I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

“Robert Neville is the only man left alive after a plague has ravage the population. Though the plague didn’t kill them, it turned them into Vampires and now Robert spends his time killing those affected, reinforcing his house against attacks, and trying to learn as much about the plague as he can. Considered to be one of the end all, be all of Vampire books, I found myself entertained but also wanting to know more about Robert's life before the plague.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pros: Since the story is told in slightly reverse order, we learn more about the events leading up to Robert’s situation just when it feels like there won’t be any explanation/It was moderately good pacing.

Cons: It was never quite explained how the plague began, it was after a vaguely mentioned war and dust storms but that was about it/I wanted to know more about Roberts life before the plague but only got the vaguest details/I never quite understood the difference between the Vampires, living and dead and Matheson didn’t really explain.

Full Review

Robert Neville is the only person alive after a plague has swept through California and decimated the population. But the plague didn't kill them, precisely. It turned them into Vampires and every night he listens to the Vampires screaming, trying to break into his house and kill him.

He goes about his day going house to house and staking vampires and then throwing the bodies into a giant fire. After months of isolation, alcoholism and depression he eventually decides to read up on everything he can to try and figure out what could have caused the plague and how to fix it.

Things begin to change when one day he finds a dog, alive, wandering the streets alone during the day. He’s desperate to not be alone anymore and we begin to see a softer, more humane side of Robert. And when he finds a woman wandering, everything changes.

Though this was a quick read (only a little more than 100 pages), it was a deep one. It was a study of what absolute isolation will do to someone and how he adapts when he’s surrounded by monsters day in and day out. The lack of details of Robert’s life pre- plague were frustratingly vague but the aftermath and the effects of complete isolation were interesting and intense. Though this is considered basically the end all, be all book of Vampire books, aside from Stokers Dracula, it was more a study of what isolation does to the human mind. I enjoyed it but was left wanting a bit more.

Comments

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