I Am Legend

By: Richard Matheson

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The basis for the film starring Academy Award nominee Will Smith, I Am Legend is a classic of horror and suspense.

In I Am Legend, a terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate enough to survive are transformed into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. Robert Neville is the last living man on earth. Every other man, woman, and child 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 the dawn. How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?

Richard Matheson’s chilling tale is a white-knuckle ride into a world of darkness and terror.

©1954, 1982 by Richard Matheson (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"One of the ten all-time best novels of vampirism." ( Fangoria)
"The most clever and riveting vampire novel since Dracula." (Dean Koontz)
"I think the author who influenced me most as a writer was Richard Matheson. Books like I Am Legend were an inspiration to me." (Stephen King)

good at

damn good story telling, so much better than shitty will Smith. the dog tho :(

Great old-school science fiction...not the movie.

Like many others, I was first drawn in through the movie, but this is not like the movie. The movie should probably have a different title. But this was a great story and stands up very well over time. I would never have guessed the original publication date before seeing it.

This is a monologue for most of the story, with the main character practicing some deep introspection and social commentary. But not to the point where it is over done. Good character development and plot movement, there is a good change of pace towards the end.

Highly recommended whether you liked the movie or not.

Solid listen

This book has faults, but overall it's worth a listen. It is not anything like the Will Smith movie and has very little action. It's more of a character study and a kind of Robinson Crusoe with vampires (not zombies) instead of an island. I'm a big fan of Matheson's Twilight Zone episodes and this book fits in nicely with them.

The narrator is very good, but his voice hypnotizes me somewhat. This made it hard to listen to on my long commutes because I had a tendency to start drifting off towards sleep. Seriously, I could probably listen to this narrator when I'm experiencing insomnia and he would comfort me right to sleep.

So worth the listen

This is so worth the listen. Forget about the movies and just listen. It’s great; a great story and narration.

Movie is better!

Actually, one of those rare cases when the movie is better than the book, although the story is quite different... The first half of the book is all the whining about the lost life, it was quite boring. But the second half was quite interesting, unexpected turns of the story, dynamic, breathtaking. The ending was absolutely worth listening the whole book and the only reason why I would recommend it. The performance was also good, the voice and the speed were ok.

Insight into the mind of a Survivor

If you could sum up I Am Legend in three words, what would they be?

Evolution in Motion

What other book might you compare I Am Legend to and why?

Despite the plethora of books I have read since I was a kid, this book help more truth that a sinister feeling. I would suppose that the climax hit me like a brick and was happy with the ending. It stands alone in my top 20 list

What about Robertson Dean’s performance did you like?

Brilliant and insightful

Who was the most memorable character of I Am Legend and why?

the final scene , when it all made sense,

Very good

Vastly different than the movie but so much better. Very entertaining, I did see the movie first, but listening to the audio book was so well done it made me not even think about the movie.

Awesome!

Very entertaining, creepy, dark and suspenseful! Great story to continousdly read in short period of time!

Interesting story

I did enjoy this story but was very surprised at how different it was from the recent movie which is what prompted me to read the book. The book has a completely different storyline and outcome and actually is more thought provoking than the movie was. It wasn't quite the thriller I was looking for but a interesting read.

=( this book is sad.

great book sad ending, didn't see that coming, not the will Smith version lol bdjxndnxmxkd