“I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson. Garden City: Nelson Doubleday, (1980). Book club edition. Cover art by Tony Gleeson.
“Every night it was the same. He would remain barricaded in his house, the phonograph going full blast, an ample supply of whiskey on hand. But he could never forget that they were out there, waiting: The plague victims – the vampires who had taken over his world.
“For months Robert Neville had endured the horror, wondering why he was immune to a disease that had turned everyone else into creatures of nightmare. It occurred to him that this very disease might be the basis for all of history’s fearful legends – he didn’t know. Yet it was true that these 20th-century vampires followed the classic rules, so at least Neville was able to establish a system of survival.
“During the day he repaired any damage they might have done to his fortress the night before, making sure the generator and water supply were still protected. He hung crosses and mirrors, and strings of garlic taken from the hothouse he had set up. He spent long hours preparing wooden stakes, and hunting for the monsters’ hidden sleeping places.
“Always, no matter what he did, he kept track of the sun – knowing he had to be home again before it set.
“At time went by, Neville learned to live with the terror . . . but not with the loneliness of his existence. More than once he considered opening the front door to them and ending his torment.
“But no, he could not, would not die that way. He was the last of his kind, and he meant to survive. . . .” [From the blurb on the dustjacket]
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“I Am Legend” became the basis for 3 motion pictures: “The Last Man on Earth” (1964) with Vincent Price, “The Omega Man” (1971) with Charlton Heston, and “I Am Legend” (2007) with Will Smith. It was also the inspiration behind George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (1968). The concept of a worldwide viral apocalypse giving rise to zombies originated in Matheson’s book, first published as a paperback in 1954.
“I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson. Garden City: Nelson Doubleday, (1980). Book club edition. Cover art by Tony Gleeson.
“Every night it was the same. He would remain barricaded in his house, the phonograph going full blast, an ample supply of whiskey on hand. But he could never forget that they were out there, waiting: The plague victims – the vampires who had taken over his world.
“For months Robert Neville had endured the horror, wondering why he was immune to a disease that had turned everyone else into creatures of nightmare. It occurred to him that this very disease might be the basis for all of history’s fearful legends – he didn’t know. Yet it was true that these 20th-century vampires followed the classic rules, so at least Neville was able to establish a system of survival.
“During the day he repaired any damage they might have done to his fortress the night before, making sure the generator and water supply were still protected. He hung crosses and mirrors, and strings of garlic taken from the hothouse he had set up. He spent long hours preparing wooden stakes, and hunting for the monsters’ hidden sleeping places.
“Always, no matter what he did, he kept track of the sun – knowing he had to be home again before it set.
“At time went by, Neville learned to live with the terror . . . but not with the loneliness of his existence. More than once he considered opening the front door to them and ending his torment.
“But no, he could not, would not die that way. He was the last of his kind, and he meant to survive. . . .” [From the blurb on the dustjacket]
--------------------------------------------------------------
“I Am Legend” became the basis for 3 motion pictures: “The Last Man on Earth” (1964) with Vincent Price, “The Omega Man” (1971) with Charlton Heston, and “I Am Legend” (2007) with Will Smith. It was also the inspiration behind George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” (1968). The concept of a worldwide viral apocalypse giving rise to zombies originated in Matheson’s book, first published as a paperback in 1954.