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jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't read that much Richard Matheson, just one short story collection containing I am Legend, but I enjoyed it immensely. I don't remember where I came across this collection, but when I saw the combination of Richard Matheson, Joe Hill, and Stephen King, I added it to my wishlist. Like any anthology, this was a mixed bag, but pretty strong overall.
"Throttle" by Joe Hill and Stephen King--I found this, not surprisingly, to be the strongest story in the collection. It was an edge-of-your-seat tale of a rogue trucker vs. a motorcycle gang with a nice twist at the end. 4.5 stars
"Recalled" by F. Paul Wilson--This is a sequel to Matheson's story, "The Distributor," which I haven't read. I didn't have any trouble following it or enjoying it. I imagine readers of the source material will find it very satisfying. 4 stars
“I Am Legend, Too” by Mick Garris—This one’s a prequel, set just as the outbreak begins. The author imagines what Neville’s envious neighbor’s last day was like. 3 stars
“Two Shots from Fly’s Photo Gallery” by John Shirley—Loosely based on “Somewhere in Time,” this story is about a man time traveling back to the shootout at the OK Corral in an effort to save his wife in the present day, with results that are somewhat predictable. The actual ending was a surprise to me though. 3 stars
“The Diary of Louise Carey” by Thomas F. Monteleone—Told from the point of view of the wife of The Shrinking Man, this entry was kind of creepy and disturbing. 3 stars
“She Screech Like Me” by Michael A. Arnzen—This story was a sequel to “Born of Man and Woman,” which I haven’t read. I liked it but I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I had known the back story. 3 stars, probably just because of my ignorance.
“Everything of Beauty Taken from You in This Life Remains Forever” by Gary A. Braunbeck—I liked this follow-up to “Button, Button.” There’s a transition toward the end that felt a bit awkward but it led to a satisfying twist. 3.5 stars
“The Case of Peggy Ann Lister” by John Maclay—Someone is Bleeding is updated in this sequel. While femme fatale crime fiction isn’t really my thing, this story was well-written. 4 stars
“Zachry Revisited” by William F. Nolan—I haven’t read “The Children of Noah,” the story that precedes this one, but I didn’t feel I needed to. It was horrifying in a very Greek tragedy kind of way. 4 stars
“Comeback” by Ed Gorman—Inspired by “The Finishing Touches,” this tale of a modern rocker and the friends he left behind in order to jump start his career is a bit disturbing because it’s utterly believable. 4 stars
“An Island unto Himself” by Barry Hoffman is described as “A Variation on ‘Disappearing Act.’” It started off strong and then fizzled out at the end for me. I was left feeling like I’d missed something. 3 stars
“Venturi” by Richard Christian Matheson—Matheson’s son wrote this story, inspired by “Legion of Plotters.” I kind of wanted more context but that honestly would have ruined the effect. It was a great story that made me feel like I was losing my mind right along with the main character. 4 stars
“Quarry” by Joe R. Lansdale—I have read “Prey,” the story on which this one is based. It freaked me right out. This one did too. 4.5 stars
“Return to Hell House” by Nancy A. Collins--Hell House, I think, would be a bit intense for me. I like to read horror but I have to choose carefully. I can’t read about demons at all. Horror movies are almost all a bad idea. I’ll be up all night, terrified. “Return to Hell House” is a prequel that fans of graphic haunted house movies will probably enjoy. It was not my cup of tea and it was by far the longest story of the group. 2 stars
“Cloud Rider” by Whitley Strieber is based more on Matheson’s collected body of work than on any particular piece. A regular guy finds himself battling unimaginable forces of greed and nature. I loved it. 4.5 stars
I do recommend this anthology for anyone who’s a fan of Matheson’s work. You might not like every story, but you’ll probably find several you do enjoy. I plan to read more works by some of these authors who are new to me as well.
"Throttle" by Joe Hill and Stephen King--I found this, not surprisingly, to be the strongest story in the collection. It was an edge-of-your-seat tale of a rogue trucker vs. a motorcycle gang with a nice twist at the end. 4.5 stars
"Recalled" by F. Paul Wilson--This is a sequel to Matheson's story, "The Distributor," which I haven't read. I didn't have any trouble following it or enjoying it. I imagine readers of the source material will find it very satisfying. 4 stars
“I Am Legend, Too” by Mick Garris—This one’s a prequel, set just as the outbreak begins. The author imagines what Neville’s envious neighbor’s last day was like. 3 stars
“Two Shots from Fly’s Photo Gallery” by John Shirley—Loosely based on “Somewhere in Time,” this story is about a man time traveling back to the shootout at the OK Corral in an effort to save his wife in the present day, with results that are somewhat predictable. The actual ending was a surprise to me though. 3 stars
“The Diary of Louise Carey” by Thomas F. Monteleone—Told from the point of view of the wife of The Shrinking Man, this entry was kind of creepy and disturbing. 3 stars
“She Screech Like Me” by Michael A. Arnzen—This story was a sequel to “Born of Man and Woman,” which I haven’t read. I liked it but I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I had known the back story. 3 stars, probably just because of my ignorance.
“Everything of Beauty Taken from You in This Life Remains Forever” by Gary A. Braunbeck—I liked this follow-up to “Button, Button.” There’s a transition toward the end that felt a bit awkward but it led to a satisfying twist. 3.5 stars
“The Case of Peggy Ann Lister” by John Maclay—Someone is Bleeding is updated in this sequel. While femme fatale crime fiction isn’t really my thing, this story was well-written. 4 stars
“Zachry Revisited” by William F. Nolan—I haven’t read “The Children of Noah,” the story that precedes this one, but I didn’t feel I needed to. It was horrifying in a very Greek tragedy kind of way. 4 stars
“Comeback” by Ed Gorman—Inspired by “The Finishing Touches,” this tale of a modern rocker and the friends he left behind in order to jump start his career is a bit disturbing because it’s utterly believable. 4 stars
“An Island unto Himself” by Barry Hoffman is described as “A Variation on ‘Disappearing Act.’” It started off strong and then fizzled out at the end for me. I was left feeling like I’d missed something. 3 stars
“Venturi” by Richard Christian Matheson—Matheson’s son wrote this story, inspired by “Legion of Plotters.” I kind of wanted more context but that honestly would have ruined the effect. It was a great story that made me feel like I was losing my mind right along with the main character. 4 stars
“Quarry” by Joe R. Lansdale—I have read “Prey,” the story on which this one is based. It freaked me right out. This one did too. 4.5 stars
“Return to Hell House” by Nancy A. Collins--Hell House, I think, would be a bit intense for me. I like to read horror but I have to choose carefully. I can’t read about demons at all. Horror movies are almost all a bad idea. I’ll be up all night, terrified. “Return to Hell House” is a prequel that fans of graphic haunted house movies will probably enjoy. It was not my cup of tea and it was by far the longest story of the group. 2 stars
“Cloud Rider” by Whitley Strieber is based more on Matheson’s collected body of work than on any particular piece. A regular guy finds himself battling unimaginable forces of greed and nature. I loved it. 4.5 stars
I do recommend this anthology for anyone who’s a fan of Matheson’s work. You might not like every story, but you’ll probably find several you do enjoy. I plan to read more works by some of these authors who are new to me as well.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
First off I’m not a huge fan of the short story. You won’t usually catch me gobbling down anthologies or collections by the dozen. Stephen King, Shirley Jackson and Flannery O’Connor – these are the only authors I will go out of my way to read their short stuff. So when I heard that Joe Hill and Stephen King were collaborating on an original story for this collection I was sold. I do love Richard Matheson and one good thing about this anthology is that I’m now determined to read more of him, especially his short stories.
This is a decent collection, but not a great collection. There are a few duds, but the best are quite good. "Throttle" - Stephen King’s first ever collaboration with son Joe Hill - does not disappoint. It’s a gripping, white-knuckler tale that is delivered at full throttle (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Despite the action and gore, there is a father-son story going on at the same time that is quite tragic and sad.
The prequel to "I Am Legend" entitled "I Am Legend Too" is also quite good, and nasty in the way it explores upper-middleclass jealousies – the petty behaviors and tawdry affairs of suburban living. Probably not how any reader imagined Robert Neville’s life before he becomes the last man on earth, but certainly an interesting portrait of the creature who screams for "Neville!" every night in Richard Matheson’s story.
The best of the collection is a prequel to Hell House entitled "Return to Hell House" by Nancy A. Collins. This is a creepy, claustrophobic (at times pornographic) tribute to Matheson’s legendary Belasco House. All the elements are here for a truly unsettling ghost story with a twist of evil and depravity.
This is a decent collection, but not a great collection. There are a few duds, but the best are quite good. "Throttle" - Stephen King’s first ever collaboration with son Joe Hill - does not disappoint. It’s a gripping, white-knuckler tale that is delivered at full throttle (sorry, I couldn’t resist). Despite the action and gore, there is a father-son story going on at the same time that is quite tragic and sad.
The prequel to "I Am Legend" entitled "I Am Legend Too" is also quite good, and nasty in the way it explores upper-middleclass jealousies – the petty behaviors and tawdry affairs of suburban living. Probably not how any reader imagined Robert Neville’s life before he becomes the last man on earth, but certainly an interesting portrait of the creature who screams for "Neville!" every night in Richard Matheson’s story.
The best of the collection is a prequel to Hell House entitled "Return to Hell House" by Nancy A. Collins. This is a creepy, claustrophobic (at times pornographic) tribute to Matheson’s legendary Belasco House. All the elements are here for a truly unsettling ghost story with a twist of evil and depravity.
david_agranoff's review against another edition
5.0
Richard Matheson is one of the greatest living writers in any genre but in the fields of Science Fiction and Horror he is a giant. To the mainstream you can always say he is the guy who wrote and name any of several classics. People know and love his work but often don’t know his name. The man behind several of the best Twilight zones, I am Legend, Somewhere in Time and Duel to name a few.
He is Legend is a long overdue tribute to Matheson. This anthology has sequels and companion pieces to Matheson tales by Stephen King, Joe Hill, John Shirley, Mick Garris, F.Paul Wilson, William F. Nolan, Gary Branbeck, Thomas F. Monteleone and many other giants in the field.
Fans of Matheson should find this book to be essential. There are no stinkers in this collection, but favorites came early in the collection. Throttle is a excellent sequel of sorts to Matheson’s story/screenplay Duel written by father and son team Stephen King and Joe Hill. This is a great piece and had sentence that made laugh hard enough I put the book down.
Mick Garris has interesting prologue to I am Legend written from thye point of view of the annoying neighbor Ben Cortman. Another favorite is John Shirley’s companion piece to Matheson’s classic Somewhere in Time. In Shirley’s piece a historian uses the same method of time travel to try and stop the events at the OK Corral.
Now that is book is out in trade paperback, it’s great way to celebrate one of the greatest 20th century writers to ever expand the genre.
He is Legend is a long overdue tribute to Matheson. This anthology has sequels and companion pieces to Matheson tales by Stephen King, Joe Hill, John Shirley, Mick Garris, F.Paul Wilson, William F. Nolan, Gary Branbeck, Thomas F. Monteleone and many other giants in the field.
Fans of Matheson should find this book to be essential. There are no stinkers in this collection, but favorites came early in the collection. Throttle is a excellent sequel of sorts to Matheson’s story/screenplay Duel written by father and son team Stephen King and Joe Hill. This is a great piece and had sentence that made laugh hard enough I put the book down.
Mick Garris has interesting prologue to I am Legend written from thye point of view of the annoying neighbor Ben Cortman. Another favorite is John Shirley’s companion piece to Matheson’s classic Somewhere in Time. In Shirley’s piece a historian uses the same method of time travel to try and stop the events at the OK Corral.
Now that is book is out in trade paperback, it’s great way to celebrate one of the greatest 20th century writers to ever expand the genre.
ryokua1's review against another edition
4.0
Review: http://ryokulight.booklikes.com/post/1029368/he-is-legend-edited-by-christopher-conlon
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