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I Am Legend

Richard Matheson

4.07 · Rating details · 94,329 ratings · 5,976 reviews

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

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

How long can one man survive like this?

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Kindle Edition, 162 pages

Published May 14th 2011 by RosettaBooks (first published July 1954)

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May 02, 2010 Nataliya rated it really liked it · 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.

(view spoiler)

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.

(view spoiler)

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.

(view spoiler)

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. ...more

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Mar 23, 2020 Peter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

Absolutely disturbing modern classic! Robert Nevile is the last human in town, maybe on earth. All others are infected and turned into vampires. You read how more and more got infected, how they were buried (this will give you nightmares). There was a pandemic (seems familiar in times like ours at the moment). Ben Cortman, colleague and neighbour who reminds him on Oliver Hardy (the comedian) shouts every evening he should come out. But Robert doesn't want to turn into one of them. He does resea ...more

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Feb 07, 2013 F rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: seen-movie, 2013, usa

I loved this book! Was very creepy to read.
I thought it was brillant from beginning to end.

One of my favourite books of all time ever!
That ending! WOW

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Mar 04, 2018 Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, 3-star, year-2018

Hm.

Honestly, this is a tough book to review.

I did like the story, but one of the biggest bothers for me here was not fully understanding why the world has gone to shit & why everyone is now a vampire.

The book just drops you right in the middle of Robert Neville's situation, which is a day to day existence of killing vampires during the day & hiding in his house during the night.

I'm the kind of SF reader who likes a bit of depth to be given to the cause of disaster, and this story largely gloss ...more

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Nov 07, 2019 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science, classics, 20th-century, literature, novels, horror, fiction, vampire, apocalyptic, paranormal

I Am Legend, Richard Matheson

It was influential in the development of the zombie-vampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease.

Robert Neville appears to be the sole survivor of a pandemic that has killed most of the human population and turned the remainder into "vampires" that largely conform to their stereotypes in fiction and folklore: they are blood-sucking, pale-skinned, and nocturnal, though otherwise indistinguishable from normal humans.

Implicitl I Am Legend, Richard Matheson

It was influential in the development of the zombie-vampire genre and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease.

Robert Neville appears to be the sole survivor of a pandemic that has killed most of the human population and turned the remainder into "vampires" that largely conform to their stereotypes in fiction and folklore: they are blood-sucking, pale-skinned, and nocturnal, though otherwise indistinguishable from normal humans.

Implicitly set in Los Angeles, the novel details Neville's life in the months and eventually years after the outbreak as he attempts to comprehend, research, and possibly cure the disease. Swarms of vampires surround his house nightly and try to find ways to get inside, which includes the females exposing themselves and his vampire neighbor relentlessly shouting for him to come out.

Neville survives by barricading himself inside his house every night; he is further protected by the traditional vampire repellents of garlic, mirrors, and crucifixes.

Weekly dust storms ravage the city, and during the day, when the vampires are inactive, Neville drives around to search them out in order to kill them with wooden stakes (since they seem impervious to his guns' bullets) and to scavenge for supplies.

Neville's past is occasionally revealed through flashbacks; the disease claimed his daughter, whose body the government forced him to burn, as well as his wife, whose body he secretly buried but then had to kill after she rose from the dead as a vampire. ...

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هشتم ماه نوامبر سال 2017میلادی

عنوان: من افسانه‌ ام؛ نویسنده: ریچارد ماتیسن؛ مترجم: پریسا کاروند؛ ویراستار نرگس حسنی؛ تهران: انتشارات پریان‏‫، ‏‫1395؛ در 263 ص؛ شابک 9786009331666؛ داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م‬‬

این کتاب یکی از نامدارترین رمان‌های خون‌آشامی سده بیستم میلادی است؛ و معمولاً در فهرست ده مطالعه‌ ی انتقادی برتر ژانر وحشت بوده است؛ کتاب نخستین بار در سال 1954میلادی نوشته شده است؛ اما داستان در سال 1976میلادی (یعنی بیست و دو سال پس از نگارش) رخ می‌دهد، و به‌ همین‌دلیل در طبقه‌ بندی علمی‌تخیلی قرار گرفته است؛ «من افسانه‌ ام» در سال 2012میلادی جایزه‌ ی «برام استوکر» را از آنِ خود کرد؛

شخصیت نخست این داستان، «رابرت نویل»، تنها فرد زنده‌ ی روی زمین است...؛ اما او تنها نیست؛ طاعون درمان‌ناپذیری، همه ی افراد جامعه‌ اش را، به موجوداتی شب‌رو و تشنه‌ به‌ خون، تبدیل کرده، که میخواهند، او را نیز نابود کنند؛ «رابرت نویل» روزها به شکارچی بدل می‌شود؛ کسی که ویرانه‌ های متروکه‌ ی تمدن را، در پی خون‌آشام‌ها جستجو می‌کند، و شب‌ها در خانه‌ اش پناه می‌گیرد، و برای برآمدن خورشید انتظار می‌کشد...؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 13/04/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Aug 20, 2008 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2fiction, scifi, 1paper, 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 pret ...more

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Jul 09, 2013 Algernon (Darth Anyan) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

I was going to rate the book a lukewarm 3 stars, but then I looked once more at the date of publication (1954) and reconsidered. A bit of historical perspective, of literary context elevates this novel to the well deserved 'genre classic' status. At the time Matheson published his science-fiction take on the gothic vampire myth, the market was a lot different from today's oversaturated landscape that has largely trivialized the subject and gave it a curious teenage romance slant. Even bringing i
I was going to rate the book a lukewarm 3 stars, but then I looked once more at the date of publication (1954) and reconsidered. A bit of historical perspective, of literary context elevates this novel to the well deserved 'genre classic' status. At the time Matheson published his science-fiction take on the gothic vampire myth, the market was a lot different from today's oversaturated landscape that has largely trivialized the subject and gave it a curious teenage romance slant. Even bringing in the scientific method of study for the phenomenon and its associated paraphernalia ( the bloodsucking, the garlic, the cross, the wooden stake, the fear of light, the sleeping underground, the bullet invulnerability) was probably a novel approach to a dusty theme:

Something black and of the night had come crawling out of the Middle Ages. Something with no framework or credulity, something that had been consigned, fact and figure, to the pages of imaginative literature. Vampires were passe, Summers idylls or Stoker's
melodramatics or a brief inclusion in the Britannica or grist for the pulp writer's mill or raw material for the B-film factories. A tenuous legend passed from century to century.

I didn't much care for the prose: it is concise and clear in its presentation of the main themes but I found it lackluster and unconvincing when it tried to delve deeper into emotional intensity for the main character. I could also complain about the lack of action, but I believe this is more a novel about ideas than a high octane action thriller. To finish with the grumbling, I would have liked a more rigorous attempt with the scientific speculations. Most of the ideas are sound, but the way they are fitted together seems fishy, with some of the argumentation incomplete. Let me give you a few examples :
- vampires are destroyed by sunlight, yet when they are hidden in deep cellars and dark places during the day they are still handicapped
- the transmission is supposed to be airborne, yet two other theories are given equal importance : direct contact with open wounds and insect bites (mosquitoes)
- bullet wounds are instantly healed (didn't they have exploding ammo in 1954?) yet knife cuts are still bleeding
- the disease affects the brain, but in a curious way : speech is unimpeded yet the use of tools is lost and social interaction is lost.

The last one is the one I struggled with the most. Other reviewers noticed also that the monsters are closer in behaviour to zombies than to classic vampires. Cesar Romero cites the book as a primary source, Stephen King alsao makes reference to it.

On the positive side, two aspects of the novel stand out and will probably come to define it for me in later years as the actual details of the plot will fade from memory:
- the psychological pressure of being the last man on earth : Richard Neville is utterly alone, he has nobody to turn to, has lost his wife and kid in horrible circumstances, yet he must find the resources inside himself to go on living from day to day. His heavy drinking, his episodes of paranoid depression and self destructive rage are painfull to watch, as are his efforts to organize his daily routines with checklists and his obsession in hunting down his afflicted neighbours when they are incapacitated during the day. The episode of the feral dog is probably the best written part of the whole novel.
- the implications resulting from the demotion of humanity from the top of the food chain, something that I have remarked upon in another classic I read earlier this year (The Day of the Triffids). Normalcy was a majority concept, the standard of many and not the standard of just one man. exclaims Neville towards the end of the novel, when he realizes that the monster from the fairytales is in fact himself. The future of the human race might well be carried on by people with wings or by people who use photosynthesis instead of eating solid food or by vampires who drink blood and go out only at night.

[edit] for spelling ...more

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Jul 31, 2019 Merphy Napier rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, classics, horror, four-stars

I loved this book. It was really interesting the whole way through with a MC that really had to work hard to figure out how to get out of this situation. It was so cool figuring it out beside him. Easy classic to read - def recommend

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Feb 22, 2016 Matt rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, classic-novels

I’m not much of what you might call a “vampire guy.” By which I mean both that I am not a vampire, or a guy who likes vampires or vampire-themed endeavors. Thus it stands to reason that I never would have read Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend had not the wildcard of my book club chosen it as this month’s selection. Frankly, I was a little underwhelmed by the choice. The critical “blurbs” did not help matters along. Dean Koontz said it was the “most riveting vampire novel since Dracula,” which is g ...more

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Mar 24, 2017 Johann (jobis89) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

"The strength of the vampire is that no one will believe in him."

Robert Neville is the last man on earth...or is he? Following the outbreak of an incurable plague that has mutated every other human on earth into bloodthirsty, nocturnal creatures, Robert Neville must scavenge for food and supplies during the day, whilst hiding in his boarded-up, vampire-proof home at night. Living a solitary life for so long is not easy, and so he is constantly on the look-out for fellow survivors...

This was a bu "The strength of the vampire is that no one will believe in him."

Robert Neville is the last man on earth...or is he? Following the outbreak of an incurable plague that has mutated every other human on earth into bloodthirsty, nocturnal creatures, Robert Neville must scavenge for food and supplies during the day, whilst hiding in his boarded-up, vampire-proof home at night. Living a solitary life for so long is not easy, and so he is constantly on the look-out for fellow survivors...

This was a buddy-read with my bestest friend, Abbie. We chose this because she is literally a speed-demon and if we had chose a long book, I would be lagging behind for too long! Turns out, I did lag behind anyway because even though we both finished I Am Legend pretty close to each other, my edition also had a selection of short stories written by Richard Matheson. So I'm only now "finishing" the entire book.

I had watched the movie I Am Legend a number of years ago. All I can remember about it is Will Smith and a dog... and that's it. Although what I've found really weird about my reading experience is that I did not cast Will Smith as the role of Richard Neville in my head - Abbie said she did.

I really liked this book, which was surprising to me given that its basically focused on one character. Usually I would find the lack of dialogue and conversation quite boring - although we did get some flashbacks to before the plague, which I particularly enjoyed, with some scenes being quite chilling. Similar to what Abbie said, the constant drinking and throwing whiskey around and smashing glasses did start to grate on me after a while. I understand his alcoholism - I'm pretty certain I might succumb to addiction myself if I was the lone survivor of some plague, but it just gets repetitive after a while. What was disturbing to me was his weird fascination with the female "vampires" - DUDE. What the fuck is wrong with you!!

Okay, so I feel like the last paragraph had a lot of complaining, so I'll talk about what I loved. I loved the SCIENCE. I was geeking out over Richard's thoughts about what possibly caused the plague. He was basically conducting his own research and it was like reading my day-to-day experiences in the lab - disappointment after disappointment. A theory that seems so promising quickly dispelled. Microbiology and bacteria are my forte, so his research around this area had me nodding along in agreement. So that was awesome. The "vampires" themselves were pretty damn scary. I got confused at times because I was like "Are they vampires or zombies? Or a mixture of both?" There were different types and it just wasn't explained very clearly at times.

As for the ending...WOW. I was blown away. One of the best endings I've ever read in a book. It felt completely out of left-field and left me a bit gobsmacked. AMAZING. I Am Legend was a great, quick read and I have to give it 5 stars out of 5. Matheson's writing is simply outstanding and I want to read more.

With regards to the short stories, some were great and some were not so great. Prey was a brilliant short story, it reminded me of Battleground by Stephen King. Dance of the Dead was also pretty eerie. I didn't really include the short stories when giving my rating for this book, as I simply wanted to rate I Am Legend as a standalone book.

But yes! More Richard Matheson is definitely on my radar. Now for another buddy read with Sadie, Mindi and Ashley from bookstagram - can't wait! ...more

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Aug 15, 2013 carol. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: fans of classic apocalypse

Recommended to carol. by: SciFi and Fantasy Book Club monthly read

Shelves: end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it, classic, vampires

There are some excellent reviews out there. I know I was complaining about sqeeing and gifs recently, but I can't help but think a classic book like this could use a little modern reviewing.

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Summary:
I'm a little mixed in my reading reactions to a novella that feels more like a self-conscious allegorical tale than truly innovative storytelling. The short, choppy prose suited the narrator, but gave a more limited ambiance to the setting. Given the protagonist Neville's relatively easy ability i ...more

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Jul 09, 2017 Emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, horror, science-fiction, post-apocalypse

This was creepy and sad too. I don't think I would have lasted long as the last person alive. I would have just given up and let myself get caught! The vampires of this story are quite zombie like, I thought. How events turn out in the end surprised me.

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Mar 25, 2020 Ken rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I'm not sure if reading about a global pandemic that wiped out most of the worlds population was really wise at the minute, but the fact that they turned into vampires was a welcomed twist??

With sole survivor Robert Nevillie spends most of his days in isolation as he battles to find a cure, felt so devastatingly real.
As the main theme of loneliness and repetition soon leads to depression shows how much we crave human interaction.
Learing the fate of Robert's wife and daughter is even more tragic. ...more

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Jan 07, 2008 Morgue Anne rated it it was amazing · 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 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. ...more

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Sep 13, 2015 Justin rated it liked it · review of another edition

1. I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize for all of the Will Smith jokes. It's going to be difficult, but I will refrain from including him in this review.

2. Stuff I liked - Matheson does an amazing job in describing the situation Neville has deal with as the only person left in the world. The scariest parts for me where when Matheson deals with themes like isolation and loneliness. That stuff was much more terrifying than the vampires (more on them later). There were entire chapters of ...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Toby rated it really liked it · 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 t ...more

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Apr 28, 2011 Kat Hooper rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, favorites

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 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.
...more

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Sep 19, 2016 Duane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, horror, guardian-1000, 2016-book-challenge, reviewed-books, rated-books

Richard Matheson may be the most underrated genre writer ever. When you look at a list of his books- I Am Legend, Somewhere In Time, Hell House, Duel: Terror Stories, What Dreams May Come- just to name a few, you realize how unique and diverse his talent was.

This novel, I Am Legend, a perfect little bricolage of apocalyptic, dystopian, sci-fi, horror, vampire, zombie, is probably his best known work, although I'm partial to Somewhere in Time (Bid Time Return) being such a romantic sentimentalist ...more

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May 25, 2011 Bel rated it it was ok · 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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Jun 06, 2016 7jane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Los Angeles, about 22 years into the future (Jan. 1976 - Jan. 1979 in this book; copyright 1954, which really shows in some of the book's views). After the 'plague' finished in 1975, Robert Neville seems to be the only human left immune and alive. He's not anywhere like Will Smith, lookwise, English-German man in late 30s with blue eyes, blond going bald (and later with a beard). When we meet him he's been living at his present place for 5 months. Trying to survive, and wondering what caused eve Los Angeles, about 22 years into the future (Jan. 1976 - Jan. 1979 in this book; copyright 1954, which really shows in some of the book's views). After the 'plague' finished in 1975, Robert Neville seems to be the only human left immune and alive. He's not anywhere like Will Smith, lookwise, English-German man in late 30s with blue eyes, blond going bald (and later with a beard). When we meet him he's been living at his present place for 5 months. Trying to survive, and wondering what caused everyone to change and/or die - which sets him on the road of research and a big surprise (view spoiler).

The views of the time when the book was published show in the writing: his lust-problem with vampire women (no masturbation, really?), listening to classical music, seeing the alcohol as a problem but not the smoking? But at no point was I irritated by this old-fashioned edge, which stayed just (barely) from feeling a bit sexist.

I don't think Matheson searched for what the meaning of the names were for this story, but I did think that naming (view spoiler)

The book's story is in at least some ways different from the movie besides Robert's looks - like the dog(view spoiler) Reading was sometimes hard to continue, but that was just me being nervous - the story flowed nicely and without extra padding.

And the way it ends is both (view spoiler) There is still hope left in the box, even for this kind of world. ...more

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Aug 06, 2017 Graeme Rodaughan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Anyone into early Apocalypse literature

Shelves: horror, vampires, science-fiction

One guy against a world filled with vampires.

I went into this book with an expectation of action. When the story had action scenes, they were done very well, and there is a wonderfully suspenseful and thrilling chase scene in the first half of the book. However, action, suspense and thrills were absent for most of the rest of the book.

There is sad reminiscing of his past life.

There is a long drawn out sequence of attempting to befriend a stray dog.

There is lots of time spent getting drunk, liste ...more

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Oct 30, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was ok · 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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Oct 16, 2017 Gabrielle rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian, horror, read-in-2017, movie-fodder, reviewed, vampires, own-a-copy

Let me being this review by saying that I never saw any of the movie adaptations of this book. I turned the first page of "I Am Legend" with zero knowledge of what Hollywood did to it because a friend of mine gave me an important warning. He said: "When it comes to this story, there is no movie; there is just the book".

The story is Robert Neville's, the last man on Earth after a strange plague has turned every other human being into a vampire. He lives in a carefully barricaded house, stuffed wi Let me being this review by saying that I never saw any of the movie adaptations of this book. I turned the first page of "I Am Legend" with zero knowledge of what Hollywood did to it because a friend of mine gave me an important warning. He said: "When it comes to this story, there is no movie; there is just the book".

The story is Robert Neville's, the last man on Earth after a strange plague has turned every other human being into a vampire. He lives in a carefully barricaded house, stuffed with canned and frozen food, books and records, as well as a hothouse full of garlic. He spends his days in the same monotonous way: making stakes and roping up garlic cloves on every possible entrance to his refuge. When he's not doing that, he's using up all his stakes to kill the sleeping vampires in their dens. His nights are spend listening to the vampires crawling around his house, fighting among each other and trying to lure him out. He's kind of on the edge of going insane when the book begins: this has been going on for 5 months, and he's fraying at the seams.

He manages to hang on to sanity when he decides to approach the vampire situation from a scientific point of view: catch one of them, get some of their blood, study it, try to find some sort of vaccine or antibiotic to cure the disease that took away everyone he loved. This goal carries him forward, until the day he finds himself face to face with someone else who can walk in the day time.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the prose: Matheson is succinct, but also very elegant, and he does built dramatic ramp ups of tension when you least expect it. "I Am Legend" is not the scariest book I've ever read, but I did make me turn the pages frantically because I had to know what was going to happen. He also conveys Neville's emotions very well: his paranoia, his heartbreak, his frustration...

I won't spoil anything, but there's an obvious lesson in this book: to the "monsters", the "good guy" is a murderer. But more than the simple morals message, the thing that really stuck with me was the atmosphere of decay, paranoia and white-knuckle resistance to madness. It would be so easy for Neville to give up: all he has to do is walk out of his house after sundown and his struggle is over. But he resists, he holes up, he fights back. The so-called twist can have more than one meaning: the importance of perspective, sure, but also the futility of fighting something so big it can never, ever be defeated. It made me think of all those atrocious zombie TV shows (yes, "Walking Dead", I mean you!) where it gets to a point where you just want the dumb characters to get caught and bitten already, because they have committed so many atrocities to stay alive that they can't really be referred to as protagonists anymore.

I also loved the way this book is a very self-aware vampire story. Neville gets to wondering what the deal is with the stakes and the garlic, and can't find any rational reason for their effectiveness. This little wink to the absurdity of the legends was a really nice touch of dark humor in what could have otherwise been a way too serious and depressing book.

If you like vampire stories, this is a classic that you shouldn't miss! A quick, but riveting read with a great ending.

(I still haven't watched any of the movies, and frankly, I don't intend to.) ...more

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Jun 28, 2013 Megan Baxter rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Yet again, I've been breaking the rules. This time, it wasn't on purpose! But I went into reading I Am Legend knowing the ending, knowing the twist. Years ago, you see, my husband had wanted to talk about the book, probably when the most recent adaptation to movie form had come out, and I am well known for not reading horror, so it wasn't an unreasonable assumption that I would never read this.

So, wrong, in the long run, but it made reading this for the first time a very different experience tha ...more

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Mar 23, 2020 David Sarkies rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

The Last Human
23 March 2020

I first heard about this book because somebody decided to make a movie with the same title with Will Smith as the lead role. Well, when I saw the trailers I certainly felt that it looked quite interesting, especially since he seemed to be driving around a completely empty New York City. In fact, I sort of wonder whether that is what New York City is like these days. Melbourne certainly does seem to be much emptier than usual, and while I sort of would like to catch a The Last Human
23 March 2020

I first heard about this book because somebody decided to make a movie with the same title with Will Smith as the lead role. Well, when I saw the trailers I certainly felt that it looked quite interesting, especially since he seemed to be driving around a completely empty New York City. In fact, I sort of wonder whether that is what New York City is like these days. Melbourne certainly does seem to be much emptier than usual, and while I sort of would like to catch a train into town just to look around, a part of me feels that maybe staying at home is a much better option (though I am sure to do that sooner or later, even if only to do some grocery shopping – if I can find any groceries).

Yeah, this seemed to be a rather ironic book to start reading in this day and age, with a disease ravaging the Earth and people literally hunkering down in their homes, with pretty much everything but the essential services being shut. Mind you, this wasn’t quite what I expected when I put this book on the stack of the books that I was going to read, and furthermore, I think I put it on that stack something like three months ago (which sort of indicates how big that stack happens to be, not that I have read a huge number of books over that time, and since I am still doing university, albeit remotely, I doubt I’ll be able to get through many more).

One thing that struck me, not from this book, but from the lighthearted banter that is flying across social media, is a list of movies that one can watch during a pandemic. Anyway, I probably don’t have to write a list of books here, namely because The Cape Cod Times and Time Magazine have already done that for me. I did notice that The Decameron appeared on one of the lists, but I’d also add The Alchemist by Ben Jonson.

Anyway, I’m sure you want to know more about the book than about something that pretty much everybody knows about because there is only one thing that the news cycle seems to be playing today, and that is this book. Well, if you have seen the films that have been based on this book, then you probably know about this book anyway. So, we have this guy who is the only survivor after a plague pretty much turns humanity into a pack of bloodthirsty vampires.

Well, sort of, and not quite, if the end of the book is anything to go by. I guess the thing that stuck in my mind is how Zizek suggests how the whole concept of the book has been changed over the years to completely turn away from the original premise. For instance, the ‘I Am Legend’ idea that comes from the recent film is that Robert Neville is the legend of the title because he discovers the vaccine to stop the virus in its tracks (vaccines don’t cure a virus, they just prevent us from being able to contract it, or at least help us build up our immunity to it). However, in this book, the ‘I Am Legend’ title refers to the fact that he is the last human in existence, and once he has passed on, then the whole concept of humanity will be little more than a legend.

In a way, this book is about change, and in a way, it is about social change. Sure, Matheson uses the idea of a horde of vampires taking over the world, but in another sense, it is about how one way of life is slowly subsumed by the other. Take for instance the idea of the First Nations of the Americas. When Europeans arrived there was a thriving society but over the years they were slowly, and surely, completely wiped out. All that remains are small pockets of individuals on reservations killing themselves with alcohol. In turn, the whole concept of these societies has simply been turned into a marketing spin that doesn’t reflect the actual society in which these people once lived.

This is also the case here in Australia, and is especially true when you wander through Sydney. The reality was that there were over a thousand nations living on this continent, but the First Nations here have simply been reduced to people playing digeridoos, and making boomerangs. In fact, they have also been relegated to the idea of unsophisticated hunter-gatherers who needed European assistance to be able to advance, not that we did all that much in the first place. In fact, many of the First Nations people have simply been subsumed into our society, and their culture has been completely lost.

So, yes, this is actually a confronting book, that exposes the nature of how humanity has the ability to simply wipe out and destroy cultures, sending them into the realm of legend. Even though we do have anthropologists that attempt to study, and learn about these cultures, the reality is that for the most part, we don’t see the truth, but rather a sanitised idea of Wigwams, Boomerangs, and pyramids in the jungles. ...more

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Mar 20, 2015 Matthew rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalyptic-dystopian, monsters, 2015, completist-book-club, library

This is definitely one of the Grand-daddies of the Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian/Virus/Monsters-taking-over-the-world stories.

This book had to be a commentary on where Matheson thought we were headed as a society - not just a simple tale of vampires created by a virus.

It is amazing how much he fits in to a 160 page book. I am thinking that Matheson must have been a master of telling a lot of story in very few pages.

A very suspenseful and quick read. This would be a great choice for horror fans, po ...more

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Apr 03, 2020 Matt rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobook, buddy-read, mind-the-bookshelf-gap

Encouraged by my reading group to try this piece by Richard Matheson, I was soon pulled into the world of vampires and a massive plague (how fitting!) as this story unravelled. Robert Neville is in a battle against the world, or so it seems to him. His house surrounded by vampires, Neville must try to negotiate his way around in order to ensure he has the necessities to fend off the attack. Many of his friends and neighbours have succumbed to these blood sucking beasts, but there must be more to Encouraged by my reading group to try this piece by Richard Matheson, I was soon pulled into the world of vampires and a massive plague (how fitting!) as this story unravelled. Robert Neville is in a battle against the world, or so it seems to him. His house surrounded by vampires, Neville must try to negotiate his way around in order to ensure he has the necessities to fend off the attack. Many of his friends and neighbours have succumbed to these blood sucking beasts, but there must be more to this existence. As time progresses, Neville turns scientific and discovers some of the microbiological aspects of the plague, as well as how it spreads from host to host. Neville uses this knowledge to work on some sort of defence, in hopes that it will allow him the chance to push back and take his life into his own hands. When another human crosses his path, he passes along all the information he has, hoping it is not a Trojan Horse sent to trick him. In his own mind, Robert Neville is a legend for cracking the code, though the reader may feel otherwise. A decent story, though by far nothing on the level of Stoker’s eerie storytelling.

When this book was assigned during the annual submission of tomes in early February 2020, I had never read Richard Matheson’s work. However, before trying this book, I did dabble into his world when I read a short piece by the author, which inspired Stephen King and one of his sons to use it as a launching pad for a more modern piece of horror. In this story, Matheson shows off some of his eerie side, though I did not get the scare factor I hoped to find. Robert Neville came across as quite level-headed, at least as much as he could be under the circumstances. His limited backstory came out through the pages of this book, though I was not connecting to him as much as I would have liked. Aspects of Neville’s personality shone through, particularly when he turned microbiologist and quasi-geneticist, but I was still slightly disinterested as the story progress. There are glimpses of other characters in this piece, which Matheson develops when the need arises. They help complement Neville, but do not leave a lasting impact for me. The premise of the piece was decent and I would have loved to feel more connected to the entire situation, but I found it was half horror and half cerebral, neither of which drew me in when I needed it most. I hope others find this was chilling and highly entertaining. I’ll just be sure to have some garlic on hand for Rounds 2 and 3 of COVID-19!

Kudos, Mr. Matheson, for this piece. Not something I’ll flock back to read again, but I could be in the minority.

This book fulfils the April 2020 requirement of the Mind the Bookshelf Gap Reading Challenge.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... ...more

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Sep 30, 2019 Markus rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, science-fiction, dystopia

The world is in ruins. The vampire plague has claimed all human life. Except for Robert Neville; mankind's lone survivor.

This is a classic hard-hitting case of "it's not you, it's me." I'll have to apologise to the book after gathering my thoughts.

In hindsight, I Am Legend is an astounding work of dystopian fiction, a classic example of a tale of post-apocalyptic survival in a grim and horrifying future. I wish I realised that while I was reading it. Unfortunately, I could never get into it. It ...more

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May 28, 2018 Apatt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, pre-80s-sf

“As he entered the silent store, the smell of rotted food filled his nostrils. Quickly he pushed a metal wagon up and down the silent, dust-thick aisles, the heavy smell of decay setting his teeth on edge, making him breathe through his mouth.”

This book was adapted into a 1964 film called “The Last Man on Earth” (the first of several adaptations). I have not seen the film yet but the title is very apt, if a little on the nose, perhaps. The above quote is an example of the feeling of loneliness t ...more

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Jan 26, 2010 Dirk Grobbelaar rated it it was amazing · 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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About Richard Matheson

Richard Matheson

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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 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.

He died at his home on June 23, 2013, at the age of 87

http://us.macmillan.com/author/richar... ...more