Books: The Incredible Shrinking Man

Richard Matheson is a master at capturing the loneliness of a protagonist. While many are familiar with "I Am Legend" because of the recent film adaptation, Matheson also explored the "last man in the world" theme early on in his writing career with "The Incredible Shrinking Man."

It's a novel concerning an Everyman named Scott Carey, who, by freak chemical accident, begins to shrink. The tone is deadly serious - the shrinking isn't played for laughs, but portrayed as a disease that gradually consumes the main character, both mentally and physically. Eventually, our hero becomes so small that even a black widow spider is a deadly threat, and trekking across the basement turns into a prolonged journey.

The isolation Carey feels is palpable, but it starts even before the basement sequence. In the weeks where he shrinks down to mouse-size, Carey becomes sexually frustrated, powerless, and dominated. He is bullied by teenage boys and toyed with by his own 5-year old daughter. It's an angle that probably wasn't expressed as sullenly in the 1957 film version as it is in the novel.

There's a certain mysticism in "The Incredible Shrinking Man" that's not present in "I Am Legend." The ending in particular is one of Matheson's best; it might not be scientifically accurate, but it conveys a lot of optimism and wonder. If you were put off by the final message of "I Am Legend," you might like this one more.