In his first published story, for example, ‘Born of Man and Woman’, the reader is led to feel sympathy for the narrator until the reason for him/it being chained in the cellar is revealed. Much of Matheson’s writing technique relies upon the subversion of expectations.

The first is the background of science fiction and fantasy fiction that Matheson first published in as an emerging writer and the techniques he uses to engage and horrify the reader.

What makes other writers take notice is his economy of style and his masterful narratives, but hidden beneath the layers of plain language are several levels of engagement with the reader. Close reading rewards the attentive reader when assessing the Matheson corpus. Existential crises in masculinity and the construction of the individual are in evidence, which gained Matheson a dedicated readership and which also influenced succeeding generations of writers.

Both the burgeoning mass-suburbanisation and the bland conformism of the times are used in Matheson’s fiction as sites for the creation of disquiet and as horrific settings in themselves. What makes the speculative fiction of Richard Matheson important and worthy of critical attention? Dust jacket quotes from luminaries like Ray Bradbury: 'Richard Matheson is worth our time, attention, and great affection' (Button, Button: Uncanny Stories) and Stephen King: “When people talk about the genre, I guess they mention my name first, but without Richard Matheson, I wouldn’t be around” (Duel: Terror Stories), can easily be consigned to the bin of publishing hype, in which many a prominent author can be found recommending another but supposing there is substance in their claims, how should one assess Matheson’s merit? As a writer whose career began in the 1950s, Matheson is at once shaped by and helped to shape the times in which he wrote.

Astounding by Alec Nevala-Lee