I Am Legend: I Thought This Was Going To Be a Book About Zombies

But I was very wrong. Turns out, it’s about vampires! I know that I saw this movie forever ago, and I know that I liked it (…well, except for the dog part), but I evidently remembered NOTHING about it, since, as the title pointed out, I thought this was going to be a zombie story. Anyway, this one came recommended by a good friend, and I was quite pleased with it!

Robert Neville is the last living man on Earth... but he is not alone. Every other man, woman and child on the planet has become a vampire, and they are hungry for Neville's blood.

By day he is the hunter, stalking the undead through the ruins of civilisation. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn.

How long can one man survive like this?

First of all, excuse my photo that has nothing to do with this novel. I completely forgot to take a photo of it (probably because I read it months ago)!

a bleak world, voracious vampires, and a fight for survival

What I liked about I Am Legend:

1. Mainly, the plot. Well, to be honest, I LOVED the plot. Do you know how much I loved this plot? I have actually written a zombie story that is SO SIMILAR. This was both a disappointing (because now I see my story is lacking in originality) and exciting (because this book was very successful) thing for me to discover. Oh well, moving on. I loved the idea of this man living in this safe house surrounded by the awful vampires.

2. The facts. Normally when authors try to get too descriptive in how these things happened, I start to find flaws in their reasoning and get annoyed. Matheson did a great job with the infectious disease aspect of it. It made it enjoyable to read! Matheson also explained a lot of the vampire myths plausibly!

3. The twist. It was definitely a good one, and I loved how it tied into the title.

What disappointed me:

1. It actually felt a tad-bit too short. I mean, ultimately I’d rather have a book be too short than too long, but I wish there had been more world-building in this one. It was just a taste of the world and the outbreak, and I really wanted to sink my teeth into it.

This is a quick, fun horror read. If you aren’t sure you like the horror genre, give this one a try! Especially if you like scary vampire books. 

Who is your favorite vampire? 

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.