i am legend book review

I Am Legend

By richard matheson.

'I Am Legend' is an excellent novel that exposes Richard Matheson's idea of an apocalypse and the effect it would have on someone fortunate to survive it.

Article written by Fave

B.A. in History and International Studies from University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

‘I Am Legend’   is a story of tenacity. It tells the tale of Robert Neville’s solitary lifestyle. He mourns the loss of his family, experiences the despair of being alone, carries out careful research on the cause and cure of vampirism, and fights off violent creatures that have become all too real. Exquisitely employing the use of allusions, metaphors, and irony, Matheson analyzes the nature of mankind. He categorically explores the consequences of loneliness on human psychology.

The world surrounding Robert is a perfect nightmare without ease. This may disturb a lot of readers. However, his life also has a positive side that shows how surprisingly strong humans can be in a bleak situation where all hope is lost.

‘ I Am Legend ‘ was incredibly influential in the years after it was published and spawned three film adaptations. The novel is responsible for creating the zombie subculture in film and literature. 

Protagonist’s Daily Life and Crushing Despair

In  ‘I Am Legend , ‘  the fight for survival in a dangerous and uncertain world is told. The plot is simple as it tells its story from the perspective of a former plant worker, Robert Neville.

As the last man standing after a worldwide plague, he strives to survive. He is immune to the plague because he was bitten by a bat when he was abroad during a war. Robert speculates that he is infected by a mutated version of the vampiric bacteria from the bat. He spends his days traveling short distances from his home, killing vampires, hanging garlic, listening to Beethoven, and drinking. The female vampires outside his house attempt to seduce him into leaving the house and his infected friend, Ben Cortman, yell for him to come out.

Mixed up in Robert’s daily life are intense moments of despair and depression as he remembers his dead family and how happy he used to be. He thinks about his wife and young child, who he still deeply loves. He remembers the final moments they shared and the conversations they had. He remembers their death. When the despair builds up, he slips back into the routine again.

The Motivating Power of Hope

‘I Am Legend’  uncovers how motivating the feeling of hope can be. The belief that there may be survivors like him and his growing desire to discover the scientific rationale behind the vampires keeps Robert going. He also expects to discover a method to quickly and effectively kill the bacteria controlling the plague. His optimism jolts him from his period of depression and despair. Robert is not a scientist but studies the science behind the plague and its cause. He uncovers the reason for the spread, why vampires need human blood, and how they can animate a dead body.

Also, joy temporarily comes into Robert’s life in the form of a sick puppy he discovers on his front lawn. He spends weeks trying to get the dog comfortable in his presence. Meeting the dog slowly builds his belief that his days alone are finally over. Unfortunately, the dog dies from infection, throwing Robert again into a state of crazed grief.

Psychological Effect of Sexual Frustration

Although a short book,  ‘I Am Legend’   delves deep into morality, mental health, science, coping mechanisms, and survival intuition. Another aspect the book addresses is sexual frustration. Robert is tormented by his need for sexual relations, which has been impossible since the plague wiped out the human population. When the female vampires taunt him by taking lewd positions while he watches them, he feels the pressure. During one of his low moments, Robert contemplates giving in to the temptation and finds himself removing the bars on his door, intent on going out to the vampires. When he starts his experiments on the cause and effect of the vampire plague, he notices that he experiments solely on women. He tries to convince himself that this has nothing to do with his sexual urges.

Violence Breeds Violence

In  ‘I Am Legend,’  there are many instances of violence. Perhaps, the most important is the war between America and the unnamed superpower that ended in the two countries resorting to using nuclear weapons that led to the dust storms that spread the plague. The vampires’ ever-vigilant thirst for Robert’s blood shows another instance of violence. Throughout the book, Robert experiences several incidents of direct violence from the vampires. They throw stones at his house, assault him when he opens the door, and also attack him when he returns home late. They also destroy his washing machine and his generator. During the day, Robert spends time fixing the damage they made at night time.

Quickly, Robert learns to fight back. He kills them by driving stakes through their chests. He also uses them to test his hypotheses: he drags them into the sun to see its effects on them and injects them with his experimental potions. The vampires also attack themselves. Most mornings, Robert wakes up to find a dead vampire on his lawn. These victims are usually female. The dog that attacks him when he tries to get close and his initial treatment of Ruth also portray savagery. The book closes on a brutal note as the society of conscious vampires attack Cimarron street on the night of Robert’s capture. They massacre the dead vampires in front of Robert’s house, shoot up Ben Cortman, and eventually storm Robert’s home to capture him.

A Sad Conclusion

Thin in volume but strong on the engulfing feeling of dread, ‘I Am Legend’  ends on a sad note. When Ruth realizes Robert is not the monster others believe he is, she tries to save him by imploring him to hide before the conscious vampires arrive. He refuses, however, and dies by the poison Ruth graciously offers him.

What is the most prevalent message of ‘I Am Legend ‘ novel?

The most prevalent message of ‘I Am Legend’ emphasizes the necessity of human emotions and relations with others. The reader is taken through the feelings of loneliness, sadness, hope, resignation, and anger of Robert Neville. In this novel, Richard Matheson reveals the importance of companionship.

Is ‘I Am Legend’ a good book to read?

Yes, it is. ‘I Am Legend,’ published in 1954, is one of the most prominent vampire novels of the 20th century. It is not very scary, nor does it possess mentally-threatening scenes, yet it often appears on the list of the best vampire novels.

How does the violent actions of the vampires influence Robert?

Aware that the vampires crave his blood and will kill him without a second thought, Robert learns to fight for his life. Although he initially struggles with sympathy, he quickly convinces himself that killing them was for his benefit. Asides from killing them, he tests his experiments on them.

How does Sexual unavailability affect Robert Neville?

To cope with the memories of his past and the present menaces of his life, Robert Neville deals with his problems through experiments and alcohol. He also suffers from sexual unavailability. This affects him so much he contemplates succumbing to his temptations and going out to the vampires who hunt him.

I Am Legend Review

Book Title: I Am Legend

Book Description: In 'I Am Legend,' Robert Neville navigates a world where a plague has turned humanity into vampires, struggling with survival and despair as the last living man.

Book Author: Richard Matheson

Book Edition: First Edition

Book Format: Hardcover

Publisher - Organization: Fawcett Publications

Date published: July 1, 1954

ISBN: 978-0440208112

Number Of Pages: 160

• Writing Style
• Lasting Effect on Reader

Robert Neville is the last man alive after a bacterial plague spread across the human population, killing millions and turning the rest of its victims into living vampires. The dead did not stay dead, however, but return to the living to haunt their living families and loved ones. After Robert’s family succumbs to the plague, he must struggle for the chance to survive, fighting off vampires and soul-crushing despair alike. 

• This book greatly influenced the creation of the vampire/zombie genre. 
• ‘I Am Legend’ draws you into itself and makes you feel Robert’s despair and loneliness.
• The book tells an innovative story from a fresh perspective.
• ‘I Am Legend’ struggles with prose.
• The book discusses the topic of suicide at length.
• Contains descriptions of nudity.
• contains several scenes of violence.

Join Book Analysis for Free!

Exclusive to Members

Save Your Favorites

Free newsletter, comment with literary experts.

Fave Ehimwenma is a proficient writer, researcher, and content creator whose love for art and books drives her passion for literature analysis.

About the Book

Discover the secrets to learning and enjoying literature.

Join Book Analysis

Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations

Reviews of vintage science fiction (1945-1985), book review: i am legend , richard matheson (1954).

Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend (1954) is an influential SF vampire/zombie novel that spawned three film adaptations (I’ve watched the first two) and inspired directors such as George A. Romero and Danny Boyle, game designers such as Tim Cain ( Fallout ), and countless authors. The subject of the novel–man attempts to survive an onslaught of vampires, caused by bacterial infection, that act like smart(er) zombies in a post-apocalyptic wasteland–normally isn’t my cup of tea. I’m the first to admit that I picked up the novel entirely due to its historical importance. And I’m somewhat glad I did! While the physical onslaught of vampiric zombies didn’t interest me, the main thrust of the narrative concerns the mechanisms of grief and sexual frustration in the burning wreckage of one-time domestic bliss.

The Rituals of Solace and the Path out of the Haze (*spoilers*)

Richard Neville, a tattooed war veteran mysteriously immune to the vampiric affliction sweeping America, spends his days lathing stakes, traveling short distances from his home killing vampires, hanging garlic, listening to Beethoven, and drinking. The female vampires attempt to cajole him from his house with lewd acts: “there was no union among them. Their need was their only motivation” (12). The facts about the vampires seem straight from gothic legends of the past: “their staying inside by day, their avoidance of garlic, their death by stake, their reputed fear of crosses, their supposed dread of mirrors” (16). Intermixed with Neville’s daily ritual are intense moments of disillusion and sadness as he remembers the domestic happiness before the disease within the same walls he still occupies. He deeply loved his wife Virginia and his young baby Kathy. When he dreams about Virginia his “fingers gripped the sheet like frenzied talons” (11). He remembers their final conversations. Her death. His grief. And her return… And when the despair builds he slips back into the routine again: “reading-drinking-soundproof-the-house” (21).

Two ideas jolt him from his alcoholic malaise: 1) the faint possibility that “others like him existed somewhere” (18). 2) a growing desire to uncover the scientific rationale behind the vampires, and perhaps, an ability to more effectively kill them. Neville, little educated in science, throws himself into his studies (i.e. an excuse for Matheson to divulge extensive mind-numbing passages of rudimentary bacterial theories that never make the “reality” of vampires any less scientifically inane). He uncovers the reason behind how the disease is spread, why vampires need human blood, and how they are able to animate a dead body.

The narrative gains intense emotional heft, if it didn’t have it already, when Neville comes across the emaciated shape of a dog in the middle of the day (vampiric dogs bark at night): “Why pretend? He thought. I’m more excited than I’ve been in a year” (82). He spends days and days domesticating the beast–which has developed its own ways to survive the predations of the vampires at night. And at its death, he is again crazed by grief. And then a woman appears on one of his voyages…

The Male Sex Drive in the Wasteland

I enjoyed I Am Legend as an allegory of nuclear terror. Matheson makes clear that the vampiric disease–spread by bacteria in dust clouds (i.e. paralleling fallout)—is a metaphorical (and mythological) manifestation of humanity’s fears of the end present in the 1950s. Virginia asks Richard whether the bombings caused the disease and Richard answers, “and they say we won the war” (43). Matheson implies a limited nuclear conflict in the near future that reflects growing knowledge of fallout after Americans learned about the “Ivy Mike” Hydrogen bomb tests in 1953 [1]. The vampiric disease represents America’s existential dread present in a rapidly changing post-WWII world and how the suburban American way of life is under threat. Neville’s discoveries of the nature of vampirism after the apocalypse suggests we too might understand the true impact of nuclear weapons on the wrong bank of the Rubicon.

Lima de Freitas’ cover for the 1958 Portuguese edition (below), and to a lesser degree John Richards’ cover with its staked nude female for the 1956 edition (above), reflect an omnipresent thread of sexual chaos amidst the incomprehensible horror of vampiric holocaust that runs through the novel [2]. Lima de Freitas’ figure of Richard Neville does not have his eyes on the burnt buildings of the surrounding city but on the suggestively splayed nude female body of a vampire. At night that body with rouse itself and mill around Neville’s house attempting to cajole him out with macabre parroting of female sexuality: “The women, lustful, bloodthirsty, naked women flaunting their hot bodies at him. No, not hot” (21). Neville, alone, is possessed by perverse sexual desires. In one instance he ponders why he always experiments on female vampire bodies he collects while they sleep during the day: “Why do you always experiment on women? […] What about the man in the living room, though For God’s sake! He flared back. I’m not going to rape the woman!” (48). But he can’t help but notice her “torn black dress” with “too much [..] visible as she breathed” (48). In another instance, consumed by the heat of his loins Neville finds himself removing the bars of his door in an effort to run out into the night–“Coming, girls, I’m coming. Wet your lips now” (21).

Elaine Tyler May analyzes the juxtaposition of sex symbols with nuclear devastation in American popular culture–think bikini bathing suit, an attractive woman as “bombshell” or “Bill Haley and His Comets singing about sexual fantasies of a young man dreaming of being the sole male survivor of an H-bomb explosion” [2]. The home provided a form of “sexual containment” [3] that would be released in terrifying forms in the case of apocalypse. If the home falls, society falls. And Richard Neville attempts to preserve his home in I Am Legend and avoid the endless temptation of flesh in the burnt wreckage of suburbia that surrounds him. And when he gives in to his sexual desires and lets a new woman into his house in a confused attempt to recreate what he had lost, the end has already been spelled out.

[1] For more on what Americans knew about nuclear testing–and saw on TV–and when they knew it, check out Robert A. Jacobs’ concise and fascinating The Dragon’s Tale: Americans Face the Atomic Age (2010).

[2] As I read I Am Legend as an allegory of nuclear fears, I used Chapter 4 “Explosive Issues, Sex, Women, and the Bomb” of Elaine Tyler May’s Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era (1988, revised edition 2017). I am riffing of some of her ideas.

[3] May, 107.

[4] May, 108.

For book reviews consult the  INDEX

For cover art posts consult the  INDEX

For TV and film reviews consult the  INDEX

Share this:

36 thoughts on “ book review: i am legend , richard matheson (1954) ”.

I didn’t realise this story was as strong as you pointed out. Fantastic read and I will definitely pick up a copy now.

It’s a short novel. I read it in an afternoon. Definitely more transgressive in its sexual content than I was expecting!

I can’t wait to read to it now.

I have read and reviewed better books recently — P. C. Jersild’s After the Flood (1982) and Tevis’ Mockingbird (1980).

The historical context (right after the Hydrogen bomb tests in the US) fascinates though — and you can see it clearly in Matheson’s paranoid last man novel.

I’ve read Matheson’s collection “Steel” and disliked it enough that I was never tempted to try this book.

The first Matheson collection I read — Third from the Sun (1955) — had a collated rating of “Average” but a handful of worthwhile stories: https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2015/03/22/book-review-third-from-the-sun-richard-matheson-1955/

Matheson is an interesting case. The Matheson stories I’ve read showed a talent or skill — though either word is too strong, really — for writing a kind SF/fantasy/horror that entirely dispensed with the bother (for normie readers) of any science-fictional conceptualization — that in fact had dumb premises that didn’t make any sense at all and didn’t care about it.

It became a very successful genre in itself via Matheson’s — and his peer Charles Beaumont’s – adaptations of their stories for 1960s television series like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits .

It’s the genre that Stephen King, who counts Matheson as a primary influence (though King is a far better writer) operates in today, and that Harlan Ellison (who actually sold some scripts to those shows) was also an upscale example of. Literally, there are King and Ellison short stories that are clearly re-writes of specific episodes of those shows.

So:significant from the POV of the history of the SF genre and culture as a whole. Not my thing, though.

I’ve never seen an episode of 1960s television series like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits! Haha.

I mean, he tries to generate “science-fictional conceptualization” and those are definitely the passages that are far less impactful than the emotional toll Neville experiences. At its heart this novel tries to provide a scientific explanation of a historical myth.

But I do agree with the novel’s importance in the history of SF genre and culture. And how it’s not entirely my thing either…

“The vampiric disease represents America’s existential dread present in a rapidly changing post-WWII world and how the suburban American way of life is under threat.”

I prefer to think of the suburb itself as the true wasteland, made possible by the vampire of capital (to use one of Marx’s telling phrases): the American Dream as vapid, denatured, empty, etc. This, I feel, is the real fear of so much 1950s and 60s culture, that capitalism “at its best” is the end not the pinnacle of material want and success. Philip K Dick nails this sense of the doom of suburbia in works like “The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch”.

But it’s already there in “I Am Legend”–a novel I love by the way (how can you give it a measly “good”?!). In particular, it’s end–which has been botched by all of the film adaptations–underlines the dead end of the American Dream, and Neville’s hopeless wish to hold on to it.

Neville only remembers the suburban life fondly within the matrix of the story. Of course, he focuses his memories on the love of his wife and child. Hence the phrasing I used. But I take the point that Matheson’s critique might be directed at the suburb itself as in other stories of his I’ve read from around the same time — for example, the spectacular “Mad House” (1953) which I reviewed in his collection Third From the Sun (1955).

But the end… it fails because its not the genuine love he experienced before. It’s a charade and he knows it. And yeah, I guess a macabre charade of the American Dream in the last house standing. But could this not be a warning of what is to come if everything collapses? Neville’s final posturing is a final attempt at normality as it all fades away. I do feel the story does fit within common contemporary views of the dangerous sexual landscape that emerges after the apocalypse. The subversive sexuality isn’t really subversive in the context of fears of what would happen if the institution of the American family collapsed.

As for my rating, I adore the historical context of the novel and I point out its historical importance. But the entire let’s come up with some ridiculous point-by-point scientific explanation for Vampirism and revisionist interpretations of the Black Death and past plagues…. grated on me and muted its allegorical impact. There are counter arguments of course — Matheson is essentially stating that scientific knowledge won’t save us in the end. But everything else rates much higher in my book. And I HATE VAMPIRES AND ZOMBIES! hahahahaha. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would.

Don’t get me wrong, I like your review and think your argument about “sexual chaos” is right on the money. I suppose I was struck by the idea of the phrasing of a “threat to suburban life”, given the threat that is suburban life. Speaking of sexual chaos, I read his “The Shrinking Man” last year, and was bowled over by its wonderful take-down of 1950s masculinity. Highly recommended.

No worries. I’m all for debate and counter argument. I revised my comment extensively. I hope I’ve clarified my views.

I found the suburb critique angle more muted here than in “Mad House” (1953) so I read the threat as a more general response to nuclear fears that will impact all — including suburban life. The review probably dodges how Matheson is also critiquing suburban life… at the same time.

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the “The Shrinking Man” movie at one point. I haven’t read the book. I’ll keep it in mind. Thank you! And I’m all for take-downs of 1950s masculinity.

The film is good but the novel is great. But can you trust me? I should check out ‘Mad House’. Like yourself and others I’ve had mixed results reading his short fiction. I’m almost certainly overstating the suburbia is wasteland line. It’s been a while since I read “I Am Legend”. Your review makes me want to reread it. Meanwhile, the wasteland that is my suburb is all too present and real. Inescapable dare I say? Roll on its destruction…

You know me, I don’t only read to find great pieces of literature. I’m bound to get something out of the novel even if it isn’t my favorite thing ever. Hence why I got so excited about this novel and Moudy’s “The Survivor” even if my ratings didn’t exactly reflect my excitement. The social history surrounding it excites!

For all I know I’m misremembering “Mad House.” Most of my memory of it is tied up in the short review I wrote…

Speaking of 50s takedowns of suburbia, I finished Sturgeon’s “And Now the News…” (1956) moments ago for my media series. He even identifies how suburbia diminishes interaction between people vs. life in a city (although he has his main character take a train to work vs. drive a car which is a bit off).

I have my own built in hatred of the suburb. I moved from rural Virginia to a suburb in Texas in my teens. I remember the almost existential diminishing of horizons. I was initially less horrified as the suburb wasn’t completed and there were tracks of land to explore but those were promptly bulldozed… Which made me hate it even more.

The Sturgeon has made it’s way to the top of my to read pile. Thanks! Tho I should probably read the Moudy while discussion is still relatively fresh. I read Charles V. de Vet’s “Special Feature” a few days ago on the back of its recommendation by one of your readers. It’s definitely up your alley, if perhaps not as wonderfully speculative about urban alienation as some of the stories we’ve read over the years. Sadly, I never had your good fortune to spend some of my youth in the country. I’m a city boy born and bred. Tho maybe I am luckier than you for not having known what I’m missing. Maybe…

De Vet turned the story into a novel — his only solo novel (he wrote a few with Katherine MacLean).

I quite enjoyed this novel when I read it, but it didn’t leave any real impression on me, probably because I had already read much better novels and pieces. It’s far from being great though. I don’t think Matheson is such an imaginative or original author. I know you like it for it’s themes though, but even they weren’t strong enough to take my attention.

I think this novel is the definition of an imaginative and original work. There simply weren’t zombie/vampire novels like this one at all. But the premise definitely is original. Maybe you meant to say its delivery was imaginative or original? Even then I don’t completely buy your argument — this is an intense case study of grief, not something terribly common in genre novels at the time.

It’s delivery probably was imaginative or original, and I think you’re right, there weren’t zombie/vampire novels like this one, and the premise is original, but it Isn’t memorable. It was influential on later SF though, such as George Martin’s “Ferve Dream”, which is also about vampires of a natural origin and contains cutting edge themes

Well, I’m never going to forget the dog chapter…. or Neville relentlessly obsessed with the zombie women outside his door…

FEVER DREAM, by the way, is exceptional. I am not a fan, in general, of vampire novels, but that one is really good.

Like I Am Legend, I don’t think it’s for me. But also like I Am Legend, there’s a chance the stars align and I feel the compulsion to give it a read!

“… And Now The News” is truly a great story, one of Sturgeon’s best. Having MacLyle (famously named for two of Heinlein’s pseudonyms as a nod to the help Heinlein gave Sturgeon) take a train to work is entirely characteristic of many suburban workers at that time (and to a lesser extent up until now.) It is not easy or cheap to park in a city downtown, so you take a train. My own home town (Naperville, IL) is the second to last stop on the Burlington Northern out of Chicago, and many people take the train to work. (The neighboring unincorporated village of Eola (now, I think, incorporated into either Naperville or Aurora) was named such as it was once the “End Of the Line”.)

As one who has lived in suburbs his whole life, and who has generally positive memories of his childhood, I find the somewhat cliched standard criticism of suburbs as soulless and arid etc. etc. to be just that — a cliche, a lazy trope. But Sturgeon’s story (which is about much more than that) remains powerful.

As for I AM LEGEND, I haven’t read it, and have little to say, and indeed I barely remember the Heston movie, THE OMEGA MAN, which I saw at a very young age.

I’ll talk more about the story when I review it.

I don’t find it be a lazy trope. There are of course lazy authors who parrot the basic points without much introspection. This historical background is so fascinating. The suburbs represent white flight and the abandonment of the cities (and the people who lived there), American equation of white home ownership vs. minority ownership, increasingly limited options for women (who were often trapped at home more than before especially if the father took the car to work and there wasn’t public transit), suburbs were 99% white and thus interaction with other races decreased (the race line was real!), etc. There’s so much historical background that it’s ripe for SF to explore. I am, of course, not saying there weren’t some benefits and that some didn’t enjoy them.

I live in the first suburb of Indianapolis (built in the late 1880s) — it’s now part of the larger urban center as the city has grown so much since then. The train (I guess more a trolly) was completely removed at the behest of the car lobby in the early 20th century, and it was a direct route downtown (4 miles) that I wish still existed. Of course, there’s a ton more space in Indianapolis than Chicago. Chicago, New York, etc. = rare American cities with a functional and extensive public transit system. No such thing exists in the rest of the once-industrial Midwest. Parking is never a problem. There is no metro system. There are only in the last few years a dedicated bus lane on one North/South route and one under construction East/West. It’s really really really sad that it’s taken this long.

i.e. maybe Sturgeon is thinking public transit in New York/Chicago vs. the average American suburb in the average American city.

To be clear — there is plenty of criticism — or examination — worthy of being done of suburban life; and most acutely the divisions it exacerbated between white people and black people is one serious issue. And the whole car culture thing is interesting too — and how public transportation was actively suppressed, most famously in LA, but in other places too (and I didn’t know that about Indianapolis) is a scandal.

But my problem is not interrogations of such things. It is the sort of default view — that it seems to me is supposed to be taken as axiomatic, not even worthy of proving — that life in the suburbs is (or was) dehumanizing, and everyone there had no inner life etc. etc. I know I’m exaggerating, and I know I’m oversensitive, but that’s how it seems to me often.

I grew up in a house where I could go out my backyard and over the road behind it and walk, it seemed, all the way to Champaign without hitting signs of civilization — and that’s not possible now — it’s all subdivisions! So I did have access to open country, to creeks and field and copses and all. And lots of people didn’t.

I dunno, guys. Is there anything significant left to be said in 2022 about the soullessness of the American suburbs, given that it’s 1950s-era American mainstream lit’s primary — almost one and only — theme.

From Richard Yates’s REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and John Cheever’s stories like ‘The Housebreaker of Shady Hill’ (all the men ride the train in to Manhattan) at the high end, to Sloan Wilson’s THE MAN IN THE GREY FLANNEL SUIT and J.D. Salinger, and early Vonnegut, it’s almost like they didn’t write really write about anything else. It’s even all over Nabokov’s LOLITA, though a lot more is going on with that novel.

Cheever’s stuff is still great; he was a real artist and a weirdo, with his WASP facade covering his barely repressed homosexuality and serious alcoholism. But a lot of other 1950’s American mainstream lit comes over as a bit of a bore these days. Maybe the most interesting thing about it is what it leaves out — which is the stuff Cheever hinted at.

I came over to the US in the early 1970s because my father went to work for an American corporation. So I saw some of the tail-end years of that generation of ostensibly straight white guy executives and middle-class types. And what struck me was that many of them drank like — well, not like fish, but the three (or five) martini lunchtime every day really was a thing. My sense was that many of these men were either deeply effed-up or there was a void inside, and they drank to repress it or cover it up. In quite a few cases, what they specifically never talked about — and never wanted to talk about — was what had happened to them in WWII and the Korean War, because they had what we’d now recognize as post-traumatic stress disorder. Consider, for instance, Gene Wolfe’s hints about his condition after his return from Korea.

I’ve gone some ways away from I AM LEGEND, I admit. Sorry.

In academic study there’s plenty to be said. I recently read the Dianne Harris’ brilliant Little White Houses: How the Postwar Home Constructed Race in America (2012). And her arguments about how the American consciousness when it came to formulations of ownership were new at the time. https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/little-white-houses

Note: My parents are architects so all this stuff is extra fascinating to me.

The criticism of post-war suburban life as empty and soulless is certainly a cliché if such a “criticism” is left merely at the level of assertion. But being a cliché isn’t proof of its falsehood. Indeed, it’s often demonstrative of precisely the opposite.

I grew up in suburban Sydney in the 1970s and 80s, and by the time I was in my mid to late teens was chaffing at the bit to escape the real boredom that I experienced in this setting. Did I imagine this? Not at all. Indeed, I recall not only its representation in broader culture (this was the time of punk rock after all), but also how this experience was shared not only by many of my teenage friends, but also older and younger siblings and relatives. My experience was of a widespread malaise and frustration with suburban life, particular among youth. Which is not to say I had never enjoyed this life, nor that I had been able to find corners of it that appeared to resist this (to name only two: my nerdish discovery of role-playing games and second-hand bookstores). But such experiences, at least retrospectively, appeared to cut against the grain of suburban experience rather than exemplify it.

I think Joachim’s caveats about the structural problem of the suburb is probably the best way to try and flesh out this claim. Then we can examine suburban development empirically with an eye to its conscious and unconscious results: i.e., how the expansion of suburbs was carried out deliberately, in the sense of various states and instrumentalities trying to sculpt a particular class and racial order, and haphazardly, in the sense of the unforeseen problems that surfaced as a result of just such an ordering (unforeseen, that is, by the self-same states and instrumentalities).

Mark, you are quite right, it was a very ’50s thing — and your suggestion that it was influenced to a perhaps considerable extent by what happened in the war (especially WWII) is intriguing and probably right.

I don’t know the alcoholism stats or any of that but it sure does seem like there was a LOT more drinking in those days. (In a way, did more driving eventually reduce drinking? — much easier to pour yourself into a train car and sleep it off on the way home than to drive home drunk.)

My Dad was in Korea, got there late and spent about three months in combat, in an artillery unit. He didn’t talk much about it — he did say he was offered a chance to go to Officers’ training but he didn’t take them up on it partly because as far as he could tell the casualty rate among newly minted artillery Lieutenants was astronomical (as they were often assigned forward spotter duty.) Of course, as it turned out the War would have been over by the time the training was done, and he’d have been a peacetime Lieutenant for however long they required (I dunno? Three years?) instead of being mustered out right away. And I probably wouldn’t be here!

He was never a drinker to any extent — I saw him drunk once in my life. He would have one martini when he got home from work and that was it, maybe a (crappy — he liked bargains) beer or two on the weekend after mowing the lawn. And I never really tried to draw him out about the war — I wish I had now, but it’s too late. But he was (or seemed to me) a happy man, and stayed active in various things (civic, such as zoning boards or volunteering for the census, plus lots of travel) all his life.

I learned right before my grandfather died that he served in Korea — briefly. He finished training, was sent to Korea, and then the war ended moments later. I never figured out if he went to college because of the GI bill. Maybe his lack of actual service meant he never wanted to talk about it (maybe his friends saw actual combat).

But my grandparents were the definition of a suburban 50s family. Lived outside of Philadelphia, grandmother went to college and shifted majors to home economics (I think at the instigation of her parents but I’m uncertain), got married in college (I think)… she never held a job. Had meals on a week rotation (the 50s classics including salad with cottage cheese and jello), and was profoundly unhappy (I won’t get into it too much). She wrote poetry relentlessly–my dad still has all of her volumes–with her omnipresent box wine and cigarettes.

Born of Man and Women is one of the most brilliant debuts in the genre.

II: Vampires? Carmilla! Am in Love!

I reviewed “Born of Man and Woman” a few years back. I thought it was solid and effectively creepy. https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2015/03/22/book-review-third-from-the-sun-richard-matheson-1955/

To clarifiy about the novels of Katherine MacLean and Charles de Vet — they only actually collaborated on one novel, which I think is best called SECOND GAME. That novel appeared in three versions, each longer than the one before. These were the novelette “Second Game” (Astounding, March 1958), the short novel COSMIC CHECKMATE (Ace, 1962), and the somewhat longer novel SECOND GAME (DAW, 1981).

I don’t know who did what on those three versions, which are all the same basic story, but if I had to guess, MacLean and de Vet collaborated fully on the novelette; and they MAY have collaborated on the expansion to COSMIC CHECKMATE, but mostly likely (and this is purely my speculation) the expansion to the DAW 1981 version, SECOND GAME, was mostly or entirely by de Vet.

The sequel, THIRD GAME (DAW, 1991) was entirely by De Vet.

De Vet, as you note, published one other novel, SPECIAL FEATURE (Avon, 1975).

Thank you for the clarification. I need to read more of MacLean’s short fiction. I adored her novel Missing Man (1975) (an expansion of her Nebula-winning short fiction by the same name): https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2011/10/08/book-review-missing-man-katherine-maclean-1976/

Comment! Join the discussion! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Books of Brilliance

The latest book reviews and book news.

Book Talk , Classic Novel , News

I Am Legend: Book Review

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Today, we will be reviewing the classic novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Find out what we thought of the post-apocalyptic horror novel that has influenced many zombie and vampire novels as we review I Am Legend below!

I Am Legend Summary

The setting is on Cimarron Street in 1976 Los Angeles in a post-apocalyptic war where dust storms are common. We meet Robert Neville, who has barricaded himself inside his home against vampires that appear outside his home at night. An outbreak has turned humanity into vampires and Neville seems to be the last human alive.

Neville hunts vampires during the day and tries to search for another living person while trying to stave off insanity and loneliness. That leads to Neville researching the outbreak as he tries to understand what it actually is. But an unexpected turn of events throws his life into chaos as everything he has done to survive catches up to him.

I Am Legend Commentary

Imagine reading this novel when it was first released in 1954. The zombie /vampire genre wasn’t thriving as it is today. But the impact of this novel has been felt ever since as it has influenced the zombie and vampire genres.

And while the creatures in the novel are vampires, they act like zombies so much that the novel is considered a zombie novel. This novel helped popularize the zombie apocalypse idea that has become common over the decades. And it also popularized the idea of a bacteria causing an outbreak, giving it a scientific explanation.

Like most people, you have seen or heard of the I Am Legend movie starring Will Smith released in 2007. The novel changes the setting from Los Angeles to New York and changes the ending as well as borrowing elements from the 1971 movie Omega man, which was influenced by I Am Legend.

I enjoyed the novel and it felt like going backwards as you realize how different the original “zombies” were. The fact that they were vampires but not in the true sense of what a vampire is makes this fall under the zombie category.

But the novel wasn’t a zombie novel as we know it. The plot is about Neville’s descension into hopelessness and loneliness as well as depression. You can feel his heart breaking in the novel and feel for him.

A Must Read Zombie Novel

If you are a fan of zombie novels, then this is worth reading. Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend has come to shape the zombie genre and while he couldn’t have predicted the impact of this novel, his influence can be seen in hundreds of books. Happy reading!

Follow us on  Instagram  and  Facebook  

Share this:, leave a reply cancel reply.

• Arts & Lifestyle
• Competitions
• Games & Tech

Richard Matheson – I Am Legend review

Robert Neville is the last human alive, to his knowledge. I Am Legend follows his daily life in Los Angeles, spending the daylight hours when the ‘vampires’ are comatose boarding and protecting his house, using garlic and mirrors to keep the nocturnal attackers at bay. He’s created a mural and hooked up a generator, and has looted not just food and drink but records and books from now-disused stores. He’s also developed techniques for killing the vampires in ways that ensure they stay dead. But how long can he survive, or even want to survive, when trapped in a post-civilisation life that has no prospect of improving?

The emotional impact of Matheson’s book derives from its unflinching honesty in examining the human condition. Robert Neville is painted as no great hero – just an ordinary man who is trying to survive extraordinary circumstances – but his plight, and the psychological scrutiny of the protagonist by the author, are relentlessly compelling. Neville is prone to depression, taking solace in heavy drinking, and he often has sexual fantasies about the female vampires that he encounters. When, finally, he achieves company, he is full of distrust. The believability of Neville is what makes I Am Legend so terrifying.

Balancing this honesty with a positive view of the human condition, Neville also studies the origins of the disease that has turned the human race into feral vampires as a distraction from the solace of alcohol, replacing a thirst for self-destruction with one for knowledge. It's another credible motivation, and one that keeps the reader hooked on Neville's thought processes.

As the book unfolds, I Am Legend raises further ugly truths about humanity, such as our incessant need to eradicate difference and destroy members of other tribes, and to dehumanise those we dislike. It does so through drip-feeding revelations in a simple but finely-balanced plot. It's not a book that makes you feel good about yourself, but it asks much more profound questions than you may expect from stories of this genre.

The observations about the human condition are punctuated by some passages that are truly memorable. Neville’s encounter with a dog is a sublime case in point. Too scared to come and take food from him at first, Neville slowly builds up trust, craving companionship and warmth from the only other living creature he has found. Matheson's description is masterful. Another moment of literary brilliance is the flashback to Neville’s family life before the plague, and the horrifying account of the death of his wife, which is truly the stuff of nightmares…

Matheson writes with great economy, and I Am Legend is a relatively short book. But the author makes sure that every word counts and every sentence has earned its place. Taut and well-plotted, I Am Legend keeps the reader in the world of its main character and builds to a final fifty pages that are exhilarating and almost unbearably tense.

There are a few questions of logistics that nag: supplies of food and drink would eventually dry up, even from well-stocked supermarkets, and more acutely, fuel for the car (a vehicle that keeps going in spite of no maintenance for years) would become difficult to acquire. Although not impossible, it stretches credulity that Neville’s daily activities could sustain over a period of years. But the world of Robert Neville, which the intense and focussed plot never wavers from, is too credible for such considerations to break the spell.

Those who enjoy a spot of scientific rationale behind grand horror ideas will find plenty to ‘get their teeth into' in this story. The bacterial origins of the vampirism disease are explained, as well as the creatures' aversion to light and garlic. We were especially amused by the play on the crucifix folklore: here vampires only respond negatively to religious symbols of the faith they adopted during life. Thus Neville’s Jewish neighbour, Cortman, proves a thorn in his side…

I Am Legend is also an interesting crossroads – whilst Matheson describes the monsters as ‘vampires’ and they have many of the same features and vulnerabilities as those dating back to Bram Stoker's Dracula, their lack of agency, hunger for human blood and feral nature are much closer to what we expect from ‘zombies’, and it’s clear how, in providing further medical background to vampirism, Matheson inspired the horror genre to branch into a completely different direction. You can trace the line from I Am Legend right through to The Walking Dead.

The Folio Society’s edition of I Am Legend is illustrated by celebrated artist Dave McKean (who also worked on The Folio Society's American Gods ). Everything from the cover of the book, depicting a vampire (could it be Neville’s wife?) as described in the pages to the single and double-page paintings of key moments in the book accentuate the overall tense and frightful events of the book. McKean’s use of dark greens is suitably nauseating and unsettling, and his depiction of Neville (broken man rather than hero) chimes with the author’s characterisation.

Presented in cloth-bound hardback with brown card-slip case, and printed on quality paper to high specifications, this version of I Am Legend is a feast for the senses. You'll also find an introduction by comic book writer and novelist Joe Hill – the son of horror maestro Stephen King.

The Folio Society edition of I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, introduced by Joe Hill and illustrated by Dave McKean is available exclusively from The Folio Society .

Publisher: The Folio Society Publication Date: May 2018

• I am Legend
• Richard Matheson
• Science Fiction
• The Folio Society

EF newsletter sign-up

Choose which of our mailing lists you want to subscribe to. You can unsubscribe at any time.

You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

RELATED ARTICLES

The folio society publishes the first illustrated edition of joan didion’s ‘slouching towards bethlehem’, the folio society publishes stunning collector’s edition of madeline miller’s ‘the song of achilles’, cormac mccarthy – ‘no country for old men’ the folio society edition review, the folio society secures 10 nominations in multiple categories for the 2023 british book design and production awards.

Choose which of our mailing lists you'd like to subscribe to. You can unsubscribe at any time.

‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon’ returns to Sky Max in October

‘the room next door’: the trailer arrives for pedro almodóvar’s new film.

UK-based entertainment site offering news, reviews, interviews, features and much more!

[email protected]

Latest articles, ‘road diary: bruce springsteen and the e street band’ – watch the trailer, popular categories.

• Music 10298
• EF Country 5145
• Games & Tech 4363
• Arts & Lifestyle 3533

© 2024 Entertainment Focus | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy

Book Reviews

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson: Book Review

I have an affiliate relationship with  Bookshop.org  and  Malaprop's Bookstore  in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site. Read more on my  affiliate page .

Several GR friends have read this and raved about it recently. I’ve been doing a lot of Halloween-related books this month, so I decided to give it a try.

It somehow wasn’t exactly what I expected, and I mean that in a good way. I’ve seen bits of the Will Smith movie (and what I’ve seen has very little in common with the book), I’ve read my friends’ reviews, but it’s still something that I think you have to experience for yourself to understand.

I would definitely call it a horror book, but not exactly for the reason that I expected. There are the vampires, and there are a couple of intense scenes with them, but that wasn’t what made the book scary to me. It was more about the absolute aloneness that Neville experiences. He truly is the last man in the world. How would you deal with that? Would you give up? Would you keep fighting? Would you start searching for others? Would you search for the reason behind the horror that has become your life? Matheson explores all of these avenues and more. Neville’s reactions felt very real to me. I experienced all of his emotions with him. The vampires were scary at first, and then they just sort of become background noise. Then there’s the rage, despair, curiosity, really the whole gamut of emotions that you would feel in that position. There’s even one scene that just broke my heart. It’s all in here, it all feels very real, and I am very impressed. Highly recommended.

Review of the other stories

I finished out the other stories and they were pretty good. They weren’t on a level with I Am Legend , but there were some genuinely spooky pieces in here. My favorites were

“Prey” about an insecure woman and an African doll “Dress of White Silk” about a little girl showing off her mother’s evening dress “Person to Person” about a guy who answers a phone that’s ringing inside his head

My least favorite were

“Buried Talents” about a carnival game “Dance of the Dead” which is vaguely post-Apocalyptic “Mad House” about an angry man in an angry house.

I’m glad I read them, but I Am Legend was definitely the star of this show.

Reviewed October 14 and 21, 2009

Read an excerpt .

Buy I Am Legend at

Friday Flashback Reviews are a weekly feature here on The Introverted Reader. These are old reviews I wrote on GoodReads . Thanks to Angieville and her Retro Friday Reviews for the inspiration and encouragement!

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s , my local independent bookstore located in downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books . I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site.

Related Posts (Automatically Generated)

Other posts you may enjoy:.

Don’t Look Down by Jennifer Crusie: Book Review

A Promised Land by Barack Obama: Book Review

A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo: Book Review

The loneliness in this is so terrifying and really gets under your skin. I was surprised that the creatures were vampires, because they didn't strike me that way at all in the movie. All in all I really liked it. I could not get myself to read the short stories that followed, though.

It's been a while since I've read this one but I remember it being good and creepy. A great October book indeed.

I want to get my hands on I am legend so bad I really enjoyed the movie and the book seems to have so much more to it. Thanks for your review! 😉

I love to hear from you! Please contact me (menu bar, above) if you're having trouble commenting. Cancel reply

• December 23, 2017 in Authors M-Z // Thrift Store Finds: Save the Last Dance for Me
• October 23, 2017 in Authors A-L // ‘Death Rituals’ by Josh Hancock (Review)
• May 20, 2017 in Featured Articles // When in Paris, Revisit Gaston Leroux’s Timeless Masterpiece ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
• August 11, 2016 in Interviews // Interview: Jack Ketchum Talks Horror Roots and New Book ‘The Secret Life of Souls’
• August 3, 2016 in Featured Articles // ‘The Dice Man’ Still on its 45 Year Roll
• July 30, 2016 in Featured Articles // 5 Horror Novels That Deserve a Video Game Adaptation
• April 20, 2016 in Featured Articles // Jonathan Maberry, Ramsey Campbell and 16 Other Amazing Horror Authors Tell Us What Books Terrify Them!
• April 1, 2016 in Featured Articles // Is Stephen King Really the Greatest Horror Contributor of All Time?
• January 17, 2016 in Featured Articles // Here are 10 Classic Scary Stories to Read for Free!
• January 17, 2016 in Featured Articles // 5 Horror Authors You Have to Read and Follow in 2016!
• January 13, 2016 in Featured Articles // Ranking Every Stephen King Novel, From Worst to First!
• January 1, 2016 in Featured Articles // Slenderman Video: Author Lee McGeorge Explores the Home of Slenderman!
• December 30, 2015 in Featured Articles // Top 10 Horror Novels of 2015
• December 28, 2015 in Featured Articles // Fear the Future: 10 Great Post-Apocalyptic Horror Novels
• October 31, 2015 in Fiction // Read Kevin Wetmore’s ‘Halloween Returns’ Contest Winning Story “Ben Tramer’s Not Going to Homecoming!”
• October 22, 2015 in News // Download the ‘Halloween Returns: A Fan Fiction Anthology’ Now for Free!
• June 4, 2015 in Featured Articles // Five Reasons Drunks Will Always Survive Horror Stories
• April 29, 2015 in Bloody Good Writing // Bloody Good Writing Volume 2: Does Sex Sell?
• March 10, 2015 in Featured Articles // 5 Zombie Novels that Don’t Bite
• February 16, 2015 in Movie Editorials // [Movie Talk] Top 5 Creepy Episodes of Anthology Shows
• February 8, 2015 in Horror Story of the Week // Horror Story of the Week – Mark Allan Gunnells: I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
• January 9, 2015 in Authors A-L // Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Francesco Francavilla ‘Afterlife with Archie: Escape from Riverdale’ Review
• November 21, 2014 in Featured Articles // Five Vampire Novels that Don’t Suck
• November 17, 2014 in Authors A-L // Joe R. Lansdale ‘Prisoner 489’ Review
• October 2, 2014 in Featured Articles // The 100 Scariest Horror Novels of All Time
• May 20, 2024 in Authors M-Z // Book Review for The Devil’s Lieutenant by Shervin Jamali
• May 13, 2024 in Authors A-L // Book Review for Welcome to Your Body: Lessons in Evisceration, edited by Ryan Marie Ketterer
• May 6, 2024 in Authors M-Z // Book Review for Pieties by Marc Ruvolo
• April 29, 2024 in Authors M-Z // Book Review for The Witches of Wildwood Cape May Horror Stories and Other Scary Tales from the Jersey Shore by Mark Wesley
• April 24, 2024 in Authors A-L // Book Review for Whispers of Apple Blossoms by Brett Mitchell Kent
• April 15, 2024 in Authors M-Z // Book Review for The Dreamer by Travis McBee
• April 8, 2024 in Authors M-Z // Book Review for What Happened at Hawthorne House by Hadassah Shiradski
• April 1, 2024 in Authors A-L // Book Review for Conjuring the Witch by Jessica Leonard

Richard Matheson ‘I am Legend’ Review

Posted on May 25, 2014 in Authors M-Z // 5 Comments

Written by: Matthew J. Barbour

Richard Matheson is among the most well-known and respected authors within speculative fiction. His contributions, before passing away in June 2013, were many and varied. In addition to horror, this literary master published science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. He wrote short stories, novels, and even screenplays.  His works have appeared as motion pictures, such as Stir of Echos and What Dreams May Come , and television episodes of the Twilight Zone and Star Trek .  Among his many accomplishments and prolific career, Matheson’s greatest achievement is often cited as the post-apocalypse vampire novel, I am Legend .

Written in 1954, I am Legend follows the rather ordinary Robert Neville as he struggles to survive under some extraordinary circumstances. The old world is gone having been laid waste by a great war and the horrible pandemic which followed in its footsteps.  This pandemic has turned the remnants of humanity into vampires. Neville must confront these relics of the past while coming to terms with the future which lies before him. Is there a place for Robert Neville in this brave new world?

Some historians have noted that the framework for the setting in some ways mirrors the First Great War and the subsequent Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918. Others have examined the work in the terms of growing old, technological change, and societal collapse. The story has been referred to as the first modern vampire novel and credited for inspiring the zombie apocalypse subgenre. The novel has even been made into a motion picture on four separate occasions.

However, at its heart, I am Legend is simply a beautiful character portrait of Robert Neville. He is not a genius or a super soldier. Before vampires destroy the world, he is a factory worker. He just manages to survive. Through Robert Neville’s eyes, the reader grapples with the humanity and inhumanity of his situation and actions.  Matheson weaves a connection between Neville and reader that few authors have so eloquently done.

Most critics of the novel point to the ending. Yet, the conclusion drawn from the piece is fitting if a bit bleak. It is not surprising that they have changed the ending in three of the four movies. Such an ending probably is not digestible to mainstream America. In many ways, the ending to Night of the Living Dead is thematically more of Matheson had in mind that the films which credit his novel.

I am Legend is a classic and written by a master of the horror genre. It is the measure by which all other post-apocalypse novels are compared. If you have never heard of it, you need to get out from underneath your rock. If you never read it, now is the time to do so. You can order it right here.

Order it here .

Rating: 5/5

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• I Am Legend
• Matthew J. Barbour
• Richard Matheson

About The Overseer ( 1669 Articles )

5 comments on richard matheson ‘i am legend’ review.

Excellent review, and just the type of praise the late Richard Matheson deserves for his many great novels and scripts for television.

Thanks. Reading through it now, I notice all the typos, but I am happy it was well received. Hopefully everyone has read this one, but if not, they should.

Hey, sometimes I can’t even write my own name without spelling it wrong.

Cool review here. I too love Matheson. What Dreams May Come is another favorite of mine (not the film though).

Great review of a true classic. I read it some 10 years ago, but I guess it’s time to do it again.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Copyright © 2024 Blog at WordPress.com.

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

When you’re alone and life is making you lonely, you can go downtown

Will Smith the sole human survivor in New York City in “I Am Legend.” He has a dog.

The opening scenes of “I Am Legend” have special effects so good that they just about compensate for some later special effects that are dicey. We see Manhattan three years after a deadly virus has killed every healthy human on the island, except one. The streets are overgrown with weeds, cars are abandoned, the infrastructure is beginning to collapse. Down one street, a sports car races, driven by Robert Neville ( Will Smith ), who is trying to get a good shot at one of the deer roaming the city. He has worse luck than a lioness who competes with him.

Neville has only his dog to keep him company. He lives barricaded inside a house in Greenwich Village, its doors and windows sealed every night by heavy steel shutters. That’s because after dark the streets are ruled by bands of predatory zombies — hairless creatures who were once human but have changed into savage, speechless killers with fangs for teeth. In his basement, Neville has a laboratory where he is desperately seeking a vaccine against the virus, which mutated from a cure for cancer.

The story is adapted from a 1954 sci-fi novel by Richard Matheson , which has been filmed twice before, as “The Last Man on Earth” (1964) starring Vincent Price , and “ The Omega Man ” (1971) starring Charlton Heston . In the original novel, which Stephen King says influenced him more than any other, Neville cultivated garlic and used mirrors, crosses and sharpened stakes against his enemies, who were like traditional vampires, not super-strong zombies. I am not sure it is an advance to make him a scientist, arm him and change the nature of the creatures; Matheson developed a kind of low-key realism that was doubly effective.

In “I Am Legend,” the situation raises questions of logic. If Neville firmly believes he is the last healthy man alive, who is the vaccine for? Only himself, I guess. Fair enough, although he faces a future of despair, no matter how long his cans of Spam and Dinty Moore beef stew hold out; dogs don’t live forever. And how, I always wonder, do human beings in all their infinite shapes and sizes mutate into identical pale zombies with infinite speed and strength?

Never mind. Given its setup, “I Am Legend” is well-constructed to involve us with Dr. Neville and his campaign to survive. There is, however, an event which breaks his spirit and he cracks up — driving out at night to try to mow down as many zombies with his car as he can before they kill him. He is saved (I’m not sure how) by a young woman named Anna ( Alice Braga ), who is traveling with a boy named Ethan ( Charlie Tahan ).

He takes them home, and she explains they are trying to get to a colony of survivors in Vermont. Neville doubts that such a colony exists. I doubt that she and the boy would venture through Manhattan to get there. Yes, she has doubtless heard his nonstop taped voice on all AM frequencies, asking to be contacted by any other survivors. But we have seen every bridge into Manhattan blown up as part of a quarantine of the island, so how did they get there? Boat? Why go to the risk?

Never mind, again, because Anna and the boy import dramatic interest into the story when it needs it. And director Francis Lawrence generates suspense effectively, even though it largely comes down to the monster movie staple of creatures leaping out of the dark, gnashing their fangs and hammering at things. The special effects generating the zombies are not nearly as effective as the other effects in the film; they all look like creatures created for the sole purpose of providing the film with menace and have no logic other than serving that purpose.

“I Am Legend” does contain memorable scenes, as when the island is being evacuated, and when Neville says goodbye to his wife and daughter ( Salli Richardson and Willow Smith ), and when he confides in his dog (who is not computer-generated, most of the time, anyway). And if it is true that mankind has 100 years to live before we destroy our planet, it provides an enlightening vision of how Manhattan will look when it lives on without us. The movie works well while it’s running, although it raises questions that later only mutate in our minds.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

I Am Legend

• Charlie Tahan as Ethan
• Willow Smith as Marley
• Salli Richardson as Zoe
• Alice Braga as Anna
• Will Smith as Robert Neville
• Akiva Goldsman
• Mark Protosevich

Directed by

• Francis Lawrence

Based on the novel by

• Richard Matheson

Leave a comment

Now playing.

Devara: Part 1

Will & Harper

Amber Alert

The Universal Theory

I, The Executioner

The Apprentice

Daddy’s Head

Latest articles

A Careful Performer: Maggie Smith (1934-2024)

Home Entertainment Guide: September 2024

New York Film Festival 2024: Preview and Thoughts on “The Brutalist,” “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”

The Registers of Fear: Samara Weaving on “Azrael”

The best movie reviews, in your inbox.

I Am Legend's Biggest Differences From The Book Explained

Richard Matheson's 1954 novel "I Am Legend" is a genre touchstone, adapted numerous times across multiple mediums. On the big screen, audiences have endured the end of humanity alongside Vincent Price in 1964's " The Last Man on Earth ," Charlton Heston in 1971's " The Omega Man " in 1971 and (finally using the book's title) Will Smith in 2007's "I Am Legend." 

Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film was a big hit at the box office, did fairly well with critics , and still ranks among Smith's five highest-grossing domestic releases.

Like most book-to-movie adaptations, each of the various "I Am Legend"-based movies has taken liberties with the source material. But although the 2Will Smith film shares the book's title, the general consensus is that not only is "The Last Man on Earth" closest to the book, but "I Am Legend" is actually the  least faithful of the three adaptations. Read on for a (spoiler-heavy) breakdown of the most significant ways the book and film versions of "I Am Legend" differ. 

The book looks more extensively into the future

At this point, there have been countless stories about post-apocalyptic futures , with some envisioning how the world is going to look multiple decades in the future, and others more immediate. The book and movie versions of "I Am Legend" take opposite sides of the coin.

The "I Am Legend" book was released in 1954, with events of the story primarily taking place in the mid-1970s. While twenty years can sometimes feel like a distant future, it especially did in the mid-20th century; it was a deliberate choice on the part of Matheson to set his story many years ahead of the time when people would be reading it. On the other hand, the movie was released in 2007, and explains that in 2009 an attempt was made to genetically re-engineer measles to cure cancer — but then everything goes wrong. In this reality, by 2012, Smith's Robert Neville is all alone, hiding from the Darkseekers. 

The end result? Clearly, the film was attempting to evoke a more immediate "this type of world could be just around the corner" panic from the audience. The downside? Watch the film today and its 2009 end of the world scenario feels dated.

The book had a disease, the movie a vaccine

Any  story about a pandemic needs to come up with what the pandemic is, how it spread, and its ultimate impact. 

Unfortunately, in a post-COVID-19 world, it's not difficult for any of us to envision a pandemic. But when Matheson published his book in 1954, it had been some time since the 1918 flu pandemic (also known as "the Spanish flu"), so he had to paint a picture. While some segment of the population would have had vivid memories of the severe pandemic that killed between 25 and 50 million people , many would have only heard stories. Either way, both groups were susceptible to the suggestion of a pandemic that had turned most of the world's population into vampires  and had already done its work before anyone could even identify it, let alone cure it.

Perhaps trying to buck the trend of "mysterious disease" films done in the decades after Matheson's book, the filmmakers behind the "I Am Legend" movie decided to give the proceedings a different spin — one that seemed more original, at the time. In the movie, the descent into vampirism/zombification was a devastating side effect from a cancer vaccine.

The book's infected are vampires, the movie more like zombies

The "I Am Legend" book was hugely influential in the genre of undead creature-based horror, to the point where George Romero's pioneering classic "Night of the Living Dead" was inspired by and loosely based on Matheson's novel. But what's interesting is that the undead in the "I Am Legend" book were technically vampires, and were even referred to as such, though there were two very different kinds of vampires in the novel.

One type of vampire in the book was the  classic variety , as intelligent and high-functioning as regular humans but sensitive to things like garlic and ultraviolet light. The other were what Romero was inspired by, exhibiting most of the traits that would come to define zombies for decades to come.

So, perhaps things came full circle when the "I Am Legend" movie completely eliminated the intelligent, communicative undead, focusing solely on an army of more traditional zombie-types creatures — even if they do share a few vampire-esque weaknesses, most notably their inability to survive in direct sunlight for more than a few seconds. 

The book is set in LA, the movie in NYC

Though the "I Am Legend" book makes a few passing mentions of its setting being in and around Los Angeles, it isn't a particularly important aspect of the story. In fact, for the most part, the novel has kind of an Anywhere, USA feel to its setting — seeming to be deliberately vague in mentioning streets, neighborhoods, or landmarks in an effort to allow for readers to project any number of urban areas onto the proceedings.

On the other hand, from the opening moments of the "I Am Legend" film, viewers see very distinct New York City iconography. After spending some time racing around the streets of NYC in his car, Neville gets out and begins to stalk through some tall grass as the camera reveals that he is in Times Square. The filmmakers wanted to make absolute sure from the very beginning that viewers knew the movie was set in NYC, likely because the contrast of taking urban landmarks and transforming them into signs of isolation (see " Vanilla Sky ") can be so striking. 

The book's Neville is a regular guy, in the movie he's more

In the grand tradition of sole survivors in post-apocalypse fiction, there are survivors lucking into the distinction and those who survive because they are particularly well-equipped to do so. In  "The Walking Dead" and "28 Days Later," for instance, people who were  seemingly  the last people alive simply endured because they were unconscious in a hospital when things went south and as such were inadvertently protected from zombification. 

The book version of Robert Neville survives simply by being a regular guy who is good at boarding up and protecting his home. He isn't particularly skilled in any ways beyond that in terms of surviving against an army of the undead, and just kind of figures it out as he goes along. 

With the "I Am Legend" movie being a Will Smith vehicle, of course that version of Neville is much more of a hero type from the beginning. This Neville is both a scientist and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army — making him smart enough and tough enough to be the kind of soldier super-genius required to be the protagonist of a big-budget Hollywood apocalypse epic.

Neville's wife and daughter are killed in different ways

Both versions of Robert Neville lose their wife and young daughter in the events surrounding the pandemic. But the way their deaths occur differs in a significant way.

In the book, the two simply succumb to the disease; they perish the same way most everyone else on Earth does. The movie, however, decided to go in a slightly different direction, one that really ups the feeling of survivor's guilt that Neville is forced to carry. 

As people are fleeing New York City during the early stages of the pandemic, Neville helps his wife ( Salli Richardson ) and daughter ( Willow Smith ) get onto one of the helicopters taking non-infected survivors out of the city. Neville decides to stay behind, given his station as both a member of the Army as well as one of the world's leading virologists. He then watches in horror as the helicopter they just boarded crashes in a fiery wreck mere moments after going airborne.

Neville's psychological struggles are depicted differently

Having zero human contact for an extended period of time is enough to wreak havoc on anyone's mental health. If that person believes they might be the last living human on Earth, you've got a recipe for some significant psychological issues. To that end, both the book and movie version of Robert Neville are depicted as struggling with both the  isolation and a crushing feeling of despair — though they handle things in different ways.

In the "I Am Legend" book, Neville is much angrier, more bitter, and far more pessimistic. He has turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. On the other hand, the Neville in the "I Am Legend" movie has an overall more positive attitude, frequently cracking jokes to himself and his canine companion and doing his best to try and keep it together for the sake of the cure he is desperate to find. 

That said, big screen Neville isn't completely without his quirks. He finds some semblance of normalcy in placing mannequins around town as a way to make it seem like there are other humans in the city; he even names and interacts with them.

Is Neville trying to eliminate or avoid the threat?

One way both Nevilles try to maintain a sense of normalcy in the face of their dire situation is to develop various routines that they stick to in order to ensure they never lose a sense of purpose. Both frequently look for food and supplies, for instance. Movie Neville also frequents a video store that he uses to "rent" movies that he picks out, pretends to check out, and then later returns before getting another one; it's a routine that he keeps from pre-pandemic times to maintain a connection to better days.

One major difference in the daily routines of the two Nevilles, however, is how they handle their respective creature foes. In the book, Neville has made it his mission to systematically seek out and dispatch each of the vampires. By contrast, the Neville of the movie largely avoids the Darkseekers as often as he can, only engaging them when cornered or left with no other option. 

The dog is a major character in the movie, not the book

Despite the fact that the premise of "I Am Legend" is that millions of people have been infected and turned into zombie-like creatures, basically everyone agrees that the saddest moment in the movie is the death of Neville's beloved dog, Sam. In fairness, the movie goes a long way in making viewers care about Sam, showing her as not only a loyal friend to Neville but his  only  friend, both a loving companion and a proficient post-apocalyptic sidekick. When the moment comes that Neville has no choice but to take Sam's life, it's the hardest moment in the movie to watch.

The "I Am Legend" book also has a dog that meets a tragic end, but the animal doesn't come anywhere close to having the same impact. Neville doesn't meet the dog until much later into the book, whereas Sam is with Neville from the beginning of the movie — and, viewers later learn, was with him back when his family was still alive. The book's dog takes some coaxing to trust Neville, only for Neville to learn that the dog isn't well anyway. All told, the book version of Neville only knew his dog for about a week or so before it died, a far cry from the relationship that the movie Neville has with man's best friend.

Neville encounters no survivors in the book, meets Anna and Ethan in the movie

In the "I Am Legend" novel, Neville spends much of the story believing he is the last living human to not be turned into a vampire. That is, until he meets a woman named Ruth; initially reluctant to trust, he soon decides to give her a chance — only to discover she is actually a vampire pretending to be a human. This is something the creatures in the movie could never pull off. 

Neville in the movie also spends much of the film's runtime not encountering another human being, until he eventually crosses paths with a woman named Anna ( Alice Braga ) and a young boy named Ethan (Charlie Tahan). Thankfully, they are who they say they are, and Neville is finally able to interact with other humans for the first time since the pandemic began. This encounter also leads to the movie Neville's death, but in a very different way than his book counterpart.

Neville is sacrificed by vampires in the book, sacrifices himself in the movie

"I Am legend" is ultimately a sad tale about a desperate man navigating the final days of mankind, so it makes sense that both versions of Neville perish by the end of their respective journeys. In the movie, Neville gets a fitting hero's end when he is faced with the opportunity to save Anna and Ethan — as well as eliminate a whole bunch of Darkseekers — by grabbing a grenade and shoulder-rushing into a crowd of the creatures, blowing up a building they are all in.  

The book's denouement is quite different altogether. Neville is tried by the vampires and sentenced to be executed for what they perceive as his crimes against their kind. It is in this moment that the title of the book finally becomes clear; in the movie, the title also applies, but for different reasons. 

Neville becomes a legend for negative reasons in the book, positive ones in the film

Robert Neville is the titular legend in both the book and the movie — that much is made clear in both cases. In the movie, Anna explains in voiceover at the end that Neville had become a legend to her and Ethan by sacrificing himself to save them, as well as a legend to the entire human race by managing to finally discover and create the cure for the disease before meeting his end.

In the book, Neville declares himself a legend, though not because he was a hero. Rather, as he faces punishment for the murder of so many vampires, Neville realizes that he had become a mythical figure to the vampires as a sort of boogeyman — and even in death, his legend will live on. The movie Neville is portrayed as being the good guy fighting the bad guys, but that distinction is much more ambiguous in the book, which concludes with Neville realizing his actions against the vampires might have been anything  but  heroic.

#BookReview of I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

(Blurb for I Am Legend from Goodreads) Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth… but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has become a vampire, and they are hungry for Neville’s blood.

By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.

How long can one man survive like this?

I Am Legend is an interesting if somewhat depressing novel written by Richard Matheson. Set in Los Angeles, it tells the story of Robert Neville who appears to be the sole survivor of a pandemic which has turned the victims into vampires. At night he locks himself in his home out of reach from the vampires, playing loud music and getting drunk before eventually falling asleep. By day Neville has much to do such as patching up his house after overnight attacks, creating wooden stakes which he uses to kill dormant vampires and scavenging for supplies. Neville uses the traditional means of keeping the vampires at bay: garlic, crucifixes and mirrors.

Although the story is quite short, it’s a fairly difficult read. We learn about Neville’s daughter who had to be taken to the government fires after being claimed by the disease. His wife whom he buried but rose again from the dead as a vampire had to be killed, and his bouts of depression and alcoholism. He attempts to investigate the disease by foraging books from libraries, and microscopes from laboratories theorising that the disease is a strain of bacillus.

Neville does eventually get some company in the shape of a dog and later a female, but they are all too fleeting and the feeling that there is no hope exists throughout. The end of the novel in itself is quite prophetic given the title of the book. For me though, I prefer something less depressing.

Film/TV Adaption

I am Legend was written in 1954 and was adapted into three movies The Last Man on Earth (1964) , The Omega Man (1971) and more recently I Am Legend (2007) as well as inspiring a host of others including George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Reading the book you can also see shades of The Walking Dead series.

Please Consider Sharing

Recent posts.

• The Last Dance
• #BookReview of Long Time Dead by T.M. Payne
• #BookReview of Death in Fine Condition by Andrew Cartmel
• Audible Listens in March 24'
• #BookReview of The Bonnie Dead by Andrew Raymond

I ❤️'s bookshelf: currently-reading

We would like to use third party cookies and scripts to improve the functionality of this website. To find out more, read our privacy policy and cookie policy

• Literature & Fiction
• Genre Fiction

Sorry, there was a problem.

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

Follow the author

I Am Legend: And Other Stories Hardcover – November 12, 2019

The New York Times bestselling classic tale of the last man on Earth, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson--one of genre literature's most honored storytellers. Now a major motion picture starring Will Smith! Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth...but he is not alone. Every other man, woman, and child on Earth has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville's blood. By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for dawn. How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?

• Print length 448 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Tor Books
• Publication date November 12, 2019
• Dimensions 4.55 x 1 x 6.95 inches
• ISBN-10 1250242754
• ISBN-13 978-1250242754
• See all details

Products related to this item

Editorial Reviews

“The most clever and riveting vampire novel since Dracula. ” ― Dean Koontz “I think the author who influence me the most as a writer was Richard Matheson. Books like I Am Legend were an inspiration to me.” ― Stephen King “One of the Ten All-Time Best Novels of Vampirism.” ― Fangoria

About the Author

Product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books (November 12, 2019)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250242754
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250242754
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.55 x 1 x 6.95 inches
• #182 in Science Fiction Anthologies (Books)
• #550 in Short Stories Anthologies
• #1,221 in Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction (Books)

Videos for this product

Click to play video

I Am Legend

Amazon Videos

About the author

Richard matheson.

Richard Matheson was born in 1926. He began publishing SF with his short story 'Born of Man and Woman' in 1950. I Am Legend was published in 1954 and subsequently filmed as The Omega Man (in 1971), starring Charlton Heston, and I Am Legend (in 2007), starring Will Smith. Matheson wrote the script for the film The Incredible Shrinking Man, an adaptation of his second SF novel The Shrinking Man. The film won a Hugo award in 1958. He wrote many screenplays as well as episodes of The Twilight Zone. He continued to write short stories and novels, some of which formed the basis for film scripts, including Duel, directed by Steven Spielberg in 1971. A film of his novel What Dreams May Come was released in 1998, starring Robin Williams. Stephen King has cited Richard Matheson as a creative influence on his work.

Photo by JaSunni at PicasaWeb [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 56% 29% 11% 2% 1% 56%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 56% 29% 11% 2% 1% 29%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 56% 29% 11% 2% 1% 11%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 56% 29% 11% 2% 1% 2%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 56% 29% 11% 2% 1% 1%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the story interesting and original. They describe the ending as emotional, complex, and chilling. Readers praise the writing quality as excellent and quick. They also find the subject thought-provoking and introspective. Additionally, they say the characters are relatable, strong, and solid. Overall, they say the book is different from the movie and better.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the story interesting, original, and ideal for fans of the films. They also say the idea behind the plot is unorthodox and interesting.

"...I am legend.”This is an ideal read for fans of the films , post apocalyptic settings and titles that take an abstract approach to..." Read more

"...The story is so well written , structured and developed and has held up well throughout the years.Is it anything like the Will Smith movie?..." Read more

"... Its a good story , Robert is a very relatable character that is believable and to some degrees likable...." Read more

"...The good news is that the idea behind the plot is really unorthodox and interesting. It resonated with me...." Read more

Customers find the ending emotionally complex, chilling, and well-done. They say it feels very allegorical of the problems we have in our world today. Readers also mention the psychological ramifications are endless. In addition, they describe the novel as haunting and scary.

"...The psychological ramifications are endless , and I feel that the 3rd person narration seen through Neville’s eyes conveys this appropriately with..." Read more

"...world he lives in is fleshed out by Matheson and the moments of sheer terror are well done , this is horror not just cheap jumpy scares...." Read more

"...about the story that I wasn't a huge fan of was how little actually happened in the book ...." Read more

"...of working science into legend really help to build up the mystery, suspense , and tension...." Read more

Customers find the writing quality excellent, quick, and solid. They say it's not abundant in flowery prose and is quick-witted. Readers also mention the pacing is good and not boring.

"...The writing is very impressive when you take into account that I Am Legend was originally published in 1954 and set with a futuristic Los Angeles..." Read more

"...And what can I say, I actually think this is a fairly cleverly written book , at least at times...." Read more

"...He's also quick-witted and capable of adapting, even turning himself into an armchair scientist as he struggles to understand what's befallen the..." Read more

"... I loved the writing ." Read more

Customers find the book thought-provoking, introspective, and well-written. They say the concept is great, the book is full of interesting ideas, and contains multiple levels of meaning. Readers also mention the characterizations have depth and the message behind it is good.

"...This is a keen observation of humanity through the eyes of one desperate and desolate human being...." Read more

"...It is very much the most important part of the novel. It leaves us with a message , questioning what we have known and what we believe...." Read more

"...The ending, which is a bit of a twist, sets a nice perspective on things . It’s dark and sort of unsuspecting...." Read more

"Though this novel is certainly quite well known , particularly amongst horror fans, it's not quite as famous as I'd imagine it would be, or as it..." Read more

Customers find the characters relatable, well-written, and solid. They say the book explores the human side of Robert. Readers also mention the author has a fantastic understanding of basic human nature.

"...Its a good story, Robert is a very relatable character that is believable and to some degrees likable...." Read more

"...Personally, I find Neville to be just about the most tragic character I've ever encountered in media of any sort...." Read more

"...They retain many of their human qualities , including their intelligence, personalities, and physical capabilities...." Read more

"...hundred different ways before, but I found I Am Legend to be far more character-focused and emotionally intense than I imagined it would be." Read more

Customers find the book wonderful and better than the movie adaptations. They say it's a very different read from any other thriller, with enough differences to make the novel enjoyable. Some readers also mention the film adaptation is somewhat close, but there are some details missing.

"...And surprisingly, the film adaptation was somewhat close (minus a few details of course)...." Read more

"...While there were some similarities, there were also enough differences to make the novel enjoyable ...." Read more

"...Now I know why. Let me just tell you, the movie does miss the point , particularly with the theatrical ending...." Read more

"...This book is, as usual, much better than the movie and very different in the story . Enjoy!" Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the length of the book. Some mention it's fairly short and easy to read, while others say it's complete in its narrative.

"...The book is very short - a novella, really - and ends much more ambiguously than the the movie. Even if you've seen the movie, I recommend the book...." Read more

"...It floored me. Yep, it IS that good. It isn't a long book so those of you who don't have the time to tackle a large work will be glad..." Read more

"...The book is very short , I was disappointed when I Am Legend ended after only 100+ pages with the rest being short stories...." Read more

"...I was ordering the hardcover version of the book, but I was surprised to see its size . It's a little larger than a paperback...." Read more

Customers find the pacing of the book very slow, glacial, and tedious. They also say the writing is not clever and the story is disjointed at times.

"...While the pace is somewhat slow , it is consistent and aids well in setting the atmosphere...." Read more

"...For that I actually really liked it, though it did start out pretty slow but once I got past the first few chapters it quickly became a page turner..." Read more

"...Overall, the book is very slow (much like the movie) but makes a reader think more about what is happening than simply watching one man try to..." Read more

"...I felt the book was slow to start and they're were some areas that I thought about putting it down, I did not...." Read more

Reviews with images

Just Amazing

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later..

Top reviews from other countries

• About Amazon
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell products on Amazon
• Sell on Amazon Business
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• › See More Make Money with Us
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Amazon and COVID-19
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices

• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

Book Review: "Help! I'm Dizzy"

Book Review

“help i’m dizzy”, by eric l. slattery, md.

There are a variety excellent medical texts for healthcare providers that explore the many aspects of vestibular medicine. However, Dr. Slattery has produced this excellent patient-oriented book to help sufferers of vertigo, dizziness and imbalance understand their disease more fully and communicate more effectively with their caregivers. Broken into chapters dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of vestibular and non-vestibular causes of dizziness, patients can read about their diagnosis to get a better feel for the causes and treatment options.

I have known Dr. Slattery from his otolaryngology residency days at Washington University as an intelligent and inquisitive student of vestibular medicine. Upon graduation, he furthered his neurotology career as a fellow at the Michigan Ear Institute before establishing a successful center in Utah. He is active on the Vestibular Disorders Association Medical and Scientific Advisory Board and continues to expand his knowledge and expertise. Taken together, he is uniquely qualified to write “Help! I’m Dizzy!”. I am sure any patient who reads this book will come away with a better understanding of their dizzy problem and an enhanced ability to manage their symptoms.

Review by: Joel A. Goebel, MD, FACS, FRCS – Chair, VeDA Medical and Scientific Board

Available on Amazon

DID THIS INFORMATION HELP YOU?

VeDA relies on your support to help vestibular patients on their journey to find a life rebalanced.

You can make a real difference by making a donation or becoming a professional member .

“Thank you! The quality of information your website provides is amazing.” – Karen T.

Stay up-to-date with the latest vestibular news.