Hunted Past Reason by Richard Matheson

Rating: 5.0

Hunted Past Reason is one heck of a page turner. As some one else mentioned, this novel has similarities to Deliverance and The Most Dangerous Game. What starts out as a backpacking trip between two acquaintances turns into a deadly game with one of the men being hunted by the other. And yes....it is as horrifying as it sounds. What makes matters worse is the hunter is an experienced backpacker, while the hunted is an out of shape writer. As the synopsis reads, "...the enforced isolation of the hike soon exposes long-hidden rivalries and resentments between the two men. The deeper they get into the primeval wilderness and the farther from civilization, the greater the tension between them becomes—until the simmering hostility erupts into a terrifying life-or-death battle for survival!" The story was chilling and kept me reading long past my bedtime. As a bonus, I learned an awful lot about backpacking and wilderness survival.

The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson

Rating: 5.0

What it's about:
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. -taken from Barnes&Noble.com

My thoughts:
This was an amazing read! It was chilling and frightening and yet at the same time it was very emotional and sad. Matheson did a fantastic job at showing different aspects of how shrinking affected the main character, Scott. There was the very terrifying prospect of being smaller than a spider for example, as well as the grief and loneliness of basically losing everybody he loves. It was exciting reading about Scott's everyday trials as he shrunk, from losing his authority over his daughter to moving into a doll house. The Incredible Shrinking Man is an incredible story not to be missed!

The last half of this book consists of short stories by Richard Matheson. They are wonderful and horrifying! One of my favorites is Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. It's about a man in an airplane on a night flight. Imagine looking out the window to see a man-like being crouched on the wing grinning viciously at you. Creepy! Matheson really knows how to humanize and dramatize horror. He writes a good horror story, not just mindless blood-and-guts gore.