The Incredible Shrinking Man

By: Richard Matheson

Narrated by: Yuri Rasovsky

Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

This is the terrifying novel that inspired the classic motion picture.

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.

©1956 Richard Matheson (P)2006 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Science Fiction, 2007

"A horror story if ever there was one....A great adventure story, it is certainly one of that select handful that I have given to people, envying them the experience of the first reading." (Stephen King)
"A classic of suspense as poignant as it is frightening, a mix that only Richard Matheson could pull off." (Dean Koontz)

OK

The books science and characters were a bit dated in their peceptions but it is a well written book. I recommend it.

Mixed feelings...

Any additional comments?

I LOVE the idea of this story. A shrinking man. I always had an image of what this story would be. It wasn’t like what I thought at all. And it wasn’t better. It’s well written. But DATED. Very hard to relate to because as the guy shrinks, he’s wrapped up in his ego as conditioned by a man of the 1950s. And there’s a lot of angst. The guy is really nasty to his family and we get that over and over again. It got old real fast.

It’s a great idea. I’d love to read a good writer take another crack at this.

Great story, terrible narration!

This was such an amazing story! Richard Matheson really was a master storyteller. I felt so sorry for the shrinking man. I’ve seen the old movie a bunch of times but hearing the actual dialog was very touching and sad. My big complaint? I really could not stand the narrator! What an awful choice for this book! I only stayed with it until the end because the book was so good. How great it would have been with a narrator who didn’t have a voice compared to nails on a chalkboard!

Classic Must TRead

Would you consider the audio edition of The Incredible Shrinking Man to be better than the print version?

Yes, it's like comparing "Wine" the book to actually drinking it.

What other book might you compare The Incredible Shrinking Man to and why?

This is a stand alone classic. It's rich with emotion and heartache, then suddenly you find yourself as elated as the character.

What about Yuri Rasovsky’s performance did you like?

He read it with the frustratiing madness the character was feeling.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not extreme, since I already knew the story but it did leave me wanting, craving more, to KNOW how it ends not just how the book ended.

Any additional comments?

Written and read without a lot of "he said, she said", was a very nice touch compared to some I've read lately. It's written so well I almost got clostrophobia, as I followed this mans journey. It's not full of a lot of high-tech jargon that unnecessary to the story, each word is there for a reason. Sit back close your eyes and spend the next few hours feeling yourself get smaller and smaller. A great listen.

Science Fiction Classic

The Shrinking Man is akin to Kafka's Metamorphosis ... It speaks wonderfully to 1950's post-war paranoia of the self and natural world.

Matheson should be required reading, and his Twilight Zone episodes include some of the best TV ever produced.

I didn't know that this was a book

As a child, one of my favorite movies was The Incredible Shrinking Woman. I rented it a few years ago to watch with my wife and son. It was a night full of old and new memories. I had no idea that the movie was based/inspired by this book. It was a fun listen, even though it was written 70 years ago. Matheson was an incredible story weaver and Rasovsky was the perfect voice for the tale.

💟📚

Every word, perfectly placed.
Unusual and effective narration.
Matheson rocks my world and the message is universal.
Loved it so much ❤️

Great story and reader

Enjoyed greatly! A true classic! A must listen! Matheson was a genius! By all means try this one.

I had to give up on the narration...

I actually thought the story was pretty good, although it had a little more profanity than I would have liked. The struggles Scott Carey faced were described in great detail, even to the point of emphasizing things we all take for granted. To try to put yourself in his place is unimaginable, but Matheson makes you ponder it to an unsettling level. At times it was engrossing, at other times it lagged a little, but I enjoyed the read.

That's the main point of my review here on audible, I stopped listening to the audiobook about midway through and just read the rest of the book. The narrator was so over the top, his voice changes so corny, that he just kept taking away all the tension from the story. Vaudevillian is how I would describe it, definitely not right for this story. I'd recommend you read the book, but I'd skip the narration.

Short of Expectations

I did not expect the depressing events. Perhaps it reflects the author.