Witch War by Richard Matheson

Eleven.

I am glad to be wrapping up Richard Matheson week on this blog. Considering his enormous influence on 20th century genre fiction, perhaps my expectations were too high for this author. Indeed, he should be acknowledged for setting the groundwork for his successors although I must diagree with Steven Spielberg's blurb on the back cover of The Best of Richard Matheson (Penguin Classics): "He is in the same category as Bradbury and Asmiov." No. Just no. I respect Steven Spielberg as a director and one of his first movies was an adaptation of "Duel" found in this collection but this feels like an overstatement to me. Bradbury and Asimov are towering literary figures, especially within the science-fiction genre.  Granted, "I am Legend" is a wonderful horror/post-apocalyptic novel but if we are comparing the complete body of work, Matheson does not even come close to matching the greatness of either author. 

Since we are focusing on short-stories, Bradbury and Asimov are in a league of their own. In contrast, Matheson's short stories mostly come across as underwhelming or half-baked thought experiments, which often feel dated. Nonetheless, there are a few hidden gems in this collection, Witch War being one of them. Matheson is at his best when he embraces his darkly humorous side and not constrained by genre conventions. 

For those familiar with the Netflix show "Stranger Things," let me know if this sounds somewhat familiar. A group young girls with special powers are being used as weapons of war by a secret government agency to defeat their enemies. Much of the humor derives from the personalities of the girls remaining apathetic amidst all the violence and carnage they cause. This is a slight, if not amusing little story that does not waste any time getting right into the action. If Matheson had written more fun and polished stories like this one, I might hold him in higher esteem.