I am Legend - The book is more heartbreaking

I can understand the reasons that the film adaptation of this book provoked great sadness in the audience. Especially for all of you dog lovers. But I ought to warn you, the book is much worse.

I was in the middle of the book when I went on a five-day New Year's trip to Vienna. I was very sad at that time. The trip to Vienna had another purpose than a simple vacation. I needed hope. A useful feeling, but also a dangerous one. So carrying this book with me was the worst mistake I ever made. As I was reading it, I felt myself on the pages. Fortunately, soon I understood I had to close it. I couldn't bear to read a word. I only resumed it a few days after I returned to Athens.

Before I go on, I must state that I enjoyed both the movie and the book, but I recognize that the book is far more brutal, in psychological terms. 

First, let's distinguish some differences between the book and the movie. In the movie, they are mutated zombies from a virus. In the book, mutated vampires, again from a virus. These vampires have intelligence and consciousness, unlike zombies. Because the vampires are intelligent as humans, on one hand, they hunt the protagonist systematically, and on the other hand, they fear him. In the film, a high-tech security system guards the protagonist's hideout. In the book, he may not have such a cool security system, but he has garlic, crosses, and mirrors, which vampires fear. The dog is referred to in both media. Also, in the book, there is a direct reference to the phrase "I am Legend", which I can't talk any further about in order not to spoil the book. Nevertheless, I can refer to the major difference that makes the movie and the book of the same title two completely different approaches, despite being, for the most part, both the same story.

The book is much more melancholic than the movie. Compared to the book, the film adaptation is just another catchy action movie. And this is not only because of the atmosphere and the dynamics of scenes but neither due to the character's reactions. Quite simply, the book offers more slowly and excruciatingly the subject of the only man on Earth (at least as far as we know) Neville, and his attempt not to go crazy, not to lose his humanity, and at the same time to find a cure for vampirism.

Richard Matheson must have been in a very dark time of his life when he wrote this monstrous book. I can't justify it otherwise. Perhaps it seemed to me as such, because I myself was in a similar position when I tried to read it. If you enjoyed the movie and want to read a heavier version of the story, I recommend the book. It will raise your standards for the genre (Sci-Fi, post-apocalyptic horror, etc). It's not as long as six hundred pages, so some of you who are more familiar with larger works like Steven King's - personally, too long ones bore me - maybe you'll be disappointed. Maybe you'd like more. Maybe you’d want a whole series of novels with the protagonist fighting armies of vampires like Blade! This would certainly destroy the whole point of the original story.

But apart from that, doesn't the protagonist and the writer deserve some peace after this martyrdom? A little rest? I'm sure I'm not the only one who has felt it. When you finish writing a very heavy story with a very troubled protagonist, maybe then you feel mentally tired. Maybe you want to work on stories that you are less emotionally involved in. I can't be sure that the same thing happened to Richard with "I am Legend, ", but I can imagine the deep breath he took after he finished the last sentence of the text.

To conclude, if the film itself seemed heavy to you, you may find the book even more painful. I would not recommend trying to read this book in a time period of mental turmoil and quick ups and downs. Maybe you should check it at a time when your mind is clear and calm.