I AM LEGEND

'''I Am Legend''' is a 1954 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson about the last man alive in Los Angeles, California.

Contents

Plot

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

The Last Man on Earth

The Omega Man

I Am Legend

See also

External links

Plot

The book takes place in the then-future of the years 1976-1979, and opens with the monotony and horror of the daily life of the protagonist, Robert Neville. Neville is apparently the only survivor of an apocalypse caused by a pandemic of a bacterium the symptoms of which are very similar to vampirism. Every day he also makes repairs to his house, boarding up windows, stringing and hanging garlic, and disposing of vampires' corpses on his lawn.
Neville's psychological disposition is a significant element in the novel, and his struggles with despair imbue the character with intensity and gravitas. The author emphasizes that he is an ordinary, flawed man trying to deal with an extraordinary catastrophe.
Much of the story is devoted to Neville's struggles to understand the plague that has transformed everyone he meets except for himself, and the novel details the progress of his discoveries. In this regard, the novel is almost unique in vampire fiction in that instead of asking the reader to accept a supernatural explanation for vampire phenomena, the author strives to offer scientific basis for such symptoms as aversion to garlic, craving of fresh blood, and resistance to bullets but vulnerability to stakes and sunlight. The aversion to mirrors and crosses (or, in the case of one vampire of Jewish origin, the Torah) is classified as psychological.
Eventually, Neville discovers that while he is the only person immune to the bacterium, he is not the only one still alive. Others who have been infected have discovered a means to hold the disease at bay. However, during the daylight hours, they appear to be fully involved vampires. Thus, along with the vampires, he has been killing these still alive persons. He becomes a source of terror to the still living, since he can go around in daylight (which they can only do for a short length of time) and leaves their dead behind. These still living “vampires” capture Neville and reveal their nature to him, and how monstrous he appears to them. Just as vampires were regarded as legendary monsters that preyed on the vulnerable humans in their beds, Neville has become the last of a dead breed; a mythical figure that kills both vampires and the infected living while they are sleeping. He becomes a legend as the vampires once were, hence the title.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

''I Am Legend'' has so far twice been adapted onto film, and a third adaptation, now set for release on December 14th, 2007, has gone through several iterations.

The Last Man on Earth

Main articles: The Last Man on Earth

In 1964, Vincent Price starred as Dr. Robert Morgan (rather than "Neville") in ''The Last Man on Earth''. (An Italian production, the original title was ''L'Ultimo Uomo Della Terra''). Matheson wrote the screenplay for this adaptation, but later rewrites were so changed that he did not wish his name to appear in the credits. As a result, Matheson is credited under the pseudonym "Logan Swanson".

The Omega Man

Main articles: The Omega Man

In 1971 a far different version appeared as ''The Omega Man'', starring Charlton Heston and Anthony Zerbe. Matheson had no influence on the screenplay for this film; it deviates from the novel's story in several ways, removing the vampirical elements, except for the creatures' extreme photosensitivity.

I Am Legend

Main articles: I Am Legend (film)

A Ridley Scott adaptation was scheduled for production in the late 1990s, but fell through due to an inflating budget. The film was to star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Then director Rob Bowman took a crack at a smaller budget version with a rewrite from John Logan. Will Smith will now star in the film directed by Francis Lawrence (''Constantine''). Filming took place in New York City, and the film is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2007.

See also

★ Post-apocalyptic fiction

★ Vampire fiction

★ Zombies in popular culture

External links

★ The ''I Am Legend'' Book Archive

★ Watch or download "The Last Man on Earth" (public domain)

★ Download iPod-format "The Last Man on Earth" (public domain)