8-27-2026 Latham's Last Words: I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
- Donna Latham
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Welcome to Latham's Last Words, where I give you my last words on vintage horror books I've enjoyed. Let's look at I Am Legend from 1954!
This was my first time reading I Am Legend and I have to admit I had no idea it was about vampires. I always thought it was a zombie apocalypse story. I also didn't realize it was written in 1954. Yes I had seen the Will Smith movie version, but honestly I don't recall much of it and at that point had no idea it was based on a book.
I'm not sure what horrified me the most. The fact that Robert Neville was supposedly the last human alive and being hunted and taunted by vampires every night. Or if the complete isolation that he lived in was the scariest thing. I couldn't imagine being alone day after day for years with no one to talk to, not even a pet.
Not knowing Robert's background, I was impressed with how the author made him into such a resourceful person. He had electricity, a car, plenty of food, even air conditioning! He was able to fortify his home to stay safe. And, he was smart enough to burn down the houses next door to keep the vampires from getting on his roof.
Watching Robert struggle with depression, loneliness and alcoholism definitely made me feel empathy for him. But when he found purpose, researching why things like garlic effected vampires and how to "cure" it was fascinating to me. A self taught man. I don't know that I'd be able to do what he did in that situation.
I was also shocked by the vulgarity of the female vampires trying to coax Robert out by making lewd suggestions and removing their clothes. Not something I would have expected from a novel written in 1954.
For a 72 year old story it certainly holds up today in 2026. A post apocalyptic, psychological and vampire horror story, I would suggest every horror reader read this book.
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