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)

Omg.

No more words for this book. It's just stupendous. The preformance is awe inspiring. To be heard over and over again.

One of the greatest of all time

absolutely brilliant, bleak, dismal, riveting, horrific, genius, black, and totally original masterpiece by Matheson

Still Relevant, Ending not Expected

I had heard of the book and of the films that were based on this book, so it was finally time to read it when Amazon put it on sale. I have not seen the original Omega Man nor the Will Smith version of the films. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audiobook version. Robertson Dean's narration was prefect, matching the emotion of the text. The idea of a mutated gene is relevant considering the pathogens known and unknown. The ending was quite surprising at first, but then I remembered that a good deal of early science fiction tended to be somewhat depressing. I believe that's why I'm such a Star Wars, Marvel and Star Trek fan, their views are based on hope, not the constant dirge of apocalyptic nightmares so many authors and books write about. Definitely not one of my favorites. I would've loved to have seen the Punisher take the vamps out.

one of my favorite stories and a great narration.

this is one I'll listen to again, really happy with the narrator

word word word

It's a Good book

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I liked this book, easy to listen to, not to scary!

If you’ve listened to books by Richard Matheson before, how does this one compare?

The first book I read by Richard matheson was hell house and thats a scarry book, this one is more about how the main character try to survive himself more than any vampires!

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is great! He got a really good reading voice!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

It is a movie =) But the movie is nothing like the book! Both good!

Any additional comments?

I haven't read a lot from Richard Matheson, but i definitely will!

Way better than movie!

Of course it's better than the movie. When it ended, I was left wanting more.

Entertaining

I liked it a lot. Having watched the movie, I had an idea of what to expect and this performance exceeded my expectations.

loved it

the narrator reads this brilliantly. Incase you are wondering if the book is like the movie - it's not. I actually enjoyed the book more.

Fascinating, nuanced story. Great narration.

Would you consider the audio edition of I Am Legend to be better than the print version?

I've never read the print, but I find that audiobooks in general are more entertaining than print versions. I could see how this book might be perceived as being a bit tedious in print. It's not-turn-off-able in its audio form.

What did you like best about this story?

It's a simple premise, almost more about the madness of a solitary man than vampires. The vampire element just adds that crazy danger that makes everything more exciting.

What does Robertson Dean bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This guy is a great narrator. He's manic, he's emotional, he's desperate, he's gentle, he's frantic. You can hear it all in his voice. His voice stretches and heaves at all the right moments, yet the overall performance isn't overdone. He adds just the right amount of emotion right where it's needed. I really enjoyed it.

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

Well obviously the main character (Neville), but I love how Ben creeps around the house shouting his name. "Come out, Nevillllle!"

Any additional comments?

The movie scared the crap out of me, so I was hesitant to read this book. But aside from the general premise, this book is definitely NOT the movie. It's better!

Much better then I thought.

The end made me ahead a few drops. Well written especially with practically only one character to keep interesting.