It definitely influenced the aesthetics of later post-apocalyptic worlds, such as the one portrayed in Fallout 3. This was generally a great book, especially for the atmospheric, dark vision of the future that it portrays. The very end of the novel has a nice twist and the conclusion of the novel is very different, much darker, and far better than the one in the Will Smith movie.
I won’t give away the ending of the story, other than to say that Neville meets an apparently uninfected woman, and there follows a great series of scenes where Neville struggles with his intense distrust and his intense longing for a companion. It does an admirable job with its technobabble, using a mix of bacterial infection and insanity to explain the various traits of a vampire. This novel may be the first one to attempt to explain vampirism scientifically. He decides to figure out what caused the vampirism, reading up on biology and setting up a laboratory in his house. He eventually befriends a stray dog, and their brief companionship helps Neville snap out of his drunken depression. At night he locks himself inside, drinking whiskey and listening to classical music while the vampires rage against his fortifications.Īs the story progresses, the psychological toll on Neville grows and he almost despairs and gives himself up to the vampires. Neville spends his days hunting down and killing the vampires and repairing his fortified home. The sole survivor is the main character, Robert Neville.
It is intensely atmospheric, conjuring a very dark future in which the world’s population has succumbed to a disease that turns them into vampire-like monsters. I am Legend, by William Matheson, is a quick read and well worth it. The classic 1954 post-apocalyptic vampire/zombie novel that inspired the movie.
0 kommentar(er)
