After a virus kills most of the earths population and turn the rest into animalistic bloodthirsty creatures called darkseekers, robert himself is the only one he knows to be. Day, a renegade from the streets, and june, an elite student at drake university and the republics shining prodigy. January 1976 chapter one on those cloudy days, robert neville was never sure when sunset came, and sometimes they were in the streets before he could get back. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. I think its just a collection of short stories with the headliner being the most famous. What does i am legend mean in the book with that title. This man, our protagonist in both the book and film, is robert neville. Lu was an art director for a video game company before turning to writing, and her attention to crisp, futuristic settings. During the beginning of the book, robert constantly tries finding a cure or a way to reverse the effects of the plague. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of. I am legend obviously extrapolates from the kind of anxieties that grow particularly well in the shadow of a mushroom cloud.
Mar 03, 2010 in the book i am legend the phrase is used in the very last sentence of the book, and i was just wondering what does it mean. The i am legend community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. A virus that was created for the purpose of battling cancer and its administered to those with cancer, and it looked promising. After a virus kills most of the earths population and turn the rest into animalistic bloodthirsty creatures called darkseekers, robert himself is the only one he knows to be immune and have survived. Sep 06, 2012 last night i finished reading i am legend. On a morning in january 1976, a man named robert neville walks around his house, carefully checking to see if its wellfortified. The story is very much darker and deeper than the will smith film of the same name. If he had been more analytical, he might have calculated the approximate time of their arrival.
I am legend study guide from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. I though the book was effectively i am legend and other short stories by richard matheeson. I am legend study guide from litcharts the creators of. I am legend is a novel by richard matheson in which robert neville struggles to survive as the sole remaining human in a world overrun by vampires robert neville is the only. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis.
In the book i am legend the phrase is used in the very last sentence of the book, and i was just wondering what does it mean. Living alone in new york city, robert neville smith, a former lieutenant and us army virologist, tasks himself with finding a cure to the plague. He keeps having flashbacks i m pretty sure that counts. Background plot summary my background relates to i am legend mostly because the main character of the book is always figure out find a cure for vampirelike creatures parading around his house every night by looking through science books telling about bacteria and dna which is. Need help with chapter 1 in richard mathesons i am legend. Or perhaps the film simply doesnt have the same nuances as the richard matheson book on which its based. I picked it up mostly because i read about the alternate ending of the will smith movie, which some criticized for not following the spirit of the book. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing i am legend near you.
We see manhattan three years after a deadly virus has killed every healthy human on the island, except one. January, 1976 i am legend opens with robert neville inspecting his house on a. Day, a renegade from the streets, and june, an elite student at drake university and the republics. He knew he should burn up the paper plates and utensils too, and dust the furniture and. In richard mathesons i am legend, robert neville is the last living man on earth, having somehow managed to survive an incurable virus that has mutated every last man, woman, and child in the world into bloodthirsty and vampirelike creatures who prowl and ravage the abandoned ruins of civilization at night. May 14, 2014 a quick video analysis of i am legend. There are two camps when it comes to discussing the issue of race in mathesons book. The rest of the book is a collection of short horror stories and not very good ones either.
I am legend isnt particularly long either, hardly even novel length. I am legend is a 2007 american postapocalyptic action thriller film based on the 1954 novel of the same name by richard matheson. Find summaries for every chapter, including a i am legend chapter summary chart to help you understand the book. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers. While richard mathesons postapocalyptic science fiction book, i am legend, and francis lawrences postapocalyptic science fiction movie, i am legend, both have similarities and differences, in the end, the original book version prevails mainly because the movie version alters the original storyline too much. But a few years later, it mutated into plague that kills most of the people on earth or turns them into creatures, there are a few who are immune. I am legend is very short, not novel length, only 159 pages long, out of the 312 pages in the book. Romero said that his iconic movie, night of the living dead, was influenced by richards book, i. The story is set in new york city after a virus, which was originally created to cure cancer, has wiped out most of.
Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. I am legend is brilliant commentary and society and human relationships and, really, the very definition of humanity. Wo shi chuan qi in traditional chinese version, traditional chinese edition of i am legend by richard matheson by richard matheson and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The story stops annoyingly suddenly, as if the rest of it has been missed off. I am legend and other stories quotes by richard matheson. Now for a topic thats neither divisive nor prone to eliciting irrational anger and awkward discomfort. Immediately download the i am legend summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you dec 10, 2007 week of geek series. The streets are overgrown with weeds, cars are abandoned, the infrastructure is beginning to collapse. January, 1976 i am legend opens with robert neville inspecting his house on a cloudy day. I am legend is a post apocalyptic vision by richard matheson, created in 1954 it tells the story of robert neville, the last surviving human in the world, surrounded by bloodthirsty vampires both living and undead. Richard matheson booklist richard matheson message board.
It is january 1976 and earth has been overrun by vampires. Differences between i am legend book vs movie page 1. Mathesons book then reinterprets vampires in a more futuristic. Related questions and answers for characters in i am legend. Francis lawrences i am legend is a 2007 sciencefiction thrillerdrama starring will smith as the lone survivor of a devastating virus that has wiped out 90% of the population of humanity. They are cannibalistic zombies who have an aversion to light. Critics performing analysis of i am legend often say it is a metaphor for the spread of communism, especially since it was written during the height of the cold. In this novel, the protagonist, robert neville, is seemingly the only survivor of a plague that has converted the.
Directed by francis lawrence, the film stars will smith as us army virologist robert neville. Richard mathesons i am legend has been made into several movies, including the recent. The first says, man, its just a badass vampire book. What is some figurative language in the book i am legend. Dec 14, 2007 enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing i am legend near you. Sep 11, 2011 i am legend book the novels main character is robert neville, apparently the sole survivor of a pandemic the symptoms of which resemble vampirism. Though he has lost his fear of the vampires, these are afraid of him and want him dead. Lu was an art director for a video game company before turning to writing, and her attention to crisp, futuristic settings and cold military villains hearkens back to video game imagery. I am legendbook the novels main character is robert neville, apparently the sole survivor of a pandemic the symptoms of which resemble vampirism. Dec, 2007 the opening scenes of i am legend have special effects so good that they just about compensate for some later special effects that are dicey. Its as if the screenwriters or director, or producer ran out of ways to wrap it up. I am legend read online free from your pc or mobile.
Still, you cant fault i am legend for trying to be different from the typical action thriller. The novel was a success and was adapted into the films the last man on earth 1964, the omega man 1971, and i am legend 2007. I am legend is a novel by richard matheson in which robert neville struggles to survive as the sole remaining. Legend is told from the perspective of two leading characters. Read i am legend 2007 synopsis, storyline and movie plot summary on fandango. Richard mathesons book i am legend falls under the genre of science fiction. The book is credited with sparking a revival of interest in the vampire legend. This study guide consists of approximately 45 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of i am legend. The movie took all the intelligence out and just made it about the action. This summary of i am legend includes a complete plot overview spoilers. In the end, he confirms that he is the last man of his race, and at his death, he will be a legend, as vampires are now. Theres lessons to be learned about mob behavior and respect for minorities. I dont want to say anymore because its better to just read it and let the story unfold. The fear of nuclear and biological warfare looms over much of mathesons nineteenfifties work, and in i am legend.
Romero said that his iconic movie, night of the living dead, was influenced by richards book, i am legend. It is not made clear on the front of the book, or anywhere that this is a collection of short stories, not a novel. He keeps having flashbacks im pretty sure that counts. The best study guide to i am legend on the planet, from the creators of sparknotes. But when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. I am legend 2007 the basics hopefully all of you know the basic story behind i am legend.
Marie lus legend is the first in a trilogy of dystopian young adult fiction, and boy does it set the reader up for a thrill ride. For those that arent familiar with it, the book is about a couple of retired texas rangers that live on the texasmexico border. Robert neville hasnt seen another person in three years. So i just finished i am legend by richard matheson. I am legend is a 1954 postapocalyptic horror novel by american writer richard matheson that was influential in the modern development of zombie and vampire literature and in popularizing the concept of a worldwide apocalypse due to disease. Stokers 1897 gothic horror novel tells the story of the evil count dracula, a vampire who sucks the blood of his victims. Jun 04, 2011 but when it comes down to it, is the book really better than the movie. As a vampire novel, the touchstone for am legend is, without a doubt, bram stokers dracula a novel which matheson mentions more than once over the course of the book. Stephen king dedicated his book, cell, to richard matheson.