A Stir of Echoes

You may have heard of Stir of Echoes, in 1999 it was made into a film starring everyone's favourite gymnast Kevin Bacon. What you probably didn't know that the film was an adaptation of a fantastic book.

This is the second Matheson book I've read (the other being the amazing I Am Legend, possibly one of the best books ever written) and I loved it. It's a bite sized 256 pages and reads very much like an episode of the Outer Limits, and is one of those most comfortable reads you long for, when you have a hectic life.

Matheson has this uncanny ability to write timeless classics which manage to truly capture the human spirit. You can't put the book down, not only because it's thrilling but because you feel a real connection to the protagonist. Its hard to believe this was written in 1958.

A fantastic read!   February 22, 2004
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I read this book whilst waiting for the next Stephen King book to be published. I can honestly say that I found this book to be every bit as good as I find King's work.

I read this book in a very short space of time because it was so good. I found it unputdownable.

Although it was written a long time ago, it doesn't feel like it was. The characters and occurances in it are very easy to relate to today.

I have also seen the movie which stars Kevin Bacon, and I am glad that I read the book first. Although the film is very good, I found the book much better. The movie had certain changes to it that I feel would have been better had they been left alone.

This is a magnificent piece of work by Matheson and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good thriller/ghost story. The ending of the book was a much better one than that of the movie, but having said that, if I had seen the film first, I would have been completely satisfied as it stands above several other films of similar plot.

Try this book even if it doesn't seem like your usual type of reading material. You will be taken on a wonderfully creepy journey and be surprised at the end.

An altogether brilliant read!


A PLEA FROM THE GRAVE WILL NOT BE DENIED...   December 1, 2002
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Although not one of Matheson's best efforts, it nevertheless makes for a page turning, good read. Written nearly half a century ago, the book still has a contemporary feel to it. There are just a few issues which remind one how long ago it was written. Its central themes, however, are as fresh today, as when the book was first published.

The main character in the book is Tom Wallace, a working stiff with a house and family, who goes to a local gathering of friends and family. There he allows himself to be hypnotized by a relative who is an amateur hypnotist. A doubting Thomas, he agrees to undergo hypnosis in the belief that he would not be susceptible to it. Much to his chagrin and the amusement of others, he is, indeed, put under. Shortly after coming out of his trance, he finds that life, as he knew it, had irrevocably changed.

What he had thought was a cheap parlor trick, turned out to be the catalyst that changed his immediate reality. His existence began to be punctuated by visions, telepathic intrusions, psychic impressions, and other paranormal experiences. The effect that this has on him, his life, and those whom he loves is what gives the book its substance.

It is this altered reality, however, that makes his new life more meaningful than the one he had been leading prior to his being hypnotized. The book barrels on to a climactic ending, as events from the past intrude on the present, demanding a resolution. The realization that things or people are not always what they seem are brought home here with great impact.