"Come out,
Neville!"
I figured that if Stephen King talked about Matheson
as "the author who influenced me the most as a writer" and
that if Ray Bradbury used such words as "one of the most important
writers of the 20th century", there must ultimately be a
solid reason, so I finally got my hands on "I am Legend" and set out
to find why in the world it was considered such a classic work of horror and
sci-fi. Well, one day was all it took to finish it up, savouring it to the last
line in a sort of hypnotic state. What an amazing read!
Robert Neville is the protagonist the whole story revolves around. After
what was presumably the Third World War he is, at least that's what he knows,
the last living man on Earth. What's left of the population, in fact, is but a
horrible horde of vampires, chasing him at night and plunging back in their
dark retreats after dawn. That's why Neville's life has turned in a bleak
routine-like struggle: he burrows in his boarded-up, garlic-smelling house at
night, coming out in the daylight with
his stakes to slaughter his dozing enemies. And that goes on and on
untill…well, you simply ought to read it!
Definitely a classic, the book was filmed in the '70s as "The Omega
Man" starring Charlton Heston, but according to what I've found out
roaming the Internet, the flick doesn't do justice to its source and it's
something you shouldn't bother with.
As a stunning example of one-character story, "I Am Legend"
draws the reader deep into Neville's soul, allowing free access to his grief,
his uncertainties, his bouts of hope and despair, his frantic elucubration and
his alcohol-addled thoughts. All of it is equally doled out with superb skill
by Matheson, who's definitely brought to life one of the most vivid characters
I've ever read about. Moving, captivating and utterly realistic, Neville is a
modern Robinson Crusoe and while you follow him through thick and thin you
can't help feeling for his wretched destiny.
The story in itself moves on with a brisk pace even when Matheson leaves
the "real action" in his drawer, and the plot unfurls through
explicative flashbacks (which will easily remind you of some haunting sections
of King's "The Stand"), nail-biting sections where action suddenly
catches fire and makes you turn the pages at a scorching pace (oh, how
important is a watch when you need to get home before dusk!), and heart-shrinking
passages through which you get in deep communion with the character and get to
share his plight.
One last thing that's probably worth mentioning is Matheson's original interpretation
of the classic vampire lore, which he sets out to dismember (by means of his
character) with a scientific approach. Garlic is analyzed, blood samples are
taken and both psychological and medical theories are put in the grinder by
Neville's quest for survival.
If you've read all I've written so far, it should be easy for you to
guess that my final opinion is a totally positive one, and I can't help but
highly recommending this little, huge masterpiece. Look for this title in your
bookstore, polish your incisors and slurp it up!!! 9/10