I Am Legend by Richard Matheson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of I Am Legend
Book Review: Give it a chance
Summary: 3 Stars
I guess I really don't like Vampire stories, if this tautly written classic filled with rich description, and keen insights into the human condition, can't hold my interest, then there's no hope for me. Even though I didn't enjoy the book as much as others have, I can certainly understand why it has achieved legendary status among fans of the genre. Unlike a lot of post-apocalyptic tales from this era, it has held up surprisingly well despite the 50+ years since it's first publication. Matheson's writing is on par with Heinlein, Dick, and the other masters of science fiction. Give this story a chance, I hope you like it more than I did.Book Review: Good writing, almost a good book!
Summary: 1 Stars
I was given this book as a gift. I wanted to read the book before I went and saw the movie. I now hope the movie is better than the book because the book leaves a lot to be desired. I also didn't know the story would end halfway through the novel and was mildly surprised at the ending. I can't say I'm a huge fan of "horror" novels anyways, but this takes the cake for worst I've read. Don't waste your time!Book Review: Gracefully aged
Summary: 4 Stars
It's amazing how things change in fifty years. In the fifties, what used to be considered science fiction is now science fact.
Technology has grown in leaps and bounds, views on the world have changed for the better, and for the worse, we've learned so much.
And, of course, even here in North America, our culture has changed as well. Quite dramatically.
Personally, I don't know why I am Legend was written. Was it a social commentary? Or was it merely a work of fiction written to entertain and make (back then), the author a few bucks?
However, the main reason I chose to read this classic novel was based entirely on the movie of the same name starring Will Smith coming out on December 14th.
Reading the novel was quick and easy. Actually, the novel was only a hundred and sixty pages out of 312 pages. The rest of the novel is a collection of short stories, ranging in length from a couple of pages, to forty or fifty pages.
Some of the short stories were frightening, some humorous, some outright confusing.
But the main novella in this publication was, of course, I am Legend.
It's the story of the last man on Earth. Robert Neville is the only survivor of a plague that either killed, or turned the rest of humanity into vampires. Some of these vampires are living, some are dead. It does get a little confusing at times.
It chronicles his life over a period of years, starting a few months after the end of humanity.
The novella, at times, was hard to read. Richard Matheson was able to bring across, through the medium of word, the hopelessness, despair and loneliness the last human on Earth felt.
Especially because he had to deal with the nightly siege of his refuge by the vampire hoards.
In a way, it chronicles the death of one species, while witnessing the birth of another.
On a side-note, the novella really showed its age. Even though it was supposedly set in 1976, it was originally written in 1954.
Back then, nearly 54 years ago, married men and women still slept in separate beds (it's a wonder how any pregnancies occurred), women still wore dresses, and the men were the main breadwinners.
And blacks were called something else. Not the derogatory term, the racist term, but still, a term that has long since fallen out of use in our society.
So, from a society point of view, it is quite interesting to read it in modern times, to see how things were portrayed in the time of most of our parents or grandparents.
For those of you who don't know, this will be the third film adaptation of the novel. The first was The Last Man on Earth, Starring Vincent Price, released in 1964. A few years later in 1971 it was shot as The Omega Man, which starred Charlton Heston.
I personally have never seen the Vincent Price version, but if I get a chance, I will try to remedy that. Although I have seen The Omega Man and found it entertaining.
From what I remember of the Omega Man, the novella and the movie have very little in common. If memory serves, the character portrayed by Heston was a researcher working for the military, who survives the plague that kills off most of humanity by injecting himself with the only known cure for it. There are those who did survive this plague however, and it turned these survivors into robe wearing, technology hating albinos, who want to kill him because he's the last `pure' human.
As I said, very little in common with the novella.
I do recommend the novella to read, even though it does show it's age, albeit gracefully. I feel that in another fifty years it will still be poignant as it is today.
An, of course, I am looking forward to see how close Will Smith's movie compares to the novel.
Book Review: Great Book
Summary: 4 Stars
Fantastic book, Richard really pulls off a great story of struggle. Also includes several other short stories, which are also great.Book Review: Great Book....Not the Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased this book because I had just watched the movie. This was a good read and very short, but nothing like the movie. If you really want to have an interesting weekend, read the book and then watch the movie. I'm not even really sure why they call the movie "I Am Legend", probably just for name recognition.