Search - I Am Legend

The book version of "I am Legend" was much better than the recent movie version. Also, be aware that the story "I am Legend" only takes up the first half of this book. After that is a collection of short stories.

The short story I Am Legend was wonderful. The recent movie starring Will Smith has VERY LITTLE in common with this story, except for the basic premise, that there are a lot of vampires and one man left in the world, and the main characters name, Robert Neville. Aside from that, nothing. This is a story about the gradual mental breakdown that occurs in the mind of the last man on Earth and his fight against both the external threat of vampires and the more serious internal threat of insanity. This is not the touching Hollywood story that brought in hundreds of millions of dollars, but the sad story of the life and death of the last human on Earth. But if you want a novelization of the movie, you are going to be disappointed.

Very, very disappointing. Probably the only time I will ever say that the movie will be better than the book. The Historian was much better for a vampire book and Cell was much better for a plague/end-of-the-world book.

After watching the Will Smith blockbuster THEN reading the book, I was very surprised at how very different they were; feeling they’re almost two seperate stories. I was also surprised that the book was actually a collection of short stories by Matheson; all of which were good. However, this review focus’ on the title of the book and story, ‘I Am Legend’.

This story follows Robert Neville, the last man on Earth, as he struggles to survive in a world taken over by a vampiric plague, which he appears to be immune to. You’re immediately thrown into the current existence of Neville. It’s in his flashbacks that we learn of his past where you can’t help but feel his pain and root him on as we follow his attempts at survival and destruction of the undead. By day, he scours the city for food and supplies but spends most of his time repairing his house and carving stakes. By night, as the vampires call out to him and try to break into his house, he struggles with lonliness and sexual frustration. Even with his drink of choice and classical music he blares every night to drown out the vampires isn’t enough to keep the depression at bay. However, along the way, he begins to conduct his own investigation to understand and maybe even cure the plague. Neville is by no means a scientist but with the library as his aid, he is able to perform scientific experiments which sheds light on logical causes of the worldwide epidemic.

Although, different from the movie, I still enjoyed the book just as much. Going back to old school vampires straight from vampire myths: garlic, stakes, mirrors, sunlight etc… sets this story apart from modern day vampire novels. I was immediately drawn in, so engrossed in the story; anxious to find out what happens next! Wrapping it up and tieing it with a bow, it has an ending you won’t see coming. I definately recommend this book especially to those who enjoy science fiction, horror and classic vampires. Do you dare join him on this journey?

I was frankly expecting more from such an influential piece of scifi. Although the look at the effects of ostracism and loneliness on a person are intriguing, they are weakened by the disjointed method of storytelling. It is difficult to get a grasp of who Neville truly is. Additionally, the difference between the living and undead vampires is unclear at best. The decisions made toward the end by the infected make very little sense from a logical stand-point, and the "surprise" ending just does not feel very creative. Although the idea itself of a worldwide pandemic causing some sort of evolution/change in people is truly excellent, the execution simply is not. Recommended to fans of the worldwide pandemic genre to see where it all began and fans of tales of ostracism. All others may as well steer clear.

Check out my full review

The main piece here, the novella I Am Legend, was a pretty good story, and is the forerunner of much of what's being written about vampires today. But Matheson's style is almost too spare for my taste. He tends to outline both scenes and characters, so the burden of filling in details of place, and more importantly, of motivation and emotional state, falls to the reader. The accompanying short stories were uneven, with similar themes of humanity and survival.