The Best Of Richard Matheson
 

Richard Matheson is quite easily one of the greatest Sci-Fi / horror writers of all time! He's written some of the most notorious books in the genre including The Incredible Shrinking Man and I Am Legend and penned such classic films as Duel, House Of Usher, The Pit And The Pendulum, Night Of The Eagle, The Devil Rides Out and...Jaws 3D!

But what is his finest Twilight Zone Episode from the 1960s series? It's a tough call so here's a vote to find out his ultimate Twilight Zone tale.

Which is your favourite out of...

AND WHEN THE SKY OPENED - Three U.S. astronauts blast off from Earth on an initial test flight in an experimental rocket-ship, but during the flight into space the ship disappears from radar, then reappears. On return, the rocket-ship is hangared and put under a tarp, pending an investigation. One crewman is hospitalized for a leg broken on landing, and is visited by the other two. Next the pair go for a drink, and then one crewman phones his parents from a bar phone-booth - but they say they have no son! The astronaut immediately disappears, and no one in the bar remembers him, except the other astronaut in the bar, the Captain.

- Season 1, Episode 11


Third From The Sun - Two families of Government employees plan to steal a spaceship and travel to another planet just prior to World War III. They must also deal with a stooge who wants to stop them.

- Season 1, Episode 14


The Last Flight - A World War I British fighter pilot lands at an American air force base in France 42 years in the future.


- Season 1, Episode 18

A World Of Difference - A businessman sitting in his office inexplicably finds that he is on a production set and in a world where he is a movie star. Uninterested in the newfound fame, he fights to get back to his home and family.

- Season 1, Episode 23


A World Of His Own - A writer demonstrates he can control reality simply by dictating changes.

- Season 1, Episode 36



Nick Of Time - A pair of newlyweds stopping in a small town are trapped by their own superstition when playing a fortune telling machine in a local diner.


- Season 2, Episode 7


The Invaders - When a woman investigates a clamor on the roof of her rural house, she discovers a small UFO and little aliens emerging from it. Or so it seems.

- Season 2, Episode 15


Once Upon A Time - Janitor Woodrow Mulligan gets a trip from 1890 to 1962 courtesy of his employer's time helmet.

- Season 3, Episode 12


Little Girl Lost - Awoken in the middle of the night by the cries of his daughter, a father enters the girl's room to find that she has vanished - even though he can still her crying out for help.

- Season 3, Episode 25

Young Man's Fancy - Newlywed Alex Walker finds himself being pulled back to his childhood and back to his widowed mother in the house where he grew up.

- Season 3, Episode 33


Mute - The orphaned daughter of telepathic parents must learn to speak and deal with a world she cannot communicate in.

- Season 4, Episode 5

Death Ship - An interplanetary expedition from earth finds an exact duplicate of their ship and themselves crashed on the planet they were surveying. Should they stay or risk taking off and crashing?

- Season 4, Episode 6


Steel - In the near future boxing has been outlawed and is performed by mechanical robots. To replace his broken client, the manager decides to enter the ring and replace him.

- Season 5, Episode 2

Nightmare At 20,000 Feet - A man, newly recovered from a nervous breakdown, becomes convinced that a monster only he sees is damaging the plane he's flying in.

- Season 5, Episode 3


Night Call - Telephone calls begin to haunt a disabled elderly woman

- Season 5, Episode 19


Spur Of The Moment - An engaged heiress is terrorized by a middle-aged woman on a horse pleading with her not to go through with her impending marriage.

- Season 5, Episode 21

What's the best?

Hey Kyle, would it be possible w/o too much hassle for you to add the season information to each episodes? I ask as I am a huge Mattheson fan and want to see which seasons I may give a priority when buying, after getting the 1st so luckily from your competition ;)

Not any trouble at all! In fact, gimme 5 minutes and I'll edit it right away, Roughale! :)

There you go - all edited now :)

Haha, thanks, shows me I need 2-5 then ;)

I once was lucky and found an advanced reader's copy of the limited and signed edition of Matheson's Collected Stories - at around 100 dollars, if I remember correctly...

I did not have success finding a picture or link to it, maybe I come back to add one, if I can find it. As far as I remember, it was signed by himself, his son and some of the foreword writers (not Stephen King though, I might have fainted, if it had been the case). If anyone is interested about details, let me know (PN) and I'll check it out...

Edit: Found a picture:

http://pictures.abebooks.com/GUNSAND...5540728775.jpg

I hope this is not regarded as spamming the thread, if so, vols 2-5 of Twilight Zone on BD can shut me up fopr good :loco: :pound:

Edit2: And here is the signature (I am no Steve though), it turned out I had taken a picture of it and posted it elsewhere, here it is, unsharp:

http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/6137/matheson1.jpg

:faint: Woah! Now that is very impressive! Fantastic stuff Roughale - that'll definetly be worth a pretty penny ;)

I leafed through the book yesterday and only found another signature from his son in it, I was sure there were a few more in it, maybe I "overleafed" them :lol:

During my research I found out that the World Fantasy Con 2013 will be held in Brighton and both Mathesons are listed as participants, sounds very intriguing!

World Fantasy Convention 2013 -- Welcome

Edit: I could take the book and ask Richard to cross out "Steve" and write "Rafael" instead - I wonder how he would react to that...