The Box: Uncanny Stories
Ratings2
Average rating2.5
15
Ratings2
Average rating2.5
What if you were told that you could make a fortune just by pushing a button on a box? But pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world . . . someone you don't know. Would you still push the button? "Button, Button," Richard Matheson's chilling tale of greed and temptation, is now the basis of The Box, the new film from the director of Donnie Darko. In addition, this outstanding collection also contains many other unforgettable stories by Matheson, the award-winning author of I Am Legend and What Dreams May Come. "The inventive plots and spare but convincing portraits of ordinary men and women caught up in forces beyond their control demonstrate why Stephen King has called Matheson his most significant influence." --Publishers Weekly
Reviews with the most likes.
BLUF: Short stories aren't my thing, but I enjoyed the twisted humor.
Button, Button: Short and sweet instant karma. I would be happy with a full-length novel on this concept. 3 Stars. (Plot: Couple gets a button that, if pushed, would award them a large amount of money in exchange for the death of somebody they do not know.)
The Girl Of My Dreams: Good concept, but only an okay story. I would like a full-length novel based on the woman in this story. 3 Stars. (Plot: About a woman who sees the deaths of others in her dreams and a boyfriend who uses this information maliciously.)
Dying Room Only: It's interesting as you know something is going on, but the end is rather uneventful. 1 Star. (Plot: A woman's husband disappears at a pit stop. Hysterics ensue.)
A Flourish of Strumpets: Cute, but not very entertaining. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a door-to-door escort type service. Not really sure the proper term lol.)
No Such Thing as a Vampire: Ehh. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a woman who is visited by a vampire during the night.)
Pattern for Survival: Um... okay? 2 Stars. (Plot: Follows a day in the life of the main character.)
Mute: This is one of the longer stories, but very interesting. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a boy whose parents die and who was never taught how to speak.)
The Creeping Terror: Cute, but long winded. 2 Stars. (Plot: About the plague of Los Angeles.)
Shock Wave: I don't understand the significance of this story. 1 Star. ((Plot: About a church organ that is about to be replaced and the man who has been playing her since the beginning.)
Clothes Make the Man: The story made me LOL. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a man who could not function without his suit.)
The Jazz Machine: The whole poem/jazz writing was hard for me to read. 2 Stars. (Plot: About a bluesman who was approached by another who claimed to understand his song.)
'Tis the Season to Be Jelly: WTF. Another one that was hard for me to read. (Plot: About hillbillies with missing parts.)
A selection of short stories that never quite become the horror/thriller that I want from one of my favourite authors. While it's obviously an influence for Stephen King's twisted tales it lacks the disturbing depth I expected.
Some stories are lazy and pointless whereas others nearly get there then pull back at the last moment. I'm surprised the tale that gave this compilation it's title was made into a film. I found it fairly generic and boring.
“Mute” has the best storyline, more Sci-Fi in style whereas “The Dying Room” could have been a great horror but let itself down at the end. I quite enjoyed the weirdness of “‘Tis the Season to be Jelly” but maybe I was just relieved to be at the end of the book?
“A Flourish of Strumpets” was awful and pointless - you've not just let yourself down, you let the whole class down Mr Matheson - and the rest of the stuff was so-so. All-in-all a rather forgetful, uninspiring bunch of stories.
