Synopsis

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? (Source: Gollancz)

Isolation, Survival, and Societies!

I Am Legend is the story of Robert Neville, a story of one man’s survival in a world where everyone has been turned into a vampire and is hunting him. 

With one man left in the world, the story naturally focuses on him and his actions, which ends up being the novel’s greatest strength. From the start, it’s easy to warm up to Robert’s character as the author puts into vivid detail the life he leads and the resulting isolation that comes from knowing you might be the last human on Earth. 

To protect against a seemingly unending scourge requires a lot of preparation. Preparation takes up the bulk of Robert Neville’s new existence, as he’s in a continual race against the night to fortify his house and ensure that the vampires that come to attack are kept out. Through this routine, we come to learn about Robert, his idiosyncrasies, and the vestiges of his former life that keep him sane.

Moreover, as the story continues and expands on Robert’s daily life, we learn that his battle against the vampire is as psychological as it is physical. The monotony of preparation, the constant battles, and the vampire’s temptation take their toll. His good days and bad days are characterised by the bottle, and in his darkest hours, he even considers suicide by vampire, such is the deep hold of his depression. 

Combined, these create a full picture of a man. One that we can understand, empathise with, and even see ourselves as. His constant fight for survival is believable due to his many flaws and challenges. 

As the novel progresses, Robert’s good days outweigh the bad, thanks in part to a renewed vigour to discover the cause of vampirism. It’s during this part that the novel moves from pure horror to science horror, as the author takes established vampire mythos and attempts to use science to explain them.  

With a mission in hand, Robert moves away from harmful vices and becomes more methodical. Using vampires as test subjects, he eventually dispels the mythos and discovers that vampirism is caused by bacteria. 

Armed with this new knowledge, his chances to use it are limited as the novel draws towards its epic conclusion. Centring around Robert’s discovery of Ruth—another possible human—it allows for the creation of the novel’s twist. 

While it’s made quite obvious that Ruth is a vampire, the author sets up a plausible explanation for why Robert fights against these suspicions: an end to his loneliness. The scenes between Ruth and Robert are naturally awkward and tentative, given the situation and the years of isolation. They are only mired by the protagonist’s intrusive thoughts and some views that have started to show their age. 

Ruth’s introduction reveals that the bacteria have mutated and vampires with intelligence have begun to take form. Robert is shown the beginnings of this primitive, new society as a prisoner. Looking at this society, the true message behind the title “I Am Legend” is revealed. 

Everything is about perspective. In human society, vampires are something to be feared as creatures whose sole purpose is to kill and drink our blood. To the vampires, Robert is the comparative bogeyman. Killing the living and the undead indiscriminately, he is the ultimate threat to the vampire’s survival and their new society. The ending of the novel is therefore tragic but ultimately necessary.

I Am Legend is a wonderful mix of science and horror. An evolution in vampire mythos, it earns its place as an evolution in the genre from novels such as Dracula. The key to its successful evolution comes down to its focus on Robert Neville and his believable fight for survival. The excitement, the monotony, and the ups and downs all add up to create a vivid picture of a world after disaster and the next steps in society. 

I Give I Am Legend: 8/10