A Stir of Echoes is a masterfully crafted tale of psychological horror. Richard Matheson takes one of the traditional staples of horror – the ghost story – and melds it with the horror of the darkness that can be found in the human heart. The story is set against the backdrop of supernatural events, but Matheson’s characters are very human. Although the characters are deeply flawed, those flaws are ones with which readers can somewhat identify to a smaller degree.

This book relies heavily on psychological horror. The aura of suspense is tense, and the shadow of violence hangs over the entire story. The protagonist, Tom Wallace, is often confused during the course of events, unsure of what is really happening and what may instead be his own insanity. This insecurity is imparted to the reader in a skillful way that fosters an air of mystery, but without making the narrative seem confused or random. The author’s writing style is immersive so that some scenes in his book may make the reader anxious, almost frightened, right along with the characters in the story. And it is that talent for imparting of a feeling of terror, without relying on copious gore, that makes this book such a gem.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  31 religious exclamations; 24 mile obscenities; 17 religious profanities; 7 derogatory names; 1 scatological word.

Note:  In addition, the phrase “honest Indian” is used, and this is not tallied.

Violence/Gore:  A character playfully threatens to hurt another a couple of times; a character imagines punching another; a character talks about wanting to kick a pregnant woman in the belly; a husband jokes that his pregnant wife should hurt herself so that they don’t have to have the baby; mention of watching a fight on TV; report of an animal killed; report of death by natural causes; report of a character jabbed with pins; characters hit each other without serious injury a couple of times; a character is in pain and injured due to pregnancy complications; a character is violently ill a few times; a character is seen bloody on the floor without details; report of a lab experiment using dogs (not detailed); a character has a premonition of death; mention of spouse abuse; possibility of death in childbirth is mentioned; a character is stabbed with straight pins; a character is knocked unconscious by an accident; a creepy scene involving automatic writing; a spooky scene in which a ghost speaks through a child; a few creepy scenes in which a character is terrified to go into a room with a ghost; description of a character graphically bludgeoned to death; a few creepy scenes involving a spirit; past violence in the book is recounted a few times; report of a miscarriage; a description of a gruesome vision in which a pregnant woman is clawed open; mention that a person is dead; a character shoots another, and blood on the floor is mentioned; a character throws a table at another; characters speculate about whether another character committed murder; a train wreck including dismembered body parts and people crushed; a creepy scene in which a character is confined in a small space and discovers a corpse; a character threatens others with a gun; a scary scene involving supernatural creepiness, a character being shot, and an attempted suicide.

Sex/Nudity:  Characters hold hands, flirt, or kiss several times; a character holds another comfortingly; a character says she is unable to have children; the term “knocked up” is used; a character speculates that another might be having an affair; a character’s lustful feelings are expressed, but no action is taken on them; a character notices a man’s lustful feelings for a woman; a character complains about his wife’s low sex drive; mention of sexual daydreams; an adult male notices the shape of a teen’s breasts through her clothes; characters kiss and touch areas not normally covered be a bathing suit; a character acts seductively towards another; a character contemplates the figure of a person of the opposite gender; a male character stares at a woman’s bra-covered breasts; a joke about making someone take their clothes off; a joke about a strip tease; a joke about giving a girl a post-hypnotic suggestion (not specified but context implies that would be sexual); a couple sleeps next to each other with body heat mentioned but no activity detailed; joke about a married man having a girlfriend; mention of a character ogling girls; mention of character’s thoughts being “carnal”; a few reports of affairs; a character flirts with another and poses seductively, including showing that she is naked under her bathrobe; a male character notices a female character’s body under her tight bathing suit, as the female poses to make it more noticeable and thinks lustfully about him; report of an adult female sleeping with teenage boys; a female character behaves seductively towards a married man; married couples discuss making babies and “putting sperm to egg”, and children are present for this discussion.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death (family member), kidnapping, murder, mental illness, miscarriage, marital strife, domestic abuse, paranormal/supernatural, suicide (attempted).

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drink beer and wine; a character is drunk; whiskey is mentioned.