I Am Legend

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Summary: The ultimate fright.
Review: This story was frighting even before I had read the first chapter. The first page set up a scenario that chilled me to the bone. The author has a very non-chalante way of showing us this horrific world, makiing the reader imagine what he would feel in a place where you are completly alone, except for the average blood sucking creature. Neville is one of the most deep characters I have seen, espacially in this horrific setting. I felt for him. I wanted to help him. He became a hero to me. Matteson is one of the most creative authors I have seen. I reccomend reading this right away, considering it's a very short read. About 150 pages. This story may seam like an average vampre tale, but belive me it isn't. Matteson explains the vampire into a science. It's like Matteson actually was a vampire, and knew it's biology. Read this book right away, but when you do, don't read it at night.

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Summary: I Am Legend, A Masterpiece from a Legendary Author!
Review: A long time ago, I saw "The Omega Man" and liked it so much that I sought out the book it was adapted from. "I Am Legend" was nothing like the Charlton Heston movie, but it was the best damn vampire novel I had ever read. Since reading the book, I have collected all of Richard Matheson's other novels and short story collections, but "I Am Legend" remains my personal favorites. Robert Neville's struggle to survive in a world of vampires robs him of his humanity, transforming him into a legndary boogyman, who stalks and murders the planet's new nocturnal citizens as they sleep. No true horror fan should go without reading this landmark novel. Matheson always leaves his readers wanting more, which is more than can be said for most of the post Stephen King bloated bestsellers.

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Summary: This book is great!!!
Review: This book is smart and pure horror. You see how the man slowly breaks down and his smart was of avoiding death. This is the best Vampire book other than DRACULA!!!!!

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Summary: Not a Horror Masterpiece
Review: The story flows well. Not very scary. The vampires are certainly not Anne Rice's, beautiful and intelligent immortals. These vampires are diminished and painfully stupid. However it is worth the buy and holds interest. The last human on an earth overrun with vampires, it sucks you in . A great weekend read.

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Summary: Not to be label as just a "vampire" novel...
Review: Hands down one of my all time favorite books. An epic of loneliness, one man against the world. Robert Neville is wonderfully fleshed-out: we empathize with his struggle, we feel his pain, and we are placed in his stiuation. An average man that is forced to destroy his friends, neighrbors, and the rest of his comman man. His life is split into two worlds as the sun sets and rises. It's as if Robert Neville is cursed, he walks untouched by the plague, while the diseased and the dead become a society again by forming against him. Some may have not liked the ending, but I loved it. This work cannot be fit into any fixed category. Matheson's cinematic style has always screamed to be filmed (and has numerous times), and I think this story deserves another shot. The Ridley Scott project was scrapped because of the high budget. The movie is back under way with Rob Bowman (X-Files movie,and show) and Kurt Russel. Still, long live the Omega Man and the Last Man On Ea! rth.

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Summary: Great Movie.....BETTER Book
Review: I first saw the movie, THE OMEGA MAN, when I was 11 years old. Ever since then, I have been caught up in the great story that Matheson weaves. When I read the book, I was blown away. I thought the movie was good! In My Humble Opinion, this will always be a classic.

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Summary: My second favorite Matheson book....
Review: I've got a signed first addition. ("Hell House" is my favorite, "Bid Time Return", third). "Legend" is a signature Matheson story. He draws you into sympathizing with the common man hero in an extraordinary situation theme and twists your perspective with the ending. This is plausible post-apocalyptic science fiction. "The Stand" and "Tom O'Bedlam" w/o the mysticism; "A Boy and His Dog" w/o the tongue-in-cheek humor. I'll admit Chucks' movie version is one of my guilty pleasures.

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Summary: A Vampire Novel Not to Be missed!
Review: For those of us who love the tradition of horror writing, this is a novel not to be missed. The book was unfortunately out of print for about 20 years and I was only able to find and old used copy of it. I am glade to see it has been revived! Although written in the fifties, its bizarre blend of horror and science fiction,gives this book a universal quality that has stood the test of time. I would highly recommended it to readers.

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Summary: Legends
Review: In a time when humankind has become almost a legend, there is only one. One who lives in infamy. At first they were the few infamous predators of the night, stalking the living to kill, the Angels of Death, the vampires. Now he is the one infamous predator of the day, stalking the dead to kill again. Robert Neville is the last of his race. The final human on a world of vampires. Alone in the night, in the day, in life, he has nothing left but the fight to preserve humankind. By day, he is the hunter, the predator, seeking the undead to destroy. By night, he is the hunted, the prey, hiding in his barricaded home from the sure death awaiting him on the outside. Robert has only the "righteous cause" of killing and surviving to drive him onward. He has no real hope, no real purpose. Only more garlic and stakes; killing the defenseless as they slumber. He fights a world that has already changed entirely from the one he knew. In its place, there arose a bleak, apocalyptic world of blood, dust, and death. In this new world, Robert is the last, greatest murderer. He lives in infamy. He says himself in the end, "I am legend." How long before one man fighting the entire world is defeated? How long before a legend is destroyed?

Rating:
Summary: Very good story.....lousy ending.
Review: Good writing style, but lousy ending, particularly when the book ends halfway and you are left with short tales that I, at first, thought were a continuation of the novel. While there are always vampires outside the hero's house, you only get one good vampire/hero encounter...The woman leader of the new society is bizarre to say the least and the only person the reader gets to meet from the new society. The story has much potential (I find myself building on the story), but the author lacked the ability to spin out a good ending.