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I Am Legend Audiobook
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(3.00) - 57,239 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
I Am Legend, a classic horror novel written in 1954 by Richard Matheson, helped popularize the zombie genre. Its leading character, Robert Neville, appears to be the only man who is immune to a worldwide plague that has transformed every other human into a vampire. The novel follows Neville through his struggle for survival, quest to find a cure and kill his bloodthirsty enemies.
Neville spends his days hunting vampires and seeking to cure the disease. His minority status in a world filled with predators inspires him to discover a more efficient way to kill vampires, other than the traditional stake through the heart. His method includes exposing them to sunlight, killing natural bacteria, then inflicting deep wounds that turn the bacteria into aerobic parasites that consume their hosts.
We learn about Neville's personal life and history via flashbacks throughout the novel, including how both his wife and daughter became infected and eventually died. The plot gets even more complicated when Neville forms a relationship with a woman he assumes is uninfected like himself. She warns him the vampires are rebuilding society, slowly overcoming aspects of their disease and will be coming to arrest him.
How long can Neville survive when society as a whole is against him?
Richard Matheson is an American author and screenwriter. He is primarily known for his work in the fantasy, horror and science fiction genres. Many of his works have been adapted for firm, including The Shrinking Man, Hell House, What Dreams May Come, Bid Time Return (filmed as Somewhere in Time), A Stir of Echoes and I am Legend. He has also written numerous short story collections and television series, including 16 episodes of The Twilight Zone and Star Trek: The Original Series.
Matheson was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010. His influence has spanned decades. Authors, including Anne Rice and Stephen King, claim his influence in their works. He has been the subject of documentaries, tributes and characters in other science fiction works.
Delve into one of the original masterpieces of the vampire/zombie genre. Download I Am Legend today and enjoy this now-classic story.
"Excellent... It's a quick read and a great story. I am now completely confused as to why the screenwriters felt the need to change up the original tale so much for the failed Will Smith film. The original story is way more compelling... and offers a much more tragic struggle for humanity. LOVED it."
— Dani (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
The basis for the film starring Academy Award nominee Will Smith, I Am Legend is a classic of horror and suspense.
In I Am Legend, a terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate enough to survive are transformed into bloodthirsty creatures of the night. Robert Neville is the last living man on earth. Every other man, woman, and child has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville’s blood. By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn. How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?
Richard Matheson’s chilling tale is a white-knuckle ride into a world of darkness and terror.
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Quotes
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“The most clever and riveting vampire novel since Dracula.”
— Dean Koontz, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“One of the ten all-time best novels of vampirism.”
— Fangoria -
“[A] sink-your-teeth-in vampire masterpiece. It will change the way you look at yourself and the amalgam of the world around you right now…If ever a book was made to read in one sitting, this complex horror novel is it.”
— SFsite.com -
“The incomparable talents of Robertson Dean shine as he becomes Neville, and the listener can only follow his lead ever deeper into this nightmare world. Dean has a unique voice and manages to make the storytelling a personal experience. We are there with him, panicking one minute, sighing with relief the next, aching with intolerable loneliness, then facing terrifying clashes with the vampires. This is one of those magical audiobooks that you simply have to enjoy in one session, so be sure to set aside the time.”
— AudioFile -
“In a tale that plays with the slippery slope of sanity, Dean makes the perfect choice for a narrator. His powerful performance proves chilling and haunting. As Neville teeters on the edge of sanity, Dean manipulates his tone, speed, emphasis and projection accordingly, making listeners tremble with his narration.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred audio review)
Awards
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An iTunes Top Seller for 2008
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A New York Times bestseller
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An Amazon Editor’s Top Pick of Riveting Reads on Isolation and Survival
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An Oprah Magazine Pick of Best Vampire Books
I Am Legend Listener Reviews
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" Very well written, although hard to follow at times. And even though I did not expect it to follow anywhere near the same plot line as the movie under the same title, it would have been interesting to see a movie that follows the plot of the book. "
— Jerry, 2/11/2014 -
" One of the scariest books ever written, but does a nice job of making you wonder who the monsters really are. "
— Absolom, 2/3/2014 -
" Great book. Sadly, it ended too soon. I wish book is at least 500 pages long. "
— Johnk, 2/2/2014 -
" Better than the most recent film by far. "
— Marit, 2/1/2014 -
" I was totally gripped by this book. I was immersed in the story completely. One of my favourite books. "
— Claire, 1/31/2014 -
" Quite an interesting book, very atmospheric, immersed in her head ... Read, almost without stopping, experience the very best! ending just epic, in general the book is worth it to spend time on it! Advise! "
— Soul, 1/19/2014 -
" I wish it was 3x longer, loved every page of it. "
— Chad, 12/30/2013 -
" Much better than the movie but still a mediocre vampire tale at best. So different from the movie that I'm not sure where they got off even calling the film I am Legend at all. "
— Isis, 12/26/2013 -
" Loved this book. Movie did not do any justice. But Will Smith did great in the movie... "
— Anne, 12/24/2013 -
" Really like this book at the beginning, but It didn't sustain my belief to the end. "
— Linda, 12/5/2013 -
" I thought the writing wasn't all that impressive, I expected it to be better than the movie and it was not. "
— Shane, 12/1/2013 -
" Another book that was ruined by a MUCH better movie. "
— Kristin, 8/12/2013 -
" The first thing that pops inside my head was "Oh so that's why vampires afraid of garlic" "
— UnAnimo, 5/13/2013 -
" Only read I am Legend in it's entirety and enjoyed the gritty feel of the story. Started a few of the other stories, but they were just too out-there for me. "
— Kimberly, 3/11/2013 -
" great if you are into this kind of thing. I liked the movie, the book is along different lines but very interesting "
— Hayley, 12/8/2012 -
" Good story. Can't say much about the rest of the stories. "
— David, 8/14/2012 -
" This is how it started before the story took on a life of its own with all the movie nonsense. A short book and easy to read. Worth it to have a minor classic under your belt. "
— David, 7/6/2012 -
" I bought and read the book after watching the movie. I liked the book better (isn't that always the case?), but it was decidedly MORE graphic--usually not the case. Very sci-fi-esque. But I enjoyed it. It was short and a fast read. "
— Marcy, 6/1/2012 -
" I read the book because I felt the movie left too much unanswered and I feel the book was tooo loaded down trying to stress his points. "
— Artha, 8/14/2011 -
" Excellent short novel from a great short story writer. This is absolutely nothing like the movie. "
— Jimmy, 5/16/2011 -
" Ten thousand times better than the movie. "
— Dayva, 5/10/2011 -
" This kept me up at night. I loved it! "
— Darlene, 5/9/2011 -
" No només ha envellit bé, és que les històries curtes són molt bones! "
— Esteve, 5/7/2011 -
" For a novella that was written in the fifties, it just doesn't show its age at ALL. Gripping, horrifying and thought-provoking, it's really, really worth the read. I haven't seen the recent movie because I don't see how Will Smith can possibly do it justice. "
— Daniel, 5/3/2011 -
" I loved this story. I watched the movie first and I will say I expected a more detailed carbon copy, well original the movie would be a copy. However, I got so much more possibly one of my favorites. "
— Brittany, 5/2/2011 -
" The title makes a lot more sense for the book than it did the movie. "
— Justin, 5/2/2011 -
" Good, but short. It was very interesting to discover the differences from the movie, since I saw the movie first. "
— Greg, 4/28/2011 -
" this was good i cant wait to see the movie "
— Susannah, 4/27/2011 -
" I was going to give this small novel a four star rating until I read the last three words and finally understood their meaning. Not many books end with that kind of impact. Awesome. "
— J.B., 4/27/2011 -
" This is the first book i have ever read in which I thought the movie was better. It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good. "
— Jc, 4/25/2011
About Richard Matheson
Richard Matheson (1926–2013) was born in New Jersey and started living and working in California in 1951. In addition to novels in the mystery, science fiction, horror, fantasy, and western fields, he wrote many film and television scripts, including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” from The Twilight Zone. He also wrote episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, Night Gallery, and Star Trek. Several of his novels and stories have been made into movies, including The Shrinking Man, I Am Legend, and What Dreams May Come (starring Robin Williams). Over the course of his career he won the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Bram Stoker Award for Life Achievement, the Hugo Award, the Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Golden Spur Award, and the Writer’s Guild Award.
About Robertson Dean
Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.