Product Description

Tom Wallace lived an ordinary life, until a chance event awakened psychic abilities he never knew he possessed. Now he's hearing the private thoughts of the people around him - and learning shocking secrets he never wanted to know.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #425899 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
Wallace, who works in Publications of the North American Aircraft plant, near Los Angeles, heckles hypnotizing, finds he is susceptible and becomes the channel through which his neighbors' emotions and the secret of his house assume domination. Prescience, sensitive telepathy, and a sense of possession gnaw at his marriage; the haunting of a murder done and one to come lead him to apprehend a killer no saner than his experiences. A teaser which has more possibilities than performance. (Kirkus Reviews)

Customer Reviews

A suspense filled novel which makes you think twice
A book that gives you insight into an area which is hardly touched in most horror novels. A stir of echos is a must for anyone ready to branch out from the traditional Stephen King. Not only is it genuinely frightening but sets your mind into considering the power of hypnosis along with the feeling of madness creeping in. A great masterpiece.

A PLEA FROM THE GRAVE WILL NOT BE DENIED...
Although not one of Matheson's best efforts, it nevertheless makes for a page turning, good read. Written nearly half a century ago, the book still has a contemporary feel to it. There are just a few issues which remind one how long ago it was written. Its central themes, however, are as fresh today, as when the book was first published.

The main character in the book is Tom Wallace, a working stiff with a house and family, who goes to a local gathering of friends and family. There he allows himself to be hypnotized by a relative who is an amateur hypnotist. A doubting Thomas, he agrees to undergo hypnosis in the belief that he would not be susceptible to it. Much to his chagrin and the amusement of others, he is, indeed, put under. Shortly after coming out of his trance, he finds that life, as he knew it, had irrevocably changed.

What he had thought was a cheap parlor trick, turned out to be the catalyst that changed his immediate reality. His existence began to be punctuated by visions, telepathic intrusions, psychic impressions, and other paranormal experiences. The effect that this has on him, his life, and those whom he loves is what gives the book its substance.

It is this altered reality, however, that makes his new life more meaningful than the one he had been leading prior to his being hypnotized. The book barrels on to a climactic ending, as events from the past intrude on the present, demanding a resolution. The realization that things or people are not always what they seem are brought home here with great impact.

Hypnotism at Parties Can Go Wrong!
After being hypnotised by his brother in law at a party Tom Wallace realises that not only can he read the minds and emotions of his neighbours, wife, and child; but he's being contacted from beyond the grave!

You may have heard of Stir of Echoes, in 1999 it was made into a film starring everyone's favourite gymnast Kevin Bacon. What you probably didn't know that the film was an adaptation of a fantastic book.

This is the second Matheson book I've read (the other being the amazing I Am Legend, possibly one of the best books ever written) and I loved it. It's a bite sized 256 pages and reads very much like an episode of the Outer Limits, and is one of those most comfortable reads you long for, when you have a hectic life.

Matheson has this uncanny ability to write timeless classics which manage to truly capture the human spirit. You can't put the book down, not only because it's thrilling but because you feel a real connection to the protagonist. Its hard to believe this was written in 1958.