It was adapted in 1998 into the Academy Award-winning film What Dreams May Come starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Annabella Sciorra.

Matheson stated in an interview, "I think What Dreams May Come is the most important (read effective) book I've written.

To me, horror connotes blood and guts, while terror is a much more subtle art, a matter of stirring up primal fears.

[2] The title comes from a line in Hamlet's "To be, or not to be ..." soliloquy, that is, The plot outline in the novel contains several allegorical references to Dante Alighieri's epic poem The Divine Comedy (1308–1321).

The prologue is narrated by a man telling of his visit from a psychic woman, who gives him a manuscript she claims was dictated to her by his deceased brother Chris.

Amid a failed séance that ends up reinforcing his wife's belief that he didn't survive death, an unidentified man keeps approaching Chris, telling him to concentrate on what's beyond.

Being a state of mind rather than a physical location, Summerland is practically endless and takes the form of the inhabitants' wishes and desires.

Albert, who is as shocked as Chris, explains that by committing suicide Ann has placed her spirit in the "lower realm" from Summerland, and that she will stay there for twenty-four years – her intended life span.

Albert initially refuses, warning Chris that he might find himself stuck in the lower realm, thus delaying his eventual, inevitable reunion with Ann.

After a moment of disorientation where he starts to forget his own identity, the atmosphere of Hell gradually drawing him in and threatening to trap him there, he delivers a monologue of appreciation for her, detailing the ways in which she enriched his life.

He ends with a message of hope, telling his readers that death is not to be feared, and that he knows that in the future he and Ann will ultimately be reunited in Heaven, even if in a different form.

Some Hindus claim that the beliefs presented in the novel conform to the teachings of Hinduism, though Matheson denied any direct influence.

Raised a Christian Scientist, Matheson gradually developed what he called his own religion, taking elements from many sources.

[4] The story also shares the same theme of the ancient Greek myth Orpheus and Eurydice, in which the gifted musician makes a challenging journey to Hell to retrieve his wife.

[6] When reading these accounts, Matheson found that revived suicides told a far more frightening story than anyone else who had near death experiences.

[7] Matheson's bibliography consists more of "New Age" material than mainstream religious sources, and the novel shows reincarnation as more voluntary than major world religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism usually depict it.

[4] The book explores a range of paranormal phenomena and advances a philosophy of mind over matter, arguing that the human soul is immortal, and that a person's fate in the afterlife is self-imposed.

The psychic is unknowingly feeding this figure some answers he expects to hear, unaware that he's not conversing with the real Chris.

In the lower realm, Albert and Chris can no longer communicate telepathically and must travel by foot, but they are able to use their minds to influence the environment to a degree.

[2] The 1998 edition, published to anticipate the movie's release, used cover art from the film, with an afterword by producer Stephen Simon (a.k.a.