I had not intended to read two vampire books so close together, and I had not expected to enjoy them so much. 
 When I first started this book I didn't understand, but I now understand, why I am Legend was the inspiration for Stephen King and so many other horror writers and horror directors. There is reason why there are three movies based on it: The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I am Legend (2007). 
 I find it important to visit (and revisit) the classics every now and then and so, as a horror fan, I had to visit this one. Granted, this is not straight horror; it is more the root of horror. So it does not scare you, per say, but it is scary, if that makes sense. And it is most certainly not your typical vampire story. Why? As you can see, by my tags for this book, it is not fantasy. Most vampire books fall under the realm and/or genre of fantasy because we are meant to assume that the myths are true. We are to accept them as they are and I have an imagination (when it comes to fiction) so that does work on me, and fascinates me. Yet this book took vampirism to the science fiction genre. Matheson and his character Neville questioned vampirism. He studied the roots of their weaknesses (garlic, crosses, sunlight, mirrors, etc). He actually provided a scientific basis for some and logical explanation for others. I mean, the point that he made about the cross, that I won't mention without spoiling, was brilliant. It's funny because it was so obvious and yet so many of us had not thought of it that far. 
 Aside from the fact that he was brilliant in that he approached horror and vampirism combined in the sci-fi route, he wrote really well. For a story about one single man, you'd think it would get boring. That it does not. You feel his pain, loneliness, anger, and hurt. This is the kind of book that made me think more about it afterwords and I like that kind of book. I was able to connect with Neville and, more importantly, Matheson made me think (a rarity in the horror genre). Loved it! Original, thought-provoking, and smoothly written.