Robert Neville

Robert Neville is the last man on Earth, but he is far from the last living being. It has been several years since an unknown plague covered the Earth and seemingly wiped out every human. But those humans that died did not stay dead, and have now returned to life as vampires, thirsting for human blood. By day, Robert goes through a strict routine to fortify his home with mirrors, garlic, and nailed-up boards, and hand making the endless amount of stakes needed for his other daily routine — vampire slaying. By night, Robert sits in his home, listening to classical music and drinking himself to sleep while vampires stumble around and call for him to come out. Fed up by not knowing what caused the plague, and still haunted by the death of his
Matheson takes the reader on Neville’s journey of repetition and routine to keep from going insane. Much of the story is told through Neville’s monologues to himself, as he talks his way through the day, and keeps himself in the present. Only briefly does he think back to the past, which is far too painful for him to revisit for even a fraction of a thought, and any shattered memories that Neville remembers are quickly doused with alcohol and even more detailed
Unlike any of the film incarnations of Neville, here in the original novel Neville is not a scientist and is not actively involved with the plague as it spreads out across the planet. He instead must start from scratch as he analyzes the situation and becomes a self-taught armchair researcher. As Neville becomes more aware, on a scientific level, of what has happened around him, Matheson begins to change his writing to accommodate Neville’s newfound knowledge. Matheson ever so subtly switches from chilling bump-in-the-night scares to a critical analysis of what is making those bumps. The result is an unprecedented explanation for what makes a vampire a vampire, and why the classic superstitions that have become associated with the vampire work as they