Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Richard Matheson
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, Richard Matheson
2 Rating(s)
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
Horror Stories

Author: Richard Matheson, Stephen King

Narrator: various narrators, Richard Powers, Malcolm Hillgartner, Arte Johnson, Ray Porter, Yuri Rasovsky, Lorna Raver, Christine Williams, Ned Schmidtke, Julia Campbell, Jay Karnes, Lawrence Pressman, Conrad John Shuck

Unabridged: 10 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/01/2009


Synopsis

One of the finest and most influential horror writers of the twentieth century, Richard Matheson has left his stamp on the collective imagination. Here are more than twenty of Matheson's most memorable tales of fear and paranoia, personally selected by the author himself. Many of these stories have already entered into popular culture, including the title story, which became a landmark episode of The Twilight Zone, and "Duel," the nail-biting tale of man versus machines that inspired Steven Spielberg's first film.Other stories include "First Anniversary," "Dress of White Silk," "Witch War," "Dance of the Dead," "Mad House," "Prey," "Blood Son," "Crickets," "Wet Straw," "The Children of Noah," "Through Channels," "Old Haunts," "Disappearing Act," "The Holiday Man," "Legion of Plotters," "The Distributor," "Long Distance Call," "Slaughter House," and "The Likeness of Julie." Find out why Stephen King (who writes the introduction) has called Matheson one of his favorite writers.

About Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson (1926–2013) was born in New Jersey and started living and working in California in 1951. In addition to novels in the mystery, science fiction, horror, fantasy, and western fields, he wrote many film and television scripts, including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” from The Twilight Zone. He also wrote episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, Night Gallery, and Star Trek. Several of his novels and stories have been made into movies, including The Shrinking Man, I Am Legend, and What Dreams May Come (starring Robin Williams). Over the course of his career he won the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Bram Stoker Award for Life Achievement, the Hugo Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Golden Spur Award, and the Writer’s Guild Award.

About Stephen King

Stephen King is an author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many of them have been adapted into feature films, television movies and comic books. King has published fifty-five novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and six non-fiction books. He has written nearly two hundred short stories, most of which have been collected in book collections. Many of his stories are set in his home state of Maine. King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards. His novella The Way Station was a Nebula Award novelette nominee, and his short story "The Man in the Black Suit" received the O. Henry Award. In 2003, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his entire oeuvre, such as the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (2004), the Canadian Booksellers Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2007) and the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America (2007)

About Richard Powers

Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Overstory, and Bewilderment was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

About Malcolm Hillgartner

Malcolm Hillgartner is an accomplished actor, writer, and musician. Named an AudioFile Best Voice of 2013 and the recipient of several Earphones Awards, he has narrated over 250 audiobooks.

About Arte Johnson

Arte Johnson is an award-winning narrator and an American comic actor who won an Emmy Award for his role in the television series Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. His audiobook narations have won two AudioFile Earphones Awards, and he placed as a finalist for the Audie Award for best narration in 2003 and 2007.

About Ray Porter

Ray Porter is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator and fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Almost Famous, ER, and Frasier.

About Yuri Rasovsky

Yuri Rasovsky (1944–2012) was the leading writer, producer, and director of audio drama in the United States. Also a distinguished actor, narrator, and critic, his numerous honors include two Peabody Awards, eight Audie Awards, and a Grammy.

About Lorna Raver

Lorna Raver, named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year, has received numerous Audie nominations and AudioFile Earphones Awards. An experienced stage actress, she has also guest-starred on many top television series and starred in director Sam Raimi’s film Drag Me to Hell. Among her many Blackstone titles are The Age of Innocence, Up from Orchard Street, The Lodger, Selected Readings from the Portable Dorothy Parker, and Diamond Ruby.

About Christine Williams

Christine Williams is a singer and actor based in Ashland, Oregon. Her performance credits include productions at regional theaters and on concert stages across the country and around the world, from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Barbican Centre in London to the Aspen Music Festival and the Grotowski Institute in Poland.

About Ned Schmidtke

Ned Schmidtke has played leading roles on Broadway, on national tours, and at dozens of regional theaters in the United States and Canada. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he continues to work in theater, film, and television.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on March 05, 2020

Remember the Twlight Zone episode with William Shatner seeing gremlins on the wing of the plane? Well, that's the title story. And many others in this collection are just as good.......more

Goodreads review by Beatriz on September 16, 2020

La verdad, no se me dan muy bien los relatos y antologías; me pasa que, por su extensión, no logran engancharme y mantenerme pendiente del desarrollo de una historia. Sin embargo, este libro tenía tan buenas críticas que fui por él. Reconozco que me pasó igual que siempre, en el sentido que me costab......more

Goodreads review by Pedro on November 02, 2021

En términos generales ha sido un buen libro de relatos cortos, a continuación una breve opinión sobre cada uno: Pesadilla a 20000 Pies: 5/5. Relato muy bueno, centrado en un pasajero que no puede evitar de ver a una persona en el ala del avión en pleno vuelo. La premisa es ya interesante por default. V......more

Goodreads review by Scott on March 07, 2017

Good horror stories make you experience the world differently. Unexpected noises make you jumpy. Your slightly odd neighbour begins to look decidedly sinister. You lie in bed thinking that you'll be safe if you don't peek your head out from under your blankets. When you read a good horror story, fea......more

Goodreads review by Richard on January 11, 2016

This is my first real foray into Matheson's work that I can remember (I read I Am Legend a very long time ago and can't quite recall it). I knew he was an important and influential author but I had no idea to what extent! It feels to me like he's the author that had the strongest influence on St......more


Quotes

“The well-known title tale about a nervous air traveler is a showcase for the author’s trademark less-is-more prose style, which suspensefully delineates a psychological tug-of-war between man and a monster that may be purely imagined. Timeless in their simplicity, [Matheson’s] stories are also relentless in their approach to basic fears.” Publishers Weekly

“His stories…still have the power to shock or to satisfy with their graceful inevitability. Matheson is not primarily a monster writer: rather, he examines how we create monsters from our own fears and frailties…Nightmare at 20,000 Feet is a must-have collection for…readers who like their horror spare, precise, and chilling.” Amazon.com, editorial review

“There are plenty of good frights to be had herein.” Booklist

“Matheson has a diabolically clever way of turning everyday common and seemingly harmless people and things into objects of terror…All of the readers are scarily excellent, seriously menacing and top-notch fright-meisters.” SoundCommentary.com