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I am legend

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 12,048 ratings · 969 reviews

Een mysterieus dodelijk virus heeft zich verspreid over de hele wereld en er is slechts één overlevende: Robert Neville. Overdag verplaatst hij zich door verlaten straten en doorzoekt hij lege gebouwen, een man die zich staande probeert te houden tussen de overblijfselen van de menselijke beschaving. Wanneer de zon schijnt over de uitgestorven wereld, is Neville een jager...more

Pocket, 188 pages

Published 2007 by Bruna (first published 1954)

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May 24, 2012 Nataliya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"I am legend". These words make me shudder. But if you have only seen that Will Smith movie that went 180 degrees on the book's message, the soul-crushing impact of these words will be lost on you.
That makes me sad...

To quote Stephen King, "I think the author who influenced me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson." This was enough of a recommendation for me to go and dig up this book. And it's great.

"Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fort

...more "I am legend". These words make me shudder. But if you have only seen that Will Smith movie that went 180 degrees on the book's message, the soul-crushing impact of these words will be lost on you.
That makes me sad...

To quote Stephen King, "I think the author who influenced me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson." This was enough of a recommendation for me to go and dig up this book. And it's great.

"Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend.”

Robert Neville, as you may already know from the countless cinematic adaptations of the story, seems to be a sole survivor of a vampirism-like pandemic. (The old-fashioned burn-in-the-sunlight stake-through-the-heart vampirism, none of that newfangled emo sparkliness.) Neville stakes vampires by day, and researches the cause of the plague in his spare time. The long segments of the story are devoted to the relentless monotony of his scientific pursuit of the vampirism mystery - which he does figure out, by the way. And it's quite neat.

We witness the years of deep depression, alcoholism, and the suffocating isolation, loneliness and despair. Then one day he meets Ruth who may be another survivor of the pandemic. And that's where any similarities to the movie stop, and the story becomes less of a lone-hero-tale and more of the soul-crushing-hopeless-revelation-tale.

And suddenly he thought, I'm the abnormal one now. Normalcy was a majority concept, the standard of many and not the standard of just one man."

The story of the lone righteous hero, the brave vampire hunter has a sure guaranteed readers' appeal (I, for instance, adore Stephen King's Salem's Lot). Matheson, however, brilliantly decides to take the road less traveled and turns the legend on its head. He introduces an unexpected perspective that forces the protagonist and the reader look at things in a new - and shocking - light. After all, the line between a hero and a horror is very thin, and usually very subjectively drawn.

This is not a traditional vampire story in any shape or form. There is no supernatural element - unless you think so of germs. Instead it involves evolution - of the hero and the monsters alike, and not in the ways that are comforting to the reader. The horror lies in its unsettling revelations about the human nature. It is also a story in which happy ending is impossible by default - which Hollywood, of course, promptly 'fixes'. At least Will Smith got a blockbuster out of the butchered story.

Given the number of the cinematic adaptations of this book, it continues to fascinate Hollywood. I'm just waiting for the day when they make one that actually captures the intended impact of Matheson's story.

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The writing is a bit dry, the science sections drag on a bit, and the protagonist is rather unlikable, but I forgive all this for the punch-in-the-gut impact the story had on me. 4 stars.(less)

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Sep 16, 2012 Tfitoby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Blurb: Robert Neville is the last man left alive on Earth...but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has become a vampire. Neville spends his days scavenging for food and supplies, and hunting down the undead in their lairs in the ruins of civilisation. At night, he becomes the hunted and barricades himself in his home, waiting and praying for the dawn.

I Am Legend was one of the first, and certainly the most brill...more

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May 24, 2012 Morgue Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Scifi and Horror Fans

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just finished reading this book. Completely different from the movie (The 2007 version), I wish they would have gone with this story instead. The reader spends the whole story (Which is really only 170 pages) following the last man on earth as he fights for his survival against vampires (and yes, they are vampires). He boards up his house, stocks up on canned goods, and researches a way to combat this disease. He is not a doctor or a scientist, just a regular man stuck in an irregular situatio...more I just finished reading this book. Completely different from the movie (The 2007 version), I wish they would have gone with this story instead. The reader spends the whole story (Which is really only 170 pages) following the last man on earth as he fights for his survival against vampires (and yes, they are vampires). He boards up his house, stocks up on canned goods, and researches a way to combat this disease. He is not a doctor or a scientist, just a regular man stuck in an irregular situation. But, as Matheson so beautifully states, "Man can get used to anything", and so he does - burning corpses left on his doorstep by his vampire "friends", gathering fresh garlic, and fixing up his house for them to come back each night and try to drag him out.
Robert, the main character, spends years in this manner. He breaks into a nearby library and gathers an armload of books on anything and everything he thinks will be useful. In this way, Richard Matheson gives us the first realistic look at vampires from a scientific standpoint. Some vampires are afraid of crosses because of experiences in their pre-infected life. None can stand garlic - but it must be fresh and strongly scented. The reason they turn to dust? Well, read and find out. Learning the few ways there are to destroy them, Robert makes an attempt to kill a handful each day.
**SPOILER**
What he doesn't realize is that these creatures are not mindless zombies. They have emotions and desires beyond that of fresh blood. While Robert spends his nights locked away in his home, the infected have set about creating their own society. The most heart-wrenching moment (A phrase I do not use lightly) comes when a female vampire looks at Robert and tells him "I had a husband. You killed him while he was sleeping." They are not the blood-thirsty monsters he believes them to be. In fact, in their world, *he* is the monster, and that is where the book gains it's title. "I Am Legend" is like saying "I Am Boogeyman". A fantastic look at who the monsters of this world really are.(less)

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May 24, 2012 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, horror, apocalyptic

I just re-read this after watching some of the movies based on it. It's truly a chilling book. It's an apocalyptic novel. The vampire plague has destroyed our society. Much of the book focuses on our hero's loneliness. When he finds an uninfected dog, his attempts to befriend it are almost pathetic & truly heart-wrenching. It's well worth reading.

There are 3 movies that I know of that are based on this book.

The Last Man On Earth starring Vincent Price in the mid 60's. This follows the book...more

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May 24, 2012 Kat Hooper rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I don’t like vampire novels much, so I wasn’t planning to read Richard Matheson’s classic vampire story I am Legend which was published in 1954, is also known by the title The Omega Man, and is, of course, the basis for the movie I am Legend.

But then I recently read and was enthralled by two other books by Matheson: The Incredible Shrinking Man and Steel and Other Stories. I realized that The Incredible Shrinking Man wasn’t really so much about a man who w...more ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I don’t like vampire novels much, so I wasn’t planning to read Richard Matheson’s classic vampire story I am Legend which was published in 1954, is also known by the title The Omega Man, and is, of course, the basis for the movie I am Legend.

But then I recently read and was enthralled by two other books by Matheson: The Incredible Shrinking Man and Steel and Other Stories. I realized that The Incredible Shrinking Man wasn’t really so much about a man who was losing his height as it was about a man who was losing his manhood. Likewise, the novella “Steel,” the titular piece of Steel and Other Stories and the premise for the movie Real Steal, isn’t so much about a fighting robot as it is about a man who, similar to the shrinking man, is fighting to keep his position in life. The psychological aspects of these stories fascinated me and I began to wonder if perhaps I am Legend wasn’t really about vampires after all.

As I suspected, it’s not. Well, on the surface it is. Robert Neville is the last human being on Earth. Everyone else has been infected with a virus that causes vampirism, but for some reason, Robert is immune. He spends his daytime hours securing his house, staking vampires, and trying to discover a cure for the virus. At night he hides indoors while the vampires, some who are his former acquaintances, try to break in. During the story there are flashbacks which show the gradual loss of Robert’s family and friends to vampirism.

I was fascinated by Robert’s preparations and daytime activities, and his studies to find the cause and cure for the virus. The thought, for example, of having free access to anything you want, including cars, jewelry, clothes, houses, art, scientific equipment, and every book in every bookstore and library in the world is exhilarating... until you realize that there’s nobody to share it with. All those things are almost meaningless outside of their social context.

So, this is Matheson’s gut-wrenching focus — what it means to be the last human on Earth, especially when you’re fighting for your life. We all know that humans are social creatures, but none of us has actually experienced a total lack of companionship. What would it mean to rule the entire world alone? And yet, as depressing as that is, why, when there’s nothing to live for, do we still cling to life so desperately? Matheson writes so powerfully about these emotions. I ached for Robert Neville and a few of Matheson’s scenes had me in tears.

The story is called I am Legend because Robert Neville gradually comes to realize that vampires, the creatures he thought were only legend, are real. Now, Robert Neville, the elusive human being who vampires fear, has become the legend.

I listened to Blackstone Audio’s version of I am Legend which is perfectly read by Robertson Dean. This is one I will listen to again. By the way, I am Legend is not a full-length novel, so some versions include additional stories in a collection called I am Legend and Other Stories.

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
(less)

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May 24, 2012 Sath rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, apocalyptic, sfx-book-club, horror, sf-masterworks, reviewed, on-my-bookshelf, bought-new

It's 1976, and the world's population has been wiped out by an unknown affliction. Robert Neville is the last man alive. Immune to the plague by some trick of fate, he is left alone in the world, with nothing but an unescapable will to continue living.

After dark, the dead population come to stand outside Neville's boarded up home, to taunt and torment him. He keeps them away with garlic, crosses and mirrors, lest they come after his blood. During the day he goes through houses staking the peopl...more It's 1976, and the world's population has been wiped out by an unknown affliction. Robert Neville is the last man alive. Immune to the plague by some trick of fate, he is left alone in the world, with nothing but an unescapable will to continue living.

After dark, the dead population come to stand outside Neville's boarded up home, to taunt and torment him. He keeps them away with garlic, crosses and mirrors, lest they come after his blood. During the day he goes through houses staking the people as they lie comatose in their beds. His nights are sleepless, and his days are bleak and lonely. Eventually he turns to investigating the disease, mainly as something to do, basically teaching himself the biology from scratch, and trying to bring scientific reason to vampirism.

Matheson's writing is really just amazing. For the majority of the book, Neville is entirely alone, just doing whatever is necessary to survive, and the majority of the dialogue is just Nevilles own crazy internal thoughts. And for that to continue for so long, and yet to be the complete opposite of boring.. it was exciting. It's so good in fact, that I read the entire book in one go, and I don't often do that.

I had previously seen the movie (the Will Smith version), which I actually liked very much, don't flame me! But this book of course is quite different. And then someone had explained the plot of the book to me, after I saw the movie, but despite this, I still found so much in the book that was just unexpected.

(view spoiler)

Additional Warning: If reading the new SF Masterworks edition, Do not read the introduction before the book, it's a bit too spoilerific, it would have been better at the end of the book as a review.(less)

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May 24, 2012 F.R. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading a modern classic for the first time, one which has been adapted into a number of movies and to a certain extent has entered the culture, is a fine way to set oneself up for disappointment. How can it possibly match its reputation? How can it live up to the reader’s preconceptions? How can it meet expectations?

I’m pleased to say that Richard Matheson’s ‘I am Legend’ is a fantastic read which more than deserves its good name.

Despite the various adaptations making the monsters more zombie-l...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, horror

This is another one of those times when there are people who if they could would give this book far more than the allowed 5 while if I were rating it on "enjoyment alone" I'd be looking to give it negative stars. I realize this is one of the "classics" of science fiction (or science fantasy)and I don't care. I read it years ago and while I find the writing in places rates my recognition of it's quality...I don't care for the book.

Like some of Matheson's other works there are some questions that...more

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May 25, 2012 Martin Belcher rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

I have been meaning to read I am Legend since I first saw the film starring Will Smith a couple of years ago. I had heard the book was slightly different to the “Hollywood treatment” given to the film version.

I really enjoyed it, I think its far better than the film for capturing Robert Neville’s character and his anguish in realising he may be the only person alive in the world, barricaded in his home at night to prevent the hoards of vampires trying to attack and kill him. As a novel written i...more

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May 24, 2012 Fiona rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Fiona by: Becky

Shelves: books-i-own, 2009, setting-usa, bought-new, favourites

I'm between giving this 4 and 5 stars so truly, this is more of a 4.5 stars.

I am Legend is - I can't believe it! I can't remember even why I got it in the first place. I rarely browse the adult fantasy section any more, I usually whip past it I admit. If I do go there it is a planned purchase.

I bought it during pre-deadline depression at my final year of university. I was intrigued because it is a classic - written in the 1950's and I guess when I think of fantasy or sci-fi I think of witches,...more

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May 25, 2012 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, wife-books

A novel that has been both heavily criticized and revered, I Am Legend straddles an uneasy line between Horror and Science Fiction. However, there is no denying its influence, nor its simple charm. In comparison with some of the 'vampire' drivel being served up today, this little novel is indeed legend. It ranks with Salem's Lot as one of my favourite reads on the vampire mythos. I know that the science isn't sound, but Matheson has done a terrific job of introducing new ways to broach the subje...more

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May 24, 2012 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When i read this i was not on goodreads so a review now would not do justice, so this is up for a re-read. Matheson is such a good writer and this tale of one man's struggle to preserve the human race and find a way to stop the spread of the hungry beings is short but legendary. There has been quite a few adaptations but most have played with the story and changed some important parts the book is much better.
I Am Legend has been adapted to a feature-length film three times (or four, if one incl...more

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May 24, 2012 Ricardo Lourenço rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Único sobrevivente de uma praga cujos efeitos se assemelham ao vampirismo, Robert Neville subsiste apesar das dificuldades, matando vampiros de dia e barricando-se em casa de noite, tentando não só proteger-se das insaciáveis criaturas, mas também manter a sua própria sanidade.

O livro diferencia-se pela sua abordagem científica em detrimento dos fundamentos mitológicos que normalmente suportam as histórias de vampiros, algo que, no entanto, levou a uma desactualização acentuada pelo avanço da ci...more Único sobrevivente de uma praga cujos efeitos se assemelham ao vampirismo, Robert Neville subsiste apesar das dificuldades, matando vampiros de dia e barricando-se em casa de noite, tentando não só proteger-se das insaciáveis criaturas, mas também manter a sua própria sanidade.

O livro diferencia-se pela sua abordagem científica em detrimento dos fundamentos mitológicos que normalmente suportam as histórias de vampiros, algo que, no entanto, levou a uma desactualização acentuada pelo avanço da ciência desde a sua publicação original em 1954. Apesar disso, as falhas na explicação do vírus não são facilmente identificáveis, sendo as alterações sociais o factor que revela de forma mais evidente a antiguidade da obra.

"«A força do vampiro vem do facto de ninguém acreditar nele.» Muito obrigado, Dr. Van Helsing, pensou enquanto pousava a sua cópia do “Drácula”. Estava sentado olhando melancolicamente para a estante dos livros, ouvindo o segundo concerto para piano de Brahms, um whisky sour na sua mão direita, um cigarro nos lábios.
Era verdade. O livro era uma mistela de superstições e clichés romanescos, mas aquela frase era verdadeira; ninguém tinha acreditado neles, e como poderia alguém lutar contra algo em que não acreditava?"

A escrita simples (por várias vezes monótona) enfatiza a repetitiva rotina de Neville, uma existência entre a solidão e o horror que o arrasta para um estado de desespero, algo que procura contrariar através do álcool. Assolado pelo passado do qual não se consegue libertar e pela ausência de perspectivas futuras, é ao atingir o limiar da loucura que Neville decide enfrentar a situação, investigando a origem do vírus que destruiu o mundo que conhecia.

"Este pensamento recordou-lhe outra vez o enigma inexplicável de porque é que ele continuava. Tudo bem que havia agora algumas hipóteses que tinha de experimentar mas a sua vida ainda era uma provação estéril e sem alegrias. Apesar de tudo quanto possuía ou viria a possuir (à excepção, claro, de outro ser humano), a vida não lhe dava nenhumas garantias de que iria melhorar ou até mudar. Da maneira como corriam as coisas, viveria a sua vida com pouco mais do que aquilo que agora já tinha. E por quantos anos? Trinta, quarenta se não se matasse com a bebida entretanto.
A ideia de que ainda tinha mais quarenta anos para viver dava-lhe arrepios.
E, no entanto, não se matava."

É através deste cenário desolador em que o protagonista, qual Robinson Crusoe, se vê rodeado por um mar de vampiros, que Richard Matheson consegue abordar temas como o efeito psicológico da solidão, a tristeza resultante da perda de entes queridos, o choque entre a moral e o instinto de sobrevivência e, com especial importância na explicação de alguns efeitos do vírus, a influência das crenças e superstições na psique humana. O desenvolvimento destes temas apela fortemente às nossas emoções, cativando o leitor de forma inesperada tendo em conta o monótono início.

"Num mundo em que o terror era a regra, a redenção não viria por ele sonhar mais ferozmente. Ao terror, conseguia adaptar-se. Mas a monotonia, tomava agora, tardiamente, consciência, era o maior dos obstáculos. Tê-lo compreendido trouxera-lhe uma espécie de paz de espírito, uma noção de que tinha deposto todas as cartas sobre uma mesa mental, examinando-as, e escolhendo, em consciência, o naipe desejado."

De forma lenta mas gradual, a história ganha força (contrastando com o declínio de Neville, através da degradação das suas aptidões sociais), culminando numa inversão de papéis que estilhaça, de forma assustadora, a ilusão que temos da nossa importância, principal base da nossa arrogância.

Apesar do peso dos anos, Eu sou a Lenda continua (e arriscaria mesmo dizer que continuará) a ser uma obra memorável e perturbadora.(less)

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May 24, 2012 Sandi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, audiobooks, horror, post-apocalyptic-dystopian, sci-fi, california-lit

I'm going to start by saying that I really enjoyed the most recent movie version of I Am Legend. I thought it was really well-done. I knew that it wasn't anything like the book, but it was a good movie as it was. It's one of those movies that I'm glad I saw without having the book in my head to contrast it to.

That said, I enjoyed the book immensely too. It is very different than the movie, and that's okay. They can be different and each can be judged on it's own merits. I was a bit surprised to...more

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May 24, 2012 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, horror, apocolypse

The Boyfriend really wants to see this movie - which is a little surprising, because our tastes in film are rather divergent - so I thought I'd re-read the book just to have it fresh in my mind when we went to the theater.

Damn, I forgot how good this book is.

It's a swift read - I got it finished in a working day - but there is no wasted space. Matheson creates a tension that carries you through the book and never lets up. Brilliant work.

The story is pretty simple - in The Future (1972, in this c...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Rita rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone!

Shelves: in-my-home-library, vampires, my-reviews, post-apocalyptic-and-dystopian, fiction, horror, 5-stars, speculative-fiction, quick-reads, books-that-made-me-cry

Forget about sparkling vampires.

This is one of the most heartbreaking and beautifully written stories that have ever been written. It is a post apocalyptic book about single man's struggle to stay alive in a world that has been run over by vampires. It is not a horror-story in the traditional sense, it is also not a vampire story in traditional sense. This is a story that explores one of the most tragic emotions any human can be asked to face: namely that of loneliness. Nothing that I write coul...more

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May 18, 2012 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, sci-fi, vampires, 2012-read, updated

I've seen the movie version of I Am Legend at least twice, probably three times. And up until maybe a year ago, I didn't realise that it was actually a book, and a sci-fi classic to boot. Which also made me think - how many movies are based on, or inspired by a book we don't even know about?

I'm also not a fan of reading a book after seeing the movie - I always find movie versions are either a) completely different or b) a big fat let-down, so I was a little wary when I started reading. I really...more

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May 24, 2012 Bel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy

Four fifths of the way through and the only thing on my mind was how incredibly boring and one-dimensional Robert Neville is. You would think that someone forced into solitude and surrounded by death and insanity would have a wonderfully colourful and twisted mind - if you're going to have a book revolving around a single character, make him a really good one. So, it wasn't until he began chasing, abusing and kidnapping a woman in the name of science (everything in this book was tunnel-viewed 'i...more

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May 24, 2012 jzhunagev rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: classic horror olvers

Recommended to jzhunagev by: Stephen King

Shelves: action, award-winning-best-seller, classics, mystery, science-fiction, horror, suspense, dark-chest-of-wonders

I am Legend by Richard Matheson (A Book Review)

After reading this masterpiece by Richard Matheson, I was overtaken by a great feeling of regret; regret that I had to wait for so long just to sink my (fanged) teeth into this magnificent post-apocalyptic vampire story; regret that I saw the recent movie adaptation of the same title first before reading it. But then again the movie is a good one, in itself.

If you haven’t heard of nor made aware of this book’s existence, then most likely you’ve see...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

"I dub thee vampiris."

This has got to be one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Even though I more or less knew what was about to happen in the end, it was still intense and mind-blowing. I Am Legend is an amazingly well written dark and painful story about loneliness, about being the last of the old. I totally recommend this book to fans of psychological and horror novels and to those who are into exploring the subject of vampires and vampirism. But be warned: you will not find any si...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Ricardo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A definição de ficção científica é algo que não se encontra bem estabelecida. No entanto, seja qual for a definição, se não permitir a inclusão de I am Legend, de Richard Matheson, será uma definição incompleta/insuficiente.

Pode parecer um exagero mas só para quem nunca leu a obra. Aliás, de tão genial e inovadora que a obra é, qualquer comparação com o filme de 2007 (com Will Smith no principal papel) corre o risco de não começar a fazer sequer juz à obra. O filme deveria ser considerado não um...more A definição de ficção científica é algo que não se encontra bem estabelecida. No entanto, seja qual for a definição, se não permitir a inclusão de I am Legend, de Richard Matheson, será uma definição incompleta/insuficiente.

Pode parecer um exagero mas só para quem nunca leu a obra. Aliás, de tão genial e inovadora que a obra é, qualquer comparação com o filme de 2007 (com Will Smith no principal papel) corre o risco de não começar a fazer sequer juz à obra. O filme deveria ser considerado não uma adaptação, mas um insulto!

Em I am Legend, Matheson dá-nos a conhecer Robert Neville, o último representante de uma humanidade transformada em mortos-vivos. Inicialmente somos levados através das suas rotinas diárias, apesar de a escrita nunca se tornar aborrecida e repetitiva, sendo-nos apresentadas as rotinas com que ele combate a solidão e as formas como lida com a companhia das criaturas que ele baptizou de vampiros. É então que entra em cena o método científico e a procura de Robert por ir à raíz do vampirismo.

Praticamente em toda a obra seremos levados pelo processo de descoberta do Bacillus vampirii, o agente infeccioso que levou a mulher e a filha de Robert e ainda uma boa parte da população e que Robert elege como seu adversário principal. Entretanto a sobrevivência do mais apto entra em cena e Robert trava conhecimento com Ruth, uma sobrevivente da infecção que pertence a uma nova sociedade, uma sociedade que tem uma forma peculiar de olhar para Robert, a sua existência e o seu lugar na História.

Numa altura em que os vampiros são criaturas fofinhas e de levar para casa como forma de entretenimento leviano, I am Legend (re)surge como uma refrescante lufada de ar fresco e uma nova luz no mito do vampiro. Publicado pela primeira vez em 1954, será porventura uma das obras mais influentes no meio cultural desde essa altura. Não só Stephen King considera Matheson uma das suas fontes de inspiração, como é impossível dissociar filmes como a Saga dos Mortos de Romero, ou 28 Dias/Semanas de Danny Boyle, desta obra. Matheson, ao escrever um livro de ficção científica no seu estado mais puro, acabou por fundar/reconverter o género do terror, introduzindo a figura do zombie. Pois os vampiros de Matheson são aquilo que hoje em dia se chamaria de zombies! A evolução do Conde de Bram Stoker à luz do que a ciência da década de 50 nos dizia ser o funcionamento do corpo humano, conduziram a esse corpo animado por uma bactéria.

Esta obra de Matheson é no entanto algo mais que uma simples, rápida e agradável leitura. Mais do que entretenimento, Matheson serve-nos um banquete de questões existenciais (ou pseudo-existenciais, mas questões à mesma!). Assim o B. vampirii é desculpa para uma reflexão sobre a sanidade e a humanidade de uma existência solitária, para o instinto de sobrevivência quando tudo nos diz para desistir e acima de tudo para o que é ser normal num mundo em permanente mudança, pois na realidade a obra mais que não é do que a viagem de Robert da sua humanidade até ao momento em que, introspectivamente ele chega à conclusão que mais não é do que o produto de lendas do passado.(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Red Solo Cup rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who want a good mix of science fiction and fantasy

Recommended to Red Solo Cup by: Goodreads

Shelves: horror, vampires, apocalyptic, survival, supernatural, science-fiction, movies, 2013, contemporary

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. After seeing the movie, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to read this or not. But I've done it and here we are! (I won't be reviewing the short stories after the actual novel, but they were pretty good so check them out.)

This story is about the last man on Earth who uses science to discover the secret to the vampire plague. No, you heard me right, it's a plague. These vampires bring out all the stereotypes; the fear of crosses, fear of garlic, can't come out in the sunlight, can be killed with s...more After seeing the movie, I wasn't really sure if I wanted to read this or not. But I've done it and here we are! (I won't be reviewing the short stories after the actual novel, but they were pretty good so check them out.)

This story is about the last man on Earth who uses science to discover the secret to the vampire plague. No, you heard me right, it's a plague. These vampires bring out all the stereotypes; the fear of crosses, fear of garlic, can't come out in the sunlight, can be killed with stakes, and they drink your blood... Actually they don't drink your blood, they eat your flesh...I think. Apparently this is an airborne germ because it is transmitted through the sandstorms and all the fears are psychologically based. The whole process of figuring out the vampires was the most interesting aspect of it. But, there were many things I still didn't understand at the end of the book.

First off, I felt that we didn't get a full idea of his wife and daughter. The flashbacks were confusing and several times I didn't realize the book was in flashback mode. And what about Ben Cortman? It is mentioned that he was Robert's neighbor but what else? Also, how can a small germ kill someone only to bring them back to life? That doesn't make sense to me. If you look at zombie type of viruses scientifically and medically it doesn't make any sense. I'm sure someone could bring up Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and tell me that Victor was able to bring someone back from the dead based on electricity, but that doesn't make sense either. Think of all the basic components a body needs, blood, oxygen, water, the brain, and all those wonderful little cells that create a human being. Now think of the soul. How do you bring back someone's soul/ghost to their body? This question is avoided by giving us an answer from Frankenstein and I Am Legend, that you don't need a soul. Instead you become a ravenous being with no emotions that does nothing but kill, a monster. And this is why most of these monsters can't think logically. But wait! Didn't they have a brain? So can't they think logically? Nope, it's as decomposed as the rest of the body. Ok, then how does a virus bring back someone from the dead, when clearly the virus has no living components to manifest itself in? You tell me, because so far I have no found the answer. If a zombie can supposedly be started from a virus, what does it do and how does it mutate that allows it to create "undead". Do you see where I'm going with all of this? Science has a lot of explaining to do.

And why did Robert get lucky enough to survive with a lower dose of the virus? Where did that come from? How many forms of the virus are we talking? Why are some vampires "dead" and some "living"? I know its sort of explained but if bacteria mutates then what? Explain book!

However, the ideas behind the living vampire society and new way of life was a twist I wasn't expecting, even though I didn't fully understand it. But overall this book was pretty good and it's quite obvious that research was done to create a slightly more realistic vampire plot.(less)

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May 24, 2012 Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A really good vampire book. I really felt for the main character. He was so lonely and so hopeless and all he could do was to try and survive. I thought this book was really well written and it gripped me from the begining.

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Nov 09, 2012 Ginny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Romanzo dalle atmosfere cupe e surreali, giocato più sull’allusione che sulla descrizione esplicita delle scene raccapriccianti ed esaltato nei toni drammatici da una prosa scarna e affilata di forte immediatezza.
La vita di Robert Neville è un grumo di angoscia che si stempera in una quotidianità ritualizzata fino all’ossessività per esorcizzare la disperazione. Il mondo è stato sovvertito, l’umanità è completamente stravolta, gli affetti che gli erano più cari sono stati falcidiati da una orri...more

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May 24, 2012 Nnedi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I listened to the audiobook on a Playaway. I've never been able to get past the first ten minutes of the movie. Saw this in the library and decided to give it a chance. It was nice because I listened to it as I worked out...around lots of people. I couldn't listen to it while at home at night, haha. Too scary. But I enjoyed this. I don't read zombie Apocalypse type books so I'm not all jaded and hypercritical. This was something new to me, and I'm glad I got to take it in from that perspective....more

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May 24, 2012 Craig a.k.a Meatstack rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 2011, library

Yes, the dates in the book are in the 70's, but it's still amazing that this book was written in the 50's.

Now, we have a half of a century later, and this book holds up like platinum.

One would not think that the lone survivor story would be so multidimensional, but what we understand is that the vampires he fights are not his real enemy, his loneliness and isolationism is the evil in this book.

It's a transition between victim, to survivor, to hunter, to outlaw that acts as basis to this manusc...more

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May 12, 2012 Chiara (Oscuro y Seductor Romance) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011

Es increíble que allá por los años 50 Matheson fuera capaz de describir un mundo catastrófico rodeado de vampiros, que estamos acostumbrados a día de hoy a ver en la televisión, las series y los libros.

El protagonista, Robert Neville, se enfrenta a las pruebas más duras: la pérdida de su mujer Virginia, por partida doble, y a la de su hija, Kathy. No contento con eso, decide hacer de su casa un refugio anti-vampiros. En su soledad, por el día mata a todo monstruo que se encuentra en su camino y...more

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May 24, 2012 Laura Summers rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books-i-own, classics, listened-to-in-2011, horror

'I am Legend' is as much a psychological novel as a horror one. Robert Neville is the last surviving human of an apocalyptic plague that has turned mankind into vampiric zombies. Written in the 1950s, it is as relevant to a modern day reader as it was fifty years ago.

Slow moving at first, the book focuses on Robert's every day plight for survival. The hum drum routine of foraging for food and supplies, to the horrific night time isolation when the vampires come calling for him.

But it soon beco...more

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May 24, 2012 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although I have seen a lot of zombie/vampire movies in my time (including The Omega Man, one of the movies based upon this book, but not the Will Smith film of the same name), this was my first time reading such a book. And I have to say, this was simply incredible. The book delved into all of the typical themes one finds in works of this type, but it examined them in a much more profound and complex way than probably any medium besides literature could. Whether it be the obvious isolation one w...more Although I have seen a lot of zombie/vampire movies in my time (including The Omega Man, one of the movies based upon this book, but not the Will Smith film of the same name), this was my first time reading such a book. And I have to say, this was simply incredible. The book delved into all of the typical themes one finds in works of this type, but it examined them in a much more profound and complex way than probably any medium besides literature could. Whether it be the obvious isolation one would inevitably experience when no others survive a plague or the conflicted feelings behind killing things that represent such a direct threat to one's own existence, Matheson has imagined a world of vampires and one man in a realistic way. The inner monologue of Robert Neville is pitch perfect and demonstrates a keen understanding of human emotion. The setting of an apocalyptic city ravaged by disease was also described better than I've seen anywhere else.

I should mention that I never had much of a feel for science, and this book leans heavily on the scientific explanations for the vampiric phenomenon at times. I was able to more or less understand where the book was going with it, but I was also lost during some of the passages. Who the heck besides a doctor or scientist understands what the lymph system is? But I did appreciate that Matheson explored a supernatural concept and looked at how science could explain it.

I think what I found most striking here was the ending. It is rare that an author can surprise with the perfect ending while also not having that ending be obvious to the reader. I'm not sure if it's just that I'm dense (certainly a possibility), but I never saw the resolution coming and when it was upon me it was absolutely the best way to end a book. The last paragraphs in particular tied together nicely much of the work's themes, and indeed the story comes "full circle" just as Matheson writes. This was my first Matheson title, and I'm sure it won't be the last.(less)

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May 24, 2012 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. We meet Robert Neville when he is lonely, bored, angry, plagued by guilt, and craving companionship of the feminine persuasion. Slowly, the narrative and Neville's actions reveal what sort of apocalypse has created the devastated landscape around him: the sudden proliferation of vampirism (technically not zombies, as in the new movie version) which has left everyone he ever knew either dead, or has turned them into one of the undead which haunts his yard every night, taunting him through his boa...more

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About Richard Matheson

Born in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and moved to California in 1951. He married in 1952 and has four children, three of w...more Born in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and moved to California in 1951. He married in 1952 and has four children, three of whom (Chris, Richard Christian, and Ali Matheson) are writers of fiction and screenplays.

His first short story, "Born of Man and Woman," appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950. The tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar, it was told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English) and immediately made Matheson famous. Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres.

Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Mad House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most famously, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening.

He wrote a number of episodes for the American TV series The Twilight Zone, including "Steel," mentioned above and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe for Roger Corman and Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films; and scripted Steven Spielberg's first feature, the TV movie Duel, from his own short story. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series "The Lawman" between 1958 and 1962. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic (US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Talullah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers.

Novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire novel, I Am Legend, which has been filmed three times under the titles The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth and once under the original title. Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Bid Time Return (as Somewhere in Time), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House) and the aforementioned Duel, the last three adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror, including "Prey" with its famous Zuni warrior doll.

In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/richar...(less)

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Quotes from I am legend

“No longer will you be a weird Robinson Crusoe, imprisoned on an island of night surrounded by oceans of death.” — 3 people liked it

“Crossing your fingers, Neville? Knocking on wood?
He ignored that, beginning to suspect his mind of harboring an alien. Once he might have termed it conscience. Now it was only an annoyance. Morality, after all, had fallen with society. He was his own ethic.
Makes a good excuse, doesn’t it, Neville? Oh, shut up.” — 3 people liked it

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