The Shrinking Man
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Average rating3.6
The legendary novel of science-fiction horror: “The author who influenced me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson” (Stephen King). After he is exposed to a radioactive cloud, Scott Carey finds himself shrinking, slowly, day-by-day, inch-by-inch. Scott once had a normal, everyday existence as a husband and father, but as time passes, he becomes a national spectacle, something worthy of newspaper headlines. As Carey shrinks, smaller and smaller, his family become giants, more and more unreachable, and even the family cat becomes a predatory menace. In this world of disproportion, increasingly perilous with each passing day, Scott struggles to survive—and is pushed to the very limits of fear and existence . . . Adapted into the Hugo Award–winning film The Incredible Shrinking Man, this is a classic by the author of I Am Legend and other renowned works—a master of imagination whom Ray Bradbury called “one of the most important writers of the twentieth century.” “A classic of suspense as poignant as it is frightening—a mix that only Richard Matheson could pull off.” —Dean Koontz
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Pros: interesting premise, intense, sympathetic protagonist
Cons: no time for the reader to take in what's happening, the shrinking is offhandedly explained
Scott Carey fights for his life against a giant spider in the cellar of his house, imprisoned by his ever shrinking size. Between trying to find food and water in his dangerous world, he remembers the difficult road that brought him here, losing 1/7th of an inch each day.
Scott is an angry man. From the time his shrinking began he's raged against his ultimate fate, denying the reality of his situation, yelling at his wife and ignoring their daughter. He's also a scared man, dealing with the reality of his situation even as work becomes harder, medical bills mount and supporting his family becomes impossible.
He's a highly sympathetic character. While it's hard to like how he treats his wife in the flashbacks, it's also hard to deny that anyone would feel the same in similar circumstances. The novel explores his continuing sexual urges as well as his desire to be ‘a man' in a world that increasingly views him as a kid, then a doll, then nothing at all.
It's a pulse pounding novel. Whenever you think he's caught a break something goes wrong. Then several more things go wrong and you wonder how he keeps going on. Both the present scenes and back story are fraught with new perils he must face and, generally, escape. The intensity rarely lets up, as everything becomes a danger to him.
Having said that, there's no time for the reader to do more than hang on for the ride. A few times the author brings up more philosophical questions, but it's hard to contemplate life the universe and everything when you're running for your life, so the questions are asked and quickly forgotten as Scott gets on with living.
Readers who like solid science will be disappointed by the haphazard explanation of why Scott is shrinking.
At just over 200 pages, it's also a fairly short read, but detailed enough to give you insight into the characters and a wild ride.
It's a fantastic conclusion for this collection and an interesting read.
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