Audible Book Review: I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

This is an engaging horror story.

I Am Legend
By: Richard Matheson
Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 12-31-06
Language: English
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Sci Fi, Vintage
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.0; Narration 4.5.

Publisher's Summary
In I Am Legend, a plague has decimated the world, and those unfortunate enough to survive are transformed into blood-thirsty creatures of the night. Robert Neville is the last living man on earth. Every other man, woman, and child has become a vampire, and they are all hungry for Neville's blood. By day, he is the hunter, stalking the sleeping undead through the abandoned ruins of civilization. By night, he barricades himself in his home and prays for the dawn. How long can one man survive in a world of vampires?
©1954, 1982 by Richard Matheson (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Review:
Robert Neville is a lone survivor of a plague that turned most survivors to a form of vampire. The authorities took his daughter to the burn pit but he protected his wife as long as he could. When the time came that she died he took her to bury her with dignity – he thought. At least he would be able to visit her grave. But when night came, she arrived at his door to visit him.

The neighbors and strangers prowl his lawn at night seeking his blood; hoping to make him one of them. He struggles with being a true, living survivor, with no one to talk to and only the taunting shouts of the dead outside his barricaded home. During the day Neville tracks the sleeping monsters to their lairs and kills them first with wooden stakes and later by other means he discovers. One night after a drunken rage he decides to study the decease to see if he can find a cure. After all he has hours and days and years…

It has been a long time since Neville has seen a person during the day or heard a voice other than the dead. He is shocked when he finds a woman wondering in a field one day. His ravings frighten her but he ends up dragging her home. Then he begins to wonder if she is another survivor like him.

The character of Neville in the book is not the one I remember from the movie. I suppose it is understandable that Neville would have bouts of craziness – being alone so long and always under night attacks. At times he is a sad character and other times pathetic. I hoped things would improve when he began reading medical journals. Some of the monologues and medical jargon got a bit tedious but it was part of the character development. I especially found the history and myth testing regarding vampires interesting.

This is a Vintage book written in 1954 and it did not have some of the more modern items I think I remember in the movie. I had forgotten enough of the movie to make this worth listening to as part of my TBR. I knew it was horror and I am thinking that the book achieves a different level of sci fi horror than the movie.

I enjoyed the ending dilemma which reveals the meaning of the title. I recommend this to horror fans, fans of a different, dark vampire (no sparkles), and fans of post-apocalyptic. I also recommend it even if you have seen the movie.

Audio Notes: Robertson Dean does an excellent job with the narration. He captures the dark tone of the story and the mania of Neville. I’m glad I listened to this rather than reading.

Source: 11/18/17 Celebrating 20 years of Listeners Membership Perk Free #audible20. This qualifies for 2019TBR and 2019Audiobook goals.

Audiobook Review: The Quest for Cosmic Justice by Thomas Sowell

I found this to be a well laid out, thought provoking treatise.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice
Written By: Thomas Sowell
Narrated By: Robertson Dean

Date: September 2017
Duration: 5 hours 52 minutes
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
Genre: Jurisprudence, Non-Fiction, Social Studies
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0

Summary:
This book is about the great moral issues underlying many of the headline-making political controversies of our times. It is not a comforting book but a book about disturbing and dangerous trends.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice shows how confused conceptions of justice end up promoting injustice, how confused conceptions of equality end up promoting inequality, and how the tyranny of social visions prevents many people from confronting the actual consequences of their own beliefs and policies. Those consequences include the steady and dangerous erosion of fundamental principles of freedom-amounting to a quiet repeal of the American revolution.
The Quest for Cosmic Justice is the summation of a lifetime of study and thought about where we as a society are headed-and why we need to change course before we do irretrievable damage.

Review:
I really enjoyed listening to this treatise but found it hard to review. I took two and a half pages of notes while listening! My first review draft was 910 words and this is still long. This work was copywritten in 1999 but its discussion is timely in today’s distraught and divisive political atmosphere.

Some of the well stated points include: Social justice is not the same as true justice. Justice at all costs is not justice; it always costs someone.

Sowell discusses Traditional Justice v Cosmic Justice. Cosmic Justice often approaches issues with a theoretical stereotype rather than addressing flesh and blood reality. The cosmic arguments focus on emotion rather than objective, factual circumstances. Sowell shares many examples supporting his premise that the Cosmic Justice vision is self-serving as it is unwilling to look at the evidence of application. Cosmic Justice favors the abstract which is at odds with practicality in the everyday.

Sowell projects that there is a quiet repeal of the American Revolution which was based upon ideas of landmark freedom and a democratic society. The three branches of government were intended to balance each other. Now, as the legislative branch fails to agree and take action, they leave the door open to executive orders and legislation made through Supreme Court decisions. American freedoms were set forth with a stated Rule of Law that was tempered with controls and exemptions. The issues of Cosmic Justice versus Traditional Justice are a seesawing balance of public rights versus private rights. Traditional Justice permits individual rights while Cosmic Justice dictates through controlling requirements. Cosmic Justice is irreconcilable with personal freedom which is based on the Rule of Law.

Cosmic Justice seeks to further government powers while Traditional Justice seeks to maintain individual rights. Expansion of Federal powers erode individual freedoms. Sowell notes that state rights have continually been eroded in 20th century, not by legislation, but by judges. Traditional Justice applies laws. Cosmic Justice allows judges to input their view of right and wrong (the Rule of Men) rather than enforcing the Rule of Law. Burdens of proof on plaintiffs are now shifting to defendants encouraging a prima facie case without support. (This was in evidence in the recent hearings to approve Justice Kavanaugh and is also an underlying basis in the division of those seeking liberal justices rather than conservative justices.)

Impartiality of law is being disregarded in the face of Cosmic Justice which results in a political non sequetor, to wit: ‘Things are not right and government should make them right’. Increasing government control (especially Federal) is in conflict with freedoms and rights of the common man who wants to live peaceably in their (hopefully compatible) local communities. Cosmic Justice is pursuing Globalism instead of American rights.

As I listened to this it gave me better insight on the current extreme divide in our social and political views. I do widh that people would agree to civilly disagree. I pray Americans could recognize the privilege we have to live under such a unique system of government and I hope we don’t lose it. I recommend this to anyone interested in the topic. Although I enjoyed the audio, I think a print copy would work for a better resource.

Audio Notes: The narration by Robertson Dean was very well handled. The tone is direct and respectful. He managed to keep my interest in what could be at times a difficult work to follow and digest. I am glad I had the audio although, as noted above, a print copy would be worthwhile too.

Source: Audiobooks July 2018 credit purchase. This qualifies for Audiobook and Alphabet Challenges.