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Somewhere In Time

3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 · rating details · 2,680 ratings · 240 reviews

Like What Dreams May Come, which inspired the upcoming movie starring Robin Williams, Somewhere in Time is the powerful story of a love that transcends time and space, written by one of the Grand Masters of modern fantasy.

Matheson's classic novel tells the moving, romantic story of a modern man whose love for a woman he has never met draws him back in time to a luxury hote

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Paperback, 316 pages

Published January 1999 by Tor Books (first published 1975)

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Feb 01, 2013 Buggy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: time-travel, shelf-12, not-so-hea, love-story, hist-rom, fiction, re-read

Opening Line: "Driving down Long Valley Road. Lovely day; bright sunshine, blue sky."

This week has been one filled with romantic tragedies for me. First I went to the see the re-release of Titanic in 3D (oh Jack) and then because I hadn’t had quite enough heartache I decided to revisit one of my all time favourite romances with Somewhere In Time (Bid Time Return.) It’s been years since I first read this as a teenager, -god knows how many times I watched the movie starring Jane Seymour and Christ...more Opening Line: "Driving down Long Valley Road. Lovely day; bright sunshine, blue sky."

This week has been one filled with romantic tragedies for me. First I went to the see the re-release of Titanic in 3D (oh Jack) and then because I hadn’t had quite enough heartache I decided to revisit one of my all time favourite romances with Somewhere In Time (Bid Time Return.) It’s been years since I first read this as a teenager, -god knows how many times I watched the movie starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve (another tragedy there) and I wasn’t sure if I’d feel the same about it now.

Really the only difference this time around was that I was able to appreciate the quality of the writing and amount of research that must have gone into making this tale of time travel, well, believable. The romance is still as moving as it was. And yes much like Titanic even though I knew what was coming I still shed a tear at the end.

Told from a first person narrative and written as if you were reading a journal, we meet Richard Collier. A 30ish Los Angeles screenwriter with an inoperable brain tumour. Not wanting to burden his family, Richard packs up his life and decides to end his days wherever the road takes him. These beginning chapters are fast moving, choppy and written with short slightly erratic paragraphs as Richard dictates into an audio diary. In the second half the journal entries become longer and more detailed and quite honestly a little dry in places.

Through the fate of a coin toss Richard finds himself at the Hotel Del Coronado, a grand seaside resort, steeped in history that manages to become a character onto itself here. It’s within the hotel museum that Richard comes across a turn of the century photograph of an actress named Elise McKenna, and at that moment everything else in Richard’s life ceases to exist. He can’t stop thinking about the beautiful woman, or the look in her eyes, becoming obsessed with her and the time she lived in. Richard then begins to research her life and in every instance notes a complete change in her character after her acting troupe left the hotel 75 years before. If only he could meet her, if only he could get to her and find out what made her so sad, why she never married.

Its then that Richard begins researching time travel and self hypnosis, convinced that he can get back to her. When he finds his name in an 1896 hotel registry he knows with certainty what the change in Elise was. He was with her, now he just has to get back to her. Some of the time travel paradoxes in this are positively mind bending and you can’t think about them too long for fear of brain explosions.

As I mentioned the writing changes as soon as Richard finds himself in 1896 (yeah he does) becoming more formal and detailed. It is explained that he is now writing his accounts instead of dictating. Matheson’s descriptions of the time are pure genius, not just taking into account the obvious like clothing but the social attitudes, the language differences, the size of people. Is everyone short and stocky? I loved the descriptions and Richards discovery of it all. The romance aspect here is beautifully done albeit a little soppy and with a hint of the supernatural, because as it turns out Elise was expecting him. Well not him but through a physic she’s been waiting for someone mysterious to sweep her off her feet. Her over protective manager plays the antagonist here, trying in vain to keep them apart and while Richard should hate him he finds that he cannot because he knows how the man dies.

I suppose you can’t change the past though and as much as I found myself cheering for our couple it was already written. Probably the most moving part of this book is in the afterward (provided by Richard’s brother) which explains that his time travel was only that of a form of escapism provided by his tumour amassed brain. Robert Collier cannot however explain the love letters in Richards pocket or the antique (yet new) pocket watch or Elise McKenna’s famous dying last words. He leaves it up to the reader to decide if it happened or not. I think it did. Cheers.
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Apr 07, 2012 Dave rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, fiction

I feel a bit schizophrenic with the review of "Somewhere in Time" or "Bid Time Return" by Richard Matheson.

My first thoughts are very critical. It's not really a science fiction story; It's a romance tragedy fantasy. The main character, Richard Collier, is a disaster as a hero.

The year is 1971, and Collier has learned that he has terminal cancer. From there it seems as though he looses contact with reality (psychotic), develops false beliefs about what is taking place and about who he is (delu...more I feel a bit schizophrenic with the review of "Somewhere in Time" or "Bid Time Return" by Richard Matheson.

My first thoughts are very critical. It's not really a science fiction story; It's a romance tragedy fantasy. The main character, Richard Collier, is a disaster as a hero.

The year is 1971, and Collier has learned that he has terminal cancer. From there it seems as though he looses contact with reality (psychotic), develops false beliefs about what is taking place and about who he is (delusional) and sees or hears things that aren't there (hallucinations). However, all of those mental issues are not what make him such an unattractive character, unless the mental issues extend to him being over-emotional and irrational.

Collier is trying to escape his situation so he runs off on his own. He comes across a historical photo of a woman (Elise McKenna) in a hotel, and becomes infatuated with her to the point that he researches her life and decides to stalk her through time by willing himself into the past. The most painful sections to read are about Collier being overly emotional, overly dramatic, overly infatuated... it's a complete loss of masculinity. Collier worships McKenna to the point of substituting true moral values with lesser or non-moral values; whatever she thinks or does, whether conscience or involuntary, he worships as the most marvelous creation ever. The unattractive qualities go beyond the loss of masculinity, Collier is a bumbling idiot, a clumsy nerd and an elitist. Perhaps Matheson developed Collier this way to add emphasis that he is incongruent to his reality and the only place in space-time where he fits is in the Victorian area of the late 1800's.

What I did like: another personality in me was astonished to continually appreciate Matheson's writing itself. Even though I did not like the characters that he developed, I did enjoy the process. I thought that the mechanics of storytelling were fantastic... the plot, sequencing, dialogue, interaction between characters, and vocabulary were the only things that enabled me to make it through to the end. (less)

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Sep 08, 2008 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2008, fantasy

Part fantasy novel, part romance novel, Richard Matheson's "Bid Time Return" finds dying writer Richard Collier falling in love with a photograph of a turn of the century actress Elise McKenna, becoming obsessed with her and then finding a way to travel back in time to meet her.

On the surface, the premise sounds absurd, but really no more so than your standard romance novel. It's the story of two people falling in love and overcoming obstancles to be together. In this case, it's the gulf of time...more Part fantasy novel, part romance novel, Richard Matheson's "Bid Time Return" finds dying writer Richard Collier falling in love with a photograph of a turn of the century actress Elise McKenna, becoming obsessed with her and then finding a way to travel back in time to meet her.

On the surface, the premise sounds absurd, but really no more so than your standard romance novel. It's the story of two people falling in love and overcoming obstancles to be together. In this case, it's the gulf of time standing between them. At least that's the case at first.

Once you accept the premise that Collier can and does find a way to move back in time to meet McKenna (he's staying at the same hotel she is, so he doesn't move in space, only time), the rest of the story falls well into place. Matheson's narration of the Collier via first-person, starting off in short, punctuated bursts from Collier's audio diary and later becoming longer and more detailed as Collier switches to writing out his feelings and confiding more in the readers, helps draw the reader in and question if this is really happening or if Collier has descending into dementia due to a brain tumor. Thankfully, Matheson wisely decides to not confirm or deny the reality of events, allowing the reader to choose for themselves.

Instead, what drives the story is Matheson's ability to put ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and realistically portray the character's reactions. The premise may be one of fantasy, but the characters are realistic. It's easy to see why Stephen King says Matheson was a big influence on his (King's) works.

Time travel in a romance story is apparently nothing new. But Matheson's strengh is finding a new twist on the old story, bringing in just enough of his own distinctive storytelling style to make it his own. This is a book that will have you rooting for Collier in his quest and heartbroken at the end when it ends in tragedy (as it must, since the ending is set before the story begins.) But it's not the ending that matters so much as the journey. And in the hands of Matheson, this is a journey worth taking. (less)

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Jun 29, 2011 John Porter rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sorry, no. I'm a Matheson fan, and I expected to be a fan of this. It's like a warmed over, less interesting version of Jack Finney's Time and Again. It would be fine if it just wasn't quite as good--because the Finney book is truly wonderful--but the fact is, I was alternately bored and uninterested for almost the entire book.

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Feb 19, 2010 Bill M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book and movie are both very good but to me reading the book is emotional draining. The book gives the reader a better understanding of Elise, what her beliefs and how much she had to struggle with herself and her feelings about Richard. It also seems she may have know that Richard would leave her in the end.

Richard seems unsure of himself most of the story but he was dealing with his imminent death, traveling in time and the unknowns of his realtionship with Elise plus her mother and manage...more

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May 18, 2013 Aliana Rose rated it 3 of 5 stars

What can I say? Many people know of this book because of the movie with this same title. The book was originally published under "Bid Time Return", which I like much more. Richard Collier falls in love with a photo of an actress from 1896, his year being 1971. He attempts time travel back, she falls in love with him, and then they live happily ever afer in 1896? That would only be too easy.

Richard Matheson is that type of author who grips me with such force that I can't find what's real and what...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Davem rated it 5 of 5 stars

Possibly the most romantic and complete suspension of disbelief book ever!

During the mid-1970s, author Richard Matheson, best known for his horror-suspense stories and his contributions to "The Twilight Zone", decided to attempt a change of pace. He wrote two lavish and unabashedly romantic stories, of which this was the first (under its original title, "Bid Time Return"). "What Dreams May Come" followed in 1977 as something of a spiritual sequel. I will leave that for another review.

"Somewhere...more Possibly the most romantic and complete suspension of disbelief book ever!

During the mid-1970s, author Richard Matheson, best known for his horror-suspense stories and his contributions to "The Twilight Zone", decided to attempt a change of pace. He wrote two lavish and unabashedly romantic stories, of which this was the first (under its original title, "Bid Time Return"). "What Dreams May Come" followed in 1977 as something of a spiritual sequel. I will leave that for another review.

"Somewhere in Time" draws its present title from the 1980 movie made from it. Once again, a lush, no-apologies romance with plot holes you could drive a U-Haul through, but you won't care. A flawless cast, perfect setting, and delightfully overblown plot make this one a must-add to your DVD rental list, and you just might want to purchase a copy--you'll want to see it more than once.

Let us return to the book.

Richard Matheson is noted for his relentless character study and selective use of detail in creating suspense or drawing attention to his stories. "Somewhere in Time" is an excellent example. From a vague, scattered introduction, he draws the reader into not only the story, but the narrator's mind. And once he's got you....he doesn't let go. Your spirit will rise and fall as his do, you will desperately want to see how each challenge he faces resolves (DO NOT start reading this just before you have to go to bed--you won't get there). And when the story ends (or does it?), chances are you won't be able to get it out of your mind. Matheson's meticulous prose becomes far more than mere words on a page....one often has the feeling that one is looking over Richard Collier's shoulder--sometimes eagerly, sometimes almost in shame for "peeping".

This is not so much a novel as an experience. A thrill ride and near rollercoaster (though most of the action is psychological) from which you may or may not escape. But you'll enjoy the process...and may be reluctant to leave. A virtual industry of romantic time travel stories now exists. This volume (and to a lesser extent, Jack Finney's "Time And Again") started it all. Take a close look....you will almost certainly see why so many have tried to return to the world Richard Matheson created (and, conversely, refuses to revisit).(less)

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Mar 27, 2013 Ross rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was pretty unimpressed with this book. A story about a man transporting himself backwards through time by love's inspiration is pretty great, and the way in which it's delivered is clever. I enjoyed the components of the story much more than the story as a whole. But what drew me out and became difficult for me even to endure was the main character's peevishness. I was constantly distracted by the seemingly foolish, brash, unthinking, short-sighted, ignorant decisions or conversations the main...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

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Jun 09, 2012 Kathy Kavanagh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Clever book and beautifully excecuted. I enjoyed the transition from one time to another and particularly the way the author gradually changed his writing style from a modern one to something more like a 19th century style.

The character of Elise never seem fully developed, but then (spoiler alert) he doesn't have much "time" to do it given the narrative of the story. Still, I gave this 5 stars because the execution of such a difficult story was near perfect. There are so many story lines and sub...more

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Jun 17, 2010 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hardback, own, read-in-2010, fiction

5, 5, 5 stars. More if I could. I read another 5-star review that described the book as 'emotionally draining.' Yes, it is. It's also one of the only 'period novels' where I actually felt to be IN the time period itself. It's written in first-person narrative, reminiscent of the heightened awareness of environment and physical self of Kafka's Metamorphosis, and the dramatic inner dialogue of Camus' The Stranger. And it's romantic and touching and BELIEVABLE. Just a wonderful book.

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Apr 13, 2010 Katsumi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance-erotic-affairs

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Apr 07, 2010 Jenne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

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Aug 25, 2012 Clark Hallman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I have always been fascinated by the concept of time travel and I have read many novels that include time travel as part of their story. Therefore, Somewhere In Time, by Richard Matheson, has been on my reading list for many years. However, I just could never convince myself to read it. Of course, I knew something about the story, i.e., I knew it was a love story. I had heard, and read, about the movie, although I don’t believe I ever saw it. I guess the fact that Somewhere In Time is primarily...more I have always been fascinated by the concept of time travel and I have read many novels that include time travel as part of their story. Therefore, Somewhere In Time, by Richard Matheson, has been on my reading list for many years. However, I just could never convince myself to read it. Of course, I knew something about the story, i.e., I knew it was a love story. I had heard, and read, about the movie, although I don’t believe I ever saw it. I guess the fact that Somewhere In Time is primarily a love story, was a significant factor in my neglecting to read it. However, I had read and liked other novels and short stories by Richard Matheson and this novel does involve time travel. Therefore, I finally decided that it was time for me to read it. I was not surprised that I found it to be very well written and interesting. The protagonist, Richard, is a man in his late 30s who is diagnosed in 1971 with a fatal disease and decides to drive to Denver from his home in Los Angeles as a sort of final adventure. However, he detours to an historic hotel in San Diego where he sees an old photograph of an actress who performed at the hotel in 1897. He becomes obsessed with the woman in the photograph, researches her life, and falls in love with her. He convinces himself that he can (and must) travel back in time to meet her, and he accomplishes the journey to the hotel in 1897, where he meets the love of his life. Time travel enables him to have a love affair in 1897. However, the focus of this book is certainly not time travel. It focuses on his love for Elise and her love for him. Again, Matheson created a well-developed and well-written story. He also provided much interesting information about life in 1897. I found this book to be a tolerable read, but it was certainly not one that captivated me. I don’t like to think that I’m romantically deficient, but I would have preferred a more scientifically structured time-travel methodology and more action, adventure and/or violence to accompany the romance. However, I believe the book was worth reading and I found that the ending mitigated some of my disappointment with the story. Overall, I am not sorry I read it.
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Apr 01, 2013 Charles Adkinson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book takes itself extremely seriously. It was written in a very believable and straightforward style, but the subject matter is somewhat out there. It's basically about a fellow in the 1970s who feels disconnected from both the time in which he lives and the people around him (he's never fallen in love), who then sees a picture of an actress from the 1890s and falls immediately and obsessively "in love" with her. I know this sounds shallow (because it would have to be in order to make any s...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Branwen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Loved this book! It was my first 'Richard Matheson' experiance and I must say that I am pretty impressed! His sense of detail capturing really pulled me into the protagonist's mindset and helped show the beauty of the era he traveled to as well. Also, I found the romance to be enthralling.

But.

I loved this book, don't get me wrong, but I have to wonder how biased I'm being towards it. I've spent the last few weeks falling ridiculously in love with someone and I don't know if that was the reason w...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Tracy Alan Hughes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Flashback to 1980-81. Cable TV has just come to my home town. I’m watching TV at a friend’s house when a movie ‘Somewhere in Time’ comes on HBO. While this is normally a ‘chick flick’, I’ve been a fan of the film ever since, even having the music played at my wedding as many have done. (Prior to becoming a grumpy old bachelor) Flash forward a few years. I keep seeing the name Richard Matheson as author and scriptwriter turn up on numerous movies and TV shows I like. With a little research I disc...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Kandice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I want to explain my rating. The first 1/3 of the book was worthy of 5 stars for me. The second 2/3, only worth 3 stars, but I can't justify an over all rating of 3. In addition to a foreword from the "author's" brother, there is an afterword that bumps up the quality of the story from those 3 stars.

As a teen, I must have seen this movie a hundred times, so I went into the book looking for those same feelings of love, romance, nostalgia and melancholy. They were all present, but the movie had a...more I want to explain my rating. The first 1/3 of the book was worthy of 5 stars for me. The second 2/3, only worth 3 stars, but I can't justify an over all rating of 3. In addition to a foreword from the "author's" brother, there is an afterword that bumps up the quality of the story from those 3 stars.

As a teen, I must have seen this movie a hundred times, so I went into the book looking for those same feelings of love, romance, nostalgia and melancholy. They were all present, but the movie had an innocence I found lacking on the written page. I haven't seen the movie in yars, so a re-watch may be in order.

This is the story of R.C. Collier, told in a narrative as if it were his journal. Collier has an inoperable, so terminal, brain tumor. He escapes his life to end his days traveling and journaling alone. Along the way he stumbles upon the Hotel Del Coronado, and falls in love, not only with a woman he sees pictured in the hotel's museum, but, the hotel and time she lived in, as well. He then does exhaustive research into her life, the hotel's history and the period in which she livd. The woman, a famous stage star of the late 1800's, early 1900's, is Elise McKenna.

My favorite part of the book, which was very brief in the movie, was his research and attempts to visit the past. It was hard! He had nothing to lose, so kept at it, and I found his dedication to a seemingly, impossible task sweet. All for the sake of a face. I don't want to spoil anything for that 2% of readers who have not seen the movie, but the entire premise is based on an ontological paradox. One could go dizzy trying to analyze the ramifications of Collier's actions.

Suffice it to say, against all odds, Collier succeeds. Once he reaches 1896 and Elise, it gets pretty sappy. Lines I found charming from Christopher Reeves, came across as almost ridiculously moony on the page. He does find his love, becomes her love, and...tragically is sent back to 1971. In a nutshell.

The afterword, written by Collier's brother, explains that the journal outlining his "adventure" is the escape mechanism of a dying mind. Genius, as far as I'm concerned, for Matheson to give us the option of believing or not. Is there really such a thing as love that can triumph over time? He gives us the priveledge of deciding for ourselves. Either way, it's a great, heart-tugging tale.(less)

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Mar 10, 2009 bookczuk rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: time-travel-reincarnation-etc

This is one of those cases where I like the movie better than the book. The movie is pure time travel/romance. The book is much, much edgier. I like it, but it doesn't make me the same puddle of mush that the movie does. This is a book I read eons ago, and am due a re-read. Maybe I'll find that since I am in a different frame of mind than I was when I read it, way back when, I may like it more. It'll be interesting to see.

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Feb 14, 2012 Tasse Bentson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Years ago, I fell in love with the movie, Somewhere in Time, starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve, and decided to read it during a mountain retreat. In the story Richard Collier, thirty-six years old, has a terminal brain tumor. When he takes a final road trip, he makes a surprise turn and ends up in a historic hotel on a beach near San Diego. While there, he discovers the photograph of a beautiful woman and falls in love with her. The problem? She's been dead for years. Trying to discove...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, challenge-summer10, drama, historical-romance, movie

http://compbiblio.blogspot.com/2010/0...

"Basically its about this guy, Richard, who is leaving his life behind to get away from his family who are treating him as if he will die at any moment. Which apparently he might.

Richard ends up at this hotel and sees a picture of this woman, Elise, whom he is drawn to. He spends most of the beginning of the book finding out as much as he can about her and traveling in time to her.

He does go back in time, and that is the part of the book that I really be...more

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Feb 27, 2010 Joshua Ludeker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010, science-fiction

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Oct 31, 2012 Penny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

Someone recommended this as one of the most romantic stories of all time, so I had to have a look!
I loved it, a book about time travel AND romance all in one great!
The book starts with Richard Colliers' brother telling us that he has come across notes of his brothers and is having them printed, he doesn't think they are true (who would?) but Richard believed it and here is the story. Richard is dying from a brain tumor, he can't stand seeing the look of pity and pain in his brothers face, so de...more

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Jul 03, 2011 Bettina rated it 4 of 5 stars

The original title of this book was actually "Bid Time Return." The film based on it, however, became so well-known that it began being published under the cinematic title instead. Reading this book after having been exposed to the film with Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve was a bit backwards. Usually you read the book and then see the film only to be let down by the changes made to the original text and storyline. It was the exact opposite for me because the love story in the film is the pro...more

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Nov 22, 2008 Kitty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: guy-meets-girl

I read this under the original title "Bid Time Return", before the movie was released. I've re-read it several times since (and will read it again). I wish I could give it more stars. This is probably my all-time favorite book ever, and I read a LOT.

The book is a million times better than the movie, and I really like the movie. The book was written in such a believable style that honestly, I was looking for some proof after I finished it that it was, in fact, fiction. I was completely captivate...more

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Feb 09, 2010 Fatatat rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Fatatat by: My Book Club

This is my second Richard Matheson and I must admit I was expecting the writting style in this to be similar to the other, Button, Button. I couldn't have been more wrong. For the majority of the book I couldn't even tell they were written by the same person except for maybe the opening and closing of the book. Otherwise where I expected a short narative and fantastic descriptions I got repetition and meticulous attention to detail and continuous explaination. I found reading the main bulk of th...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Bob Perry rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book but I have to admit that I liked the movie better. That's not the usual reaction for me, but I saw the movie as a teenager and really liked Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeves in it. Very well made adaptation. The funny thing about this is that I had never heard of Richard Matheson before. I just picked this because I had read Replay last year and was in the mood for another time travel romance story.

What blew my mind was after reading the book it mentions his other works. I...more

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Sep 02, 2011 Lori rated it 2 of 5 stars

The movie of the same name is one of my favorites, so I really wanted to like this book. The characters are more developed, and the story is more tragic than the movie, though it is the same imaginative premise of time travel to reach the one you love. The longing Richard feels for Elise is real and tangible. But I thought the obsession with which Richard pursues Elise was disturbing. He seems desperate, not devoted. I couldn't see how Elise could allow him in to her heart, the way he carried on...more

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Apr 23, 2011 Paisano rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've always been a big fan of Richard Matheson because of his work on my favorite TV series of all-time, Rod Serling's Twilight Zone. Matheson wrote some of the best episodes including Nightmare at 20,000 feet. He also wrote novels that have been made into motion pictures such as I am Legend (remade several times), Somewhere in Time, What Dreams May Come and others.

This novel was called BID TIME RETURN when I first read it but I guess they renamed it to match the title of the memorable film that...more

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Jun 06, 2011 MARGO added it

Shelves: didn-t-finish

I saw the movie "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour and I really liked the movie but my goodness what a disappointment this horrible book is. The first 30 pages are filled with the main character driving around and tells us every song playing on the radio during the drive and other nonsense, we do not find out his name until page 30 and at that point we find out that the main character has a brain tumor. I think the author of this book had a bigger brain tumor while writ...more

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About Richard Matheson

Born in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and moved to California in 1951. He married in 1952 and has four children, three of w...more Born in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and moved to California in 1951. He married in 1952 and has four children, three of whom (Chris, Richard Christian, and Ali Matheson) are writers of fiction and screenplays.

His first short story, "Born of Man and Woman," appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950. The tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar, it was told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English) and immediately made Matheson famous. Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres.

Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Mad House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most famously, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening.

He wrote a number of episodes for the American TV series The Twilight Zone, including "Steel," mentioned above and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe for Roger Corman and Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films; and scripted Steven Spielberg's first feature, the TV movie Duel, from his own short story. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series "The Lawman" between 1958 and 1962. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic (US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Talullah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers.

Novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire novel, I Am Legend, which has been filmed three times under the titles The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth and once under the original title. Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Bid Time Return (as Somewhere in Time), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House) and the aforementioned Duel, the last three adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror, including "Prey" with its famous Zuni warrior doll.

In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II.

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