I Am Legend (novel)
A 1954 novel that redefined vampire and zombie fiction.
I Am Legend is a post-apocalyptic horror novel from 1954, written by American author Richard Matheson. The book helped shape modern zombie and vampire fiction as a distinct genre, introduced the idea of giving vampires a scientific origin, and made the concept of a disease-driven global apocalypse popular. It was a commercial success and led to three film adaptations: *The Last Man on Earth* (1964), *The Omega Man* (1971), and *I Am Legend* (2007). It also directly influenced George A. Romero’s *Night of the Living Dead* (1968).
The story takes place after a war has devastated the world, leaving behind weekly dust storms. The main character, Robert Neville, lives alone on Cimarron Street in Los Angeles, surviving months and then years after a pandemic. The plague, spread in part by the dust storms, killed most people and turned them into undead vampires. These vampires follow classic folklore: they drink blood, have pale skin, avoid daylight, and look otherwise human. Neville, possibly the only survivor, locks himself inside each night as vampires attack his home. He protects himself with garlic, mirrors, and crucifixes. During the day, when the vampires are dormant, he drives around staking them with wooden stakes—bullets don’t work—and scavenges for supplies. The staked vampires do not liquefy instantly but rather decay over time. Flashbacks show how the disease took his wife and daughter.
Struggling with loneliness, depression, and drinking, Neville decides there must be a scientific reason for the vampires’ traits. He researches at the Los Angeles Public Library and discovers the cause is likely a bacillus bacterium that can infect both living and dead hosts. Under a microscope, he finds the bacteria are highly sensitive to garlic and sunlight. After a failed attempt to befriend a sick stray dog that dies within a week, Neville throws himself deeper into his studies.
He begins experimenting on captured vampires and develops a theory of “hysterical blindness”: the vampires react to mirrors and crosses because sensational media coverage before the plague made people fear supernatural monsters, so the infected now behave as they think vampires should. He also learns that sunlight or wide wounds expose the bacteria to oxygen, which kills them, causing the host to decay.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Richard Matheson
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Subject
- Post-apocalyptic
- Genre
- Horror
- Publisher
- Gold Medal Books
- Pub Date
- August 7, 1954
- Media Type
- Paperback
- Pages
- 160 (1954 edition)
- Isbn
- 9780802755247
- Congress
- PS3563.A8355
- Dewey
- 813.54
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Set after an apocalyptic war that ravages the land with weekly dust storms, the novel details the life of Robert Neville, who lives on Cimarron Street in Los Angeles in the months and eventually years after the outbreak of a pandemic. The plague, whose spread was facilitated by the dust storms, killed most of the human population and turned them into undead 'vampires.' Neville, possibly the sole survivor, barricades himself indoors nightly as vampires swarm his house. During the day, he drives around stabbing them with wooden stakes, causing them to decay over time rather than liquefy instantly. Flashbacks reveal how the disease claimed his wife and daughter.
Suffering from isolation and depression, Neville researches at the Los Angeles Public Library, discovering the root of the disease is a bacillus strain of bacteria. He finds the bacteria are killed by oxygen exposure, such as from sunlight or open wounds, leading to the host's decomposition. The bacteria do not switch from harmless symbionts to aggressive parasites; they are always parasitic in dead tissue and are simply destroyed by oxygen.
Reader's Guide
I Am Legend is significant for its lasting influence on horror and science fiction. It introduced the concept of a scientific origin for vampires, a novel idea at the time, and helped popularize the worldwide apocalypse caused by disease. The novel's portrayal of vampires—nocturnal, blood-sucking, but scientifically explained—bridged traditional folklore with modern rationalization, influencing both vampire and zombie genres. George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968) drew inspiration from the novel, and it was adapted into three major films. Critical reception was initially mixed: Damon Knight criticized its dropped ideas and childish characters, while Anthony Boucher praised its forceful storytelling. Modern reviews have been more positive, with Dan Schneider calling it 'perhaps the greatest novel written on human loneliness.' In 2012, the Horror Writers Association gave it the special Vampire Novel of the Century Award. The novel's exploration of isolation, societal reversal, and the nature of monstrosity continues to resonate, making it a foundational work in post-apocalyptic fiction.
Did You Know?
- The vampires in the novel are caused by a bacillus strain of bacteria.
- The protagonist Robert Neville realizes he has become a legend to the new society of living-infected vampires.
- The novel received the special Vampire Novel of the Century Award from the Horror Writers Association in 2012.
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