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The Most Consistent Level of Quality Across a Matheson Anthology Collection May 28, 2008 (8 of 8 found this helpful)
Richard Matheson has certainly written some of the most classic and well known masterpieces throughout his career, many of which are short stories. Usually with a Matheson anthology the title story is superb (such as with Duel: Terror Stories By Richard Matheson) and the rest are just fillers and to be honest are very average stories. Those coming across Button, Button Uncanny Stories will be pleased to know that the majority are of not only readable but fairly high quality. The only thing though this collection lacks is a masterpiece, there's nothing of the quality of Duel, or The Shrinking Man, I Am Legend or Nightmare At 20,000 Feet in this collection.
All short stories within, with the exception of Button, Button, (this anthology's title story) were all originally published in the 1950s or early 1960s. Button, Button is no new work either it first appeared in 1970. Trying to track down a lot of these Matheson gems today would be pretty difficult and expensive so it's good to see publishers republishing old work together for the first time in new anthologies.
So what are the stories about?
Button, Button - is more of a philosophical question than a story as other than the characters coping with the dilemma of being asked if they would push the button on a device delivered to their home which will give them $50 000 at the expense of someone they don't know being killed every time they push it. There is really not much substance to this story, it is actually one of the weaker stories of this collection simply because other than the what would you do aspect, nothing much happens after that.
Girl of My Dreams - has a woman who can see the future deaths of people. A loser guy sees her as his ticket to wealth and hot women by blackmailing those close to those she sees to hand over cash in exchange for the information so they can protect the ones they love.
Dying Room Only - is an interesting little tale. A married couple stop in an isolated town's service station to get something to eat. Both use the bathrooms as their food is cooking but the husband never comes out. What happened to him? You'll need to read and find out.
A Flourish of Strumpets - does show its age a bit but remembering when it was written (1956) and picturing that time period as the setting makes it brilliant. A conservative husband and wife answer the door to a prostitute who is bringing herself to her customers rather than wait on street corners and is after business. Appalled this couple ring the police who aren't that helpful. The husband soon learns his neighbours aren't as appalled by the daily visits of a different woman each day as he and his wife are.
No Such Thing as a Vampire - is certainly no I am Legend quality wise but still a worthwhile read. A women awakens to find puncture marks on her neck. No matter what vampire remedies and precautions are taken she is still bitten every night. Servants leave, the town fears they will be next when the vampire has finished with her. The husband is an unbeliever in vampires, there is no such thing as vampires surely!
Pattern for Survival - I reread this three and half page story twice and still have no idea what the point of it is. A popular writer gets another story published in a magazine, that's it.
Mute - Fire destroys an isolated house. A boy is later found to have in the woods having escaped. Remarkably he cannot speak. How did he escape the fire and why can he not speak? One of the few average reads in this anthology.
Creeping Terror - LA is alive! Citrus trees start growing where they shouldn't be, people dress for and start heading to the beach on foot in places where there is no beach. This story of LA expanding and taking over the world is written in the style of a paper written for assessment in a university class complete with footnotes. Easily ot
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An Excellent Offering of Matheson Stories May 19, 2008 (5 of 5 found this helpful)
Though not as strong a collection as either of the previous two volumes published by Tor, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and "Duel", "Button, Button" is a slim volume that offers quality throughout and, in some places, true greatness. Matheson experiments stylistically more in this collection than in the other two. The best stories are those that he does not attempt to experiment with, or, in other words, those keeping with Matheson's trademarked style of cinematic minimalism applied to a dark fantasy story, or suspense story, constructed in the realist manner.
The title story is certainly one of the finer offerings in the collection. It is written almost as a parable, or a fable, with the lines of distinctions marking not the characters but the action and the consequences of those actions. "Girl of My Dreams" and "Dying Room Only" are crime/suspense stories, the former containing fantasy elements, that are driven by action and dialogue to a rational conclusion. "Girl of My Dreams" concern a battle between the mental and the physical and shows how fear and uncertainty can easily usurp the power of physical strength.
"A Flourish of Strumpets" is a darkly humorous story that is pervaded by an invasive atmosphere that underlies the funny moments in the story, including the twist ending, with a vision of human frailty. "No Such Thing As a Vampire" is a story dealing not only of vampires (of the real variety) but with revenge, myth, belief, and the conductive power of these intertwined. "Pattern for Survival" is a short piece with a surprisingly unexpected cohesiveness. "Mute" is a darkly brooding commentary on the frailty of genius, the corruptible innocence of a child, and the undeserving punishment inflicted upon the weak and helpless by those stronger yet mentally and emotionally inferior.
"The Creeping Terror" is a long, boring, experimental piece that aims to be satirical and comes off as pointless, dated, and unoriginal. "Shock Wave," however, is original, suspenseful, and a jolt to the senses. "Clothes Make the Man" is a story that plays solely off its twist ending but since the story is short and the twist a satisfying one, it is pulled off exceptionally. "The Jazz Machine" is an atypical prose poem that is actually quite a good story if the style doesn't weigh you down too much. "Tis the Season to Be Jelly" is a baffling stylistic piece of bizarre fantasy, and not very satisfying.
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superb anthology Apr 2, 2008 (2 of 2 found this helpful)
The twelve stories that make up this collection were mostly written in the 1950s and 1960s (the newest is 1970) but continue to be timely as they showcase a strong suspense horror author who remains renowned for his Twilight Zone twists affirmed by this anthology. The title story is a terrific tale of ethics vs. greed as a married couple possesses a device in which each time they press a button they receive $50,000, but a stranger dies. "Girl of My Dreams" stars a rat who abuses his naive girlfriend's psychic gift to make money; greed is one of the deadly sins in the Matheson world while the loss of innocence ("Mute") is even deadlier. "No Such Thing as a Vampire" feels very Twilight Zone like. This superb anthology is top rate as the short stories are filled with everyday people with moral choices between avarice and ethics involved in scenarios beyond their normal existence; any moment Rod Serling will inform the audience they entered a world filled with imagination and much more.
Harriet Klausner
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THE BOX: UNCANNY STORIES BY RICHARD MATHESON Nov 18, 2009
Having never read any of the writings of the classic horror great Richard Matheson, I was delighted to discover the relatively new release of The Box: Uncanny Stories to tie in with the movie adaptation of the short story "Button, Button." The collection unsurprisingly kicks off with the aforementioned story offering an average American married couple the opportunity to win a large sum of money if they push this one button. The catch is that whoever presses the button will know that someone will die, though it will be someone they don't care about. I'm not sure how they've made a feature length movie out of this, but the story nevertheless forces one to question one's moral compass to see if it's pointing in the right direction. At the end there's a wonderful twist that is a signature of most of the stories in this collection. This story was also adapted as an episode for The Twilight Zone, as was another story in the collection, "Mute."
The stories are not just entertaining, but force one to think about their own lives and how they live them day to day; what choices would they make? "Girl of my Dreams" is the story of a woman who has the ability to see when people will die and the man who uses her to blackmail them for exorbitant amounts of money. "Dying Room Only": a couple who stop at a gas station, but when the husband goes into the bathroom and never comes out, things take a turn for the worse. One of the most interesting stories in the collection is "Creeping Terror," all about Los Angeles being a living city that begins to send its roots into cities throughout the country, causing citrus and palm trees to grow in places where it isn't possible, as people begin getting fast cars, dressing like Hollywood stars, and tanning.
Whether you're looking for some great works by Matheson, looking for a new writer, or have a penchant for short story collections; you will thoroughly enjoy The Box: Uncanny Stories. And the thing I always like about short story collections is if you don't like the story you're reading, then just skip to the next one!
For more reviews, check out the BookBanter site: [...]
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What would you do if...? Nov 6, 2009
`Title': A brief synopsis. [Review.] (Star Rating)
`Button, Button': A couple receives a strange box. If they push the button, someone they do not know will die--and they will get a large sum of money. [A good psychological concept, this story does not go beyond a basic set up to really challenge the characters or readers. The ending is a question that leads to more questions...not about our thoughts, but about what the author does not tell us about the characters.] (2)
`Girl of My Dreams': Carrie sees things in her dreams. Greg uses this knowledge to his advantage. [The ending is perfect, but getting there is slightly awkward.] (4)
`Dying Room Only': A couple stops at a café, where the husband disappears. [The story works by making us question what is going on. But it fails because it feels more like the end of a story. What led the couple into this situation?] (3)
`A Flourish of Strumpets': What would you do if an escort service advertised by coming to your door and handing out calling cards? [The story ends in the middle of everything--leaving us to presume whatever we please.] (2)
`No Such Thing as a Vampire': A woman is weak from blood loss. The superstitious community suspects vampires--since there are the tell-tale puncture wounds on her neck. [This story introduces an important character way too late and rushes to a good, but forced conclusion.] (3)
`Pattern of Survival': A man finishes writing a story and mails it to be published. [I found no point to this story. I cannot say anything else because I do not want to give anything away--after all, someone else might enjoy it.] (1)
`Mute': The sheriff and his wife take care of a boy who lost his parents in a fire. They and a local teacher are distraught by the fact that he cannot speak. [`Mute' misses a perfect score because it fails to provide solid transitions between the past and present. The ending works, but the climax feels contrived.] (4)
`The Creeping Terror': Presented as a student thesis, the story tells how one city becomes very powerful. [This story is still relevant today, even though it is inconclusive. `The Creeping Terror' loses a point because the ending contradicts (at least seemingly) something stated in a previous paragraph.] (4)
`Shock Wave': An old church organ seems to come alive--at least to its player. [There is a point to this story, and what really happens is explained...but most people will miss it.] (1)
`Clothes Make the Man': People always judge each other by what they wear. Some people think what they wear defines them. [This story provides an interesting twist to this old saying. Unfortunately, the ending provides more confusion than necessary...it actually feels like the middle of a story. What led to this? What happened next?] (4)
`The Jazz Machine': What would we do if someone had a machine that could interpret what we play on an instrument? [This is the creepiest story in the collection. It makes a point that should hit home for everyone. The only flaw is that it is unnecessarily written in poetic form. I will let that pass.] (5)
`Tis the Season to Be Jelly': A family has dinner while discussing the son's plan to get married. [The imagery is great; I could see this being a graphic novel. But I am not sure what the story is really about. I imagine this tale taking place after a nuclear blast...people are decaying, but still determined to reestablish a way of life. At the same time, I saw it taking place just before amoebas evolved into the next step of evolution.] (2)
OVERALL RATING: (3) Recommended for ages 13 and up. This book contains mature themes, disturbing imagery, and suggestive content that might offend even adult readers.