I Am Legend - Richard Matheson

My rating: 4/5


Book review:

I haven't watched the movie for one particular reason: there was a dog on the poster and only the thought that it might suffer and die (which I didn't actually know for a fact) was enough to avoid the movie. The same thing happened with The Road, because there was a child on the poster who might suffer (not die, though, as children don't usually die if they are main characters).
I'm quite upset with myself that I feel such a heart-wrenching pity for animals, because I can't properly watch certain movies (for example, Hachiko was more than I could bear). I also can't stand torture scenes - yuck! Curiously enough, I have a fascination with horror movies...


Yet, I've discovered that reading about something like this was more bearable. I was really curious about I Am Legend and now I'm really glad that I've chosen the book, because the story is quite different from the one depicted in the movie starring Will Smith. 
After finishing the book, I tentatively began to watch the movie and I found out a lot of things are changed - it looks like a completely different plot on so many levels! Where is the fair-haired, blue-eyed protagonist, with a cross tattooed on his chest? Where is the bleak, boarded up house he lives in, surrounded by strings of garlic? Where is the hoard of vampires and the bodies he has to carry away with his truck? (oh, there is a red sports car instead, no place for dead bodies inside!) Where is the old-fashioned vampire hunt? AND there is no dog in the beginning - Robert Neville is completely alone, and this makes more sense in the light of where the story is going. 
I gave up watching the movie, I was frustrated. I don't know how many more things are changed, but I've seen enough. Maybe later.

Although I'm not a fan of (mass-market) vampire stories, I though this book was amazing. You should read this, even if you've seen the movie. The plot is well-developed, there are some teeth-grinding scenes and the protagonist, Robert Neville, is masterfully constructed. Oh, and the ending... The title really makes sense then. I Am Legend... You'll have to read the story to figure it out!