Earthbound

by Logan Swanson and Richard Matheson

Book Overview

An Erotic Ghost Story by the Author of Hell House and A Stir of Echoes

David and Ellen Cooper came to the lonely beachside cottage in hopes of rekindling their troubled marriage. Yet they are not alone on their second honeymoon. Marianna, a beautiful and enigmatic stranger, comes to visit David whenever Ellen is away.

Who is Marianna, and where has she come from?

Even as he succumbs to her seductive charms, David...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765311712
• ISBN13: 9780765311719
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A great, quick read - not his best but still has some unique qualities

I'm a recent fan of Richard Matheson, and this my recent Matheson discovery. This story is about a couple trying to re-ignite the flame of their marriage by revisiting their original honeymoon. A bizarre story quickly unfolds at that point, with some suspense and twists/turns. I do agree with some of the criticism of this book - it was short, it wasn't as "depthy" as some of his other work. And this is understandable - not a lot of people realize this, but this book started out as a short story written very early in Matheson's career, over 25 years ago. But Matheson revisted it, added to it, and the final product is still a great story with some unique twists. Besides, sometimes I prefer reading "leisurely", and being able to tackle the whole thing in just a day or two. (Call it a guilty pleasure?) I'm not rating this based on a comparison of his other books, rather, I'm just giving a rating based on how much I enjoyed reading it. Be warned - it does have some erotic moments. Who would I recommend this book to? I suspect you would like this if you like Matheson's other books/movies, or if you like the TV shows Fallen, New Amsterdam, Moonlight, Heroes, etc.

Much more than an erotic ghost story...

Matheson has had a long and distinguished career as a writer of speculative fiction -- sometimes fitting better in the science fiction category, and sometimes more in horror, but always solid, imaginative fiction. EARTHBOUND is another of his tales that truly defies easy genre classification as it effortlessly blends elements of suspense and horror in a tale that is both a supernatural chiller and suspense filled tale of obsession. Unholy desires fill the beautiful and mysterious Marianna that comes to visit David, the protagonist, whenever his wife is away. This leads to a spiral of depravity, fear and guilt for David--and a chilling conclusion that exposes secrets that lie deep in the past. Truly a tortuously entertaining tale that is highly recommended.

Great Story, Great Read

This is the latest Richard Matheson book Ive read, it was a great fast read, finnished it all in one day. Its a well written story of a troubled marriage with the couple trying to recapture their honeymoon by returning to the same place their original one was..... Then some crazy things start happening.I was worried about the ending, but just when you think you know whats going on.... think again!All in all, I liked the book, not one of Mathesons best books, but a great read none the less

A great quick read, I loved it

David and Ellen came to the lonely beachside cottage in hopes of rekindling their troubled marriage. Yet they are not alone on their second honeymoon. Marianna, the most beautiful woman David has ever seen, appears whenever Ellen is out of the house. Even as she seduces him, David begins to realize that something is terribly wrong. And when an elderly neighbor tells him the story of Marianna he slowly accepts it as the truth, but is still powerless to resist her.I found the story chilling and captivating - you'll want to read it all in one sitting. Highly recommended.

CREEPY.

While I did not enjoy this book as much as Matheson's 'HELL HOUSE' I did find it eerie and hair-raising. It definatley does not contain the number of blood-curdling scenes that 'HELL HOUSE' does (which is an EXCELLENT book) but for a (relativley) short novel it is a fun excursion into the world of ghosts and possession. I recommend this book highly if you enjoy Matheson already (or are looking for a one-nighter), but if you like longer, darker, more complicated tales check out Stephen King's 'IT'.