Richard Matheson

It is ironic that one of the books author Richard Matheson, who has died at the age of 87 according to publisher Tor/Forge, is best known for is 1956′s The Shrinking Man. While that novel related the tale of a person diminishing away to virtually nothing, Matheson’s influence on the science fiction genre continues to grow more than a half century after the book’s publication. Just last week saw the release of World War Z, a film which owes a huge debt to …

With no holiday-season movie equivalent of the “Chronicles of Narnia” versus “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” slugfest of 2005—and about six months away from the next film in the “Chronicles” series and nearly a year away from the scheduled release of the next “Potter” adaptation—it almost seemed as though 2007’s year-end book-to-movie offerings were designed to boost the fortunes of lesser-known titles rather than break box-office records. With the exception of “The Kite Runner,” director Marc Forster’s ambitious take on Khaled Hosseini’s international best-seller, and “P.S. I Love You,” a romantic drama adapted from the 2004 novel by Cecelia Ahern, high-profile