It all starts with a deadly virus, a plague that storms through town, killing everyone. Then, it brings them back. Now, herds of vampiric zombies roam the streets, hunting for fresh blood. As far as Robert Neville knows, he's the only warm-blooded creature left in L.A., probably the sole survivor in all of California, maybe the entire world. He spends the daylight hours hunting the undead, fortifying his home against their nightly attacks, and combing the silent library for ideas on how to save what's left of the world. At night, he barricades himself inside his house, numbs his mind with liquor, and prays for the dawn. Even when there's nothing left to live for, Robert refuses to let the monsters take him. He may not win this war, but he refuses to give up.

Robert's been alone for so long that when he spies a living woman darting down the street, he can barely coax his voice into shouting. Is it possible that he's not the only human left on Earth? Can Ruth help him save their world? Or is she the harbinger of a whole new kind of evil? Robert's about to find out ...

With an army of bloodthirsty zombies intent on devouring the last human on the planet, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson has the makings of a horror masterpiece. Published in 1954, it was influential in popularizing the idea of a disease-induced apocalypse. That concept, coupled with the idea of zombies taking over the world, makes for an intense and affecting story. Unfortunately, the main character makes a rather abrupt (yet somewhat ambigious) exit before his story has the chance to reach anything resembling a climax. What follows is a weird group of unconnected, macabre little tales that could have been penned by the legendary Stephen King. Although each is shivery in its own right, I kept waiting for the vignettes to tie back into the main story. Never happened. I spent the whole second half of the book wondering if I was missing some big, symbolic statement or if a bewildered editor somewhere had mistakenly glued together two different books. I'm still not sure. Matheson, surely, had a reason for finishing I Am Legend the way he did, but if there's some big message here, it's way too subtle for me. I don't get it. At all.

If you liked the 2007 film adaptation of I Am Legend starring Will Smith, then I suggest sticking to the first half of the novel and dreaming up your own ending. Matheson's, quite frankly, sucks (pun intended).

(Readalikes: The Enemy by Charlie Higson; The Passage by Justin Cronin; The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan)