After reading “Dracula” last week, I immediately set out to read “I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson, which, contrary to popular belief, is set during a vampire apocalypse, not a zombie apocalypse.
Already, the concept is very unique, and, if you are at all interested, I would recommend skipping this review and just reading the book. Trust me, it is worth it.
“I Am Legend” follows Robert Neville, the lone survivor of an illness that has taken over the world and made humans into bloodthirsty vampire creatures. The plot focuses on the discovery of biological causes of vampires, including the bacterium that makes them behave in certain ways, like avoiding sunlight and the smell of garlic.
Since there never really seems to be a tangible explanation as to why vampires exist in stories like these, I thought reading Matheson’s explanation was fascinating. Since this information was conveyed slowly, it was difficult to put the book down – I was far too curious to prevent myself from discovering more.
I cannot speak as to the validity of the scientific explanations, but everything was explained clearly enough for me, an uninformed English major, to understand.
Matheson excels at writing isolation. Often, it can be extremely difficult to write such a novel because things could get bogged down by the lack of interaction between characters, which can be a great influence on the plot of a novel.
However, considering that this book begins with only one person, any thought of plot-driven dialogue or social exchanges is thrown right out of the window.
In a way, Matheson’s style reminds me of Cormac McCarthy, who also writes wonders with very few characters. It is a profound ability to write something substantial with so little.
The book was extremely enjoyable, and I found myself engrossed very quickly. However, there were a few aspects that prevented me from fully embracing “I Am Legend” by the end.
I often felt Matheson would introduce great ideas that would keep me engaged, only to drop them just as quickly. The ending of the book was fine, but it left me wanting much, much more because very few things were fully developed. In this way, the “I Am Legend’s” greatest flaw is its length – at roughly 160 pages, too much is left unexplored for any reader to feel truly satisfied.
Nevertheless, if you are looking for a quick literary read, I highly recommend “I Am Legend.” Be warned, though, that you may come away feeling as though you have been cheated out of a more substantial story because of the book’s short length.
Overall: 7/10
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