I Am Legend

Here is the story of Mr. Robert Neville, the sole witness and only survivor of the end of the world. One good day, people started to rise from the grave and turn into vampires. Our main character isolates himself in his house with everything he needs to survive. By night he stays in, tormented by the screams and memories of his past life, by day he hunts the devils. Kill them in their sleep. Richard Matheson left his mark in the vampire genre with I Am Legend, its one of the best vampires novels ever. It leaves you with a hollow feeling in the chest (the same feeling I got when I saw almost 25 years ago the original Planet of the Apes). The way he describes the solitude of Robert Neville, his desperation its just incredible. The fact that a new species (vampires) had organized and now rules the earth its just the final touch of desperation to the trama. Robert Neville is the last man on earth, the outcast, the intruder. He is the new and last monster to be destroyed. I Am Legend its a must in your book collection.

I enjoy end time(s) stories and this is a particularly good one written in 1954 by Richard Matheson. I have seen the movie I Am Legend (2007) and an earlier movie version of Mathesons story, The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston (1971). I think I prefer the written word, in this case, to either of the Hollywood renditions. I think Will Smith and Charlton Heston deliver outstanding performances in their respective movies and some of the cinematography in I Am Legend is striking with views of a deserted Manhattan replete with empty cars and stores, vegetation growing in the once bustling streets and wildlife roaming free in what was once one of our worlds greatest cities. Regardless, the world that Matheson conjured for me with words on paper is hard to best even with all the skills of modern film making. In this case, I dont know if my preference for the written word would be shared of others. Perhaps the problem for me is that the scope of these kinds of stories and their implications for the human species is so broad that even good writers, directors, and actors and modern cinematography have difficulty delivering the story with the same impact that words on a page, coupled with ones imagination, can produce. A counter example, for me, is Peter Jacksons Lord of the Rings films based on J.R. Tolkiens marvelous three-volume triology of the same name. In that case, I was delighted to find that the actors and Mr. Jackson were up to the task - and what a task it was. Endings to stories or movies can always be discussed and debated, of course, so my personal opinion is that the ending of Richard Mathesons story and the ending of The Omega Man are better than the ending of I Am Legend. I would recommend this story (and both movies) to anyone who likes stories of survival set in end times or post-end times.

Very good book, nothing like the movie

Its not very often that I read a book that isnt YA. Its even more infrequent that I read a book that wasnt written in the last 2 years. I Am Legend was first published in 1954... So why did I pick it up? Well, mostly because I really liked the movie, and thats mostly because Will Smith is one of my favorite actors, if not my favorite. I Am Legend was certainly an interesting read. Matheson did an amazing job of getting the reader to feel the emotions the main character is reading, loneliness, craziness, despair, determination. The author has a fantastic understanding of basic human nature. Id heard the book was quite a bit different than the movie, but I wasnt prepared for HOW different it would be! Aside from the main character being on his own most of the time, nothing was the same. I was really surprised when I realized the book was about vampires, not zombie like creepy creatures! Dont even compare the two, just let them be their own separate awesome. For a book that is almost 60 years old, there really wasnt a whole lot that made it feel old. Except for one word that was used... which starts with a N (I wont say more than that, it was offensive)... I wouldnt have guessed it was written so long ago. Highly recommend if you want something with a MC who isnt a teenager, but something still with paranormal elements. 4 out of 5 stars!

Ive seen the movie version of I Am Legend at least twice, probably three times. And up until maybe a year ago, I didnt realise that it was actually a book, and a sci-fi classic to boot. Which also made me think - how many movies are based on, or inspired by a book we dont even know about? Im also not a fan of reading a book after seeing the movie - I always find movie versions are either a) completely different or b) a big fat let-down, so I was a little wary when I started reading. I really thought I wouldnt be able to get Will Smiths face out of my mind..... However, right from the beginning I realised that the book version of I Am Legend is different in several ways to the movie, and not once did I imagine Neville as Will Smith. The book is more personal and intimate than the movie, and the hopelessness and isolation Neville experiences comes through strongly. There is less action and less vampire spookiness, but their presence was always in the back of my mind the whole way through. Im really glad I put my habits aside and decided to read I Am Legend - and I will definitely be recommending it to anyone that interested in reading a sci-fi classic. Theres not a lot I can say that hasnt been said a thousand times and a hundred different ways before, but I found I Am Legend to be far more character-focused and emotionally intense than I imagined it would be.

I really liked the book. It is a quick and entertaining read - especially for being written in 1954. Im not really in to vampires, but this isnt about vampires. Its about a man who is the last man on earth and hes trying to deal with being alone, and trying to figure out what has happened to the rest of his race. Id recommend this to anyone looking for some light summertime reading There are periods when Nevilles coping with his solitary existence - sometimes he drinks himself into a haze and other times he just zones out for months at a time. It reminded me of Cast Away when Tom Hanks was just dealing with being all by himself. It is interesting to read and to get inside the head of a charater like that. Cast Away had over 40 minutes of silence, but in I am Legend you a exposed to the inner thoughts of the survivor. I can only imagine what it would do to a man - but it sure makes for good reading...

This is a fantastic novella from a brilliant writer. It was way ahead of its time and Matheson inspired so many giants in the horror field, including Stephen King. This book in particular is one of the main contributing forces that gave rise to the zombie genre. I wouldnt say this is a literary masterpiece so much as an amazing story that is solidly written. The premise is dazzling and it kept me turning the pages. I will refrain from giving it the fifth star because some of Nevilles thinking got a touch repetitive for me and I was actually a little confused about what constituted a (WARNING, mild spoiler) vampire or another kind of undead type of vampire being that isnt quite a vampire. I honestly cant spoil it too bad because I dont clearly understand that part. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was that I have seen two film versions of I Am Legend and this still felt original. I think its because the main character is a truly human character. We get a front row seat to those flaws in the book and we get to do it as he battles vampires from a last man on earth perspective. It was a fun read. I will try more of Mathesons written work. (He also wrote many screenplays.)

The premise of this story is very simple. A man named Robert Neville is the last man alive on Earth. Everyone else have become vampires and this story is about Roberts life being alone in a world full of hideous beings. It is a very simple and basic premise and yet Richard Matheson has taken it and spun a really deep and complex tale out of it. All throughout the book, there are instances where we truly feel for Robert, the pain and frustration he goes through on a daily basis. He struggles with the isolation of being alone, the defeat of not able to find a cure for vampirism, the mysteries surrounding vampirism, and ultimately the seeming betrayal of a woman named Ruth, the only living being he knows after the plaque. Mr. Matheson describes all of this in beautiful, beautiful prose. Not only that, he also has a knack for creating believable characters; all of these characters, even his animal ones, behave the way they should, and it is a delight to read about them. There were some highly technical parts of the book which I felt dragged the pace down, but not too badly as to make the book feel too long-winded. For the most part, the story chugs along nicely. One more thing Ive noticed about I AM LEGEND was that it felt very allegorical of the problems we have in our world today. Man is a very territorial and violent species and we see that even in a post-apocalytic context, wars and conflicts of interest can still happen, and will happen. I am Legend is truly a triumph of story telling, Mr. Matheson was clearly at the top of his game when he wrote it.

Richard Mathesons I Am Legend is an excellent story that differs widely from the typical zombie/vampire/apocalypse text. This story follows protagonist Robert Neville who is the survivor of a disease that has killed or mutated everyone else in the world. In addition to mourning his own family, Robert is tormented by the undead who call to him from outside his barricaded house every night. What makes this book so interesting is that it explores the human side to Robert, his isolation, his longing for companionship, and his fight to avoid becoming mad. It also depicts Roberts level of knowledge and intelligence in a realistic way. Robert is not a scientist, but is able to gain a strong base of knowledge about the disease by his own research from the public library. I enjoyed this book because of the excellent depiction of Robert as the protagonist. This book was easy to read and enjoyable, and I would reccomend it to anyone who enjoys disaster type stories, and also people who are interested in the psychology underlying isolation.

I was surprised and enjoyed that the book was so different from the movie. It was an interesting story, this masculine post apocalyptic story, filled with great scares and really compelling main character. I liked the vibe of the main character, very no nonsense drinks and smokes, a very kind of badass guy.