Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson

8 reviews

_forestofpages's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It's usually difficult for me to enjoy a classic, but this one was right on the money. I enjoyed the slow build, the internal monologues of our main character. Robert Neville, the regular guy who just so happens to be the last human on earth surrounded by blood sucking fiends. 

It was painful and lonely and twisted reading this book. And I honestly enjoyed every minute. 

It was always fascinating even when nothing was happening. I don't think this book is for everyone, it's slow and deliberately so. It's also very heavily focused on one man constantly wishing he was dead or that he could find other people, which may be boring to some. 

But the real themes about loneliness at the end of the world, being faced with insurmountable odds and horrors most people could not imagine and the ways a person can change even when faced with such adversity, was incredible. And that last line hit me like a truck. 

/

The fact there were no real vampires was a bit of a disappointment, but I really enjoyed the explanations and the science Neville discovered.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Animal death, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Self harm

demetrius_bennett's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Alcohol

Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death and Sexual harassment

sassmistress's review against another edition

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Very much not my usual speed, but I see why it's genre-defining. It must be a *really* early take on zombie apocalypse literature. It's a solid mix of psychological horror and zombie thriller, with a dash of that classic sci-fi introspection. Extremely gripping, at points, like The Walking Dead (sorry to relate it to something newer!) Choc-full of content concerns, though, so I can't rate it any higher. But I really enjoyed the read and want one for my classics shelf. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Grief, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Drug use, Rape, Self harm, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

- Very graphic depiction of alcoholism and heavy alcohol use, from the mind of the user. We're constantly watching strong drinks spill, smell, burn going down, numb emotion, etc.
- POV is regularly on the verge of a mental breakdown.
- Memories of his wife wasting away and dying, then having to dispose of her body. The grief is graphic. His child dies, too, though this is less prominent.
- Dog content:

He feeds the feral/traumatized dog and slowly befriends it. During this process, the dog is infected. He brings the dog inside, hoping to cure it before it passes, and it panics extensively. He calms it down, the dog licks him, he cries, and then says the dog died a week later.

- He is an atheist, but prays twice out of desperation. Religion is otherwise depicted as frenzied madness.
- Lots of lustful gaze and objectification. This is viewed as the inevitable result of a man's "deprivation" / isolation. One passionate embrace/kiss.
- Blood, obviously, and some violent "vampire" deaths, but most of it is kept at a moderate emotional distance. Most deaths are the MC bleeding out the sleeping "vampires", not described too graphically, but a few are more violent.
- Brief mention of rape, and a few suicidal thoughts.

oddreads_nicolestins's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Sexual content, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and War

chloeprowse's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Self harm and Sexism

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

Definitely enjoyed it. It had Walking Dead vibes but if it was written by Stephen King.

 Didn't so much enjoy the weird descriptions of our main character lusting over (un)dead women. Otherwise I enjoyed our main character and following his pov, he was a very complex believable character that made you root for him, but also scared of what he might do.

The ending was pretty great, really interesting way to pick up the plot and keep you on your toes. I can definitely see why people love this, just good fun all round.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Mental illness, and Grief

Moderate: Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, and Vomit

ironically's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail