Winner of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award for best vampire novel of the century: the genre-defining classic of horror sci-fi that inspired three films. The population of the entire world has been obliterated by a pandemic of vampire bacteria. Yet somehow, Robert Neville survived. He must now struggle to make sense of what happened and learn to protect himself against the vampires who … against the vampires who hunt him nightly.
As months of scavenging and hiding turn to years marked by depression and alcoholism, Robert spends his days hunting his tormentors and researching the cause of their affliction. But the more he discovers about the vampires around him, the more he sees the unsettling truth of who is—and who is not—a monster.
Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend has been a major influence on horror literature. In 2012, it was named the best vampire novel of the century by the Horror Writers Association and the Bram Stoker Estate. The novel was adapted to film in 1964 as The Last Man on Earth, in 1971 as Omega Man, and in 2007 as I am Legend, starring Will Smith.
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I picked this out of one of those book exchange boxes and thought it was excellent apocalyptic sci-fi. I had never read it as a kid. Just to be clear, the book (a novella, really) is radically different from the film. So different, in fact, that knowing the film(s) in no way hinders your enjoyment of the book. The title, by the way, only makes sense in the book. It’s revealed at the end and it’s a great payoff.
I know it’s an oldie but this novel[la] is brilliant. Unpredictable and realistic in the best kind of way, you truly feel this story as it unfolds. My favorite part about it, is when you read it the second time around, the entire story is different because of what you learn at the end. Such a great story.
Extremely enjoyable peek into the psyche of a man struggling to survive in a world filled with vampires. The vampires take a backseat as this story focused on the mind of a man who believe he might be the last man alive on earth. We follow him as he struggles the understand the new world order around him, the memories of loved ones long gone, and the natural “urges” of a man who has been alone too long. The book is emotionally gripping and make you feel everything that Robert Neville experiences. Intense and emotional. Everyone should read this! If you saw the movie first (like I did), know that the two do not resemble each other in any way.
I loved the book and thought the movie was great too, but it did not follow the book exactly.