This is a book of the "vampire" genre unlike any I have read before, which made it an interesting read. In books I read previously, people were usually "turned" into vampires when they got bitten by another vampire. Matheson's vampires however, were "turned" via the spread of bacteria in addition to the above method. Because of its ability to transmit via air, it soon wiped out everyone bar one.
The story starts in at this point. Robert Neville is the sole survivor of the vampire plague that has decimated the entire human population. As far as he can tell, he is the only one around. He longs for company, but does not get it. He has erected a formidable barricade in his house, with stocks of food, music, literature, and more important, planks to fend off the bloodthirsty vampires who gather at his house night after night. His is a sad tale, as his personal story is told in a series of short flashbacks that invariably end with him bemoaning the state of his existence.
A few years down the road, Neville eventually encounters a woman, whom he very much wanted to believe was a human. However it proves to be his downfall as eventually he is exterminated by another race of vampire, much stronger than the ones he was fighting. In his death, he becomes "legend".
I saw the movie before I read the book, and having experienced both, I find that both are paradoxically "more" and "less" than the other. Before I read the book, it never occurred to me that the story was a "vampire vs human" one. I always thought of it as a "apocalypse" kind of show, where the human struggles against all odds to survive in a world that was collapsing around him.
Will Smith, who helmed the movie, also incarnated a "hero" in the true sense of the word. There were no shades of grey to him, unlike the Robert Neville in the book, who was a drunk, bad-tempered, and suicidal person by the time the story opened.
There are a couple more differences, but I shall just close with the ending. (By the way, if you are the kind who hates it when the ending is revealed before you have read the book, I would advise that you stop reading this post now since I'm going to talk about the endings for both). Will Smith eventually sacrifices himself to save this mother and child duo. The duo make their way to a community of survivors.
This ending contrasts sharply with the book, in which Neville dies as he now becomes the outcast amongst the super-breed of vampires. Normalcy is for the majority, and in his sole survivor status, he is clearly in the minority. I found this ending darker, and more disturbing than the flick, which being the standard US fare, invariably features an ending that is neatly tied up with a ribbon, all "present-like".
Geek rating: 3 out of 5
2 comments:
I never watched the movie, I guess after watching the trailers...it seemed so different from how I imagined the "I am Legend" world to be. I can still recall vividly the struggles of Robert Neville - of the mind, of the flesh, and of the heart. And I think that's the real appeal of the book.
That's an interesting comment, though it was something I never paid much attention to when I read the book.
What stood out for me for this book was the introduction of the vampire super-species who had mutated. And the chilling line that people in the minority are not normal.
Matheson has an interesting way of writing though. Maybe I should do a check on the W3 to see if he has other books.
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