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| Review Summary |
Scott Carey was a typical American family man and business employee until something mysteriously caused his body to shrink an inch per week. The story begins when he is only one inch tall and trapped in his cellar, struggling to obtain food from impossibly high tables and shelves, water from a cavernous garden hose, and safety from a marauding spider. Through flashbacks, his experiences at various sizes in the recent past -- dealing with his wife and daughter's incomprehension and pity, hiding in the cellar when a babysitter comes to watch his daughter, being bullied by teenage youths, living for a time in a doll house, finding one blissful evening of understanding and companionship with a female dwarf at a carnival -- are recounted. Matheson does not stint on the fear, horror, disgust, or erotic regret, though delicately rendered. Originally published in 1956 as "The Shrinking Man," this science fiction classic was retitled in the footsteps of the 1957 movie it inspired.
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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Tor, Feb 2001, 14.95, 349 pp.
ISBN: 0312856644
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.
Harriet Klausner
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Detailed literary breakdown of The Incredible Shrinking Man |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%
Tone of book
- very upbeat
- depressing/sad
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Inner Struggle
Yes
Plotlet:
- fighting a personal illness/handicap
Lifeform altered?
Yes
Kind of alteration:
- Given added abilities
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- natural phenomena
Setting
Earth setting:
- 20th century
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- some scientific explanation
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
How much dialogue?
- significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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