I Am Legend

I Am Legend. After reading the book, now I see why people got so annoyed at the movie. They are COMPLETELY different. Though, Im not one to get too upset by such things myself, I do get why other people might have been upset by the liberties the movie took. Anyways, that being said, I liked this book. I didnt think I was going to at first though. In my opinion, this book took a very long time to get moving with any substantial plot or action. I appreciate that they wanted to set the tone and the mood of the world for the reader, but if I remember correctly, its like 9 chapters into the book before the word Vampire is even mentioned. I almost gave up several times. The only reason I stuck with it was that for years Id heard how good the book was from various people. Luckily, once the book gets rolling its quite entertaining, and pretty much maintains that pace throughout. With the exception of a few out dated (and potentially offensive, if you are sensitive) references to African Americans, this book reads well for a novel written over 30 years ago. Lots of action and lots of interesting characters. Certainly ended up being worth the read.

This book came across my email when Kindle was having a sale and I thought, Why not? Written in 1954, it hits the vampire genre far before Twilight romanticized it. The books main character is Robert Neville, who very well may be the last man on earth -- other than the half-dead and full vampires who try to lure him out of his home every night. The book only lightly touches upon WHY there are vampires. Apparently, there was a plague or virus or something unknown that created a world of vampiric entities. Robert thinks hes been immune because he was bit by a vampire bat while he was in the war. Its interesting to see how Robert handles being alone. I personally would go stark raving mad, but Robert handles the madness and frustration by trying to figure out just what causes a person to become a vampire. He discovers a potential reason, but the irony is its just too late. The ending Ill leave to you to read. Its faster paced than the rest of the book (which in and of itself is a short book and a quick read) and the ending leaves you wondering about what if. People who are in love with the romance of vampires will hate this book. People who loved Van Helsing will likely enjoy this book. Either way, its a classic and worth the time.

I bought this a few months ago, before the movie came out, although it had been on my wish list forever. I read Hell House years ago and it was one of my favorite horror novels, so Ive wanted to read I Am Legend for a long time. I read it before the movie came out, but the movie was so different that it really didnt matter. The book was written in the early 1950s and I think it was pretty innovative for that time. Apparently it was first marketed as sci-fi, and only later became known as a horror classic. Robert Neville is - he believes - the sole survivor of some kind of worldwide plague that has killed off most of humanity, and doomed a small portion of it to a vampiric, raging, bloodthirsty existence. For some reason Robert is immune to the disease for reasons he doesnt understand, and everyone he ever knew and loved is either dead or stalking him. The atmosphere is very tense right from the beginning, when were introduced to the horrible simplicity of Roberts everyday survival: wake up, re-fortify the protections on his house, go out and hunt for supplies, kill a few vampires to lessen their appalling numbers, get home before sundown, eat from his dwindling food supplies, and then wait, with dread and fear, until nightfall when the others come and torment him from outside, all night long. His alone-ness is stark and terrifying, and you feel the kind of deadened desperation he must live with as someone who has nothing to live for, yet cant allow himself to die. The book is very short - a novella, really - and ends much more ambiguously than the the movie. Even if youve seen the movie, I recommend the book. It has quite a different feel to it.

Reviewing a classic is rather strange for me. Its like reviewing Oliver Twist, when almost everyone knows what its about, due to movies, TV show references, and most recently in commercials urging kids to use manners. When people think of I Am Legend , they usually dont know its a book, and just know its a post apocalyptic movie where most of the population has been mutated into vampires, and Will Smith is the last man standing, blah, blah, blah. The movie was great, I admit it. But that was before I read the book. And like every other movie supposedly based on I Am Legend, like The Last Man On Earth and the very horrendous The Omega Man, the movies seem to exclude many of the main points that make the novel so great. I hope they actually make an accurate movie based on the book someday. Richard Matheson deserves a better movie adaption. Ok, now enough about the movie and on to the book. The book is set in the late 1970s. The world was decimated by a horrible virus, that turns men and animals into vampires. Robert Neville, the last man, as far as he knows, is fighting to survive. The book deals mainly with Roberts internal struggle with insanity, which Matheson handles beautifully. I dont want to spoil the main points, so I urge you to read the book. :) Overall, I give the book 5 out of 5 stars! Available in most eBook formats and in print.

Ive wanted to read this book for years because I loved The Last Man on Earth (1964) with Vincent Prlce. And surprisingly, the film adaptation was somewhat close (minus a few details of course). Robert Neville is a seemingly capable survivor of a sort of plague-driven apocalypse. The twist is, the plague turns the victims into zombie-esque vampires. Robert is immune but haunted by the loss of his beloved family. Whats truly chilling in both the book and aforementioned movie is Robert is not forgotten by the undead others. His neighbors and an old friend visit his house every night in an attempt to get him, throwing rocks and calling out his name. Yeah...creepy for sure. I loved the source material even though some parts dragged a smidge. Robert was a hard character to like, especially when he was drinking. But, his depression and rage are understandable...all the more frightening because that could happen to anyone in his shoes. Frustrated, sad but enraged, achingly lonely, and resentful of the world for leaving him like this - alone and scared. I recommend this book for fans of vampires, zombies, and post-apocalyptic tales. I also highly recommend Vincent Price in The Last Man on Earth, as his performance channels that deep angst so compellingly. Richard Matheson was a legend himself as this haunting tale continues to prove.

The book and the movie share only a few details in common. The most obvious shared attribute is the title. The differences are almost staggering; Los Angeles/New York, Caucasian male/African-American male, blue collar/white collar, etc. The story is roughly 160 pages long, although there are ten short stories that follow: Buried Talents, The Near Departed, Prey, Witch War, Dance of the Dead, Dress of White Silk, Mad House, The Funeral, From Shadowed Places, and Person to Person. If you are purchasing the book because you like the movie you may feel cheated that the movie is merely based on the book, rather than a direct cinematic interpretation. The book is a great (and a quick) read, told by the perspective of Robert Neville, a man feared to be the sole survivor of the human race. The beginning, however, seems to be drawn out and the word choice is less than sophisticated. Thankfully, as the story progresses so does the word choice. If you love stories based on the appeal of the last man, or on the decline of society, then this book would be to your liking. Matheson also takes a new spin on vampire lore, which was one of the reasons this book appealed to me (the other being that it was a required text for a class). Although better vampires stories exist, this book is worth the read for any vampire enthusiast and highly recommended.

I first read this book many years ago as a teenager. It left a very long lasting impression of what it means to be utterly isolated and completely alone. A terrifying prospect for most of us. Throw in the fact that you are completely surrounded by souless former human beings, and it becomes an unbearable premise. Richard Matheson pioneered this concept in literature to great effect. Witness the number of similar books that have been written since. Not to mention the three (that I am aware of) film renditions: The Last Man On Earth, with Vincent Price, The Omega Man, with Charlton Heston, and now the first film to actually bear the title of the book. I look forward to the new film. Although Im not sure Will Smith was the right casting choice. Well see. At one time Arnold Schwarzeneger had planned to film and star in another remake! That would have been an interesting signature film for his acting career. In any case. This book still has the ability to chill and make one feel the unbearable loneliness of the protaganist. It also evokes the atmosphere, quite effectively, of an empty (of humanity), lonely world. New fans of this genre should find this book affecting and entertaining, if somewhat dated. (It was written in 1953 after all!) I recommend it highly.

I remember seeing a preview for a movie called I Am Legend a few months back and it looked alright. When I started talking to some co-workers about it, they urged me to pick up the book before the movie comes out (about a month as of this writing). They couldnt say enough good things about Mathesons I Am Legend. So, I purchased it. From the moment I started the book, I knew what to expect, but I had no idea that this short (170 page) story would be so engrossing. It tells the story of one man, Robert Neville, who is the last man alive in a world that has been taken by vampires, living and dead. By day he hunts/gathers, studies, does work on his house; at night, he hides to survive another day to do it all over again. But how long can he keep it up? This book is both scary and funny, a very quick and easy read, yet highly enjoyable. The realization at the end of the book in the last few paragraphs really makes this book stand out as one of the most unique vampire tales that Ive ever read. The book also contains more short(er) stories from Matheson in the back. I havent read them yet, so no review on those, just I Am Legend. Defiantly worth picking up.

The movie certainly falls short of such a great novel. I enjoyed the details provided by Richard, the science involved to try to explain the myth. Completely recommended!

I absolutely enjoyed reading this, its a shame that the movies, I Am Legend, The Omega Man, and The Last Man On Earth didnt follow this book more closely. Without giving the story away, the detail given to the depth of character, human psyche, was amazing, considering when this was written, Im mildly shocked at how Not Campy the story is. Definitely an excellent read. If youve seen any of the movies I mentioned, this is a must read, as usual Hollywood absolutely did not do the story justice.