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I am Legend and Other Stories

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 58,858 ratings · 3,602 reviews

Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth...but he is not alone. Every other man, woman, and child on Earth has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville's blood.

By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn.

How long can one man survive in a

...more

Paperback, Collection , 317 pages

Published September 15th 1997 by Orb Books (first published 1954)

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Nov 06, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, horror-classic, fang-bangers, science-horror, post-apocalypse, world-in-the-shitter, dead-heads, 1954-1969

Like Lucy, this rating is gonna take some splainin. Unfortunately, I don't have a slide show or any multi-colored pie charts to provide visual assistance on this one, so I will try to splain it as clearly as I can, but I will be using quite a few "i.e." and "e.g." to provide supporting clarification for my commentary given I am performing this review without the safety net of visual aids. Please, do not try this at home.

Oh, I've also decided to throw in the occasional word in Spanish...why you...more

94 likes · like · see review

Apr 27, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, horror-classic, fang-bangers

4.0 to 4.5 stars. Okay, this rating is going to a take a little explaining. Unfortunately, I don't have a slide show or any multi-colored pie charts to assist me as a visual aid on this one so I will try to be as clear as I can. Warning: I will probably be required to use quite a few i.e. and e.g. to provide clarification to my statements as well as some targeted use of bold and italics given that I am reviewing here without the safety net of my usual visual aids. I have also decided to throw in...more

42 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Amanda by: Courtney Clements

Shelves: book-club-made-me-do-it

Two points I want to make: A) the movie was crap, especially when compared to the book, and B) this is so much more than just a vampire novel.

First, the whole movie thing. In both, Robert Neville is the last human on Earth--and that is where all similarities end. If you've seen the movie, it won't ruin the book for you as the two are nothing alike. The setting is different, the protagonist is different (except for a shared name), the creatures are different (vampires in the book and nocturnal z...more

16 likes · like · see review

Mar 03, 2008 Nichole (Dirty H) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, 2008

There's not much to say about this story that hasn't been said about other reviews.
The premise of this story was great. It was well executed, stayed interesting, and I really liked the ending. I have only two criticisms; the first being about the story, and the second being about the edition that I read.
1. It was too short. This book would have been much better if he had taken the time to flesh out some of the ideas, stretch out the mystery (his search for the cause of vampirism), more character...more

28 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2008 Keely rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Keely by: dave

Shelves: science-fiction, horror, novel, reviewed, american

I know there is a lot going for this book, in terms of popular opinion, influence, and originality, so you'll have to forgive me for interposing my body with the flywheel; we'll see what's left at the end.

In a discussion between Douglas Adams and Lewis Wolpert, the argument was made that the individual is unimportant in science, but is paramount in art. Walpert proposed that scientific discovery is inevitable, as the confluence of ideas will tend to produce parallel developments, such as with Ne...more

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Jul 01, 2007 Pallavi Misra rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The book takes place in the then-future of 1976–1979, and opens with the monotony and horror of the daily life of the protagonist, Robert Neville. Neville is apparently the only survivor of an apocalypse caused by a pandemic of a bacterium the symptoms of which are very similar to vampirism. He lives in a house fortified against nocturnal attacks by the roaming infected, and sallies forth by daylight to kill the sleeping vampires. Every day he also makes repairs to his house, boarding up windows...more The book takes place in the then-future of 1976–1979, and opens with the monotony and horror of the daily life of the protagonist, Robert Neville. Neville is apparently the only survivor of an apocalypse caused by a pandemic of a bacterium the symptoms of which are very similar to vampirism. He lives in a house fortified against nocturnal attacks by the roaming infected, and sallies forth by daylight to kill the sleeping vampires. Every day he also makes repairs to his house, boarding up windows, stringing and hanging garlic, and disposing of vampires' corpses on his lawn.

Neville's psychological disposition is a significant element in the novel, and his struggles with despair imbue the character with intensity and gravitas. The author emphasizes that he is an ordinary, flawed man trying to deal with an extraordinary catastrophe.

Much of the story is devoted to Neville's struggles to understand the plague that has transformed everyone he meets except for himself, and the novel details the progress of his discoveries. In this regard, the novel is almost unique in vampire fiction in that instead of asking the reader to accept a supernatural explanation for vampire phenomena, the author strives to offer scientific basis for such symptoms as aversion to garlic, craving of fresh blood, and resistance to bullets but vulnerability to stakes and sunlight. The aversion to mirrors and crosses (or, in the case of one vampire of Jewish origin, the Torah) is classified as psychological. What amazes me most is Neville’s almost dogmatic obsession to use science to find a “cure” for this disease. He “borrows” books from the library; reads up on bacteria and various experimental techniques; even finds a functioning microscope and practises mounting slides in order to better understand this disease.

Eventually, Neville discovers that while he is the only person immune to the bacterium, he is not the only one still alive. Others who have been infected have discovered a means to hold the disease at bay. However, during the daylight hours, they appear to be fully involved vampires. Thus, along with the vampires, he has been killing these still alive persons. He becomes a source of terror to the still living, since he can go abroad in daylight (which they can't) and leaves their dead behind. These still living “vampires” capture Neville and reveal their nature to him, and how monstrous he appears to them. Just as vampires were regarded as legendary monsters that preyed on the vulnerable humans in their beds, Neville has become the last of a dead breed; a mythical figure that kills both vampires and the infected living while they are sleeping. He becomes a legend as the vampires once were, hence the title.(less)

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Oct 31, 2011 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-reads, re-read-list, other-beings

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

17 likes · like · see review

view all 11 comments

Tony Gleeson It's important to remember that IAL was written in 1954... long LONG before the currently fashionable re-envisionments of vampires or other undead cri...more It's important to remember that IAL was written in 1954... long LONG before the currently fashionable re-envisionments of vampires or other undead critters. You can't compare this book to Anne Rice or Stephenie Meyer or any of the other latter day vampire revisionists. When Matheson wrote his book, the mythos of the vampire was still of a vile creature of evil, still very Stokerish. Given that, his vision is totally revolutionary-- something perhaps difficult to understand from a 2011 perspective. His vampires were sympathetic; he allowed you to see their side of things. Matheson was probably the very first to portray the classic vampire slayer as a bogeyman feared and loathed by another race, who saw him as nothing less than someone attempting genocide. That alone would be enough to make this book a timeless classic (I might go so far as to suggest: no Matheson, no Rice, no Meyer. Maybe). But there is so much more than that going on. This was never just a book about some guy fighting the undead, anymore than any of Matheson's books or stories were ever just about that type of thing. His genius lay in being able to summon up the true psychological horror inside of his characters. Way before Stephen King-- and in fact King probably got this from him--Matheson was creeping out his readers with the interior demons of his characters. Matheson, Beaumont, Bradbury-- these guys INVENTED this whole approach!
Finally, perhaps someone more accustomed to the fast-paced narration of 2011, born of our information overload and even our inability to pay attention for protracted periods of time, might find this and other books of Matheson overly "leisurely" but I would suggest that that is the hallmark of his time and his place. If you throw this aside because it isn't as snappy-paced as a current writer, sadly, you're selling yourself, and ONLY yourself, very short. You sometimes have to go to the writer (or the artist or the musician, whatever) and appreciate them within their own context. I've read this book many times over many decades. It still never fails to thrill me, and I still find new stuff in it every time.(less)
Jul 11, 2011 03:28pm

Randy An all time favorite and I agree all movie versions were godawful, including I AM OMEGA, qwhether it's based on the book or not. It certainly stole th...more
May 14, 2012 12:31am

Nov 21, 2007 Noah Soudrette rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: vampire fans, horror fans

Shelves: horror

Let me start by stating I had only one real criticism. I found many of the passages where Neville the main character was ranting and raving in despair, anger, or anguish to be a hair over the top. It’s not that the pain Neville feels is unwarranted. His feelings just don’t ring quite true. Of course, none of us have ever been in his situation, so who’s to say that we might all act in such a way given the circumstances.

I really had no other problems with the story and found myself agreeing with...more Let me start by stating I had only one real criticism. I found many of the passages where Neville the main character was ranting and raving in despair, anger, or anguish to be a hair over the top. It’s not that the pain Neville feels is unwarranted. His feelings just don’t ring quite true. Of course, none of us have ever been in his situation, so who’s to say that we might all act in such a way given the circumstances.

I really had no other problems with the story and found myself agreeing with the endorsement on the front cover. The book is simply way ahead of its time. From the post-apocalyptic feel , to the loner surviving in a besieged, boarded up house, to the razor sharp portrait of human society and the fine lines it contains, this book is a clear inspiration for much of the genre fiction and film that came after. It is impossible, considering the book was written in 1954, to not see the direct connections between this story and the zombie films of George Romero, or the critically acclaimed comic book work of Steve Niles (30 Days of Night). Being a relative newcomer to the works of Matheson, it is easy to see what all of the buzz, since his earliest publications, has been about.

Also included in this edition of I Am Legend are ten of Richard Matheson’s short stories. The first story is called Buried Talents and concerns a strange man who is either very lucky or has latent psychic abilities. It’s an interesting story but has an unfinished feel to it. Story two is called The Near Departed and is a jokey little story with a predictable twist. Prey, the third story, is most well known for being used in the made for TV movie Trilogy of Terror and involves a manic Zuni doll which comes to life and attacks a woman in her home. It’s a simple story but effectively written and quite entertaining. The next story is called Witch War and is a highly imaginative number about a nameless war (that happens to bear a passing resemblance to WWII), in which one side is using a coven of virginal teenage witches to annihilate the opposing sides forces. Dance of the Dead, the fifth short entry, is also well known since its adaptation into an episode of the Masters of Horror TV series, directed by Tobe Hopper. The story itself feels a little dated because of Matheson’s future slang (the story taking place in a post WWIII 1997). However, the dance itself is powerfully written. Unfortunately, the ending feels a bit hollow. Tale number six, Dress of White Silk, is an odd number about a troubled child and her deceased mother’s room. The longest story out of the ten, Mad House, concerns a man with severe anger issues, the ending of an eighteen year marriage, and a house that may or may not be out to get him. I found this story to be the easiest to relate too, compared to the other shorts. While the main character isn’t very likable, he’s having problems that many of us face at one point or another. I also found Matheson’s depiction of a break-up on the nose. The Funeral proves a nice rest from the negativity of Mad House. It is a brief comic bit about a funeral home director and a rather odd client who wishes to host a funeral for himself, seeing as he didn’t have a proper one on the first go around.

The penultimate tale in this book, From Shadowed Places, is a stunningly well composed story which deals with two subjects that can be quite uncomfortable to read about: African voodoo religions, and racism. Matheson takes a somewhat standard weird tale of a man hexed by a witchdoctor’s curse and turns it into a powerful parable about racism. To say much more would give too much away. If you’re picking this book up mainly for the novel and aren’t too interested in the short stories, at least read this one. It’s the only one quite on the level of the novel. The final story is called Person to Person and involves a telephone and the craziest son of a bitch you might ever read about.(less)

12 likes · like · see review

Oct 24, 2009 K.D. Oliveros rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This 1954 science fiction/horror novel has already been made into 3 movies: The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971) and I am Legend starring Will Smith (2007). I saw the last two prior to reading this book so I had an easy time following the storyline. This book is said to have influenced the development of vampire and zombie genre particularly the hypothesis that vampirism is to a disease. Incidentally, this idea will not fly for Edward (Twilight). Girls will not like the idea that t...more

7 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2007 Andy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ho-hum.

That's about all I can say about this book. I was really excited to read I Am Legend and the first 70 pages were astounding, but then it just slowly got less and less enjoyable.

You can't blame Matheson, though. When this book was first published in the mid-50s it was the first of its kind. A novella that took a scientific approach to explaining a virus that turned all but Robert Neville into a vampire.

Reading the novel I kept thinking "I've heard this before" but, I realize now that Ma...more

16 likes · like · see review

Oct 30, 2011 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sk-group

What a ride! I loved this book. The title novella was the main attraction, and took up more than half of it. It was very good, a solid 4+ star effort.

But what brought it up to 5 was the inclusion of 10 other great Matheson stories. These weren't simple filler; each story was enjoyable (and mostly creepy) on its own.

Matheson has a talent for giving readers a snapshot of another world/reality/time/possibility. He doesn't use pages and pages to describe the settings where these stories take place,...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Kaethe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Kaethe by: Kat Warren

Shelves: apocalypse, plagues, stories

The reader suspects that Matheson has issues. Big ones. With women and anger, primarily. But, as the Spouse pointed out, the first two thirds of "Legend" are brilliant. Neville teaching himself science in order to figure out the world he now lives in, that's quality stuff. His own obtuseness, however, sheesh.

The other stories are intense and clever, but I don't recommend reading them all together. Matheson's world is a miserable place.

Library copy

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Aug 15, 2007 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Bawlers, Brawlers and Bastards

This book piqued my interest after hearing a coworker mention how good it was. Having just finished reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy and wanting to stick with the trend of books that will be movies released in Dec 07, I picked up a copy of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. Reading the summary on the back assured me that it would do wonders in washing out that young-love talking animals fantasy flavor that His Dark Materials Left in my mouth.

The text didn't let me down. The psyc...more

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Apr 13, 2010 notgettingenough rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Manny Rayner

Shelves: science-fiction

I must warn you, this book has The Omega Man all wrong. Anybody would think the author hadn't even seen the film. As somebody who loved the film, may I say the book's still bloody brilliant. I started it at lunchtime today and had to finish it.

I have no way of judging it as a vampire book, never having read one. Are Jewish vampires scared of the Cross? For all I know this is the sort of theological nicety vampire-book-readers fill their days with. It was all new to me.

Still, I wouldn't have desc...more

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Mar 13, 2008 Manu B. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, thriller, sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't know what to think about this book. Surely, I liked it way more than the movie, because first it was well set in all the whole US environment (without actually naming a real city and a real street) and secondly because the not-happy-ending of the story, differently from the movie, was more coherent with the whole settings.

The plot was VERY ORIGINAL, especially if you think that this story was written in the 1954... the description of the techonlogy of that time gave much more humanity to...more

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Nov 30, 2007 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-end-is-nigh

Eh. While I can appreciate the reasons this book is considered influential, in the end I wanted to like it much more than I did. I liked the whole last man standing angle and the scientific approach to the traditional vampire tale was pretty innovative but ultimately I was let down.

The erratic pacing of the story and the disjointed narrative grabbed my attention much more than Robert Neville's struggle to survive. For example, on page 55 of my edition, right after Neville realizes his vampiric...more Eh. While I can appreciate the reasons this book is considered influential, in the end I wanted to like it much more than I did. I liked the whole last man standing angle and the scientific approach to the traditional vampire tale was pretty innovative but ultimately I was let down.

The erratic pacing of the story and the disjointed narrative grabbed my attention much more than Robert Neville's struggle to survive. For example, on page 55 of my edition, right after Neville realizes his vampiric nemesis, Ben Cortman, looks like "malignant Oliver Hardy" and collapses in a fit of laughter the narration, without transition, jumps to Neville driving stakes into unconscious vampires:

"He couldn't stop laughing because it was more than laughter; it was release. Tears flooded down his cheeks. The glass in his hand shook so badly, the liquor spilled all over him and made him laugh harder. Then the glass fell thumping on the rug as his body jerked with spasms of uncontrollable amusement and the room was filled with his gasping, nerve-shattered laughter.

Later, he cried.

He drove it into the stomach, into the shoulder. Into the neck with a single mallet blow. Into the legs and the arms, and always the same result: the blood pulsing out, slick and crimson, over the white flesh." (Matheson, Richard. I Am Legend . 2nd Edition. New York: TOR, 2007).

Did I miss something? Is there a misprint in my edition, or is there really no connection whatsoever between these two scenes? I know it's a small piece of the story to fixate on but I couldn't/can't get over it. I must have read this chapter close to ten times trying to figure out what the hell I was missing. Any guesses?

Besides the narrative glitches, I also wasn't feeling the ending. For while I love me some fiery apocalypse (in whatever form it may choose to manifest), it would appear that Matheson and Eliot share a common vision of the end. . .

"This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."
~(T.S. Eliot, "The Hollow Men") (less)

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Dec 19, 2007 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fricken-awesome, apocalyptic-fiction

I picked this book up based on some reviews i had read online. I was a little scketchy due to the fact that it was a vampire-based novellete written in the 50's and i was afraid it would end up similar to dracula.

I was very impressed with the authors writing, very modern and engaging. Its a quick read, being in the 170pgs range, and follows the daily and nightly rituals of one man preparing himself and his home to fight and defend the nightly attacks by vampires and those infected with the vamp...more

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Mar 16, 2010 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: modern-classic, novels

I so remember this one was the first thing I read all in one without a break because I couldn't do anything except read it, I was as hypnotised as a rabbit in the headlights of a big van being driven by fifty vampire-things with AC/DC blasting on the radio. Man, what a freakout. Those were the great days of reading when every page was like an explosion.

10 likes · like · see review

Oct 14, 2009 JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to JG (The Introverted Reader) by: Fiona

Shelves: 4_stars, author_american, on_the_screen, fiction, horror, setting_us, reviewed, read_in_2009

Review of I Am Legend

Several GR friends have read this and raved about it recently. I've been doing a lot of Halloween-related books this month, so I decided to give it a try.

It somehow wasn't exactly what I expected, and I mean that in a good way. I've seen bits of the Will Smith movie (and what I've seen has very little in common with the book), I've read my friends' reviews, but it's still something that I think you have to experience for yourself to understand.

I would definitely call it a ho...more

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Oct 15, 2010 Miss Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Stephen King

Shelves: apocalypse-now, 2010, horror-or-mystery, keeper, favorites, ubs

Ok, So Kim didn't realize this is book of short stories. I am Legend was excellent. Imagine my surprise when I got to page 157, and turned the page and though ‘What?! Really? It can’t be over.’ But it was. I felt for Robert Neville, and I didn’t want it to be over so quickly.

Written in the 50’s, this takes place in the future of the late 70’s. Neville is the last human on earth. A plague has wiped out everyone, and those that did not die have become horrible monsters. They are vampires. Not you...more

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Jun 12, 2008 Annalisa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: guys

Recommended to Annalisa by: Ryan

Shelves: mystery-thriller, movies, horror, speculative, guy-lit, sci-fi

If a movie is adapted from a book, I refuse to watch it until I've read the book. Had I known this was a story beforehand, I would have read it first. As it is, my review leans heavily on a comparison between the story and the blockbuster film, a movie I liked until I read this book (ok technically it's a novella) and realized how much they messed with the essence of the story. I would love to see an old black and white Hitchcock-esque film as the story was intended. The writing's not great, but...more If a movie is adapted from a book, I refuse to watch it until I've read the book. Had I known this was a story beforehand, I would have read it first. As it is, my review leans heavily on a comparison between the story and the blockbuster film, a movie I liked until I read this book (ok technically it's a novella) and realized how much they messed with the essence of the story. I would love to see an old black and white Hitchcock-esque film as the story was intended. The writing's not great, but the idea is a good one.

I thought it was creepier in the book that the vampires were people he had known in life who knew he was in his house and stood outside his house calling him. Creepy. His moral complex about killing the creatures brought a different depth as well. Plus Neville is just an average guy trying to survive so you feel more connected, can put yourself in his nightmare more easily, giving the plot a better horror edge.

The interaction with the woman is better too, more of a reason to be tense and distrustful, where in the movie she is obviously not infected so you'd have no reason not to embrace her. His rage and distrust of her didn't make sense where in the book you truly doubted that another human would have all of a sudden appeared on his doorstep. It's the point at which the movie crumbles and the book picks up.

In the end, Neville's left with this Darwinian revelation vs a lame Hollywood saves the day ending for mass audiences. It would have made such a great ending. It's such a great twist on your expectation of horror. The title makes sense in the story, leaving you to contemplate its creepy abruptness, so not what I was expecting and better than any ending I could imagine because it switches your frame of reference.

About the writing: I especially found the middle section hard to follow and dull with poorly explained bacteria research. I would read sections a couple of times before giving up trying to understand his spotty logic. In parts to keep the suspense alive he would not completely explain himself but then forget to explain later so I was left to question. And I never completely understood the difference between the dead and live vampires. I think that could have been better explained as well. It's a good idea, poorly written, but it's worth it for the good idea.

The other stories in the book are just okay, only one or two of which I liked enough to remember. I think part of the downfall of the other stories is that they are futuristic stories written half a century ago so his creations just don't jive with modern realities. (less)

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Feb 19, 2008 Eric Althoff rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: horror enthusiasts

Recommended to Eric by: Christina Sheldon

The short story that became last year's film (and, in an earlier incarnation, "The Omega Man") is here along with some of Matheson's other sordid tales of the macabre. The story "I Am Legend" is markedly different from the film in that the creatures are actually vampires as opposed to the crazed zombies in the Will Smith pic (not to mention the story is set in LA versus the film's New York). What I most enjoyed about the story was how the author really gets into the head of what it's like being...more The short story that became last year's film (and, in an earlier incarnation, "The Omega Man") is here along with some of Matheson's other sordid tales of the macabre. The story "I Am Legend" is markedly different from the film in that the creatures are actually vampires as opposed to the crazed zombies in the Will Smith pic (not to mention the story is set in LA versus the film's New York). What I most enjoyed about the story was how the author really gets into the head of what it's like being the last man on earth, complete with the stir-craziness and the self-loathing that comes with having absolutely no outlet for sexual energy. I also enjoyed how the character truly reduces vampirism down to science, figuring out how to destroy them more effectively by understanding what exactly is it that makes a vampire a vampire, and the story is very smart in approaching exactly how the phenomenon of vampirism could acheive its own legend. The story departs from the film in multiple other ways, which I will leave for you to discover, but this is a classic of mid-20th Century horror.

Some of the other stories in this compilation are worthy of note, especially "Mad House," about a frustrated middle-aged English professor whose rage at having never become a successful author literally infects his home (not to mention everyone around him). I challenge anyone to get through this wrenching tale without weeping. Also check out "Prey" and the story about the African professor who saves a man from possession by a Zulu curse (I've forgotten the name, but it's the second-to-last in the compilation), and the one about the psychic girls who are used to wage warfare. The rest are pretty bland.

Stephen King freely cites Matheson as one of his major influences and it's easy to see why, not only in the horror aspect but also in tackling similar themes of obsession and rage and addictive personalities, proving that horror fiction is far more complex than just grizzly gools from every tomb closing in to seal your doom.

(less)

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Jan 06, 2008 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one of the strangest vampire novels I’ve read. I pretty inventive way of going about the giving a new look to the legacy of vampiric writing. Apparently there’s a movie being made from an adaptation of this book. I thought that was kind of cool to find out after I bought it.
“I Am Legend” is about Robert Neville. He is the sole survivor of a plague that swept across the world. The plague is vampirism. After having to destroy his wife and child Neville is left to fend for himself in a wo...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 09, 2012 Bethica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Nothing like the Movie!

I originally bought the book thinking of how much I loved the movie and books are always so much better. This was absolutely the case, only to find out that although the basic premise is the same, there are very few connections between the two. I was swept away with the Robert Neville of the story and the total contrast from the Robert Neville of the movie. Overall, the book had me completely captivated throughout and brought me to a new level of thinking when it comes to...more

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Dec 10, 2007 minnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I am Legend is a brilliantly original vampire tale, the protagonist Robert Neville is the last man on earth after a plague that eventually turns its victims to vampires. He spends his days re-enforcing his home against the undead, and his nights boozing, smoking and listening to Schönberg up loud, while they surround his house lobbing bricks and calling out to him. I am Legend is set in 1976, but was written in 1954, it seems quite modern to me and appears to be the blueprint for every Zombie fi...more

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Dec 10, 2007 Xysea rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: vampire and armageddon enthusiasts

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, book-on-home-shelf

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It seemed to end a bit abruptly for me, though. You get into the rhythm of R's life and when that rhythm breaks you find yourself stunned that he was so well written you just expected it to go on and on - which is unreasonable, isn't it?

After all, it's a novel. It must end.

I appreciated the lack of sentimentality in it - not to say there aren't tender moments, but R clearly feels sorry for himself and his state.

I thought the descriptions were excellent, the writ...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Ema rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

I haven't watched the movie for one particular reason: there was a dog on the poster and only the thought that it might suffer and die (which I didn't actually know for a fact) was enough to avoid the movie.
The same thing happened with The Road, because there was a child on the poster who might suffer (not die, though, as children don't usually die if they are main characters).
I'm quite upset with myself that I feel such a heart-wrenching pity for animals, because I can't properly watch certain...more I haven't watched the movie for one particular reason: there was a dog on the poster and only the thought that it might suffer and die (which I didn't actually know for a fact) was enough to avoid the movie.
The same thing happened with The Road, because there was a child on the poster who might suffer (not die, though, as children don't usually die if they are main characters).
I'm quite upset with myself that I feel such a heart-wrenching pity for animals, because I can't properly watch certain movies (for example, Hachiko was more than I could bear). I also can't stand torture scenes - yuck! Curiously enough, I have a fascination with horror movies...

Yet, I've discovered that reading about something like this was more bearable. I was really curious about I Am Legend and now I'm really glad that I've chosen the book, because the story is quite different from the one depicted in the movie starring Will Smith.
After finishing the book, I tentatively began to watch the movie and I found out a lot of things are changed - it looks like a completely different plot on so many levels! Where is the fair-haired, blue-eyed protagonist, with a cross tattooed on his chest? Where is the bleak, boarded up house he lives in, surrounded by strings of garlic? Where is the hoard of vampires and the bodies he has to carry away with his truck? (oh, there is a red sports car instead, no place for dead bodies inside!) Where is the old-fashioned vampire hunt? AND there is no dog in the beginning - Robert Neville is completely alone, and this makes more sense in the light of where the story is going.
I gave up watching the movie, I was frustrated. I don't know how many more things are changed, but I've seen enough. Maybe later.

Although I'm not a fan of (mass-market) vampire stories, I though this book was amazing. You should read this, even if you've seen the movie. The plot is well-developed, there are some teeth-grinding scenes and the protagonist, Robert Neville, is masterfully constructed. Oh, and the ending... The title really makes sense then. I Am Legend... You'll have to read the story to figure it out!(less)

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Feb 09, 2013 Lena Hillbrand rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks, book-club

I read a few reviews that said this book was slow or boring, but I didn't find it so. I thought it had lots of stuff going on. Aside from the one and only character being obsessive and tedious, the plot itself was not bad for a post-apocalyptic story, especially one from the 1950s. The premise (the last man on earth after a vampire virus mutates everyone else) was probably cutting edge at the time, although nowadays I can think of several others along the same lines (The Passage, etc). The scien...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Kayleigh Murphy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'll add a proper review later but for now all I'm going to say is that if you're considering reading this DO NOT see that abomination of a movie with Will Smith. And if you have seen that movie and are avoiding the book because of it, then please give the book a chance!!

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Apr 28, 2012 Everitt rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-literature, classics, fantasy, movies, nostalgia-lit, science-fiction, horror

About the rating: the book contains a novella called I am Legend which is around 160-170 pages long depending on which version you read. The other half of the book is comprised of short stories of varying quality. So the novella I am Legend gets a 5/5 stars from me, the 4/5 stars is for the book itself.

I've never seen the Will Smith movie, "I am Legend", nor have I seen any of the other three films adapted from the story. So I cannot speak to whether a fan of those films will want to read this....more About the rating: the book contains a novella called I am Legend which is around 160-170 pages long depending on which version you read. The other half of the book is comprised of short stories of varying quality. So the novella I am Legend gets a 5/5 stars from me, the 4/5 stars is for the book itself.

I've never seen the Will Smith movie, "I am Legend", nor have I seen any of the other three films adapted from the story. So I cannot speak to whether a fan of those films will want to read this. But I can say that it is one of the best examples of horror and sci-fi/fantasy I've ever read.

When Stoker invoked Van Helsing a "metaphysician philosopher" to fight Dracula he brought together science and religion and commingled them with neither having a decisive upper hand at least not until the end of the novel. Matheson, writing in 1954 (58 years after Stoker) gave the world a new spin on vampirism by providing a detailed medical explanation of the source of the infection. In fact, a good 1/3 of the story consists of watching him fumble through the exploration of the material explanation for the vampire plague. (view spoiler)

Like most great science fiction, I am Legend is ultimately about loneliness and isolation. The story is great not for the science or the description of a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, which in 1954 would have been even scarier than we can imagine. The story is a success for the humanity he injects into the daily existence of one man - Robert Neville.

Specific relationships follow the spoiler tag.(view spoiler)

But that is the nature of what the Victorians called "horror and terror". Fear derived from anticipation brought about a catharsis. And so Matheson is at once a master of that Victorian (Romantic) genre as well as a master of the Atomic Age of Science Fiction. The fusion is amazing.

Recommended for: everyone, but especially fans of vampire stories, horror and science fiction. Fans of Victorian literature may find they enjoy the book as well.(less)

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Book vs Movie?	127	557	Feb 13, 2013 01:04pm
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Best Short Story?	15	144	Oct 24, 2012 09:42pm
Shut Up & Read: I Am Legend	21	42	Mar 24, 2012 09:46pm

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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.

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“Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am legend.” — 85 people liked it

“After a while, though, even the deepest sorrow faltered, even the most penetrating despair lost its scalpel edge.” — 39 people liked it

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