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Scars and Other Distinguishing Marks
(1987)(Scars)
A collection of stories by Richard Matheson and Richard Christian Matheson
Publisher's Weekly
Matheson's first book (he is the son of the well-known fantasy writer Richard Matheson) contains 27 fantasy and horror stories, nine of which are original to the collection. The brevity of the tales is their chief virtue; the punchy narrative form displays the author's wit and an almost poetic compression. But Matheson's flawsa sloppiness and laziness evinced in a lack of credibility and a tendency to the clichemilitate against the needs of the genre. Among the stories that do work well are ''Timed Exposures,'' a tale of two strangers linking up at a party, with a genuinely disturbing denouement; ''Graduation,'' about a homicidal college student; ''Where There's a Will,'' in which a man wakes to find himself buried alive, with a true horror comic-book windup; and ''Goosebumps,'' a gruesome idea nicely realized. Harry O. Morris has created photo-montage illustrations, and Stephen King and Dennis Etchison have provided introductions. (August 25)
Library Journal
From the dangers of jogging (''Third Wind'') to the risks of the road (''Dead End''), this collection of 27 tales of the macabre, including 10 original publications, illustrates the author's talent for short, horrific fantasy. Recommended for large libraries. JC
Genre: Horror
Matheson's first book (he is the son of the well-known fantasy writer Richard Matheson) contains 27 fantasy and horror stories, nine of which are original to the collection. The brevity of the tales is their chief virtue; the punchy narrative form displays the author's wit and an almost poetic compression. But Matheson's flawsa sloppiness and laziness evinced in a lack of credibility and a tendency to the clichemilitate against the needs of the genre. Among the stories that do work well are ''Timed Exposures,'' a tale of two strangers linking up at a party, with a genuinely disturbing denouement; ''Graduation,'' about a homicidal college student; ''Where There's a Will,'' in which a man wakes to find himself buried alive, with a true horror comic-book windup; and ''Goosebumps,'' a gruesome idea nicely realized. Harry O. Morris has created photo-montage illustrations, and Stephen King and Dennis Etchison have provided introductions. (August 25)
Library Journal
From the dangers of jogging (''Third Wind'') to the risks of the road (''Dead End''), this collection of 27 tales of the macabre, including 10 original publications, illustrates the author's talent for short, horrific fantasy. Recommended for large libraries. JC
Genre: Horror
Praise for this book
"The central images of these stories are so powerful and resonant that they linger after structure and specific language have been forgotten. Red seems to me to be a masterwork. Vampire is a tour de force of breathtaking virtuosity." - Dennis Etchison
"A typical Matheson story is like something shot out of a staple gun - short, tightly-wrapped, and abrupt...Matheson is remarkable." - Stephen King
"A typical Matheson story is like something shot out of a staple gun - short, tightly-wrapped, and abrupt...Matheson is remarkable." - Stephen King
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