I Am Legend by Richard Matheson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of I Am Legend
Book Review: Absolutely Amazing book, a must read!
Summary: 5 Stars
First off let me say I saw the Will Smith movie version of I AM LEGEND, none of the others & while I thought it was good I wish the writers had tried to honor this book as the previous movies didn't by staying closer to the storyline since it was practically perfect as is.
This volume contains I AM LEGEND along with a collection of short stories by Matheson that considerably bulk up the page count. I AM LEGEND is the 1st story in the volume clocking in with only 159 pages in the story out of the books 312 page count. Besides I AM LEGEND there are some very good short stories, most notable, Prey, Witch War, Dress of White Silk, Mad House & Person to Person. All are similar genre-type to I AM LEGEND.
But onto the I AM LEGEND review.....WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!!!!
After seeing the Will Smith blockbuster based on the book I thought I wouldn't enjoy the story but was curious. Man am I so glad of my curiousity!!!! I LOVED this book. It's set in California and a strange "virus" has caused all citizens of Earth to mutate into vampire-type creatures after exposure. The quick onset & spread eliminated the human race after an implied world war that ravaged but didn't destroy earth but did cause massive climate changes, huge dust storms, etc...
The novel revolves around Robert Neville, the only remaining survivor BESIDES the infected vampires/former humans. He is neither a scientist nor in the military, he's an "everyman" who works with his hands & teaches himself things throughout trying to understand the virus, but a scholar he's not. You become acquainted with Neville & Neville alone throughout his daily existence of fixing his defenses on his house daily after nightly vampire attacks, scavenging for supplies in the dead city, harvesting garlic & killing vampires by day. There is some flashback to get one up to speed on what happened to the world, Neville's family & friends but most of it is current day for Neville.
It is his isolation & the chance to "peek" into Neville's solitude & acceptance of his situation/life, it's those details that thrill & scare you. His character finds a place in your heart & mind where you'll have a seriously hard time letting him go, I know I did. His perseverance & strength make you wish men like Neville existed other places besides the page. His trials will break your heart & make you root for him to find another human alive in the book because you will want Neville to be happy, even if it's impossible.
Matheson wrote Robert Neville in such a way that he not only jumps off the page & into your mind, he stays there. For weeks after finishing I AM LEGEND I found myself pulling it off the shelf & re-reading certain parts, eventually reading the book several more times. I wish a movie could he made to follow the actual story more closely, it's amazing just as Matheson wrote it, no Hollywood special effects or embellishments needed.
A must read for horror, sci-fi or fans of any good book.
Book Review: Amazing Horror Short Story
Summary: 4 Stars
OK. I admit it. I purchased this book because I saw the movie previews. I'm a big Will Smith fan and am excited about the movie, but I always prefer to read the book before the movie so I can compare. I was hesitant to purchase the book with the movie cover on it, only because...well...I'm just that way. But trust me, the story does not disappoint.
Considering the fact that the story was written in 1954, it was a truly amazing concept for it's time, although if you place this book in history, it was written within recent memory of the end of World War II and at the beginning of the Cold War. Human extinction from biological warfare or nuclear attack was real and fresh in everyone's minds at that time. But, especially interesting to me was the tweak on vampirism being caused by some pandemic outbreak. With recent news about SARS and the Bird Flu, the fear of a massive human extinction is as real today as it was in 1958.
However, don't fall into the trap that this is a story of vampires alone. It is more of a story about the human will to survive, the need to be with others of our kind or to share the monotony of living with something (the plot line where Neville is trying to win the affection of a surviving dog is particularly heart-wrenching), and what happens when the persecutor becomes the persecuted. Without ruining the story, I will say that the plot twist is especially surprising and effective and very thought provoking. This short story will have you thinking about it for days afterwards!
Now, why did I give this book 4 stars instead of 5? The only reason: This edition is a compilation of short stories by Richard Matheson, the first of which is I Am Legend. This fact is not noted ANYWHERE on the book covers, binding, title page, etc. I was very confused when I thought I was entering a new chapter of the book and realizing that it had nothing to do with the previous. However, I have found the other stories just as interesting as the first and recommend that you read them all! You can definitely see where modern horror novelists (ie, Stephen King) were influenced by Matheson's works. In fact, a few of the stories I have found creepier than Mr. King's works..and some of these were stories written over 50 years ago! In particular, check out Prey, Witch War, and Dance of the Dead.
It will be interesting to see how Hollywood handles this story. I can already tell by the movie previews that it is not completely faithful to the book in many ways (the main character description, the dog, the setting in NYC instead of Southern California) and I will say that the book ending is not your typical Hollywood ending. I guess I'll just have to pay my $9 and see! Regardless of how Hollywood treats the story, I will give it credit for bringing attention to a short story I would have never found on my own but am so glad it is now a part of my collection.
Book Review: Amazing Novel Not Just About Survival.
Summary: 5 Stars
Just like many end of times tales, this book is the survival of one man alone in the world. However, what makes this book stand out from the others is the inner monologue of the character. Seeing how Robert Neville's psychological well being changed throughout the book was interesting-one chapter he would have it all together, the next he was crushing a glass in his hand out of frustration.
I also appreciated the fact he was a man of regular intelligence in the book. He didn't know what he was doing when it came to the experiments and all the knowledge he gained took a lot of painstaking work.
The ironic twist at the end where Neville ends up being more feared than he was at those he was hunting was also great, this is one aspect of the book that the movie really should have incorporated.
Book Review: An Innovative and Entertaining Vampire Novel
Summary: 5 Stars
Richard Matheson is one of those writers that many of us have never heard of but who has had a huge influence on a generation of very successful writers. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and others have all acknowledged their debt to Matheson with no less than Ray Bradbury calling him "One of the most important writers of the twentieth century."
"I Am Legend" is set in Los Angeles and told from the viewpoint of Robert Neville, the apparent sole survivor of a worldwide plague. But the plague does not kill; instead, it transforms its victims into creatures with all of the characteristics of vampires: an aversion to sunlight and garlic, a lust for drinking blood, and a fear of religious symbols and mirrors.
Because of a unique experience in his past, Neville has developed an immunity to the bacteria and survives the plague. His life soon deteriorates into a struggle for survival as groups of vampires hunt him, seeking to drink his blood.
Neville turns his house into a fortress, stocked with a generator, canned food and bottled water. During the day, he roams the city, finding and killing vampires in their sleep. At night, he locks himself inside while vampires, some of whom were his neighbors and friends, circle his house, calling his name. There's something really creepy about the scenes where Neville's neighbor, now vampire, wanders outside the house calling "Come out, Neville!"
Written in 1952, "I Am Legend" is a brilliant and innovative story that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. I read this book after reading Stephen King's "Salem's Lot" and it's obvious that King borrowed some of his ideas from Matheson. King has even admitted that Matheson is "the author who influenced me most as a writer".
This story is not a thrill-a-minute joy ride, but the depth of the story is incredible as it explores the psychological impact that comes from being a lone survivor. We also get to follow Neville's progress as he investigates and learns more about the vampire bacteria and how to fight it.
There are two especially innovative parts of this story:
1) Matheson gives a scientific explanation for the existence of vampires. He explains their desire to drink blood and aversion to sunlight and garlic in scientific terms. It makes the idea of vampires more believable and the story more real.
Spoiler ahead!
2) Despite the other interesting ideas Matheson introduces to the vampire story, the most original is the unusual twist at the end when Neville discovers that not all humans infected with the bacteria are completely transformed into vampires. Ironically, these infected "living" view Neville as we view vampires - a "monster" who comes into their bedrooms at night and kills them in their sleep. He is no longer the "good guy" who is fighting to survive. For them, he has become the evil in the night. He is their "legend".
This last point makes "I Am Legend" something special. It is a story that defies convention and dares to do something new, to bring a fresh take to an old myth.
Highly recommended.
Michael Mihalik is the author of Debt is Slavery: and 9 Other Things I Wish My Dad Had Taught Me About Money. Learn how to gain control of your finances, pay off your debt, and create financial security!
Book Review: At least it was cheap...
Summary: 2 Stars
I admit that I picked this book up after seeing the Will Smith movie of the same name. I thought the movie was fairly good and so, I thought, the book must be great. But this book is by far the exception to the `book is always better than the movie' rule.
The main character, the last man on earth, is incredibly flat. He's your stereotypical, aging white man that turns to alcohol to ease his troubles. He mourns his wife but spends most of his time brooding and drinking. A daughter/child is mentioned early in the novella but then never again.
The thing that endeared me most to the movie was the dog, Sam. It gave Will Smith's character depth and an excuse for dialogue. There is no dog in this book. There is no dialogue.
The ending is so completely unbelievable it's not even funny. I would love to enlighten you all and save you the pain but I don't want to be a `spoiler'.
Perhaps the worst part of this `book' is that it's actually only about 150 pages. The rest of the book is filler of other short stories. Fine. Except nowhere on the book (cover or back) does it say this. It felt extremely deceitful to not disclose that half the book was short stories. Also, there is no division between I Am Legend and the rest of the stories. After what was the last page of Legend, I turned it and kept reading because there had to be more. But that was it. No transition.
This was one of the few times where I enjoyed the movie much more than the book.