Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson

From the Publisher

Inch by inch, day by day, Scott Carey is getting smaller. Once an unremarkable husband and father, Scott finds himself shrinking with no end in sight. His wife and family turn into unreachable giants, the family cat becomes a predatory menace, and Scott must struggle to survive in a world that seems to be growing ever larger and more perilous--until he faces the ultimate limits of fear and existence.

Publishers Weekly

Matheson's legendary 1956 sci-fi tale of Scott Carey, a family man who is slowly shrinking into obscurity and a terrifying new world inside his own house, is beautifully realized by Yuri Rasovsky's memorable reading. Enthusiastic and compelling, Rasovsky seems predisposed to the suspense master's style of writing. Capturing the brilliant mix of everyday life and extraordinary horrors that Matheson is so revered for creating, Rasovsky reads with a dry, cool wit that breathes new life into this classic tale. He knows exactly how to relay the tension and anxiety to his audience, and never ceases to raise the stakes and bring the audience to their knees in sheer terror. This is a thrilling and unforgettable experience. A Tor paperback. (May)

Internet Book Watch

Scott Carey is a typical American family man. He is happily married and loves his wife and daughter. However, everything changes including relationships when the tidal wave of spray soaked him while sunbathing on the top of a boat. Now Cary is shrinking inch by inch into a micro world of the unknown. He has only six days left on the human plane and this is his account of when he became The Incredible Shrinking Man. Though this anthology is labeled the Incredible Shrinking Man, it actually contains several other stories besides this classic. Included are great tales like "Duel", "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", and "The Test" that prove that Richard Matheson works not only hold up, but he remains the master of tales that involve an outside force that harm the innocent. Horror meets science fiction at a signpost that Serling would have relished announcing, as this is a great collection worth reading and in many ways better than the several well-done movies that are based on these tales.

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Richard Matheson has been called "one of the most important writers of the 20th century" by Ray Bradbury, and his work has inspired many other notable authors. Stephen King cites Matheson as "the author who influenced me most as a writer," and Dean Koontz says, "We're all a lot richer to have Richard Matheson among us." But it's the impact that his work has had on the popular consciousness that gives weight to Bradbury's praise. Even if you've neverheard of him, you've almost certainly seen some of his work.

In addition to novels in the mystery, science fiction, horror, fantasy, and western genres, Matheson has been a prolific writer of film and television scripts. He wrote the script for some of the most memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone, including "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (you remember -- William Shatner sees a gremlin on the wing of the plane . . .), "The Invaders," and "Little Girl Lost." He also wrote episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, Night Gallery, and Star Trek (among them "The Enemy Within," in which Kirk is split into good and evil halves).

Several of Matheson's novels and stories have been made into films, including The Shrinking Man (filmed as "The Incredible Shrinking Man" in 1957), I Am Legend (filmed twice, once as "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price in 1964, and again as "The Omega Man" starring Charlton Heston in 1971), and Bid Time Return (filmed as "Somewhere in Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in 1980). Matheson also wrote the scripts for Stephen Spielberg's first feature film, Duel; the TV-movie The Night Stalker, which drew a record 75 million viewers on its first broadcast; and several of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films, including House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), and The Raven (1963).

Over a career spanning five decades, Matheson has won numerable prestigious awards, including the World Fantasy Convention's Life Achievement Award, the Bram Stoker Award for Life Achievement, the Hugo Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Golden Spur Award, and the Writer's Guild Award. Born in New Jersey in 1926, Matheson has lived and worked in California since 1951.