The Box: Uncanny Stories
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
3 journalers for this copy...
I stopped by Borders during their liquidation sale on August 3, and while I am a little sad the store is closing, I was excited to get some deals.
Richard Matheson is a genius. He was the credited writer on many a classic Twilight Zone story, and is the man behind "I Am Legend" -- When I found out his short story was the basis for the bit silly "The Box" I had to hunt down a collection with that particular story (which is Button, Button)
Richard Matheson is a genius. He was the credited writer on many a classic Twilight Zone story, and is the man behind "I Am Legend" -- When I found out his short story was the basis for the bit silly "The Box" I had to hunt down a collection with that particular story (which is Button, Button)
Button, Button This is the story the movie 'The Box' was based on....LOOSELY based mind you. The story is only 12 pages long and while it has a bit of a twist ending it is not some weird alien story -- I am still not sure how they got that movie out of this story
Girl of My Dreams Nice. A tale of karma.
Dying Room Only I didn't like this one. It was more a straight up story, no twists, no turns -- just kind of blah
A Flourish of Strumpets FUNNY!! hookers start a door-to-door service.
No Such Thing as a Vampire - revenge story. It was okay
Pattern for Survival - post apocalyptic...i think. It was a bit of a weird tale
Mute - A 'Twilight Zone' episode, and much like the story I saw on tv
The Creeping Terror - HAHHAAHAHHAAHAA -- Los Angeles is ALIVE!!
Shock Wave - it was okay. It was a little hard to read, I got confused in several places. An organ comes to life...or does it...not really sure on this one
Clothes Make the Man another humorous tale.
The Jazz Machine I did not get into this story. The writing style was just too weird for me.
'Tis the Season to Be Jelly another post-apocalyptic tale, the writing style reminded me a bit of 'As I Lay Dying'
Girl of My Dreams Nice. A tale of karma.
Dying Room Only I didn't like this one. It was more a straight up story, no twists, no turns -- just kind of blah
A Flourish of Strumpets FUNNY!! hookers start a door-to-door service.
No Such Thing as a Vampire - revenge story. It was okay
Pattern for Survival - post apocalyptic...i think. It was a bit of a weird tale
Mute - A 'Twilight Zone' episode, and much like the story I saw on tv
The Creeping Terror - HAHHAAHAHHAAHAA -- Los Angeles is ALIVE!!
Shock Wave - it was okay. It was a little hard to read, I got confused in several places. An organ comes to life...or does it...not really sure on this one
Clothes Make the Man another humorous tale.
The Jazz Machine I did not get into this story. The writing style was just too weird for me.
'Tis the Season to Be Jelly another post-apocalyptic tale, the writing style reminded me a bit of 'As I Lay Dying'
I'll go through it and get it out to gorydetails asap...
Thanks for the fun book box!
| innae's Movie Book Box is winging its way on to gorydetails...  |
I'm claiming this paperback from innae's Movie bookbox. I love weird fiction, and short stories, and Richard Matheson!
Later: Entertaining mix of stories here, from some darkly humorous ones to some stealthily chilling ones. "Button Button" itself (the story that was the basis for an episode of "Twilight Zone" as well as the 2009 film "The Box") turned out to be more of a shaggy-dog joke than I'd expected. (The film adaptation expands on the concept quite a bit, though one's mileage may vary; I thought it went too far into "what the heck??" territory myself. The TV Tropes entry on the film has some entertaining comments on the story.)
I liked the mix of horror and humor in the tales. The story that chilled me most was "Pattern for Survival," which opens with an author putting the final touches to the manuscript of a fantasy novel, and then sets out to mail it to his agent - but then things begin to feel a bit off, somehow... It's a very short story, but it still took me longer than it should have to figure out what was going on!
"Mute" is another of Matheson's stories that appeared on "Twilight Zone" - a relatively faithful adaptation too, though they opted to make the central character a girl instead of a boy for some reason. The premise here is that a child, orphaned in an accident, can't or won't speak - and while the townsfolk search for relatives who could take the child in, the reader learns that the child's been raised as a telepath and is suffering horribly in the presence of all these people who cannot control their thoughts.
Later: Entertaining mix of stories here, from some darkly humorous ones to some stealthily chilling ones. "Button Button" itself (the story that was the basis for an episode of "Twilight Zone" as well as the 2009 film "The Box") turned out to be more of a shaggy-dog joke than I'd expected. (The film adaptation expands on the concept quite a bit, though one's mileage may vary; I thought it went too far into "what the heck??" territory myself. The TV Tropes entry on the film has some entertaining comments on the story.)
I liked the mix of horror and humor in the tales. The story that chilled me most was "Pattern for Survival," which opens with an author putting the final touches to the manuscript of a fantasy novel, and then sets out to mail it to his agent - but then things begin to feel a bit off, somehow... It's a very short story, but it still took me longer than it should have to figure out what was going on!
"Mute" is another of Matheson's stories that appeared on "Twilight Zone" - a relatively faithful adaptation too, though they opted to make the central character a girl instead of a boy for some reason. The premise here is that a child, orphaned in an accident, can't or won't speak - and while the townsfolk search for relatives who could take the child in, the reader learns that the child's been raised as a telepath and is suffering horribly in the presence of all these people who cannot control their thoughts.
Journal Entry 7 by 
GoryDetails
at Post Office Bookswap Shelf (UBCZ), 353 Middlesex Rd. in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts USA on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
GoryDetails at Post Office Bookswap Shelf (UBCZ), 353 Middlesex Rd. in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts USA on Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Released 11 yrs ago (1/9/2013 UTC) at Post Office Bookswap Shelf (UBCZ), 353 Middlesex Rd. in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I plan to leave this book on the book-swap shelf in the Tyngsboro post office lobby at about 1; hope the finder enjoys it!
*** Released as part of the 2013 Movie release challenge. ***
*** Released as part of the 2013 Movie release challenge. ***
