Road Rage

This audio-only collection features Richard Matheson's story, "The Duel," and the first collaboration between Stephen King and Joe Hill, "Throttle," a tribute to Matheson. Both stories follow the desperate fortunes of characters who are targeted by anyone's highway nightmare--a crazy truck driver hell-bent on revenge. Stephen Lang narrates with an intensity faithful to the stories' mood. When the grille of the eighteen-wheeler fills the characters' rearview mirrors, he's breathless and angry. When the truck driver backs off, Lang brings across the characters' hope for an unlikely resolution to the madness. Lang, who won an Audie Award for Hill's HEART-SHAPED BOX, is particularly suited to "Throttle," in which the targeted characters are all part of a murderous motorcycle gang. By the end of their ordeal, even these gritty road warriors seem sympathetic. A.A. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

August 15, 2009
In 1971, Steven Spielberg established himself as a director with Duel, his adaptation of "New York Times" best-selling author Matheson's short story of the same name about a man and a murderous semitruck. That story is difficult to locate in library collections, making its inclusion here all the more important. Also featured in this set is "Throttle," the first collaboration between Stephen King ("Cell") and Joe Hill ("Heart-Shaped Box"). Inspired by Matheson's classic tale, "Throttle" pits a killer 18-wheeler against a gang of motorcycle outlaws in the Nevada desert. Stephen Lang narrates "Duel" with quiet effectiveness but really shines in his deftly paced and well-characterized reading of "Throttle." Listeners will stay captivated through the end.Joseph L. Carlson, Vandenberg Air Force Base Lib., Lompoc, CA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.