Rating: 
Summary: A Most DIFFERENT Kind of Love Story!
Review: This book was one of the BEST books I've ever read - and I was thrilled when they made it into a movie. However, I didn't think the film did this book justice. So if you've only seen the movie, and not read the book -- I urge you to read it. This is one of the most moving stories about a love that crosses all barriers. You will genuinely FEEL like you have seen Heaven in this book, as well as hell through Chris' travels to get back to his soul-mate. This story also gives you hope in what lies on the other side -- after death. It may be purely fiction, but it paints an optimistic picture of what the afterlife could be like. I encourage you to read it -- it will definitely give you pause, and may even cause you to re-evaluate your perspective about life after death. One major plus of the book is that it doesn't PREACH -- it simply poses possibilities. An interesting side note: have a look at the research Mr. Matheson put into this story -- it's incredible and took YEARS to gather (it's mentioned in the index). It will certainly make you think. So give it a read -- it's well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: The best book of all time :)
Review: This book is my favorite book of all time. Richard Matheson is possibly one of the most ingenious writers to ever walk the planet! I was extremely intrigued by this novel and I recommend this book to anyone with a soul and a curiousity towards the unknown world of the afterlife.
Rating:
Summary: Please don't watch the movie
Review: Comparing What Dreams May Come the book with the movie version is like comparing apples to oranges. I only write reviews for books I like, and I will never write a negative review. I loved Matheson's book. It is full of thought provoking ideas about death and afterlife. The film is a complete mockery of the ideas that Matheson tries to present. Just take a look at the 8 page bibliography at the end of the book. It is obvious that Matheson actually studied his subject, the film makers should have thought to do a little studying as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Touching story disfigured by long-winded preaching
Review: Richard Matheson has always had a remarkable talent for blending the fantastic with the conventional. "Hell House," for example, is full of spirits, mediums, and psychic doobobbers that are tightly integrated into the story; one accepts them easily, regardless of one's actual belief in such phenomena. "What Dreams May Come" is problematic not because of its subject matter (a Matheson-flavored New Age view of the afterlife) but because of its execution. Characters ramble on and on, providing tedious theological details that have little (if any) bearing on the story. The reincarnation sermon near the end of the book is especially bad, sounding as if it were pasted in from some religious tract. And this is a shame because the book had the potential to be one of Matheson's best. The love story is an appealing variation on the old theme of separated lovers; the long sequence in Hell is imaginative and well-written. The book as a whole, however, is fatally damaged by the windy metaphysical excursions.
Rating:
Summary: DEATH IS A CONTINUATION OF LIFE ON EARTH!
Review: I saw the movie first & my initial reaction was "Ok, cinematography was GREAT but plot is so depressing". When I decided to read the book, I discovered that there were a lot of areas not fully expounded nor explained in the movie. It's different when you READ -- you see what Chris is thinking; you feel what Chris is afraid of. You know his character & understand why he is where he is. I am a Catholic & believe in Heaven & Hell -- it is something we have been taught in home, school & church. Similar to Matheson's story, there is LIFE after DEATH. It is living accordingly to HIS will & reaping what you sowed during your lifetime here on earth. What's amazing to note is one person's unflatering belief & conviction to transcend boundaries of spiritual locations to save his partner... & in failure to do so, his strong willingness to suffer altogether just to be one. A true depiction of REAL & LASTING LOVE.
Rating:
Summary: A very silly book
Review: If reading and incorporating all the psychobable about akashic records, reincarnation, summerland, astral shells, etc, etc, means that this book was well researched, then this book was very well researched, indeed! Really, why do people believe in this stuff? It is self-evident that we are physical beings and that "afterlife" is an oxymoron. There are several things about this book that are better than the movie. Annie is only to spend a finite time in hell, to be released when she would have normally died if she hadn't commited suicide. Another thing is Chris' journey through hell. The film can't describe the terrible olfactory tortures that Chris experiences. You can close your eyes, but you really can't close your nose. As for "choosing" reincarnation, that is also an oxymoron. You ARE your memories! Reincarnation, if such a thing were possible, would wipe out your memories. It would be oblivion. Reincarnation is a PUNISHMENT, not a choice! A healthy individual would no more choose reincarnation than he would choose to poor gasoline over himself and light himself on fire! We are mortal. No prequel and no sequel. Why fear death? It would only be a dreamless sleep, in which eternity would pass unnoticed. If there really were an afterlife, tell me something: what are you going to do for the next 100 million years? and the next? and the next?
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: I must tell you that before I read this book I didn't even know who Richard Matheson was. My mom was the one who got me into this book. She read it before me, and told me that it was soooo good. So I figured why not try it. Since I am the type who could spend a lifetime reading good books. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. This story about Heaven and Hell is one of my favorites. It certainly does make you wonder about where we go when we die. Once I got to the end it was so sad that I started to cry, and I am not the type to cry over a book! So I suggest you read it.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm dead!
Review: I can't say if Matheson is right or not. I keep wondering though if the main character i The incredible shrinking man comes to heaven in the end!
Rating:
Summary: Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here...
Review: A book that took my breath away. Abandon any preconceptions you may have about God, heaven, hell, and life after death, and let yourself be immersed in this truly unique interpretation of one man's vision of love and spirituality. An incredible story about love and devotion, deeply laced with a philosophy of life after death that embraces the oh-so-hard-to-find common links between all religions. Forget the movie, this book is way too deep to be translated on to film. My husband literally dusted the furniture around me as I sat transfixed, unable to put the book down until the very end.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: A lot of this book made sense to me--the idea that we create our own destinies and that forgiveness of even the worst sin is possible through genuine repentance and hard work to make one's self worthy of it. Being raised in a Christian environment, I was never able to reconcile the idea of eternal punishment for the misdeeds of a relatively brief lifespan with the preaching of Jesus himself, who called for forgiveness 'seventy times seven'. But many things in this book bothered me. I've been all over the map with religion, from fundamentalism to atheism to outright defiance and rebellion against God, and now would describe myself as a 'doubtful believer', but in my search for the truth, I was always turned off by such phrasings as "etheric double" and "aura" and "soul mate"--too New Agey and flakey to be believed. Also, Matheson's suggestions for further reading include books by the thoroughly discredited Edgar Cayce (from whom he got the term 'Summerland' for Heaven--kind of a kindergartenish name to use for a place of introspection and growth). Still, his concept of life after death seemed much more just than those other models we are given from Western religions--in which souls are dealt with according to how very immature and vengeance-minded human beings would deal with people they disagreed with, rather than how Ultimate Wisdom would take care of his creation. This book is a good, if deeply flawed, starting point for those who are interested in the concept of life after death.
|
