Over the past couple of months I have read alot of science fiction novels, more than I have done in the past. Although it was not a genre I considered to be one of my favourites, I was always interested by it. I remember going through the sci-fi section in the library and being fascinated by these bulky volumes with strange, obscure images on the front cover, although I never bothered to delve into one.
The first novels I read were arguably the first science fiction novels ever written; The War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells. My first and overriding feeling after reading both these books was one of pure admiration for Wells' vivid imagination. How one man has created so many staple ideas of science fiction in one lifetime is astounding. Indeed in just these two short novels Wells' explores the themes of alien invasions, earth being taken over by martians, humanity being destroyed and humanity destroying and human experimentation.
It seems to me that science fiction has not moved very far since the 1890s when these two books were published and I would suggest that the vast majority of sci-fi novels written since have simply been an expansion or a different take on the ideas presented by Wells.
Something similiar can be said of another novel I read, I Am Legend. I Am Legend is a psychological examination of the last man on earth (or so he thinks) and his struggle to survive against hoarding sub-humans, something between a vampire and a zombie, who try to kill him. I am aware that Richard Matheson (author of I Am Legend) did not invent vampires or zombies however he was the first to put them into a dystopian earth where the majority of humanity has been wiped out. It is this idea which has been replicated in books and films countless times, and while the tune may be slightly different, the song is always the same.
Authors like H.G. Wells, Jules Verne and Richard Matheson seem to have taken all the fundamental science fiction ideas and used them first. Now what science fiction authors write are just imitations of these ideas. However this is not just the case in sci-fi, but seemingly in all literature. There seems to be very little that has not been done, very few new ideas, and it is rare to come across something that is completley original.
NB. I want to make it clear that just because something is not completley original, does not mean it can not be enjoyed. I am not that pretentious.
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I AM LEGEND was indeed one of the most seminal works of SF/horror from the 20th century, probably the first to attempt a scientific explanation for the phenomenon of vampirism. It has been adapted into three feature films: THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, with Vincent Price; THE OMEGA MAN, with Charlton Heston; and the recent Will Smith version. It was also a major influence on Stephen King and the acknowledged inspiration for NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, while its influence on today's authors and filmmakers continues after more than fifty years. For further information, see my book RICHARD MATHESON ON SCREEN (http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4216-4), tentatively due out in early October.
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