10.09.2007

RIP Challenge #3 - I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Atmosphere: Riddled with holes
Chill factor: Tepid

I hate to dump on a novel so many sci-fi/horror readers respect. But I didn't much care for this one.

To sum up the plot, a lone survivor of a plague and vampire infestation tries to...well, survive.

On the plus side, that is a somewhat intriguing plot. The character also does some investigative work on what makes vampires tick, and the resulting information is imaginative.

That's about it for the plus side.

On the minus side: Well, where do I begin? First of all, the survivor just happens to be a white adult WASP male, Robert Neville. And he happens not to be incredibly likable, at least for this reader. This is unfortunate, since we are pretty much in his head for the entire journey. Neville is portrayed in two dimensions: he's a prototypical male human and he's intelligent. Oh, and he really hates the smell of garlic. But, does he develop empathy for the vampires he kills (some of whom happen to be acquaintances)? Sort of. Does his character improve with the isolation he endures? Naw. Does he find some sort of redemption in his suffering or that of the vampires? Apparently not.

Supposedly the "grim irony" of the novel is when a new breed of human -- vampires who develop a resistance to the things that ordinarily kill vampires -- decide that he's the outsider and must be annihilated. Which would be a ironic and satsifying if the book had built up to that moment; in other words, if we would have seen Neville's character change from fright to a sort of empathy that is a saving grace of humanity, to a desire to help the poor creatures...But the author doesn't do that. Instead he resorts to keeping his hero trapped in his male sexuality and self-pity. I mean, what does the fool do with all of the solitude and time??? Why was there relatively little soul-searching and philosophical musing (Thoreau he is not)? Why didn't he try building "safehouses" around to extend his perimeter? Why didn't he pursue a cure sooner? And why did the only person with any empathy turn out to be a woman who was one of the new species (and what was her motive, other than what the author implied that Neville was a prototype WASP male, therefore a "good catch")? Okay, that's harsh. But, Neville certainly didn't woo Ruth (a ham-handed Biblical name) with his charm and character. And he supposedly is smart enough to learn about biology and chemistry and how to fix a generator, but he couldn't figure out Ruth was a spy? I mean, I saw that coming from a dozen pages away. Neville even has a few "Why didn't I think of that sooner?" moments to explain plot gaps, which is a really lazy device on Matheson's part.

Perhaps even all of this could have been redeemed if there was a gloriously written sentence or well-turned phrase or two. Alas, not a one.

This is why I tend to stay away from the genre stuff. I simply require something other than plot from my reading. Or, at least, if a plot has to carry the whole shebang, it better not have any damned holes in it.

I'm not giving up on Matheson yet. I will see what his novella Hell House has in store.

10 comments:

Literary Feline said...

I saw a trailer for the upcoming movie and was curious about the book. I had no idea what it was about (the movie trailer didn't offer much in the way of synopsis), and after peeking at the back of the book, I've been curious. I'm so glad to come across your review! I doubt I will read the book. Maybe if I really like the movie. But honestly, I'm not even sure I'll see the movie unless it gets really good reviews from friends. :-)

Thank you for the review!

Anonymous said...

Oh, ouch LK. I just finished this books myself (review forthcoming), and while I didn't think it was the greatest piece of literature I've read, I didn't think it was that bad either.

I wasn't put off by Neville's unlikability. In fact, I'm not sure if Matheson intended his audience to like him. Relate perhaps, but not like. I think maybe Matheson was trying create a story in which an ordinary, not particularly likable guy (at least "ordinary" as Matheson sees it - WASP male) finds himself in an extraordinary situation. He isn't a philosopher, nor is he particularly smart, or patient, for that matter. He's simply a guy who found himself, through no cause of his own but rather through an immunity which only he has, the only man left alive in a city of vampires.

What interested me, however, wasn't the idea that it was simply another vampire horror story, but that placed in its historical context, it could be seen as commentary on the political and social atmosphere of the country at the time, i.e. the Cold War. I came to this realization when I realized that, though they operated in what some would consider different genres, Philip K. Dick and Matheson seemed to share similar concerns. I've been reading an anthology of Dick's short stories in which he often uses sci-fi/horror (i.e. genre) as simply another way of dramatizing the the apocolypic fears many Americans lived with during that time. Granted, Dick is probably the better writer...

Anywho, didn't mean to go a spiel (I guess, I need to write that review sooner than later, huh? : ). I'm sorry you didn't enjoy I AM LEGEND as much, but I hope you have better luck with HELL HOUSE, which is also my TBR list. : )

LK said...

Lit Feline, well, I hope I'm not steering you wrong....I'll report on Hell House, see if I like that one better.

J.S., I appreciate your comments. They haven't swayed me -- :) -- but I think I just couldn't overlook some of what I consider "basics" in solid writing, and an empathetic (if ordinary and/or flawed) character is certainly one of them. I think that with just a little work, Matheson could have lifted Neville from a flat, almost rote middle-class American white man into a more rounded character. When the character development is as lacking as I thought this one was, there isn't much chance of themes emerging clearly. And, just my opinion, of course!

I am going to read HH and report on it.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like the real problem was the novel had a man in it. I bet there are a lot of novels that you hate, LK.

LK said...

Oh, go away, Anonymous. You are a coward and a bore.

Anonymous said...

Ouch LK! I read this book last year and while it wasn't fantastic, I did find the way vampires were portrayed as interesting and a little different. If you want a laugh though, be sure to watch the two movie versions, one with Vincent Price and one with Kirk Douglas. Price does lots of voice overs and brooding. Douglas takes the kick ass approach and completely flubs the "sensitive man" scenes.

LK said...

Hi, Stefanie, well, sometimes books hit me in the wrong way. I am pretty hard on genre books, I admit. But cool on the movies!!! I will keep my eyes peeled for them. Tee hee.

Still working my way through Hell House....as I say, not giving up on Matheson.

Bookfool said...

I've read a book of Matheson's short stories (The Incredible Shrinking Man and other stories) and one novel. I enjoyed both but I'm kind of iffy about this one. I think I have a used copy on my shelf. It sounds rather disappointing, but I'll probably still give it a whirl and remind myself that if it sucks at page 50, it's probably worth giving up. Thanks. :)

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