This book contains serval of Richard Matheson's horror stories, and the best one in my opinion is "I am Legend". This story is reason enough to get this book; the vampire legend is turned on its head and the protagonist is someone to feel for and root for, all the way to the bitter end. WOW!

I picked this up at the book store out of curosity and let me tell you it is timeless. It was written in the 1950's but stands the test of time, not outdated at all.
It is a wonderful story, although to short.
If your a Stephen King fan or like any type of horror story this is a great book.....Makes me curious how the movie will turn out, hopefully half as good as the book.

I was lost with reading "I Am Legend" and several of the additional stories. I don't care for the author's writing style. In my opinion, the author tends to drag out his writing.

Matheson is as creepy as Stephen King. In fact this is a book that King loved and recommended to is "constant readers."

The basis for the 1971 movie The Omega Man (which I haven't seen, but from plot summaries, doesn't seem to follow the book very closely), and also the basis for a 2007 release starring Will Smith (!?). This wasn't my pick; it was my book club selection for the month. I was unaware that Matheson was such a prolifically commercial writer, as well... He's the pen behind The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Legend of Hell House, the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (and many others) and one of the worst Star Trek episodes ever: The Enemy Within (good vs. evil Kirk!). The list goes on...
"I Am Legend," although ostensibly a sci-fi/vampire story, is pretty much every zombie movie you have ever seen. I feel it was worth reading just because I never knew that the basic plot (collapse of society due to people 'turning', man holed up & attempting to survive through ingenuity vs. legions of ravening, slavering undead) had been invented so early - 1954. ('Night of the Living Dead' didn't come out till 1968.)
However, innovative and influential as the story may have been,it's not really a particularly good novel. The writing style felt very dated, to me, and, short as it was, it was rather boring. Much of the book has our last-man-on-earth (?) holed up in his apartment, feeling alternately self-pitying or self-congratulating, constantly whining about being horny, and acting macho. The story's a great idea - but it's subsequently been done better.

I loved this book! The short stories were great too, reminded me of old TV shows like The Twilight Show and Tales From the Darkside, very creepy. If you have seen the movie starring Will Smith, but have not read this book, you really should because his character is much different in this book.

Classic story interesting take on vampires, also enjoyed
the short stories at the end of the book.

From the guy that wrote The Legend of Hell house.. its really good...

Read All Book Reviews of "I Am Legend"

Right up there in the top five of post apocalyptic literature.

Saw the movie first, and this is nothing like it. A classic in its own way, and very thought-provoking.

The best Vampire story I have ever read. Do you self a favor and read it. You will not be disappointed. And make sure to get the real story, not the novelization of the Will Smith movie which has little to nothing to do with the original Matheson story.

This book is a collection of short stories. I bought it expecting the entire book to be "I Am Legend" but there are 10 other stories as well. None are as good as "I Am Legend" in my opinion. These stories are very similar to the short stories written by Stephen King, so if you enjoy that type of thing, this is the book for you. I was not blown away by this book. I would say it's just "OK". I enjoyed his style of writing but like Stephen King, I didn't care for the endings and some of the stories are predictable.

The first story, I am Legend, is excellent. Don't expect it to be like any of the movies based on it though. (yes there are similarities.) The other short stories are all equally interesting. I especially like the really short ones, as he tells the story very concisely, distilling his ideas to the most pure thoughts. I can see his influence in Stephen King's works.

I loved this the original version of I am Legend. The movie was okay but they totally screwed up the ending.
Also includes several other short stories that are just okay.

Interesting stories by one of the masters of horror. The story I am legend is nothing like the movie but it was still a great story.

Overall it was a good read but there were too many inconsistencies in the story. Here is a guy, just a normal Joe that basically becomes a hematologist and bacteriologist in a year. Forget the vampires, that is a little far-fetched. Also, as much as he drinks he won't have to worry about the vampires.
The story itself is ok. I am not sure I like the scientific approach to vampires as much as I do the good old fashioned mystical approach. Overall though it was a worthwhile read.

Robert Neville is the last man on Earth. And every vampire in his local area is after him. Cue movie.

Richard Matheson's dynamic story of Neville and his blood-thirsty foes was recently adapted to film with Man in Black Will Smith taking the lead, and it's no wonder why. The tale, entrenched in darkness and mystery, gives a post-apocalyptic view of a man slowly losing his mind...granted, for adequate reason, but nonetheless losing his mind.

Matheson follows Neville through his trials of discovering what makes a vampire tick and how to manipulate it to his advantage before they find a way into his heavily garlicked shelter. With the city's abandoned buildings and their internal goodies at his disposal, Neville fends off the sharp-toothed undead with an insane and relatively ineffective consistency that drives him to drink his health away.

There seems no hope for his lonely existence when he encounters a wandering pooch and a woman wandering through a field in the light of day (as opposed to the carnivorous night dwellers). These twists, among others, are what drive Legend, separating it from the mass development of blood-sucking mattress stuffers currently on the market.

Accompanying Legend are a few creepily good short stories stemming off of the similarly psychological basis that Legend is built on. Though the spook factor of each can cause the stories to drag on, the ubiquitous unknown makes them enjoyable and interesting.

With such detail and realism, after you read legend, you might begin checking your co-workers for pointed teeth.

This is a very good book and I reccomend reading it before you go see the movie. You get a lot more of the meat and potatoes of the story in this book that is good plot building for the movie.

Read All Book Reviews of "I Am Legend"