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)

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.

classic book, like the scientific approach

liked how it wasnt too long. it didnt drag out. narrator acted some, not used to that, worked ok. phrased cleverly,made me want to quote it a lot.

Classic and Every Best Way Possible

Where does I Am Legend rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I can't believe Audible offered this novel free of charge! I'd read it years ago and remember liking it very much but hearing it recently really brought home how good this book is. Richard Matheson was a great writer but perhaps under appreciated because of the poor film adaptions to his work.

Have you listened to any of Robertson Dean’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time I've listened to a novel performed by Mr. Dean. He did a wonderful job and I will be looking for other work by him.

Any additional comments?

Beyond an interest in science fiction, I'd recommend this novel to anyone interested in being fascinated and entertained in their reading. I was fortunate to get this free but would gladly have paid for it.

Descriptive and intense.

I really enjoyed this very short novel. I wasn't sure how the author was going to resolve the conflict between the many zombies and the few (or only) unafflicted human (Robert Neville). I was pleasantly surprised at the third group that appeared. However, I'm not sure why the new group couldn't accept Neville as one of them since they had the same goal of getting rid of all the brain dead zombies, except that he was different from them, which I suppose is reason enough.