Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

6 reviews

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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

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

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

- 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:

Spoiler

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism and Injury/Injury detail

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

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

katrinarose's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

For such a short book it sure packs a punch. I loved the ending and the grim reality that we see of Neville’s life. Despite the monotony of most of his days, this book flew by for me. And even now after seeing hundreds of versions of a vampire and/or pandemic story, I still find this one original and compelling. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Body horror, and Medical content

Moderate: Child death and Alcohol

Minor: Sexual content

spaceranger's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual content, Alcohol, Gore, Cursing, Death, Grief, and Suicide

singalana's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Elokuvaversiosta poiketen tässä post apokalyptisessä novellissa zombien sijasta temmeltävätkin vampyyrit. Robert Neville on maailman viimeinen ihminen - kaikki muut ovat jo ajat sitten muuttuneet vertaimeviksi hirviöiksi. Päivisin Neville etsii ja tappaa vampyyrejä, täydentää varastojaan ja vahvistaa puolustuksiaan. Öisin häntä piinaavat ulkona odottelevat vampyyrit. 

Robert Neville kipuilee yksinäisyytensä kanssa, juo liikaa ja vihansa vimmassa käyttäytyy aggressiivisesti. Ymmärrettävästi hän ei juuri nyt ole ihan parhaimmillaan. Kirjan alussa hänen suurin ongelmansa tuntuu olevan seksin puute, mikä nykylukijalla saattaa nostattaa hieman kulmakarvoja. Tätä lukuunottamatta kirja on kestänyt suhteellisen hyvin aikaa. 

Lopussa kirjassa on hyvin toteutettu kohtaus, jossa Neville todistaa verivihollisensa kohtaloa. Loppuratkaisu onnistuu ehkä hieman yllättävälläkin tavalla kääntämään kirjan asetelmaa. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Alcohol, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal death, Addiction, and Violence

Minor: Violence, Sexism, Rape, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content

cnohero's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Not really comparable to the movie. This actually may be a case in which I prefer the movie. 

<Spoiler>Pros: 
This was really well written and gripping. I read well past my bedtime.
 I'm impressed by it's scientific discussion especially for it's time (1960's). 
Excellent world-building and just enough horror for my taste but not too much.
 This book did bring me to the edge of tear and could be very moving in some parts

Cons:
I did not like the main character. Maybe he supposed to be unlikeable? 
I hated the way the author discussed lust and sex.  I really have a hard time with the discussion that the main character was so sexually deprived he was tempted to have sex with the living dead. 
Overall I was not comfortable with the discussion of women they are not treated well or regarded well through the book.  There was too much emphasis on women's bodies and sex. </Spoiler>

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Misogyny, Mental illness, Gun violence, Gore, Death, Cursing, and Confinement

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief