I Am Legend and Other Stories

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 Spanishwhy you ask [...]

Straight outta Compton, another crazy ass vampireMore punks I smoke, yo, my rep gets biggerI'm a bad vampire killa and you know thisBut the pussy ass ghouls don't show thisBut I don't give a damn, I'ma make my snapsIf not from the garlic, from jackin the cropsJust like burglary, the definition is 'jackin'And when illegally armed it's called 'packin'Put a stake through a motherf…Chorus:[City of Compton, City of Compton][Damn that book was dope!]I know I’ve used the whole edited-lyrics-as-revi [...]

This is technically a collection of short stories, but I am Legend is the centerpiece, masterpiece, main event, etc. I am Legend truly is a great story, deserving of all the accolades and an inspired source of all the horror genre influence over the past 60 years, including Stephen King. It's about vampires the same way Castaway, the Tom Hanks film, is about the South Pacific. It's about a man dealing with stress, nightmarish circumstances and his will to not just live, but to survive. Matheson [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Richard Matheson (1926-2013) In Memoriam.Such is the low profile of some great writers that it's only now I discovered that this early sf favourite of mine died five months ago. I discovered sf in my teens (as you know, the answer to the question "when was the golden age of science fiction?" is "14") and I Am Legend was the first novel 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 strai [...]

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 [...]

Great book.

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 [...]

Questions arising out of my reading of this book: 1. Why have I never read Richard Matheson before? 2. Why did no one ever tell me what an amazing storyteller Matheson is?3. How does someone channel such elegant prose, and such profound imagination, into a story with so much humanity?4. Why was I unaware of how incredibly influential Matheson's story has been on multiple genres, from post apocalypse tales, to zombie plagues and vampire ficion?5. Why did Will Smith and the Hollywood "brain trust" [...]

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 [...]

When i read this i was not on 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 includes the D [...]

Bram Stoker’s Dracula first popularized the word 'nosferatu' as a synonym for “vampire,” supposedly gleaning it from Romanian folklore. Popular etymology has ascribed the word to the Greek nosophorus, or “plague carrier.” The association of vampires to various diseases is an integral part of the vampire legend.Matheson’s was the first (?) fictional depiction of vampirism as the result of physiological disease, not supernatural forces. It thus gave an ironic twist to an old pattern: W [...]

A landmark book which has influenced countless writers and directors.Click here for the first part of my look at the novel and its various film adaptations: bit/2bf7n1qAnd here's my look at Last Man on Earth starring Vincent Price: bit/2cxJg3bHere's my look at The Omega Man starring Charlton Heston: bit/2dE9m00And, finally, here's my take on I Am Legend starring William Smith: bit/2gzlmSU

I'm prepared to be burned in effigy for my rating. I just was not a fan of any of these stories. My only reason for faltering is the inspiration that so many modern horror masters have obviously taken from these tales. That's quite apparent. But I just wasn't entertained. Sorry guys!

It was really good. Neville is a very interesting protagonist. You really want to root for him that he will survive. I don't want to spoil you, but the ending will definitely hit you like a one-two punch. I definitely wanted a different one. Nevertheless it was one of the best short stories I have ever read. I finished I am Legend more than a year ago. It had such an effect on my psyche that I had to put the book down. Let me tell you a secret. I am a bit of a whimp when it comes to horror. Yet [...]

Before vampires were brooding, sparkly and sexy, Bram Stoker and Richard Matheson made them scary. They were creatures of the night, meant to be feared and avoided at all costs. If it was Stoker that introduced us to the world of the undead blood suckers, it was Matheson who took the genre the next step forward, exploring how the tropes of vampire mythology could be true based on scientific principles of the time.But to categorize "I Am Legend" as just as vampire story is a huge mistake. As with [...]

I Am Legend and Other Storiesimage: I have waited for a long time to read this novel and when I finally finished reading itI would rather watch powdery looking vampires of Omega Man (1971) to light up my horror fuse. But because of the originality of the narratives, I am rating it a five as it was first published in 1954; and it most likely gave birth to futuristic masters' of horrors.The novel is not as horrific as I thought but more of a personal survival journey of the only man left on earth [...]

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 vampire [...]

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 [...]

Stephen King has stated that Matheson had one of the biggest influences on him as any other writer and I can see why after reading this masterpiece. This book is actually a collection of short stories accompanying 'I Am Legend' or I may have given it 5 starsybe.Already being weakened by the tragedy of losing your wife and child, could you then find it within yourself to survive an apocalyptic nightmare? And if you were strong enough to survive, how long would you even want to hold on to your lif [...]

Everything you've heard about I Am Legend is true: it's scary, the way Matheson conveys Neville's descent into madness is brilliant, the post-apocalyptic world is well-crafted, none of the movies inspired by it do it justice and the whole thing feels very dated. This isn't to say that it isn't enjoyable, but if your friends have built this up like it's one of the greatest stories ever told, I'd adjust your expectations quite a bit. It is a great story, an in an historical context, it's pretty i [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Okay, you’re a sci-fi or horror fan. Maybe you are into ‘cult classics.’ Maybe, you just like reading the novels that movies are based on. It almost doesn’t matter. If you’re considering this novella, by all means read it. Matheson does a lot with this story and does it well. Every I is dotted, every T is crossed. Any “what about…” question is answered and every “why don’t…” is spoken to. He does everything you could hope for, except create characters you can care about. [...]

Another free download from the library. Read by Robertson Dean & Yuri Rasovsky."I Am Legend" is a classic, of course. If you've only heard about this story & never actually read it, you're missing a lot. Vincent Price's rendition (1963?) in "The Last Man On Earth" wasn't bad, but neither of the other two movies did any justice to the story. They completely missed the horribly real, poignant point. Charleton Heston's "The Omega Man" (1970?) was fun & campy, but Will Smith's movie that [...]

2.5This was pretty hit or miss for me. I am Legend is probably the more, if not most, popular one out of this collection. It was not my favorite. I can say that I do see what fans were so angry about with the movie because holy shit, did Hollywood miss the mark on that one or what?!I gave that one 4 out of 5 stars. It contained a lot of science-talk where my brain went into SleepyLand. My brain hates science talk. It gets bored and confused and trips over biology terms it doesn’t like. I also [...]

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, [...]

I only read I am Legend and not the ten short stories that follow in this edition of the book, so my review will only be of the one story I read and not the book as a whole.I am Legend is considered by many as a classic horror story. I previously saw the movie adaptation starring Will Smith and let me warn you now, that movie is nothing like the book. It was very strange seeing Will Smith on the cover of this book while reading about Robert Neville who is very different, physically and mentally [...]

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 [...]