I Am Legend

I saw the movie I Am Legend, and shortly after, saw a promotion for the book on Audible where Stephen King was quoted as saying that the Richard Matheson book was a huge inspiration for him. A long-time Stephen King fan, I knew I had to give it a try.

I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. There were times I was so scared I closed my eyes AND plugged my ears - I just couldn't take it (in a good way). I know by now not to expect movies and books to be the same - so I wasn't dissapointed that that I Am Legend the book, and I Am Legend the movie are so different. And trust me, they are very different. Concept is the same - plague hits, turns people into vampire like creatures, save this one man who is immune for an unknown reason. He cavorts alone in the city during the day, and battens down the hatches at night when the vamps come out to play.

That's where the similarities end. I won't detail the differences - just be aware that they are there.

I thought that as an audio book - I Am Legend was very entertaining. There were several 'scare' moments, and I really felt for Robert Neville and his tragic predicament. It did flip back and forth a bit between pre-plague and post-plague....and I always find time jumps a little tricky in audio. But they weren't too hard to follow.

The book did gloss over a lot of details - I really wanted more out of the story. But the end was WAAAAAYYYY better than the movie. (I felt the movie really pulled out a 'hollywood' ending - whereas the book was much more satisfying).

I was pleasantly surprised that although it was originally written in 1954, the book did not feel dated in the least. I think that's a real testament to the author.

In the end, I recommend both, the book & the movie....just don't expect them to be the same.