I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson

I’ll admit that I’m one of those guys that once they see the movie, the book version goes to the bottom of my reading list. This book made me rethink that policy. First off, aside from sharing a title, this book and the motion picture starring Will Smith have little in common. Secondly, the story-telling of Richard Matheson has consistently failed to translate to the big screen*. Not that he’s incredibly nuanced or that his stories can’t be translated, but there hasn’t been the right direction to capture his character-based stories.

This is especially true with a character like Robert Neville, the self-proclaimed Legend. For much of the book (I’d call it a novella), he is our sole window into the world. There is limited dialogue for the first two-thirds, with the exception of some fantastic back-and-forth with a dog (okay, the dog wasn’t a very a good conversationalist). I actually found that once there was a two-person dialogue, the story lost some of its luster.

That’s because Matheson does such a great job with Neville’s characterization. We know Robert Neville. We laugh with him, and we feel his frustration. We hope to have it together as much as he does when the vampire apocalypse comes. Because he does come off as fallible. He has his meltdowns and his tantrums, and they are well-deserved. But he has some successes and we are thrilled when he does.

Speaking of failures and successes, I can’t help but think that Andy Weir was a little bit inspired by this story. First off, alone in a strange world, Neville is forced to do what is necessary for his immediate survival, which he does admirably. Then, he becomes a self-taught geneticist and is able to “science the shit out of it.” He walks us through his experiments and gives us just enough information to keep it plausible, without boring the hell out of us. I appreciate a book that doesn’t treat me like an idiot, but also doesn’t treat me like a scientist. Matheson maintains a good balance. Better, in many ways, than Weir.

I want you to read this book, so I’m not going to go blow-by-blow with the plot. What I will tell you, is that this story is fundamentally a survival story—but not Neville’s. Imagine the world as you know it ends, and you’re the sole remaining human. But there’s a more advance species in man’s place. Would you fight that species? Would you hide or try to make peace with them? If they’re truly terrifying, and you’re prejudiced against them for something people similar to them did, would you allow yourself the dignity of going peacefully into the night? These are questions Legend asks. At what point do you give up, and if you don’t, can you expect the other side to? The last Neanderthals didn’t stand up against the homo sapiens and destroy them. No, he bred with them or died alone.

Matheson’s stories are often philosophical, and he does what a writer should: makes the reader think long after the story is told. When does the hero become the villain, and can we cheer his success when that success costs innocent lives?

I spent the entire book asking myself why he’s Legend, and finally found out on the last page. And it’s an answer worth working toward.

*The exception that proves the rule is Stir of Echoes. Kevin Bacon’s descent into madness is pure Matheson, and is as faithful adaption of one of his novel’s I’ve found.