I Am Legend (Richard Matheson, 1954)I thought the Will Smith movie version of this book was decent, but that was because I had not read the book. Upon reading it, I realized how much more could have been done with the story.
In the book, Neville is not a cool, black man, muscled, organized, and fully together. Instead he is a mess of a man, depressed, a drunk, and on the verge of collapse. Being the last person on earth really takes its toll on the book version, and that is more interesting to me. Also, in the book, the creatures are obvious vampires, so not only does Neville know how to fight them (garlic, cross, etc) he tries to scientifically explain them.
It is a short book, and finishes before it makes any big impact. But the story is so captivating and interesting, that it does end much faster than you want it to.
4/5
