" in this novel will probably be as discomfitting as a hangnail for fans of the in-your-face "slice & dice" gore of a Clive Barker or a Robert McCammon. "Stir Of Echoes" doesn't rely on a steadily rising body count to draw you along - it keeps your interest by demonstrating just how fragile "normality" can be. Not just among your friends and neighbors, but also within your own family, within your own mind. The increasing sense of isolation in the main character, Tom Wallace, is what drives "Stir Of Echoes". This fast-paced novel is a very pleasant diversion for a Saturday afternoon at the beach or an evening at home.

Richard Matheson is apparently the writer who influenced Stephen King more than any other. The similarities in the carefully constructed worlds of each are obvious, every detail crafted to draw paralells with the daily life of each reader. Subsuqently the descent into nightmare is believable and chilling, and something ordinary can achieve a terrifying significance. Matheson is on top form here as ever, easing us gently into the lazy pace of suburban life. When the main character is hypnotised at a party, the slide begins. Awareness of things previously unseen and telepathic messages from people he's never met are only the beginning. Matheson's gift is to make the outlandish seem possible, if not probable. He makes no mistakes here. Chilling, entertaining, thoroughly enjoyable. Matheson is a giant of the genre.

It's no small wonder that Stephen King heaps praise upon Matheson and gives Matheson credit for influencing his works. Matheson, without a doubt, is one of our all-time greats, and I have yet to read a bad book or short story by him.

Surprisingly, I read this novel only after seeing the movie starring Kevin Bacon. Let me say what has pretty much become my life's motto: The book is much better than the film. Tom Wallace is your everyday good joe; he works hard, he supports his family, and he is quite happy to live out his life without much excitement. Thanks to some interesting parlor tricks at a party with some close friends, Wallace finds that he can hear people's most private thoughts, and this often thrusts him into some uncomfortable and dangerous situations. Matheson also lets us in on the conflicts arising with Wallace's family and within himself as he struggles to deal with his blessing/curse.

Don't pick this up expecting gruesome, chill-you-to-the-bone horror. This is much more subtle and focuses on the increasing isolation of a man who wants nothing more than to get back his old life. Although the movie twisted this into a thriller, Matheson actually wrote it (at least in my opinion) to be a touching, chilling, and psychological story. This one is a quick read at just over 200 pages, but it packs a punch. If you are new to Matheson, this is a good place to start; then grab HELL HOUSE for something a bit more twisted, bizarre, and creepy!

If you've seen the movie, forget it. While a good movie, "A Stir of Echoes" by Richard Matheson resembles it only tangentally. Character names are the same, but that's about it. In the book, the protagonist Tom is a white collar businessman, and the story itself unfolds completely differently: who is murdered, why, and by whom is different from the movie version of this book.

I had read the book first, and let me tell you, it's a remarkable read. The psychic abilities of the protagonist are written in a new and fresh perspective. As Tom navigates the mystery of the ghostly figure that is appearing and, apparently, begging him to solve her murder, the story that unfolds is challenging, thrilling, and certainly a fresh take on psychic mysteries.

If you liked "The Dead Zone," by Stephen King, or you've read Beth Amos' "Second Sight," you're in for a great ride with this book. Snap it up, and prepare stay awake at night...

'Nathan

Returning to his home in Hawthorne from working at the North American Aircraft plant in Inglewood, Tom Wallace sees the car of Philip, his brother-in-law a psych major at Berkley. That night Tom, his pregnant wife Anne and Phil go next door to attend a party. Phil offers to hypnotize any volunteers, but no one steps forward so he informs "brother man" that he is the chosen victim. Phil successfully hypnotizes Tom.

That night while unable to sleep, Tom begins hearing voices of people he knows and impressions in his dead culminated with a ghost in his living room. Suddenly, Tom's middle class American dream lifestyle seems meaningless as the hypnosis has aroused psychic abilities that he never knew he had. He hears the intimate most confidential thoughts of those around him and learns secrets that shake his existence, but worse is the visits from the murder victim demanding he help her find her killer.

This is a reprint of a 1950s thriller (and a one degree Bacon movie) that combines an amateur sleuth subplot within a fast-paced paranormal story line containing a ghostly element and psychic abilities. Tom is a terrific protagonist as readers observe the contrast between his lifestyle and his new ESP abilities. The support cast adds depth to Tom's travails as he tries to solve a homicide and regain his former existence without "hearing" the thoughts of others. Richard Matheson shows why he is one of the masters of the thriller genre as this "historical" piece ages nicely.

Harriet Klausner

After the disaster that was `Hunted Beyond Reason', 'Stir of Echoes' was like a breath of fresh air after being trapped in a concrete coffin fifteen miles under the ocean floor with horribly repetitive dialogue and meaningless metaphysical discussions that had nothing to do with the threadbare plot. As you can see, my simile broke down pretty quickly there, but it does express a little of how much better SoE is than Matheson's other creation.

Plain and simple, the plot concerns your ordinary everyman Tom Wallace, who mysteriously develops telepathic powers after being exposed to a friend's reckless attempts at hypnosis at a party. I found that more ludicrous than actually having psychic powers, but never mind. It's just the catalyst and a pretty good way of introducing the characters, and we don't get a whole bunch of burdening explanations for how hypnosis triggered Tom's latent psychic abilities.

Soon after, Tom finds that reading minds is no picnic; refreshingly, he has no illusions about the usefulness of his newfound power, since it's quickly clear that the quality of his social life and sleeping habits seem to be inversely proportional to the strength of his telepathy. He has visions of a strange woman in his living room that prevent him from sleeping, and catches glimpses of the private hells existing beneath the thin veneer of suburban civility he and his neighbours live in.

From beginning to end, Tom's powers are a curse, and the downward spiralling effect this has on the protagonist's sanity also has an inexorable pull on the pacing. The novel moves along smoothly and quickly, with none of the expositional traps most horror novels fall into when they try to explain the supernatural. The plot concerns itself only with Tom, the effects his powers are having on himself and the people around him, and the woman in his living room.

Matheson does a good job of rendering Tom's predicament as torturous rather than merely a nuisance, as well as using it to explore the inherently unknowable mystery that is human nature and what happens when the privacy of our minds is violated. Who knows what secrets our friends, family and neighbours may be hiding? It's clear Tom would be better off not knowing any of this, and the story is reminiscent of the Robert Frost poem about good fences making good neighbours.

I found the mystery part of the novel less intriguing than the sub-plots about Tom's acquaintances and what he discovers about them; the whole `mysterious night woman' visions seemed a little cliché and much less frightening than the personal tragedies and disturbing fantasies that must occupy any middle-class suburban neighbourhood. But above all it's a good read, and recommended for Matheson fans and people who just like a good supernatural thriller. It's not exactly a chunky bestseller, but it will keep you occupied until you blink and find yourself looking at the last page.

This book was my introduction to the Richard Matheson world, and i enjoyed every second. I decided to read it after i saw (and enjoyed) the movie. They should both be viewed as seperate items with little connention to each other. Anyways, this book is one of those rare reads that just makes you think about what is going on beneath the story and in a sense makes you a co-author molding details to how you interpret them. Not how you are forced to interpret them in some other books.

I also like this topic of hypnotism, a lot of what Matheson talks about and the ideas behind it are still considered fresh today even though the book was published in the 1950's. I guess i would give a reccomendation to anyone, but a stronger reccomendation to people who are sick of conventional paranormal books, or people who are intrested in entering the genre.

THREE-AND-A-HALF STARS

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a woman cursed with the gift of foretelling the future. Yes, the awkward verbiage is intentional, because despite possessing an ability that could turn heads of state, stock market traders and lovelorn suitors greener than a golf course with envy, Cassandra couldn't get anyone to believe her predictions. No matter how accurate, her insights were destined to be ignored, brushed off, scoffed at. One can imagine her mounting sense of alienation, terror and -- ultimately -- despair. That's the mood permeating the supernatural horror of Richard Matheson's A Stir of Echoes.

Tom Wallace knew his neighbor Elise's party would be dull. Everyone did. It was one of life's givens, a universal constant. So when his brother-in-law offered to entertain them all with a parlor trick, a little bit of hypnosis to liven up the evening, Tom figured what the heck, he was game. Under the power of suggestion, he let them run a lighter over his exposed legs and convince him he was twelve years old again. Everyone hooted and howled with laughter, as did Tom himself once he'd come to his senses. Only he isn't laughing now. He has begun to get snatches of -- of what? Visions? Hallucinations? Waking fever dreams? He doesn't know what to call them, but somehow he understands that Elise harbors lascivious designs on him, realizes the exact moment his wife gets knocked unconscious by a falling can of tomatoes, comprehends that his fireplace poker is charged with death itself. These sensations aren't fading with time. No, they're getting stronger.

You don't have to look hard to find Echoes' faults. Matheson's rough-hewn style means he comes across less as a wordsmith than a day laborer in language. Suburban California has changed so much since the book's original publication (1958) that it often feels hopelessly dated. The ending is about as easy to poke holes in as wet tissue paper. Yet Matheson so thoroughly nails Tom's creeping dread that it hardly matters. Here is a man with an ability he doesn't want and didn't ask for, an ability over which he has no conscious control, an ability that estranges him from his family and reveals his friends as rapacious monsters driven by blind need, and he has no way to stop it. A novel can succeed if it does one thing well. Echoes excels at stirring the gooseflesh on the back of your neck.