Richard Matheson was a prolific, widely celebrated, and formative science fiction, fantasy, and horror author of the 20th and early 21st century. Matheson grew up on the East Coast and moved to California in his 20s. In his childhood and youth, he was inspired by such films as Dracula (1931) and the works of Kenneth Roberts. Matheson served in the army in World War II, and this experience became the inspiration for his novel, The Beardless Warriors. The first story that Matheson ever published was a short story called Born of Man and Woman; it appeared in the 1950 summer edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Several more of Matheson’s short stories were published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine and were later compiled into collected works like Uncanny Stories. 

Matheson is notable for his flexibility and creative range, as he can write equally well in verse and prose and has been known to use both plain English and more complex styles. He alternates between stories with a humorous tone and those that deliver much darker implications or social critiques. Many of his stories are short snapshots that examine a specific situation and its consequences, while others delve into character dynamics and deeper themes.