I Am Legend by Matheson, Richard (2007) Mass Market Paperback

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Bought the book after seeing Vincent Price in The Last Man on Earth. Book arrived on time in excellent condition. Gave seller 5 stars

Overall not a bad science-fiction book for when it was written

How did Hollywood dare to think they could come up with a better ending.Stick around for the mind blowing finale. Don’t skip ahead it’s worth it.

I purchased this book not long ago. I first read this when I was a kid. This book of nostalgia hit home for me. If you like sci-fi and dystopia stories, then great! Enjoy!

I liked the book. It is the precursor to the entire zombie genre and thus it may seem trope-y at times but that is because it invented the tropes that many writers used in the following decades.The first half of the book is the story "I am legend" and a second half is a series of short stories.

A little while back, I was recommended to read “Hell House” by Richard Matheson because it was considered by a number of folk to be one of the greatest, most atmospheric haunted house novels ever written, right up there with Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” and Stephen King’s “The Shining.” Seeing it was paired in a single volume with Matheson’s other classic, “I Am Legend,” and a handful of short horror tales, I found it a bargain and picked it up. “I Am Legend” is the horror classic that tells the tale of Robert Neville, the last human living on a post-apocalyptic Earth plagued by vampires. It inspired the films “The Last Man on Earth” with Vincent Price, “The Omega Man” with Charleton Heston, and the most recent eponymously titled “I Am Legend” with Will Smith. Not to mention all George A. Romero’s “Dead” films, the “Resident Evil” video game series, and “The Walking Dead” comic series among others. Yes, this book was single-handedly responsible for the entire post-apocalyptic zombie survival horror subgenre. Although some scenes in the story can be a little plodding and dry, I feel that the reader gets an intimate look at the life of the main character of Robert Neville, and, based upon that, either grows to love him or detest him. Although the novella is enjoyable, I personally think it could’ve used more scenes with Neville battling the vampires. And the ending is completely different from any of the film adaptations that were made, at least that I can remember. Between this novella and the other title. “Hell House,” there are a number of short horror stories which are interesting, but nothing really to cement them in the mind of the reader as solid horror tales, at least in my opinion. “Hell House” is quite the disturbing tale, and stands out the most in this volume. In this novella, physicist Dr. Lionel Barrett, his wife Edith, and the two mediums, Florence Tanner, and Benjamin Franklin Fischer, band together to investigate the Belasco House in Maine, otherwise known as “Hell House” which is said to be the world’s most haunted house. It belonged to one Emeric Belasco, a man that could have given Aleister Crowley a run for his money. At the turn of the twentieth century, he founded a society within that accursed house dedicated to diabolism and debauchery. The history of Belasco House is truly chilling, sinister, black, and terrifying. While reading it, I could almost hear dark organ music playing in the background. Unfortunately, at least from my view, it’s the height of the terror in the novella and never is eclipsed by the horror of any supernatural happening that it sets the story up for. There are a few memorable, intriguing scenes, but nothing that stays in the mind and haunts it into oblivion so much as the house’s history. The ending, I will say, had an interesting twist and made the novella not so much of a disappointment. I give “I Am Legend/Hell House” by Richard Matheson a 3 out of 5.

This was a Christmas gift so the only review I can give is that the recipient loved it!! Also, it arrived quickly and the price was very good.

Bought as a gift

This is wrongly named!!! The book I was sent contains 'I am Legend' plus a collection of short stories. It does NOT, however, contain 'Hell House'. I was very disappointed to discover this after waiting for it to come all the way from the USA.

Cover not as advertised.