I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Original Publication Date: 1954
Page Count: 162
A classic tale of horror and loneliness, this story follows
the last man on earth as he fights to survive against the bloodthirsty vampires
at night and the personal demons that haunt him by day.
Robert Neville may be the last human on earth, but he is not
alone. A plague has turned everyone he has ever known, including his wife and daughter,
into night dwelling vampires seeking him harm. While the sun is out and shining,
he spends his time gathering resources, hunting vampires, and searching for
answers. As soon as the sun dips below the horizon he must be indoors in
hiding, waiting for the morning light to come again, hoping that his house
holds up to the vampires trying to get in. Wracked by bouts of alcoholism
and depression, Robert struggles each day to find meaning in his routine as he
lives with the memories of the way things used to be. Every so often, he finds
a reason to live, only to have it taken away from him again and again. That is, until
one day he stumbles into another human, Ruth, who doesn’t appear to be
infected. Who is this woman, and can he trust her? Is there something that she
is hiding or has he finally found someone to share his existence with? A little
slow at times as Matheson dives into the intense and complicated emotions of
Robert, fans of the modern zombie genre may be a bit frustrated with the lack
of action at certain points.
A classic that inspired an entire genre of sci-fi and
horror, this tale not only conveys the terror of being the last man on earth
amongst creatures no longer human, but is a thought provoking essay on human
nature and the fine line between hero and horror.
Zach, as someone who is not drawn to the sci-fi genre, I found your review very compelling. I feel like I now need to know what happens to Robert and this Ruth character! I may just be adding this to my to-read list. I also appreciate that you noted the lack of action as a possible cause for frustration, giving readers an honest look at what they can expect.
ReplyDeleteI just updated the post with the publication date and page count because I forgot those might be important pieces to have! First of all, yes, I highly recommend this book! It's a quick read, only 162 pages, and it's really fascinating to read something about zombies/vampires/creatures of the night before they became popular and mainstream! I couldn't believe that it was written all the way back in 1954 when I started it; I had seen the movie when I was in high school when it came out in 2007 (with WIll Smith as the lead) and was thinking it would be something similar, but it is definitely only loosely based on the book.
DeleteI figured adding in a note about the lack of pacing might be a good idea since it is so unlike everything else currently found in the zombie genre today, so i'm glad to hear that you thought appreciated that aspect.
I love the Will Smith version but I grew up on the old Charleton Heston one, this movie has been remade soo many times!
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