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Oct 06, 2011

Kelly rated it:

I loved The Twilight Zone when I was a kid and was ecstatic when I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway...

And that's pretty much where my excitement ended. You know how some things should be experienced visually rather than written? This is one of those times. Each story seems even more trite, more forced, and more forgettable than the preceding one. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure a lot of the current plot lines were already used in the original series.

With so many More...

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Feb 24, 2011

Sandi rated it:

I grew up on Twilight Zone repeats. I have found that almost everything in life can be related to some episode of the series. The stories never get old. I can watch SyFy's annual Twilight Zone marathon and love it even if I've seen each episode dozens of time. Part of the greatness of the series was never knowing what was coming next. Some episodes were poignant, some comedic, some scary. There was a bit of everything in that show.

When I saw Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary More...

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Sep 17, 2010

Fred rated it:

I loved the Twilight Zone and I recently read some of the short stories written by Richard Matheson. There are two or three volumes of his short stories and I'd highly recommend them. His stories were adapted into some of the best Twilight Zone episodes. He wrote 'Nightmare at 20,000 feet'.

I figured I would get the same kind of quality horror and sci-fi stories in this anthology. I was wrong. Most of the stories are pretty cheesy or immediately forgettable. There are twist endings bu More...

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Oct 20, 2009

Bruce rated it:

I really liked most of the 19 (actually 18) short stories in this collection. The stories are set up like the TV show. A brief intro sets the scenario and then the story ensues. "Genesis", is the first story. While it sort of provides background to the "Twilight Zone" it falls flat. The second story "A Haunted House of Her Own" has a surprise climax with an ending appropriate for the climax. Other stories themes include premonitions, interesting recruiting me More...

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May 24, 2011

Alexandra rated it:

I bought this book at the Tower of Terror in Walt Disney World this past February <3
I am a HUGE fan of the Twilight Zone, and this anthology, while it definitely wasn't anywhere near as good as the actual episodes, didn't dissapoint. It consists of 19 original stories that are written in the spirit of the Twilight Zone episodes. They have cool intros & outros, just like the episodes do:)

Many popular authors have contributed to this anthology. To name a few: R.L. Stine, Kell More...

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Nov 03, 2009

Jon rated it:

I read Twilight Zone 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary without ever having seen an episode of any version of the book's namesake television show.

The collection seemed forced to me. An interesting assortment of authors are included, and, having worked on anthologies myself, I am impressed with the turnout here. However, the stories are uneven, as other reviewers have mentioned. Most of the anthology seems to be written as an introduction to fantasy/horror/sci-fi/thriller More...

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Jan 24, 2010

Dixie rated it:

I happened upon this book in the new arrivals section at the library. I am a fan of both The Twilight Zone series and short stories so I thought I would check out this collection. I skipped over a few of the stories that did not interest me right away, while I enjoyed others quite a bit. My favorites included: "A Haunted House of Her Own" by Kelley Armstrong, "A Chance of a Ghost" by Lucia St. Clair Robson, "The Street that Forgot Time" by Deborah Chester and " More...

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Jan 12, 2010

Ken rated it:

Though the stories are fine as far as the Theme goes, after finished reading, i realised that it's been time well-wasted. Probably more impressionable for younger audience or those who are not familiar with the genre.

3 stars for the book contents, 1 star for value - it is like watching Scary Movie, or stand-up comedy, or watching soap - the enjoyment is there while involved in the activity, but soon gone thereafter.

- "A haunted house of her own" by kelly More...

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Dec 27, 2011

Janiera rated it:

I really enjoyed this anthology as the television show was one of my favorite shows as a kid (yes I am a strange bird) and it still is one of my favorite shows. Some of the stories were better than others as well as stranger than others. There was a story about ants that surely made me hesitant to turn off the lights and go to sleep.

There was only one story that made me feel like the author simply picked Rod's brain and spewed his thoughts back on to the paper. The story "Truth More...

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Jan 28, 2011

Gef rated it:

It is near impossible to recapture the magic that was The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling's televised masterpiece. People have tried over the decades, either by resurrecting the series or bring the franchise to the silver screen. Word has it that even Leo DiCaprio is looking to make a Twilight Zone movie. But try as they might, there's something inimitable about the black-and-white series from the 60s that can't be translated to a modern day setting. But maybe there's something to the literary form t More...

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Dec 07, 2010

Nora rated it:

* Side note: I won this book from a giveaway on goodreads.

I have always loved The Twilight Zone series on television (but not so much where the newer ones are concerned) with Rod Serling as the narrator (he was awesome), so I was excited to read this collection of short stories.

I liked only a few stories (maybe three, tops). The main ones were "The Soldier He Needed to Be" and "On the Road". For the most part, I did not like this collection. The T More...

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Nov 14, 2011

Brad rated it:

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. It's still an honest review, but the FTC wanted you to know...
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Woohoo for a free book! First off, I love the short story as a literary form, and I really enjoy the eerie stories that are the hallmark of the Twilight Zone. So this book was overall a winner for me. My enjoyment of the book went from three stars early on to four stars then to five around halfway through. The last bit of the book was somewha More...

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Oct 27, 2009

Diana rated it:

I was excited to receive this book, since I've always been a fan of The Twilight Zone and all things weird and supernatural. I wasn't disappointed. As with any collection of stories, there will always be some that you aren't crazy about, but I really enjoyed the majority of these stories. They really captured the feeling of The Twilight Zone, taking you through twists and turns and usually to an unexpected end. I'd recommend this book for anyone who's a fan of The Twilight Zone and also for anyo More...

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Nov 10, 2009

Kelly rated it:

Twilight Zone is a collection of 19 stories put together for the 50th Anniversary of the show. Carol Serling did a wonderful job in gethering these particular stories to celebrate the anniversary of such a creative, innovative, and groundbreaking television show. Highlights of the anthology for me were: A Haunted House of her Own by Kelley Armstrong, Truth or Consequences by Carole Nelson Douglas, The Street that Forgot Time by Deborah Chester, and Ants by Tad Williams. The stories fit right More...

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Mar 27, 2011

Nancy rated it:

These were lots of fun! Just like Twilight Zone episodes with little prologue and conclusion you can just imagine spoken in Rod Serling's voice. The two stories that stood out for me are "Torn Away," Joe Landsdale's story about a man pursued by a strange enemy, and "The Good Neighbor" by Whitley Strieber about a man and his alien neighbors - it's in the style of old-school Twilight Zone.

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Oct 13, 2009

Melissa rated it:

I'm a big fan of The Twilight Zone TV series, so I was pretty excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I found the collection of stories to be a bit uneven. I really enjoyed A Haunted House of Her Own, Benchwarmer, Puowaina, The Street That Time Forgot, The Wrong Room and The Soldier He Needed to Be. However, the rest of the stories were pretty forgettable and quite a few of them seemed a little forced.

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Dec 01, 2009

Lauren rated it:

The collection of stories was kind of hit-or-miss. I really liked 9 of the stories, but the rest I could have done without. The ones I liked, I REALLY liked, but some of them were so predictable I had to roll my eyes at the end of them. The stand-outs for me were (in the order they appeared in the book): A Haunted House of Her Own, Benchwarmer, Puowaina, Vampin' down the Avenue, A Chance of a Ghost, The Street that Time Forgot, The Wrong Room, Ants, & Family Man. I liked the nostalgia element - More...

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Nov 21, 2010

Cheryl in CC NV rated it:

As if I don't have enough books already, the library has to put this on display on the way in. So, since I have no willpower, I have to pick it up. As usual, some stories were better than others. And I 'met' a new author or two I might look for more by. But I'm glad I didn't pay for it.

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Oct 09, 2010

Jess rated it:

Always a fan of the original TV show and a fan of some of the writers (Kelley Armstrong, R. L Stine), I thought this anthology would be great fun. This is now one of my favorite books.

The themes and tones of the stories vary greatly but the quality of the writing doesn’t. If you were a fan of the TV show, this book would be a great read since about 85% of the stories would translate very well into an episode of the original series. A Haunted Houre of Her Own has a note of humor as More...

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May 03, 2010

Mike rated it:

There is a place...the Twilight Zone...that is seldom that far off on first view but always takes one to unknown depths that challenge even the sanest person's sense of being. Bravo.

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Oct 13, 2009

Ann rated it:

I remember watching reruns with my Dad. This book was exactly what I expected. Twisted and unique. I read it as soon as I got it.
Let it be known Twilight Zone never disappoints. Ever.

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Aug 26, 2011

Lauren rated it:

I love the Twilight Zone and I love short stories so I thought this compilation would be just my style. Unfortunately, despite the combined publishing power of the contributors, most of these stories were super average. There were a couple of stand outs (A Chance of a Ghost being my favorite) and a couple of wide misses (R.L. Stine's contribution was particularly disappointing), but mostly the stories were just serviceable mysteries that felt like they had been rushed to print (the editing was More...

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Sep 15, 2010

Rory rated it:

[Do you know you can claim to have read a book back in 1910? Please tell me there are people on GoodReads who were not only reading books in 1910, but REMEMBER doing so, and are just now reviewing them.]

I've been enjoying this anthology on and off, as the quality of the stories is super spotty. Some jump off the page immediately--their tone indelibly spooky, their plot sticky, and their setting appropriately Serling-esque. Others (at least half, unfortunately) drag n' sag and are as More...

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Dec 10, 2009

Bridget rated it:

I truly enjoyed reading each of the stories in this anthology. While certain works stood out from the others (“Ants” by Tad Williams, “The Wrong Room” by R.L. Stine, “A Haunted House of Her Own” by Kelley Armstrong, and “Benchwarmer” by Mike Resnick and Lezli Robyn), all of the stories definitely capture the spirit of The Twilight Zone. It is very easy to imagine each of these works as an actual episode of the show. The anthology also ends on a fitting note – with a previously unpublished work w More...

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Feb 22, 2011

Marts (Thinker) added it

... and God knows I loved this television series, I've also read another one of the books too, hope I get this one sometime ...

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Mar 20, 2010

Donna rated it:

I have always loved the Twilight Zone series and I loved the short stories in this book!

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Dec 31, 2009

Tess rated it:

Awesome stories, although I did wake up from a nightmare about ghosts after reading...

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Oct 07, 2009

Miss Ashley marked it as to-read

I won this book in the first reads giveaway!

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Nov 18, 2009

Don rated it:

Good stories but nothing as good as Rod's stories.
Finally finished, but like I said previously, good but not great.

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Dec 21, 2009

Nathan rated it:

Fans of short fiction may enjoy this but it turned out to be somewhat disappointing to me. While the stories are imaginative and the writing is solid, I found myself wanting more depth, complexity, etc., with each short story I read. I remember watching Twilight Zone years ago and enjoying the odd, fantastic stories. For me, the stories don't work as well in print. This is tough for me to say because with longer works of fiction I almost always have the opposite sentiment.

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