I was very excited to see this book on the reading list. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and so was expecting to enjoy the book even more. Because, lets face it, that's just how these things work. And, having read Hell House last semester, I felt I had a pretty good idea going in as to what the story would be like.
But these two stories couldn't be more different. I am Legend is all about isolation, and the mental effects of it. There are few cheap thrills in it. No 'boo' scares. No shocking revelations. Just a look at the path one man treads from human to monster. Because, really, Robert Neville is the monster here. But more on that later, first the obvious. The vampires.
I really enjoyed the way that Matheson worked vampires in this story. It isn't terribly original any more, but I imagine it was at the time. I like the idea of vampirism being a biological disorder. It brings a logical explanation into a thoroughly mythical and magical concept. In fact, my favorite parts of the book by far were those where Robert was trying
to explain all of the myths of vampires with science. The systematic
way Matheson goes about this appeals to the science lover in me and it
makes the middle portion of the story interesting. The idea that there were living and dead vampires was also an interesting twist. It makes sense with the scientific explanation, and allowed Matheson to create the arc we have for Robert.
Unfortunately, at least for me, the middle portion of this short novel dragged. I understood early on just how isolated Robert was, and just how close to crazy he was getting. But Matheson seemed to feel the need to pound this nail home for far more pages than I felt was necessary. An example is spending seventeen pages on Robert trying to befriend a dog, to kill it in one line. I understand why Matheson did this, and what he was trying to show, but the pacing dragged significantly as a result.
But the end made up for it. The conclusion, showing that Robert has become the monster brought a smile to my face. I love irony, and how much more ironic can you get than the monsters becoming the new normal, and what was normal becoming the new monster. The new legend. It was clever and very well done. Not surprising, but still satisfying.
You make a good point about the middle part of this book and I wonder if it would have made a more effective short story. I always seem to remember it as a short story or some reason because the story elements that matter are high peaks against the low tension sequences that, as you say, pound this nail home.
ReplyDeleteNice post, Allan. Interestingly, everything you dislike I loved and everything you liked I hated. Matheson trying to explain vampirism with science annoyed me. I don't want to know what causes it, that's taking away all the fun. I liked the pages of Robert slowly losing his mind and befriending the dog. But we both agree on the ending, I loved Robert becoming the monster and the previous monsters becoming the new norm. It is a clever ending for the story.
ReplyDeleteI land somewhere between you and Vanessa with respect to the middle of the story. On the one hand, I love stories with quick pacing, and this was not one of those. On the the other hand, I felt like demonstrating Neville's day-to-day activities was a perfect way to make us feel how dull and routine his life had become. If this had been cut, I think the result would have been less effective. Also, I feel like this middle section gave us plenty of opportunity to see Neville casually killing vampires as he went about his day. If the middle section had been shorter, each kill might have come across as more significant at the time, which would have made the ending—the realization that Neville had become a monster by killing vampires, both living and dead, without remorse—less effective.
ReplyDeleteFor a novel, this is a VERY short one. And I do agree with you about the middle part slowing down a bit. I wonder how it would've felt if the novel had been twice as long. Probably a drag.
ReplyDeleteAnd now the dog.... In the movie, wasn't the dog in it the entire time? Because of this I kept expecting the dog to be a factor in the rest of the book but then the dog... just... died. I was shocked! (and a bit angry). I really wanted Robert to have a companion, but then Matheson just says "nope!" And bam! Dead dog. I don't know if this is normal (or healthy) but that was probably the part of the book that stuck out the most for me; although, I did love the ending! The shifting ideas of monster is probably why this book is still in the bookstores.