Richard Matheson, I Am Legend (Millennium SF Masterworks S) Reviews

theshootist's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Good Points: THRILLING! GRIPPING! Scary! Exciting! well thought out and MUCH better than the movie. Great short story

Bad Points: Very short

General comments: Robert Neville is the last man alive on earth. All others have been mutated into some type of vampire that come out after sunset and yell, scream and taunt him to no end.
Robert Neville is a survivor, and has outfitted his home with soundproofing, a walk in pantry-his den, an electric generator to run the freezer and lights, and a lot of booze.
The sight of watching the disease destroy everyone and everything he knew and loved still haunts him.
His wife and daughter were turned into the living dead, forcing him to kill them and burn their bodies.
His neighbor, who emerges after dark with the rest of the living corpses, yell and taunt him. Invoking his name night after night it drives Robert Neville mad!
These "things" are no longer recognizable as people or once humans. The disease dried up their blood, turned them pasty white, taken their hair and replaced teeth with fangs.
they claw and scratch at his door night after night for three years. And for three years, Robert Neville restocks, resupplies and kills vampires during the day. First, by using a wood lave to cut wooden spikes, because bullets do not effect these creatures.
Then, he decides to learn about the disease, try and cure it by passing away the time with medical books and theory.
Until, one day in the field across the street from him, he sees a young woman, she doesn't notice him. He stares at her crossing the sunlight field as though he has lost his mind.
He chases her down, trying to get her attention and she flees, he finally tackles her and she struggles to break free of him.

Cut to his home-Robert and a silent strange woman, are sitting and she is frightened.

Thats all I'll tell you about this one, but once you read it, you'll discover why it got a 10!
Matheson wrote this story in the late 1950's so some of the situations or automobiles, may confuse the reader, but the entire feel of this apocalyptic novel strikes home to the reader.

Dreadlocksmile's review has yet to be rated - Be the first!
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Written back in 1954, Richard Matheson's first novel "I Am Legend" was the big inspiration behind George A. Romero's cult classic zombie masterpiece "Night Of The Living Dead" (1968). Instead of zombies creating a post-apocalyptic world we have vampires (both living and dead). The novel delivers an eye-opening social commentary, with the over hanging question of "at what point does humanity become the freak of nature and the killer?". With the numbers of humans alive being reduced dramaticall ...