Science Fiction Classic: "I Am Legend," by Matheson

Note: Not about the terrible Will Smith movie.

A few nights ago I stayed up all night re-reading a science fiction classic: "I Am Legend."  It's one of my favorite stories, and one I strongly identify with.

Like a lot of science fiction, it follows a simple plot.  Robert Neville is the last human being alive in a world filled with zombie-like vampires.  He has to defend against their daily attacks on his home, a scrappy survivalist using materials left behind after the doomsday* plague.

One of the things that really struck me about the book was Neville's gradual degeneration due to isolation.  At first he is beset with depression and alcoholism.  Later, he accepts his fate and becomes an antisocial wild man.

--- Warning: Spoilers after this point ---