– To begin, this was my first exposure to Matheson and his 1954 post-apocalyptic work. I had seen the movie with Will Smith, and was expecting something along the lines of the same plot. And, wow. I have never seen a Hollywood adaptation of a novel so grossly different, that it felt like the novel and film were the same in title alone. It was like one big Hollywood Exec had proclaimed "We have made this movie about feral/zombie/vampire people, and to raise sales we should name it after a book!" To which another chimed in "I Am Legend has vampires!" "Brilliant! This film is now I Am Legend." There was very little semblance of the film in the book, and honestly that's a good thing. Matheson's Robert Neville is not a Doctor, but a plant worker struggling to come to grips with his new reality. There is a dog…for approximately one chapter of the book. There is no surviving human society Neville sacrifices himself to save. He hasn't memorized lines from Shrek, and endures long enough to discover he himself has become a mystical horror in the eyes of a new race of beings. If you hated the movie, still read the book! They are practically nothing alike!
– This book was fun, but certainly not classic literature. But, the point was to provide a fun, original perspective from the standpoint of a lone survivor. In those regards, I enjoyed the book and finished the book fairly quickly. Some things were repetitive and a bit cheesy. Neville, while experiencing some character growth, get frustrated and easily furious with himself, which in and of itself is fine. But, having to read for the umpteenth time how he "slammed his fist on door/table/wall/bench/mattress" and "threw glass/bottle/book/microscope against the wall" became a little eye-roll inducing. And "body glue" LOL. But, hey, this was meant to be a fun ride with vampires, and for that the book is great. The final two or three chapters I found to be very well-done, and the ending twist well written. Often great books have trouble ending, and this one wrapped up quite nicely in my opinion.
– The unique perspective and underlying message of pandemics, germs, and fears of the unknown, especially within the times we currently live in, make this a worthy read. Often, I found myself wondering what I would do in Neville's shoes as he passes the time alone, comes to grips with loss, battles demons he has little information about, and struggles to find the point of enduring. That really hit me, the deep question of what is the point of living. Matheson does a great job inviting us into Neville's innermost thoughts, and he becomes a somewhat realistic character. Often I saw myself in him, as the routine gets him through the day. He is so very human, even if he is the only one. He can be very frustrating at times, but in him I sympathized as he dealt with extreme grief, the desperate search for a companion, and the battle to research and understand not just the virus, but how his world had transformed. Again, really nice perspectives on pandemics and panic from this book, necessary now more than ever.
– And, no Shrek gags.
"Full circle. A new terror born in death, a new superstition entering the unassailable fortress of forever. I am Legend."
by Keaton126