I Am Legend by Richard Matheson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of I Am Legend
Book Review: A Vampire Novel Not to Be missed!
Summary: 4 Stars
For those of us who love the tradition of horror writing, this is a novel not to be missed. The book was unfortunately out of print for about 20 years and I was only able to find and old used copy of it. I am glade to see it has been revived! Although written in the fifties, its bizarre blend of horror and science fiction,gives this book a universal quality that has stood the test of time. I would highly recommended it to readers.Book Review: A Very Entertaining And Unique Vampire Tale
Summary: 4 Stars
I've always found the mythology of the vampire and it's relationship to the human psyche to be extremely facinating. Yet few authors manage to say anything creative about these creatures of the night, and choose instead to portray them merely as either highly sexualized or purely evil caricatures hiding in the shadows from humanity at large. Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend", however, offers a different take on the traditional vampire tale. Following a devestating plague, it is Matheson's human protagonist, Robert Neville, who is hated and hunted by the vampire majority. Alienated from life, from humanity, and the endless plague victims who surround him, he himself becomes a monster. Relatively safe within the confines of his vampire-proofed shelter, Neville's primary enemies are boredom, loneliness, anger and self-doubt. He struggles to fill his days with meaning and hope while gradually loosing ground to the vampires who want his blood.
Overall, this is a dramatic, suspenseful and chilling story with an unforgettable ending. The novella's one flaw: it's too short. I wish Matheson had written more about, for example, the emergence of the vampire plague, Neville's relationship with his wife and Ben Cortman. Yet, like any good horror novel, much has to be left to the imagination.
For people drawn to this novella because of the recent film adaptation staring Will Smith, I think in the end you may be either disappointed by the film or the story on which it was based (depending on which you experience first and your personal tastes). If you're expecting loads of action, car chases or explosions from this book, then you may be let down.
Book Review: A brilliant conception of vampires which combines sci-fi and horror. Well written, atmospheric, intelligent. Highly recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
Following a worldwide plague, Robert Neville may be the only man left alive. His family is dead. All the surviving humans have been transformed into vampires that surround his house very night in an attempt to break in or entice him out, attack him, and drink his blood. Holed up in his home, which he has converted into a safe house, Robert struggles with his despair and his outsider status, the constant need to seek shelter, food and protection, and the desire to discover the cause and possibly the cure of the plague. A combination of science fiction and horror, I Am Legend is an atmospheric, stark survivalist text with a truly brilliant central concept: the scientific conception and explanation of a vampire. The book is short and difficult to put down, well paced, both intelligent and frightening, and had a huge literary impact on authors in both the sci-fi and horror genres. I highly recommend it, and I consider it one of the most interesting books that I have ever read.
This read through of I Am Legend was my first time coming back to it since I read it in high school (now almost four years ago). The story has stayed very fresh in my mind over the intervening years--or, more precisely, the science of Matheson's conception of vampires. Coming back to the text, it is now very obvious to me why those aspects would stick with me so strongly. For the most part, this narrative is a method of conveying Matheson's sci-fi concepts--perhaps like any true SF author, he puts scientific concept ahead of character, and the most important aspect of the characters is not their personality or emotions but rather then impact that the story's scientific concept has on them. In the case of I Am Legend, that concept is a scientific and (mostly) logical explanation for vampires. And it's a wonderful, brilliant concept, more than unique and interesting enough for me to remember it in detail over the years. I still feel like the final development to this sci-fi idea and its repercussions happens too quickly and in limited detail, making the end of the book feel a little too fast--nonetheless, the concept is a great one, and very interesting to read about.
The flips side of that situation, however, is that the book lacks characterization and emotion. Those aspects aren't entirely absent by any means. Robert, the protagonist, has a back story, goes through emotional phases, and is greatly impacted by the apocalyptic survival setting that he finds himself in. He's realistically faulted and in many ways admirable. Nonetheless, these personal characteristics and even his interactions, past and present, exist primarily to move towards, expound on, and explain Matheson's scientific point, his conception of the vampires. In some cases, this is obvious: Richard's memories serve to build his character, but they also serve to lead him, and thus the reader, to a better understanding of the vampires. At a mere 160 pages, Matheson could have chosen to give greater emphasis to character--not so that it overwhelmed his SF ideas, but so that it provided a counterbalance to the emphasis on plot and idea found throughout the rest of the book. The lack of realistic and independently meaningful character makes those sections of the book unmemorable and makes the book as a whole a little bit too fast and too simple as a result.
Despite these thoughts and critiques, I greatly enjoy this novel and highly recommend it. Matheson achieves an incredible atmosphere in I Am Legend, one of constant paranoia and terror that never grows stale or overblown. His SF concepts are detailed, intelligent, and truly absorbing. The book combines horror and sci-fi in a way that I have never seen anywhere else and find greatly enjoyable to read. I highly recommend the text, and it's a good one to own--although short and easily readable, it's wonderful to come back to and reread. It also makes a great atmospheric yet intelligent horror/Halloween text.
I haven't read the additional texts that accompany the 300-page version, and so I can't speak for those.
Book Review: A classic and the best vampire book ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
Easily the best novel I have ever read. My only complaint would be that it is so short. I would have read 900 pages of Neville's story if it were there.
I grew up reading primarily Stephen King books and I heard that this novel was a great influence on King so I gave it a try. I can see why King holds it in such high regard.
This book isn't really so much a horror story, but an apocolyptic tale of survival, love, science and sorrow. Surely it sounds like an odd combination, but thats what makes it so remarkable.
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It will not dissapoint
Book Review: A classic benchmark
Summary: 4 Stars
The 'I am Legend' compilation is a fabulous book and must be taken on it's own merits and not on one's enjoyment of the 3 subsequent movies (good or bad). The fact that it was written in 1954 can only make the reader more impressed with Matheson's scientific references and the way in which he weaves mythology with the "modern". Although there are other definite classics included, I felt less of an affinity with some of the other short stories until I again reminded myself of the vintage of these tales. A short story like 'Prey'(1969) falls foul of numerous 'Chucky' type 80's horror flicks, the memories of which now permeate ones imagery during the reading of such a story and needless to say, ruins it.
But to harp on the negative is futile when the 170 pages of 'I am Legend' are magnificent. The ending, the very final line, outshines anything that movies have done with this work. I would however, recommend a viewing of the three movies, 'The last man on Earth', 'Omega Man' and 'I am Legend' as something of interest after reading this book. That's not to say there's not an absolute lemon in there, but it is interesting to see the treatment of the material from the 1954 text through to 2007.