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I Am Legend Review

Synopsis: The world has been taken over by a powerful virus, leaving one man alone to fend for himself. Robert Neville is the apparently the last man on earth, with every other human being either dead or undead (infected by a virus causing vampire-like qualities). Neville is completely alone, while the vampires outside taunt him relentlessly. He develops a routine to gathering supplies and experimenting on sleeping vampires during the day, and then locks himself in at night. This may make it seem like a simple story, however each chapter brings in a little twist.

Thoughts: I read this book before watching the movie or even knowing what it was about (if that's even possible)... It turned out to be one of the most engaging books I have ever read--there was rarely a time when I could put it down. Every part of the story is fascinating. Neville is the last man alive, so you read what he is thinking and feeling rather than experiencing it through dialogue or character description. You read about how lonely he feels, how hopeless he feels because of the loneliness, the excitement he feels when he sees a stray dog, the unease when he comes in contact with another human, etc. You are in his head the entire time, and so you feel every emotion he is going through. The only problem I had with the book was the ending. (For my thoughts on the ending, scroll to the end of this post). This story is a must-read. The character of Neville is so thoroughly ingrained as a part of the reader that every action he takes seems real. His obsession with researching the virus and finding a cure will be able to explain every vampire novel (or movie) you have ever read (or seen).

There are also many short stories contained in this book:

Buried Talents: a man is surprisingly skilled at a carnival game.
-The description and repetition will bring the story alive. This was my favorite story.

The Near Departed: a man plans his wife's funeral
-Very creepy!

Prey: a voodoo doll comes alive
-This one started out very exciting, but I lost interest about halfway through. The ending was predictable.

Witch War: Young girls create war
-I didn't enjoy this one very much.

Dance of the Dead: Young college students visit a nearby town to party
-This one was especially creepy, but I had a hard time staying interested.

Dress of White Silk: A little girl narrates and describes how she misses her mother
-This one was creepy, particularly because young children were involved. I don't think I really understood the ending.

Mad House: A man's anger transfers to the house he lives in.
-I had a hard time getting into this one because of the repetitive introduction, but I quickly grew interested as the story went on. This is one of the longer short stories, so there was more detail and the story was more developed.

The Funeral: A vampire wants a proper funeral.
-This one was actually funny. A vampire wants to have a real funeral and invites all of his monster friends.

From Shadowed Places: A man must be cured of an African curse
-At first this one was interesting, but then when it got into the cure I was a bit turned off. It just wasn't interesting to me.

Person to Person: A man can't get rid of the ringing in his head.
-A man hears an unexplainable ringing in his head every night at the same time. His therapist insists it's a psychological problem, but the man believes it's something real. The ending is creepy.

**SPOILER**

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I didn't like that the people of the "new" society were merely finding
ways to remain human (and just live with their disease). I feel like it
would have been interesting to see them develop a completely new
society that lived during the night and slept in the day. Because if
they just wanted to live with the virus, then what was the point of
using supplements to try and suppress it? And why get rid of everyone
from the "old" society if they are just trying to be more like them?

[...].

I Am Legend Feature

ISBN13: 9780312865047
Condition: New
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I Am Legend Overview

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 world of vampires?

I Am Legend Specifications

One of the most influential vampire novels of the 20th century, I Am Legend regularly appears on the "10 Best" lists of numerous critical studies of the horror genre. As Richard Matheson's third novel, it was first marketed as science fiction (for although written in 1954, the story takes place in a future 1976). A terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate enough to survive have been transformed into blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Except, that is, for Robert Neville. He alone appears to be immune to this disease, but the grim irony is that now he is the outsider. He is the legendary monster who must be destroyed because he is different from everyone else. Employing a stark, almost documentary style, Richard Matheson was one of the first writers to convince us that the undead can lurk in a local supermarket freezer as well as a remote Gothic castle. His influence on a generation of bestselling authors--including Stephen King and Dean Koontz--who first read him in their youth is, well, legendary. --Stanley Wiater

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Customer Reviews

Solid book of disturbing stories - S. Patton -
You'll recognize the ideas put forth in the stories in this book because Richard Matheson is one of the most copied authors of his time. Many horror/thriller/spooky movies & TV episodes have borrowed his creepy ideas. I Am Legend is very good, better than the 3 or 4 movies based on it in my opinion. Just remember, half the book is I Am Legend, half the book is weird short stories, and there's basically no transition between the two, so if you're not looking for it it can be confusing : )

Differences from the Will Smith Movie Version - William Hartmann -
Many reviewers have described the greatness of this story and its influence on modern writers. I wanted to offer my viewpoint as a reader who had seen the movie first. I initially avoided the book because I felt that the movie, while entertaining, was shallow with an uninteresting story. However, the positive reviews finally convinced me to give it a shot and I am glad that I did.

The character portrayed by Will Smith is a brilliant man who is the cause of the epidemic and also the eventual savior of the human race. The character from the book is a much more interesting and relatable one. He is just an average man who struggles to survive. Not only with the vampires, but also to motivate himself to complete the menial tasks required for his daily survival.

The vampires portrayed in the movie are superhuman killing machines completely devoid of any perceivable intelligence. In contrast, the book's portrayal of the vampires is much more interesting. They retain many of their human qualities, including their intelligence, personalities, and physical capabilities. This allows for interactions far more interesting than those found in the movie.

The conclusion found in the movie is very unsatisfying. It serves as a confirmation of the woman's belief that God had directed her actions, portends the rebirth of human civilization, and illustrates the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. All very common themes that deliver a boring result. The book's conclusion deviates drastically from the movie's. I don't want to ruin the ending, but I will say I found the final realization the main character is forced to accept very interesting and thought provoking.

I encourage anyone to read the book regardless of their feelings on the movie. The book provides a deeper story and a much different take on the vampire genre than the one presented in the movie.

Good stories - M. Oja - Fullerton, CA United States
As expected, "I Am Legend" was not like the movie. It was a little confusing (living vampires? dead vampires?), but was still thought-provoking. The other short stories in the volume were a little dated, but still good stories.

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Saturday, August 28, 2010