He Is Legend: An Anthology Celebrating Richard Matheson

USING THEMES FROM STORIES AND NOVELS BY RICHARD MATHESON AUTHORS WRITE THEIR OWN TRIBUTE STORY TO RICHARD MATHESON. FEATURING THE FIRST COLLABORATION BETWEEN FATHER AND SON STEPHEN KING AND JOE HILL PLUS JOE LANSDALE, F. PAUL WILSON, WILLIAM F. NOLAN, WHITLEY STRIEBER and many others

From Publishers Weekly

Poet and author Conlon (Midnight on Mourn Street) includes 16 original stories, each inspired by a different Richard Matheson work, in this heartfelt tribute to the "legendary" author. The quality is variable, ranging from the modest competence of Mick Garris's "I Am Legend Too" to Gary A. Braunbeck's pleasingly vindictive "Everything of Beauty Taken from You in This Life Remains Forever." Some stories, like Nancy Collins's "Return to Hell House", are mere retellings, while others, like the superlative "Throttle" (the first collaboration between Stephen King and his son, Joe Hill), are distinctive works in their own right. Conlon also includes the complete script for Matheson and Charles Beaumont's screen adaptation of Fritz Leiber's novel "Conjure Wife," which unfortunately replaces the protagonist's cunning final ploy with a Hollywood-style resolution. This anthology is aimed at Matheson aficionados, but the strength and quality of the stories will attract a wider audience. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Stalwart speculative-fiction fans recognize Richard Matheson as the mastermind behind numerous sf and horror films and TV shows, including the recent Will Smith vehicle based on Matheson’s novel I Am Legend (1954). This homage consisting of stories by admiring colleagues is one of two new books celebrating Matheson (see The Twilight and Other Zones, reviewed on p.17). Stephen King and his son Joe Hill open the volume with a take on the Matheson story Steven Spielberg filmed as Duel; this time, instead of terrorizing average citizens, the faceless semi driver’s victims belong to a gritty motorcycle gang. John Shirley revises the destination of the time-traveling protagonist of Matheson’s Somewhere in Time (1975), dropping him in on the OK Corral to prevent a present-day suicide. Other contributions, including one by Matheson’s son Richard Christian, vary or follow up on some of the master’s other best-known works. Constituting a nice bonus is Matheson’s own, previously unpublished screenplay for Fritz Leiber’s Conjure Wife (1953), which quite surpasses that of the 1962 movie. --Carl Hays

From the Publisher

A LIMITED EDITION TITLE WHICH WILL ONLY INCREASE IN VALUE DUE TO THE INCLUSION OF THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN KING AND HIS SON.

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