By Eric Polk-
Recently, we were saddened to learn of the passing of perhaps one of the finest American writers of the 20th century in one Richard Matheson. His contributions to the worlds of horror and literature are both boundless and timeless. In honor of the man, I found an unread book of his laying about on my bookshelf and cracked opened the pages to read.
Set in the time of the Wild West, an uneasy truce has just been signed between the residents of Picture City and neighboring tribe of Apaches. However, when a pair of dead bodies turn up in the hills, Indian agent Billyjohn Finley must investigate the bizarre occurrence while preventing the frontier community from attacking the Apaches. All the while, a strange fellow with a pair of gigantic scars strolls into searching from a disgraced medicine man.
Matheson's strengths are on display in this novel. At 188 pages, he gets to the point of the tale. It flows nicely in A-Z format, no non-sequirs, no over descriptions. He just lets the story be the story. The characters are actually genuine people, no cliched cowboy in the white hat or dumb Native Americans on display in this one. The scares are plentiful, especially when one of the characters is a step away from peeing themselves they're so terrified. If you like your genres crossed, you'll get it in this one as Matheson perfectly blends the Old West and the supernatural together.
R.I.P.
No comments:
Post a Comment