
Offbeat
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By:
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Richard Matheson
About this listen
In the aptly titled Offbeat, Richard Matheson, a modern master of strange fiction, offers 13 excursions into the unsettling and bizarre. In these stories you will encounter a major league pitcher with a horrific secret for his astonishing success; an ordinary man who wakes to find himself in a silent, empty world; a death row prisoner with an extraordinary explanation for his innocence; and a novelist whose fictional creations transcend the printed page.
Originally published as a limited edition hardcover, now long out of print, the remarkable and rare tales offered in Offbeat display the brilliant imagination that gave birth to such classics as I Am Legend and Hell House.
Narrated by Elizabeth Wiley, William Dufris, Scott Brick, Peter Berkrot, R. C. Bray, Anna Parker-Naples, Eric Martin, Jeffrey Kafer, Sean Runnette, Caitlin Davies, Mike Ortega, and Matt Godfrey.
©2002 Richard Matheson (P)2017 Valancourt BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Hell House
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
For over 20 years, Belasco House has stood empty. Regarded as the Mt. Everest of haunted houses, its shadowed walls have witnessed scenes of unimaginable horror and depravity. All previous attempts to probe its mysteries have ended in murder, suicide, or insanity.
But now, a new investigation has been launched, bringing four strangers to Belasco House in search of the ultimate secrets of life and death. A wealthy publisher, brooding over his impending death, has paid a physicist and two mediums to establish the facts of life after death once and for all. For one night, they will investigate the Belasco House and learn exactly why the townsfolk refer to it as the Hell House.
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Hell House is like Hill House, but fiercer
- By Phebe on 08-13-12
By: Richard Matheson
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The Best of Richard Matheson
- By: Richard Matheson, Victor LaValle - editor/introduction
- Narrated by: Donald Corren, Peter Berkrot, Richard Powers, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Among the greats of 20th-century horror and fantasy, few names stand above Richard Matheson. Though known by many for novels like I Am Legend and his 16 Twilight Zone episodes, Matheson truly shines in his chilling, masterful short stories. Since his first story appeared in 1950, virtually every major writer of science fiction and fantasy has fallen under his influence, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, and Joe Hill, as well as filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg and J. J. Abrams.
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Rich and thrilling storytelling
- By Arthur on 10-24-17
By: Richard Matheson, and others
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Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
- Horror Stories
- By: Stephen King - introduction, Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Julia Campbell, Richard Powers, Malcolm Hillgartner, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Much of Richard Matheson's work has found its way into pop culture: The title story became a memorable episode of television's The Twilight Zone, and more recently, Will Smith starred in the blockbuster movie I Am Legend. Stephen King has declared Matheson to be one of his favorite writers. Find out why as you listen to the classic horror story of a man who peers out of his airplane window to see a gremlin destroying the wing.
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Waste of a credit
- By Randall on 01-10-10
By: Stephen King - introduction, and others
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I Am Legend and Other Stories
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean, Yuri Rasovsky
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In Matheson's vampire classic I Am Legend, a plague has decimated the world and transformed the unfortunate survivors into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth. Every other man, woman, and child has become a vampire hungry for Neville's blood. By day he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn. How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?
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Fun & thrilling story
- By Jeff on 11-30-19
By: Richard Matheson
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A Stir of Echoes
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Tom Wallace lived an ordinary life, until a chance event awakened psychic abilities he never knew he possessed. Now, he's hearing the private thoughts of the people around him - and learning shocking secrets he never wanted to know. But as Tom's existence becomes a waking nightmare, even greater jolts are in store, as he becomes the unwilling recipient of a compelling message from beyond the grave.
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Damn you, David Koepp!
- By Roland Greaves on 03-11-18
By: Richard Matheson
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Shadow on the Sun
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Southwest Arizona, a century ago: an uneasy truce exists between the remote frontier community of Picture City and the neighboring Apaches. That delicate peace is shredded when the bodies of two white men are found hideously mutilated. The angry townspeople are certain the “savages” have broken the treaty, but Billjohn Finley, the local Indian agent, fears that darker, more unholy forces may be at work. There’s a tall, dark stranger in town, who rode in wearing the dead men’s clothes. A stranger who may not be entirely human.
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Matheson Western Horror Novel
- By William on 04-15-12
By: Richard Matheson
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Hell House
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
For over 20 years, Belasco House has stood empty. Regarded as the Mt. Everest of haunted houses, its shadowed walls have witnessed scenes of unimaginable horror and depravity. All previous attempts to probe its mysteries have ended in murder, suicide, or insanity.
But now, a new investigation has been launched, bringing four strangers to Belasco House in search of the ultimate secrets of life and death. A wealthy publisher, brooding over his impending death, has paid a physicist and two mediums to establish the facts of life after death once and for all. For one night, they will investigate the Belasco House and learn exactly why the townsfolk refer to it as the Hell House.
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Hell House is like Hill House, but fiercer
- By Phebe on 08-13-12
By: Richard Matheson
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The Best of Richard Matheson
- By: Richard Matheson, Victor LaValle - editor/introduction
- Narrated by: Donald Corren, Peter Berkrot, Richard Powers, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Among the greats of 20th-century horror and fantasy, few names stand above Richard Matheson. Though known by many for novels like I Am Legend and his 16 Twilight Zone episodes, Matheson truly shines in his chilling, masterful short stories. Since his first story appeared in 1950, virtually every major writer of science fiction and fantasy has fallen under his influence, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, and Joe Hill, as well as filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg and J. J. Abrams.
-
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Rich and thrilling storytelling
- By Arthur on 10-24-17
By: Richard Matheson, and others
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Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
- Horror Stories
- By: Stephen King - introduction, Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Julia Campbell, Richard Powers, Malcolm Hillgartner, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Much of Richard Matheson's work has found its way into pop culture: The title story became a memorable episode of television's The Twilight Zone, and more recently, Will Smith starred in the blockbuster movie I Am Legend. Stephen King has declared Matheson to be one of his favorite writers. Find out why as you listen to the classic horror story of a man who peers out of his airplane window to see a gremlin destroying the wing.
-
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Waste of a credit
- By Randall on 01-10-10
By: Stephen King - introduction, and others
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I Am Legend and Other Stories
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean, Yuri Rasovsky
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Matheson's vampire classic I Am Legend, a plague has decimated the world and transformed the unfortunate survivors into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth. Every other man, woman, and child has become a vampire hungry for Neville's blood. By day he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn. How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?
-
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Fun & thrilling story
- By Jeff on 11-30-19
By: Richard Matheson
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A Stir of Echoes
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tom Wallace lived an ordinary life, until a chance event awakened psychic abilities he never knew he possessed. Now, he's hearing the private thoughts of the people around him - and learning shocking secrets he never wanted to know. But as Tom's existence becomes a waking nightmare, even greater jolts are in store, as he becomes the unwilling recipient of a compelling message from beyond the grave.
-
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Damn you, David Koepp!
- By Roland Greaves on 03-11-18
By: Richard Matheson
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Shadow on the Sun
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Southwest Arizona, a century ago: an uneasy truce exists between the remote frontier community of Picture City and the neighboring Apaches. That delicate peace is shredded when the bodies of two white men are found hideously mutilated. The angry townspeople are certain the “savages” have broken the treaty, but Billjohn Finley, the local Indian agent, fears that darker, more unholy forces may be at work. There’s a tall, dark stranger in town, who rode in wearing the dead men’s clothes. A stranger who may not be entirely human.
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Matheson Western Horror Novel
- By William on 04-15-12
By: Richard Matheson
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The Incredible Shrinking Man
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Yuri Rasovsky
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Inch by inch, day by day, Scott Carey is getting smaller. Once an unremarkable husband and father, Scott finds himself shrinking with no end in sight. His wife and family turn into unreachable giants, the family cat becomes a predatory menace, and Scott must struggle to survive in a world that seems to be growing ever larger and more perilous, until he faces the ultimate limits of fear and existence.
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Outstanding.
- By Andrew on 09-09-06
By: Richard Matheson
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Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
- The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Stacy Keach, John Schneider
- Length: 38 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
A newly released mental patient is the only one able to see a gremlin ripping up the wing of his airliner.
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Agree with Duck, with Exception
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-20-17
By: Richard Matheson
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The Best Horror of the Year, Volume 4
- By: Ellen Datlow - author/editor, Stephen King, Peter Straub
- Narrated by: Meredith Mitchell, Rebecca Mitchell, Michael Healy, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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With tales from Laird Barron, Stephen King, John Langan, Peter Straub, and many others, and featuring Datlow’s comprehensive overview of the year in horror, now, more than ever, The Best Horror of the Year provides the petrifying horror fiction readers have come to expect - and enjoy.
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Only a few decent stories in this bunch.
- By Jerry on 12-06-14
By: Ellen Datlow - author/editor, and others
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This Thing Between Us
- A Novel
- By: Gus Moreno
- Narrated by: Robb Moreira
- Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
It was Vera’s idea to buy the Itza. The “world’s most advanced smart speaker!” didn’t interest Thiago, but Vera thought it would be a bit of fun for them amidst all the strange occurrences happening in the condo. It made things worse. The cold spots and scratching in the walls were weird enough, but peculiar packages started showing up at the house - who ordered industrial lye? Then, there was the eerie music at odd hours, Thiago waking up to Itza projecting light shows in an empty room.
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Unsure what I feel but it’s a lot
- By Liv Templeton on 12-01-21
By: Gus Moreno
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Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies
- By: John Langan
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 13 hrs
- Unabridged
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John Langan, author of the Bram Stoker Award-winning novel The Fisherman, returns with ten new tales of cosmic horror in Corpsemouth and Other Autobiographies. In these stories, he continues to chart the course of twenty-first century weird fiction, from the unfamiliar to the familial, the unfathomably distant to the intimate.
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Finally more John Langan in audiobook form
- By Anonymous User on 09-10-23
By: John Langan
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
- A Harry Potter Hogwarts Library Book
- By: J.K. Rowling, Newt Scamander
- Narrated by: Eddie Redmayne
- Length: 1 hr and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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An approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since its first publication, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an indispensable guide to the magical beasts of the wizarding world. It showcases a menagerie of magical creatures, explained enchantingly by noted magizoologist, Newt Scamander, who you may remember from the film series of the same name.
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whoops
- By A. Bunnell on 04-19-17
By: J.K. Rowling, and others
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In That Endlessness, Our End
- By: Gemma Files
- Narrated by: Deanna Anthony, Neil Hellegers, Steven Jay Cohen, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Hot on the heels of her 2018 This Is Horror Award–winning short story collection Spectral Evidence, critically horror author Gemma Files compiles fifteen more of her most startling recent nightmares—a creepily seductive downward spiral of dark poetry and existential dread, entirely suitable to the slow apocalypse going on all around us. So take your mind off your troubles and send it somewhere the rules still operate, if only to punish those who violate them.
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Solid collection, if a bit repetitive
- By DP on 08-13-24
By: Gemma Files
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The Imago Sequence
- And Other Stories
- By: Laird Barron
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The title story of this collection - a devilishly ironic riff on H. P. Lovecraft's "Pickman's Model" - was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, while "Probiscus" was nominated for an International Horror Guild award and reprinted in The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 19. In addition to his previously published work, this collection contains an original story.
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Agonizingly Dull and Meaningless
- By Zachary on 03-14-20
By: Laird Barron
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The Colour of Magic
- Discworld, Book 1
- By: Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Somewhere on the frontier between thought and reality exists the Discworld, a parallel time and place that might sound and smell very much like our own, but which looks completely different. Particularly as it’s carried though space on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown). It plays by different rules. But then, some things are the same everywhere. The Disc’s very existence is about to be threatened by a strange new blight: the world’s first tourist, upon whose survival rests the peace and prosperity of the land.
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TERRIBLE Narration!
- By Kayla I on 07-08-22
By: Terry Pratchett
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The Wide, Carnivorous Sky and Other Monstrous Geographies
- By: John Langan
- Narrated by: Eric Martin
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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John Langan has, in the last few years, established himself as one of the leading voices in contemporary horror literature. Gifted with a supple and mellifluous prose style, an imagination that can conjure up clutching terrors with seeming effortlessness, and a thorough knowledge of the rich heritage of weird fiction, Langan has already garnered his share of accolades. This new collection includes nine of his substantial stories.
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Forgot the Horror
- By Dylan on 10-04-18
By: John Langan
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The Shining
- By: Stephen King
- Narrated by: Campbell Scott
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.
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Don't expect the movie...
- By KJ on 09-17-12
By: Stephen King
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World War Z: The Complete Edition
- An Oral History of the Zombie War
- By: Max Brooks
- Narrated by: Max Brooks, Alan Alda, John Turturro, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Abridged
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World War Z: The Complete Edition features 21 additional Hollywood A-list actors and sci-fi fan favorites performing stories not included in the original edition. New narrators include Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, Spiderman star Alfred Molina, The Walking Dead creator Frank Darabont, rapper Common, Firefly star Nathan Fillion, Shaun of the Dead’s Simon Pegg, and members of the casts of Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Heroes and more!
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Will never pre-order again
- By Ignatz on 05-18-13
By: Max Brooks
Critic reviews
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The Box
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What if you were told that you could make a fortune just by pushing a button on a box? But pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world . . . someone you don't know. Would you still push the button?
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Is that all there is? Not bad, but not great!
- By Ole Hippie on 08-30-11
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Noir
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Noir contains three classic thrillers by Richard Matheson, the grand master of suspense. Originally published in the 1950s, at the very beginning of Matheson’s distinguished career, these page-turning classics are finally on audio for your listening pleasure. Now listeners everywhere can savor three unforgettable tales of crime, corruption, and cold-blooded murder.
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Great Storytelling, Genius Writer
- By Angela Martinez on 12-27-12
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Earthbound
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David and Ellen Cooper came to the lonely beachside cottage in hopes of rekindling their troubled marriage. Yet they are not alone on their second honeymoon. Marianna, a beautiful and enigmatic stranger, comes to visit David whenever Ellen is away. Who is Marianna, and where has she come from? Even as he succumbs to her seductive charms, David realizes that Marianna is far more than a threat to his marriage, for her secrets lie deep in the past and beyond the grave.
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irritating...(spoilers)
- By Dawn on 02-04-11
By: Richard Matheson
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The Best of Richard Matheson
- By: Richard Matheson, Victor LaValle - editor/introduction
- Narrated by: Donald Corren, Peter Berkrot, Richard Powers, and others
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Among the greats of 20th-century horror and fantasy, few names stand above Richard Matheson. Though known by many for novels like I Am Legend and his 16 Twilight Zone episodes, Matheson truly shines in his chilling, masterful short stories. Since his first story appeared in 1950, virtually every major writer of science fiction and fantasy has fallen under his influence, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, and Joe Hill, as well as filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg and J. J. Abrams.
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Rich and thrilling storytelling
- By Arthur on 10-24-17
By: Richard Matheson, and others
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Steel and Other Stories
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Imagine a future in which human boxing has been replaced by heavyweight bouts between massive robots. Richard Matheson’s classic short story, “Steel", is the inspiration for Real Steel, a new movie starring Hugh Jackman.
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WAS SHAKESPEARE, QUEEN ELIZABETH?
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-19-16
By: Richard Matheson
-
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
- Horror Stories
- By: Stephen King - introduction, Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Julia Campbell, Richard Powers, Malcolm Hillgartner, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Much of Richard Matheson's work has found its way into pop culture: The title story became a memorable episode of television's The Twilight Zone, and more recently, Will Smith starred in the blockbuster movie I Am Legend. Stephen King has declared Matheson to be one of his favorite writers. Find out why as you listen to the classic horror story of a man who peers out of his airplane window to see a gremlin destroying the wing.
-
-
Waste of a credit
- By Randall on 01-10-10
By: Stephen King - introduction, and others
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The Box
- Uncanny Stories
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- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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-
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What if you were told that you could make a fortune just by pushing a button on a box? But pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world . . . someone you don't know. Would you still push the button?
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-
Is that all there is? Not bad, but not great!
- By Ole Hippie on 08-30-11
By: Richard Matheson
-
Noir
- Three Novels of Suspense
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
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Noir contains three classic thrillers by Richard Matheson, the grand master of suspense. Originally published in the 1950s, at the very beginning of Matheson’s distinguished career, these page-turning classics are finally on audio for your listening pleasure. Now listeners everywhere can savor three unforgettable tales of crime, corruption, and cold-blooded murder.
-
-
Great Storytelling, Genius Writer
- By Angela Martinez on 12-27-12
By: Richard Matheson
-
Earthbound
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David and Ellen Cooper came to the lonely beachside cottage in hopes of rekindling their troubled marriage. Yet they are not alone on their second honeymoon. Marianna, a beautiful and enigmatic stranger, comes to visit David whenever Ellen is away. Who is Marianna, and where has she come from? Even as he succumbs to her seductive charms, David realizes that Marianna is far more than a threat to his marriage, for her secrets lie deep in the past and beyond the grave.
-
-
irritating...(spoilers)
- By Dawn on 02-04-11
By: Richard Matheson
-
The Best of Richard Matheson
- By: Richard Matheson, Victor LaValle - editor/introduction
- Narrated by: Donald Corren, Peter Berkrot, Richard Powers, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
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Among the greats of 20th-century horror and fantasy, few names stand above Richard Matheson. Though known by many for novels like I Am Legend and his 16 Twilight Zone episodes, Matheson truly shines in his chilling, masterful short stories. Since his first story appeared in 1950, virtually every major writer of science fiction and fantasy has fallen under his influence, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Peter Straub, and Joe Hill, as well as filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg and J. J. Abrams.
-
-
Rich and thrilling storytelling
- By Arthur on 10-24-17
By: Richard Matheson, and others
-
Steel and Other Stories
- By: Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine a future in which human boxing has been replaced by heavyweight bouts between massive robots. Richard Matheson’s classic short story, “Steel", is the inspiration for Real Steel, a new movie starring Hugh Jackman.
-
-
WAS SHAKESPEARE, QUEEN ELIZABETH?
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 07-19-16
By: Richard Matheson
-
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
- Horror Stories
- By: Stephen King - introduction, Richard Matheson
- Narrated by: Julia Campbell, Richard Powers, Malcolm Hillgartner, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Much of Richard Matheson's work has found its way into pop culture: The title story became a memorable episode of television's The Twilight Zone, and more recently, Will Smith starred in the blockbuster movie I Am Legend. Stephen King has declared Matheson to be one of his favorite writers. Find out why as you listen to the classic horror story of a man who peers out of his airplane window to see a gremlin destroying the wing.
-
-
Waste of a credit
- By Randall on 01-10-10
By: Stephen King - introduction, and others
What listeners say about Offbeat
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Christian C.
- 04-05-17
A Fine Selection of Twisted Short Stories
I confess that short story collections like Richard Matheson's Offbeat are my literary guilty pleasure. Individually, each of the selections has been elegantly constructed and presented by a truly gifted writer. As a whole, it's a lovely mixed bag of little meaty morsels that I was disappointed to reach the end of. Most stories feature some degree of a suspenseful sci-fi bent and, at times, a dark and twisty conclusion. I'm a fan of apocalyptic/dystopian and select fantasy/horror genres, so Offbeat is more than just "my cup of tea", it's darn near perfection.
As an audiobook, Offbeat comes packed with top-notch narrators, some being familiar to me from other projects, like Eric Martin, R. C. Bray and Peter Berkrot. I highly recommend the audiobook because these folks quite superbly capture and amplify the written talent with their many voice talents. Seriously, don't miss this one.
(I was provided a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review. Many thanks to R. C. Bray for this opportunity!)
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4 people found this helpful
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- Deedra
- 06-12-17
Offbeat
This is a wonderfully written book of short stories with not so ordinary endings.Narrated perfectly by : Peter Berkrot , R.C. Bray , Scott Brick , William Dufris , Matt Godfrey , Jeffrey Kafer , Mike Ortego , Anna Parker-Naples , Elizabeth Wiley.Hopefully people give it a try! I was given this book free for review by either the author, narrator or publisher.
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- Kevin Young
- 11-16-17
a little dated
The stories are a little dated, with some of the premises coming off wildly difficult to identify with ("And In Sadness" in particular). Overall very Twilight-Zoney.
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- in1ear (John Row)
- 03-23-17
Offbeat: Do you know me?
What made the experience of listening to Offbeat the most enjoyable?
The short stories diversity. If you are a fan, the name Richard Matheson needs no introduction. The "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" episode on the old The Twilight Zone show and a dozen others. "Somewhere in Time" movie starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, his story "I Am Legend" which was the movie "Omega Man" in the 1970's and most recently "I Am Legend"with Will Smith. And on and on. Sadly, these are lesser works.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
The voice acting was fantastic across the board! The stories were open ended and some just ... odd. Not that odd is bad, but some just didn't work for me anyway.
What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
They were all very good to excellent. The stories had yelling and quiet parts that were handled well. But that may have been the downfall of the Audible edition. This may actually have worked better as a written work.
Any additional comments?
It wasn't bad but parts of it just weren't that entertaining to me. And I am a Richard Matheson fan.
And despite my criticisms, I do much appreciate the chance to have reviewed Offbeat.
This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost. Which I can only assume was voluntary on their part. I am happy to give my honest review of it. I think I'm suppose to mention how reviewing this was voluntary on my part too.
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- Tracy64
- 03-23-17
Excellent! Something for everyone's tastes.
I loved these stories. These shorts have perfect narration. Reminiscent of Twilight Zone tales. Great!!!
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- zuulza
- 07-30-23
Nice compilation
A cool compilation of matheson stories but nothing particularly interesting to me personally. Don't listen to this hoping for horror.
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- G. Parlee
- 06-24-17
good collection
Mostly great stories read very well by their performers, some of whom are amongst my favorite narrators. I personally think more than a few of the stories were outstanding.
I enjoy most of Matheson's work, this book included.
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- Jolokia
- 01-12-21
OFFten Odd
I love story collections. This one was really different. Some were awesome, and a few OFFputting, but all of them created a great selection. Definitely ODD but palatable stories. I have listened to this book a few times.
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- timj26
- 04-15-21
Fans will enjoy
Some really good stories with a few entertaining fillers
I recommend the audiobook the cast of narrators was the highlight
I received a free review audiobook and voluntarily left this review
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- Eve F White
- 10-29-19
Uninteresting
Struggled to get through first 3 stories then gave up! Maybe the best ones were saved for last?
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