I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars






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Last night I finished reading I Am Legend and have to say: WHAT AN ENDING!! It is an incredibly original story because of the point of view from which Matheson chooses to narrate, to then turn the tables in the ending, leaving you every bit as astounded with the revelation as the main character is.

When the movie came out a few years ago, I liked it; it was scary and I thought Will Smith had done an amazing job at supporting the movie by himself. Now, after reading the book, I will never look at it the same way. It totally misses what makes the book so incredibly original and it makes so many changes to the story that renders it almost unrecognizable. In sum, the film story doesn't hold a candle to the one of the pages.

I have to say, though, the section where the main character is going through medical knowledge to explain himself the basis of the 'infection' gave me a stomachache. If you follow me and my work, you know I'm an MD. I don't know if the medical knowledge was that much far back in 1954, or if Matheson just picked and chose whatever he needed and made it fit the story, but I tell you: It was physically painful. Chances are, you aren't as versed in Physiology and won't notice a thing, so by all means, don't let this detail keep you from reading such a wonderful story.

I enjoyed the whole experience very much and was unable to put the book down from the moment I turned the first page. In my opinion, the story is a lot better thought out than Matheson's Hell House though the aforementioned has a richer vocabulary. I recommend it thoroughly and is now, among my favourite books ever.