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Cover of Duel by Richard Matheson

Duel

Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Stephen King

A driver on a lonely highway becomes locked in a terrifying, high-speed pursuit with a relentless truck.

First published 2003

Review Score: 88%

More about this book

The Story

A man driving west on a hot, empty highway notices a truck and soon finds himself drawn into an increasingly dangerous road pursuit. What begins as a strange passing contest turns into a fight for safety, control, and survival.

The title story is framed as a tense, compact thriller built around uncertainty: the truck driver is largely unknown, and the danger grows through small, escalating actions rather than explanation. Readers repeatedly describe it as a stripped-down, suspense-heavy chase with a climactic ending.

The larger book is a short-story collection, and many readers say the other stories lean more toward science fiction, speculative horror, and twist-driven weirdness than pure terror. Commonly mentioned elements include aliens, time travel, alternate dimensions, futuristic technology, and unsettling domestic or roadside scenarios.