I am legend. (And other stories.)
written by Julie R. Neidlinger 1 comments link this postI picked up a copy of Richard Matheson's 1954 book I Am Legend.
I shamefully admit that I bought the book because I want to see the upcoming movie based ("loosely", it appears, by looking at the previews after having read the book) on the book starring Will Smith. (This is not the first adaptation into film, mind you.) I generally try to not buy the books with the movie tie-in cover, since I am a book snob. Nevertheless, I bought the book yesterday and finished it by the time I went to bed.
It's one of those great "the world ends as we know it" stories that I seem particularly drawn to. What is amazing to me is that Matheson was able to essentially carry on an entire story with about 80 percent of all the "conversation" taking place in the mind of the main character since there was no one else to talk to.
The copy I purchased also had other stories by Matheson, which confused me at first since the book appeared to be only I Am Legend. Once I figured that out, I enjoyed the other stories, though at first, I was annoyed because I thought I still had half a book to go and that the story of Robert Neville had a chance to go past the ending.
The ending, which I won't give away (though I suspect many of you have already read the book), threw me. You should read all the way through to get to it on your own. If you simply don't want to do that, you can find out more about the story here. It's a shame, though. An engrossing and fast-paced read with the twist at the end like Matheson's story is something worth the time. You can purchase more of Matheson's books here.
Labels: book reviews, recommended reading
Copyright (c) Julie R. Neidlinger 11/10/2007 10:31:00 AM
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1 Comments:
Thanks Julie. Richard Matheson is sort of a legend himself, given the fact several of his stories have been adapted to TV and film. Remember the terrifying Twilight Zone (TV and movie) segment, "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet?" What about the movie, "What Dreams May Come." Both Matheson originals. And it's a wonder to me why "I Am Legend" has now been done twice (including "The Omega Man," 1971) and Hollywood still can't tell the story right. So, very good recommendation Julie: read the book. BTW - I did see the recent IAL and I thought the movie was super, believable, kinetic, and very thought provoking. It's one of Will Smith's finest performances.
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