January Book Study - I Am Legend

First of all: Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?
What was your impression of it?

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Let’s get it out there, I liked the movie better. This might be a first.

In the end, yes, I enjoyed the book. It was not my impression of it. I expected the book version of I am Legend the movie with Will Smith. They are not the same story. The movie is a re-imagining of the book by Richard Matheson.

The Beginning:
- How effective was the opening hook?
- How effective was the first sentence? The first paragraph? The first page? The first chapter?
- When were you pulled into the author’s world? By the end of the first chapter?
- If not, when?
- How do you think this was accomplished? Or why do you think it wasn’t accomplished?
- What would you have done to change it/make it better?
- If you were an editor, what would your reaction be to the first chapter?
- Why do you think the average reader liked it so much?
And more…

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To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t impressed with the opening. If I had been standing in the aisle at Borders or B&N I would have set it back down. He took too long to get to the point. The whole ‘them’ thing didn’t work for me, and I hate to admit, I was disappointed when I learned they were vampires. I’d seen the movie first so I already had impressions.

By the first day outside, working on his home, I was pulled into the author’s world.

It might have been interesting to start in a different place, maybe with Virginia and Kathy, but I completely understand his choice.

The Protagonist:
- What did you like/dislike about the protagonist?
- How did the author introduce the protagonist?
- How did the author get you to become invested in the protagonist?
- What was different about the protagonist as opposed to other protagonists? What was the same? Did the author make the protag distinguishable? If so, how?
- What techniques did the author use to show the protagonist throughout the story?
- What were some of the characteristics the author gave the character and how did they work/not work?

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I didn’t really like Robert Neville until well into the book; probably because I was disappointed he wasn’t Will Smith. As the story progressed, I developed some empathy for Neville and the story got more interesting. It’s possible that Matheson didn’t want us to like Neville at first. He used that to show us the stages of Neville’s development. None of us would be particularly likeable if we were the last ones to survive. The nice ones got eaten. By the end of the book, I wanted Neville to win, which made the loss all the more poignant. It wasn’t until the very last line of the book that I understood the title.

The Characters:
- Did the author make the characters come alive for you?
- How did he/she do this?
- How were they described?
- How were they distinctive?
And more…

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There’s not much to say about characters when there is really only one. You could say that Ben Cortman, Virginia and Kathy were characters. You could say that of the dog, but in reality all of them were only aspects of Neville and therefore flat.

I would have preferred to get a tiny bit of back story with Ben Cortman that explained his exclusive pursuit of Neville. If you buy that the vamps have a memory of their life, then it could be that there was a story behind that. Why was Cortman rallying the vampires to get Neville? Or did I miss that?

Ruth was the only real character that had an opportunity to be fleshed out. She served her purpose, but I don’t believe that she could have ‘loved’ Neville in that short time. She might have understood him, but love was too convenient.

The Setting:
- Was the author’s world convincing?
- Did he/she make you feel you were there? How?
- What about the setting did you like? Not like?
- What would you have done differently?
And more….

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The setting is what makes the book, on the surface. What would it be like to be the last man/woman on earth? And what if everyone you ever loved turned into a blood sucking nightmare? That would really mess with you.

Add to that the empty world. I get completely freaked out in big institutional buildings when they are empty, imagining what lurks in the darkness. Can you imagine how much more freaked out you’d be if you knew there was something in the darkness that would kill you, if it weren’t your imagination?

Good setting.

Of course, I personally never would have learned about them, because there is no way I could have convinced myself to go into the stacks of library under those conditions.

The Plot/Story:
- Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
- Was it different or similar to other plotlines in the genre? How?
- Was it believable? Predictable?
- Were there any twists, turns or surprises?
- Would you have thought of it? How does it compare to your own plotline of your WIP?
- Did it pull you through or did you have to wade through it?
- How was this done or how do you think it should’ve been done?
- If you were buying stories for a publisher, and this manuscript hit your desk (not knowing what you do now about its sales) would you have bought it or expected it to be successful?
- Why do you think the buying public enjoyed it so much?
- What variations, if any, would you have added to the storyline/plot?
And more…

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The plot was a little slow to develop, especially because I kept trying to get tied back into the movie. Even then, through page 50 or so he only sets up the routine for us. That’s a third of the book.

I did not find the book predictable. It didn’t do anything from the movie. Damn that movie.

However, in the last page of the book, I realized he had been slowly feeding us the meaning of the book from the get go. That I enjoyed.

The Style:
- What did you think of the author’s style of writing? Like it? Hate it?
- How much do you think this had to do with the success of the book, if any?
- What type of POV was used? How effective was it? Would the book have turned out different if the POV were done differently?
- How removed was the author from the story or how intrusive?
And more…

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I would have said no when I started reading the book. By the time I finished I am Legend and the other ten stories, I think I do like his style. I need to think on it a while to figure out why I like it, maybe I’ve been comparing him to Neil Gaiman. That would make sense, since I just read Smoke and Mirrors.

The Structure:
- How did the author unfold the story?
- Were the beginning, middle and end equally strong?
- How effective was the way the author gave you all the information?
Was it straightforward? Suspenseful? Predictable? Surprising?
- Could it have been done another way?
- Was it a linear structure or did the scenes jump around? How did this add/detract from the story or your enjoyment of it?
And more…..

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The middle and end were stronger than the beginning. I started to enjoy the book more as I had more back story to play with.

The Theme:
- Was there any? What was it?
- Did you think it had an impact on your enjoyment of the story?
- Was it blatant or subtle?
- Do you think the average reader registered this?
- Do you think it may have affected him/her or contributed in any way to the success of the book?
And more…

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I love the theme. It’s what makes the story work. I especially like the way it rounded out legend. Our myth’s are really just stories about the different. What would the world think of us if everyone else was a nocturnal hunter? Hmm.

Conflict:
- What was the main conflict?
- How was it handled?
- Was it a large part of the story or did the author keep it lying under the surface?
- What other conflicts did the author use in the story and when? (Internal and external.)
- What purpose did they serve?
- Would the story have been as enjoyable with less conflict? More?
- What types of conflict could’ve added to the story? Which conflicts subtracted from the story?
And more…

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The conflict that I kept expecting to be resolved was Cortman. I was actually a little let down when the death squad swooped in and killed him. It left me feeling a cheated.

The biggest conflict was the one inside Neville. I think Matheson did a great job of building this one up and then bringing it back down. Although he played up the whole libido thing and then kind of let it drop. I think he over played that in the beginning and then not enough in the end.

Dialogue:
- Was it realistic?
- Was it readable?
- How did the author handle ‘tags’?
- Was there a lot of dialogue or a little?
- Were there dialects? Slang? Profanity? Vulgarity?
And more…

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Not much dialogue in a book about a lonely man. What was there worked.

The Ending:
- Was it satisfying? Why or why not?
- Did it come as a surprise or did you see it coming from page two?
- Would you have ended it the same?
- Was everything resolved?
- Would you be able to write a sequel?
- Would you buy another book from this author?
And more….

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My favorite part of the book was the ending. I am Legend. When he looks out over the crowd of living vampires and sees the fear of him in their eyes that he had for them, that made the book. Right up to the last line, I would have given it a middle of the road rating. With that, I’d say I like the book.

The one thing that I might change about the ending and the book in general is that the new vampire society comes out of left field. It’s like all of sudden they show organization and they’ve been building all along. I think it would have been stronger if Neville had been finding some evidence of there organization through out the book. I mean really, in our society if we knew some creature was coming into our houses at night and staking our children we would set up protective measures. Maybe he could start running into booby traps when he gets to them. Or maybe they would be sleeping in larger groups. Something. To have a spy thrown at him totally out of the blue and then get hauled off by the SS a few pages later was hard to swallow. That would be my only change.

i have read it but i don't want to do the study from memory. but when i went to the library it seems i have a book out.

after turning the house upside down i didn't find it. i went back to the library and found it on the shelf. but they wont clear me...

is there any where i can read it online?

well i payed for the book, the price wasn't bad only four dollars (it was a really old copy) so im going to get me one and start reading it.

Time for the Amateur Hour

Haven't yet seen the movie, so was able to approach this work with a clean slate, more or less.

I was aware of the initial publication date, which led me to envision the Cleaver neighborhood (as in Wally and the Beav) for the setting. I pictured the same cars, streets, sidewalks, trees, homes, architecture, furnishings and fashions. Although Matheson didn't explicitly describe it, I am quite confident that some of the female creatures attacking Neville's house were still wearing their pearls. I am not saying the story is dated, but the clues to the era were there, yet did not detract from the story.

The first impression I developed in the opening is that the matter-of-fact, pragmatic approach to life that seemed to be Neville's defining trait is likely one of the first requirements for Humanity's last survivor. When we first meet him, he has already been thru more trauma than most protagonists see in a story's climax. He is already affected and shaped by his horrific experiences and is therefore reacting to the events unfolding before us in a chilling manner. It makes it initially hard to get to know him, understand or empathize with him. Which, I suspect, was the whole point of the first third of the book. It could have been Matheson working with the reader to enable an understanding of what it might be like to bear the burden of being the last one standing. Being the last could very well make you alternately manic and motivated, to ragingly depressed. You would certainly be a bit unbalanced. I bought in to that.
The flash-back structure of the story works well in accomplishing the bond between the reader and the protagonist. We start with the advanced state of character development, in all its ugliness, and then learn the events leading to Neville's condition. The story of his loss of wife and daughter and living the days of decline of modern civilization are important in establishing an empathy for Neville. As a bonus, presenting this in flash-back moves the pace of the story along quite briskly.

Biggest whine: Why did the difference between the "living" Vampires vs. the "Dead" vampires elude me so long? Why, all of sudden at the end, did we have the merely "infected" and the "living dead"? Up until that point, there seemed to be no difference. Obviously, this must be a deficiency in my reading or my attention span. Perhaps I was falling asleep when reading that key page and didn't re-read properly when I picked it up again, I don't know. But even so, I am disappointed that the raving lunatic monsters that weren't smart enough to break thru Neville's significant, but not impenetrable, defenses are all of a sudden are smart enough to organize into a new society. Totally missed that. And even now am annoyed by it. (I think ElMonty commented on this too, and I am trying not to be a copycat). Were the living and dead vampires always at odds and we just didn't see it cuz we were looking thru Neville's eyes? Weren't they working together at one point to mindlessly exterminate every moving, living thing?

No? That isn't how it was you say?

<heavy sigh>

Oh, stream-of-conciousness silly comment: If I recall during "Storm Front", there were many comments on the all-too-frequently "quirking lips" of the characters. I nominate the "throat moved" as the most overused character action in "I am Legend"!!

I was very pleased with the ending. Neville showed his true strength of character, remained unafraid and unbowed. He understood the big picture, and didn't waste effort railing at the unfairness of it all (like I am still doing!).

As I'm only a few chapters into the book I'll confine this to just beginnings. First of all, curiously, having seen the movie last year and the earlier version years back, Omega Man, I found it interesting that it was Charlton Heston I saw in my mind's eye as the story opens, and although the story soon began to take on some deeper directions of its own, my MC continued to be Heston. But this is really beside the point...

Except that Matheson's opening seemed a direct copy from the original Omega Man, which is likely what set me on that pattern. This lack of originality kind of turned me off just at the beginning, but Matheson won me over shortly with his fresh insights into that character who was already firmly set in my mind. Because of all that's happened previously, right from the start we feel Robert Neville's character slipping, struggling to hold to some routine, struggling with physical need, alcohol to dull, the desire to give up, then self-preservation continuing to prevail. Matheson did his job making me see the world around Neville all over again. I'm hooked and though I think I know the story, I want to continue with his interpretation, though I'm still struggling myself with the feeling of it being a rip-off, something that is nowhere near being his own.

That said, what did I like? All of it. Robert Neville is very human, talking to himself, arguing with ghosts inside his head, drinking in the face of danger or because of it, getting cabin fever and needing to leave the security of the four walls that protect him. But even at this point I'm already thinking to myself that his fortress sounds mighty shaky considering what he's up against. I find myself doubting right from the beginning that a few nailed boards and garlic can hold back this multitude of undead. And he's five months after the fact he tells us at Rose's grave, and here just understanding what sunlight means to the creatures. That bothered me a bit, thinking that it probably would have been a first thing that made me think.

Ben Cortman, who at this point seems to be Neville's main protagonist, also feels borrowed. Matheson has him call out. "Come out, Neville!" It's simple, it's direct, it works, but was the exact ingredient used in Omega Man. So, I'm continuing into the book, but have reservations. Will he bring some true originality to the story? I can't help wondering.

Just in case I missed something, Omega Man was the original film adaptation of I am Legend.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/fullcredits#writers

Matheson was the original for this story.

ELMontague said:

Just in case I missed something, Omega Man was the original film adaptation of I am Legend.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067525/fullcredits#writers

Matheson was the original for this story.

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This is a sure case of the 'opinions are like assholes, everybody has one' theory if I ever saw one. But thank you EL, now I can just read the book and enjoy. I would probably have checked names and dates, but for the time span between movies. Pretty silly of me, I see now.

That's OK, Kerr. I completely understand how it could have happened. After about three pages of I am Legend, I turned back to the copyright - it felt too old to be the Will Smith version - to discover the book was written in the 1950s.

I find that older voices don't always work for me, which may be the reason I liked Will Smith's movie better than Richard Matheson's novella.

Wow this was a crazy month, three research projects for school, a half a dozen concerts that i had to run, the local chapter making up its own rules on eagle scout apps put together can take all of your time. this is my pathetic way of saying that i did not get to read it, and am doing this from memory.

as my uncle would say. "Excuses are like assholes and arm pits, boy, every one has a few and they all stink."

First of all: Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?
What was your impression of it?

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I did enjoy the book, the hopelessness of the battle that Neville refused to surrender on made you cheer for him. like Lance Armstrong you know. And like Armstrong, i did expect him to make it.

The Beginning:
- How effective was the opening hook?
- How effective was the first sentence? The first paragraph? The first page? The first chapter?
- When were you pulled into the author’s world? By the end of the first chapter?
- If not, when?
- How do you think this was accomplished? Or why do you think it wasn’t accomplished?
- What would you have done to change it/make it better?
- If you were an editor, what would your reaction be to the first chapter?
- Why do you think the average reader liked it so much?
And more…

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the first chapter has turned into a ball of fuzz on me, and i am speed posting right now, so i don't really have time to look it up. in all honesty i should be researching sweatshops.

The Protagonist:
- What did you like/dislike about the protagonist?
- How did the author introduce the protagonist?
- How did the author get you to become invested in the protagonist?
- What was different about the protagonist as opposed to other protagonists? What was the same? Did the author make the protag distinguishable? If so, how?
- What techniques did the author use to show the protagonist throughout the story?
- What were some of the characteristics the author gave the character and how did they work/not work?

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What really hooked me with Neville was the story of how his daughter died, and the horror of his wife coming back from the dead. the mental and emotional trauma of this was quite apparent. another part that hooked me quickly was when he found the dog that was surviving. his reaction when it died showed the fullness of his loneliness.

His obsessions with classical music and particular pieces that he despised brought an element to him. one that i quite liked.

another thing i liked was the difference in Neville in the flash backs and Neville in the present. you could see the warping that his

The Characters:
- Did the author make the characters come alive for you?
- How did he/she do this?
- How were they described?
- How were they distinctive?
And more…

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The only characters other than Neville that really have the name are the vampire that called his name every night (i am sooo awful with names) and the female vamp that was pretending to be a survivor.

Though i forget her name her actions are still quite memorable. what made her a 'real' character was that she betrayed her mission to warn Neville. It showed a human level of conflict. (lols, human)

The Setting:
- Was the author’s world convincing?
- Did he/she make you feel you were there? How?
- What about the setting did you like? Not like?
- What would you have done differently?
And more….

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the setting reminded me of a Company of wayward saints. "we do not use a setting, we merely use a few sticks and some lengths of cloth, prefering to build castles from your childhood memories..." which is effective if used right, and i feel that he did use it right.

He never actually described the setting, except for the inside of Neville's house, you built the rest from images of your thought of perfect destruction. (admittedly mine kept getting in the way as there were walls toppled into the streets Neville was driving on)

this method let me feel like i was there because i imagined him being in my own town.

The Plot/Story:
- Did you enjoy it? Why or why not?
- Was it different or similar to other plotlines in the genre? How?
- Was it believable? Predictable?
- Were there any twists, turns or surprises?
- Would you have thought of it? How does it compare to your own plotline of your WIP?
- Did it pull you through or did you have to wade through it?
- How was this done or how do you think it should’ve been done?
- If you were buying stories for a publisher, and this manuscript hit your desk (not knowing what you do now about its sales) would you have bought it or expected it to be successful?
- Why do you think the buying public enjoyed it so much?
- What variations, if any, would you have added to the storyline/plot?
And more…

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well seeing how as i stayed up till past two every night reading it, i would say yes to most of the questions.

As far as variants, i think i would have placed him in a small group of survivors at the beginning. and just have them slowly be lost whittle them down until he was alone.

i think the public enjoyed it so much because we like to cheer the underdog. Lance Armstrong is another good example, he had testicular cancer, that could probably kill him, and he would also supposedly never ride again. when he not only beat the cancer, but took the Tour de France every one knew about it. so uhh, long winded way of saying he had no chance but we wanted him to.

When the vampires turned out to have become sentient and intelegent, and they were rebuilding the human empire that had fallen, i was like wow.

The Style:
- What did you think of the author’s style of writing? Like it? Hate it?
- How much do you think this had to do with the success of the book, if any?
- What type of POV was used? How effective was it? Would the book have turned out different if the POV were done differently?
- How removed was the author from the story or how intrusive?
And more…

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err, uh skip

The Structure:
- How did the author unfold the story?
- Were the beginning, middle and end equally strong?
- How effective was the way the author gave you all the information?
Was it straightforward? Suspenseful? Predictable? Surprising?
- Could it have been done another way?
- Was it a linear structure or did the scenes jump around? How did this add/detract from the story or your enjoyment of it?
And more…..

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the nonlinear jumps in the story were quite annoying at first, but as he began to unfold a second story in them i began to enjoy it more.

i have to say it was suspensefull, since i was wondering what he would do the whole time. i knew it was differnet from the movie, but not how different, i was still hoping that he would find the cure and just not die this time round.

i think the end blew the rest out of the water. at the end of that the line I am Legend, was a kick to the mind. he was the last, and would be feared by vampire kind forever.

The Theme:
- Was there any? What was it?
- Did you think it had an impact on your enjoyment of the story?
- Was it blatant or subtle?
- Do you think the average reader registered this?
- Do you think it may have affected him/her or contributed in any way to the success of the book?
And more…

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i hate theme so much, i always get it wrong, so skip too.

Conflict:
- What was the main conflict?
- How was it handled?
- Was it a large part of the story or did the author keep it lying under the surface?
- What other conflicts did the author use in the story and when? (Internal and external.)
- What purpose did they serve?
- Would the story have been as enjoyable with less conflict? More?
- What types of conflict could’ve added to the story? Which conflicts subtracted from the story?
And more…

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the conflict as i saw it, was Neville wanted to understand the vampires that had taken so much. he wanted to destroy them and cure them, meanwhile they wanted to destroy him.

i have to say it was more in front, since a most of what Neville did was either research, or preperation for the night. only a couple of his vampire killing sprees were really not part of that.

conflicts that could have added, Maybe if he was a schitzo.
what detracted, the female vampires tring to entice him out. why didn't he just wank off?hmm so any way, didn't like that too much, plus it isn't that hard to be chaste.

Dialogue:
- Was it realistic?
- Was it readable?
- How did the author handle ‘tags’?
- Was there a lot of dialogue or a little?
- Were there dialects? Slang? Profanity? Vulgarity?
And more…

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hehe, dialouge in this book was almost non-existent.

The Ending:
- Was it satisfying? Why or why not?
- Did it come as a surprise or did you see it coming from page two?
- Would you have ended it the same?
- Was everything resolved?
- Would you be able to write a sequel?
- Would you buy another book from this author?
And more….

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I Am Legend. that was great closing line. i was actually blind sided by it, but if i thought hard enough i might have made it to that. although i don't think intellegent human vampires comming out of the stupid zombie ones would have come out of my mind. my writing is still as predictable as a... i needs a metaphore here, nothing is that bad in real life. (Jk by the way, i have a lot of plot twists, just the stuff in between is like that)

gah, how would you write a sequel? MC is dead.
everything was resolved.

why didn't we mention the science here? while most of the virus stuff was beleivable (to an extent), i didn't like the thing with the bullets. a bullet would be pulling air into the wound and doing the same thing as staking them.

well, i have to go back to writing this report, its due tomorrow, teach wants it emailed.