I loved Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend. The book, of course, not the Will Smith blockbuster film. So when I found the collection of Matheson short stories entitled Duel, I bought it with high hopes. Although I did not find any of the stories in Duel to be as thoughtful or gripping as I Am Legend, the book supplied a more or less satisfying experience.
The collection was published in 2003, but nearly all the stories in it were written early in Matheson’s career, in the first half of the 1950s. Most of them are sci-fi thrillers, some with more emphasis on sci-fi, others on the thrill. Unfortunately for today’s reader, some ideas that were innovative 50+ years ago are either old hat or just plain silly now. The result is that some of the stories – or certain aspects of otherwise more enduring stories – are more interesting historically, as snapshots of the era’s psyche, than as literature.
Probably the best of the book’s stories is that from which its name is drawn. Duel (1971) follows a business man on a car journey across the California desert as he is hunted by a psychotic trucker who took offense at having been passed by the man. Steven Spielberg turned the ingeniously simple plot into his first movie, starring Dennis Weaver. Although the impact of the story was muted for me because I’ve seen the film, those who have not will probably have sweaty hands for the duration.
Being (1954) is my favourite for the thrill; the desperation of the protagonists in their struggle for survival holds up well, even though the idea behind the source of their struggle is a bit dated. The Last Day (1953) is an interesting take on the now well-worn question of what it would be like if the Earth were going to be destroyed today by a cosmic impact, and everybody knew it. Return (1951) treats the possibility of time travel in a way that remains fresh today – I have not seen Matheson’s ideas repeated, and they are worth repeating. Born of Man and Woman (1950), Matheson’s first story, was strange and sad, and mercifully brief. F— (1952) has a time traveller arriving in an era when physical sustenance is no longer taken in through food, with the result that “food” is a new f-word. Although mildly interesting and somewhat believable in its characterisations, it falls short of profundity as a commentary on sexual mores.
Overall, Duel will appeal to a limited audience. Sci-fi aficionados are likely enjoy it thoroughly, both for its content and as a glimpse at an important stage in the development of the genre. Still, the reader should not expect the genius of, say, Ray Bradbury, who commends Matheson in a preface to Duel. And if you are not a sci-fi fan, this is not the book that will turn you into one.
