Working in a library, and currently considering reading (and reviewing) my way through Shakespeare.
Working in a library, and currently considering reading (and reviewing) my way through Shakespeare.
Member since:10.10.2000
Reviews:130
Members who trust:22
Vampires tend to get avery bad press. This book isn't exactly an exception but it can't be described as standard either.
The main story involves the fact that vampires have taken over. The last human alive, Robert, is our narrator and we follow his struggle for survival over several years.
This doesn't sound like the greatest of plots and it isn't. But within this very basic structure there are situations that give us hope for Robert, and the development of these situations is what the book is about. For instance there is a dog that seems to be the last dog alive, for a while we get caught up in Roberts fantasies about more survivors until the death of the dog destroys them. As well as this there is the slow discovery of how vampires spread and how they function. The scientific element thta this introduces is compelling, as you are given advances and set backs all at once. This creates a wonderful sense of despair, but also highlights Roberts determination to survive.
The character of Robert is what drives this novel. We see his initial inability to deal with his situation then his gradually acceptance and growing maturity. There are personal griefs in the lose of his wife and child and his own vendetta against a vampire he once knew. All of this plus a deeply personal first person style gives us enough insight into Robert that we can read the book for him, rather than a complex plot.
The plot isn't complicated but it has unexpected twists and the hunter?hunted dilemma gives it plenty of tension. There is a feeling both of speed and of decay. The plot jumps forward in time in order to prevent yo becoming to involved in the minutae of Roberts life, but it still gives plenty of detail on the interesting episodes. There is a real sense of danger that runs throughout the book and though Roberts capture is inevitable the ending is unexpected as it gives a very nice twist on the books premise of humans being the norm.
The vampires are not well portrayed during the first part of this novel. Later on we learn more about them through Ruth, a vampire. What we learn gives the book an entirly new perspective and it really drives home the books message about normality. The vampires are the begining of new society, evolution rather than destruction. In the novel they are always there as a prescence but only at the end do we get a deep understanding of their society. This method helps us understand them and they become real rather than shadowy creatures.
Overall this is a terrific read. My copy calls itself sci-fi and although theres some science this is really a horror novel. It doesn't ahve a complicated plot, but it does have a good twist. The characterisation is superb and you should read it for this alone. There is also a great compulsion to continue once you start and it isn't overly long (i finished it in one day. Matheson is a great author who knows his strengths and plays to them.
This is a book i would reccommend to anyone. Its packed with tension and not overly gory or scary. Theres plenty to read and lots to understand about the workings of vampires and the factual basis makes the book seem very real. Here is a true up-dating of the vampire myth and a definate must read.
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It seems strange to find a 1954 vampire novel in Millennium's "SF Masterworks" classic ... more
reprints series. I Am Legend, though, was a trailblazing and later much imitated story that reinvented the vampire myth as SF. Without losing the horror, it presen...
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It seems strange to find a 1954 vampire novel in Millennium's "SF Masterworks" classic ... more
reprints series.I Am Legend, though, was a trailblazing and later much imitated story that reinvented the vampire myth as SF. Without losing the horror, it present...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Classic vampire fiction, that opened our perspective to creatures outside Victorian melodrama. Disadvantages: There are none. If you read horror, read this.
Advantages: Great descriptions of 'cyberpunk' post-apocalyptic future, excellent ideas Disadvantages: Some concepts are hard to understand, and the science is often a little unbelievable
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