Stacy Keach

This is a collection of science fiction stories based on scripts by The Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling. Each story runs for about 40 minutes and is presented in the style of old radio shows complete with full cast readings and some special effects such as music and other sounds.

Not really having watched much of The Twilight Zone myself, I'm not sure if all of these were actually television episodes or not. I can say they all work well as radio show episodes. The full cast includes some prolific actors such as Andrea Evans.

It's been a bit long between me having finished this title and me reviewing it now so my details are already a little fuzzy. It doesn't help that this particular volume felt weak in my opinion, especially compared to the strong start of earlier volumes.

This volume includes the following stories:

- "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby," in which a small-town man who frequently embellishes (or straight-up makes up) his exploits is abducted by aliens who believe his grandiose lies. This is a fun twist on the 'boy who cried wolf' tale, but the protagonist was so obnoxious that I couldn't really enjoy the story.
- "Cavender is Coming," in which an angel so bad at his job that heaven is ready to give up on him is tasked with one final mission on Earth: help out a woman who is constantly losing jobs and otherwise 'failing' at life. This was probably the best story of the lot as it addresses the misconception that happiness and certain milestones (e.g., prestigious job, marital status, etc.) are inextricably intertwined, instead suggesting that kindness and friendship are the ultimate goals. However, the beginning part of the story in heaven went on for longer than necessary.
- "The Little People," in which the two-man crew of a downed spaceship discover a teeny-tiny race of people living on a planet thought uninhabitable. One man immediately decides that the smaller folks will worship him as a god. Here again the introduction was slow, and then the character development moved far too quickly with the one character becoming a complete megalomaniac in minutes.
- "One More Pallbearer," in which a rich man makes an elaborate prank about the end of the world to scare off people he deemed as having wronged him in his past. This one was sort of a mess. I feel like the topic was already addressed in a different The Twilight Zone story, or most certainly in some other sci-fi literature, and done so in a better way. All of the characters were unlikable, including the supposedly wronged protagonist, which I guess is somewhat the point, but I also just didn't want to spend time in this part of the universe.
- "Big Tall Wish," in which a boxer tries to make a comeback and a young fan -- whose mother claims his wishes magically come true -- who makes a special wish right before the big fight. Part of this were interesting, especially as the fighter recalls a different story from what everyone else is telling him and realizes that there might be some truth to the boy's supposedly supernatural powers. The boy and his mother are sweet and likeable characters, but the boxer's insistence on telling a 10-year-old that life is horrible did not sit well with me.
- "The Living Doll," in which a man is threatened by his stepdaughter's new talking toy but only when no one else is around to hear it. This story was already in another volume in this series so I don't know why it showed up again. The man is so despicably awful but it makes the story work so well.

While this wasn't my favorite volume of the lot so far, I am still planning to continue with other volumes of these Twilight Zone radio dramas.… (more)

This was an excellent collection of Twilight Zone radio plays.

Stacey Keach was the main narrator, (the Rod Serling, so to speak), then each radio play had its own celebrity narrators.

This collection featured 3 stories, I believe, that were written by Dennis Etchison, one of my favorite short story authors. With great writing like that, this collection already had a lot going for it. Add to that some superb celebrity narrators like Malcolm McDowell and you've got a home run!

This collection of radio dramas was a lot of fun and I highly recommend them!… (more)