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The Strain #1
The Strain
A high-tech vampire epic....Terrifying.
San Francisco Chronicle
Part The Andromeda Strain, part Night of the Living Dead.
Salon.com
Chuck Hogan is known for his taut thrillers, Guillermo del Toro for his surreal horror films
The Strain brings out the best of each.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
An epic battle for survival begins between man and vampire in The Strainthe first book in a heart-stopping trilogy from one of Hollywoods most inventive storytellers and a critically acclaimed thriller writer. Guillermo del Toro, the genius director of the Academy Award-winning Pans Labyrinth and Hellboy, and Hammett Award-winning author Chuck Hogan have joined forces to boldly reinvent the vampire novel. Brilliant, blood-chilling, and unputdownable, The Strain is a nightmare of the first order.
401 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2009
2755 people are currently reading
64200 people want to read
About the author
Guillermo del Toro
153 books5,067 followersGuillermo del Toro is a Mexican director mostly known for his acclaimed films Pan's Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone, Crimson Peak and the Hellboy film franchise. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy, horror, and war. In 2009, Del Toro released his debut novel, The Strain, co-authored with Chuck Hogan, as the first part of The Strain Trilogy, an apocalyptic horror series featuring vampires. The series continued with The Fall in 2010 and concluded with The Night Eternal in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,243 reviews
November 9, 2010
Imagine that you’re reading one of those Twilight books as Edward is whispering chaste sweet nothings into Bella’s ear, and it was oh-so-romantic-and-couldn’t-you-just-die-OMG-OMG-OMG. Suddenly Edward’s head flips back and his throat opens up like he just became a Pez dispenser. A six foot stinger/sucker thing flies out, and it zaps that silly girl right in a major artery and drains her dry in about twenty seconds while parasitic worms take over her corpse and turn her into a mindless bloodsucking meatbag.
And that is why Guillermo Del Toro will never direct one of the Twilight movies. Too bad because I’d pay good money to see that.
Del Toro, who directed several horror movies as well as the critically acclaimed but extremely gruesome Pan’s Labyrinth, apparently was tired of the vampires being castrated by hordes of adoring teenage girls and set out to make them monsters again. And he does a pretty good job.
A Boeing 777 lands in New York but most of the passengers are dead. Before you can say 'Bela Lugosi', a CDC doctor is getting lessons from a Van Helsing wannabe named Setrakian on the best way to deal with the vamps, which are essentially a parasitic virus run amok with a Master bloodsucker as the main villain pulling the strings to launch a full scale vampire apocalypse.
The book had a fresh take on the vampire story and Del Toro and co-author Chuck Hogan do a good job of mixing some Old World vampire mysticism with 21st century science and tech. Especially creepy is the way that Manhattan is soon being quietly overrun during the initial outbreak. It’s got a Stephen King ‘Salem’s Lot vibe in those descriptions.
However, Del Toro borrowed liberally from some of his movies, most noticeably Mimic and Blade II. The characters are B-movie thin, especially the hero who is also saddled with a bad sub-plot of a custody fight for his son. (His ex-wife and the social service worker can’t understand why a potential viral outbreak might cause a CDC doctor to have to reschedule an appointment or two.) The opening set-up with a plane load of dead passengers has been used twice before that I know of in Nelson DeMille’s The Lion’s Game and Fringe in its pilot episode.
So the story seemed overly familiar in a lot of ways, and the writing isn’t especially great, but it’s got a lot of momentum and is loaded with enough gore and ultra-violence to make vampires nasty again. It’s the first in a trilogy, and it was enough fun that I’ll be checking out the next two.
And that is why Guillermo Del Toro will never direct one of the Twilight movies. Too bad because I’d pay good money to see that.
Del Toro, who directed several horror movies as well as the critically acclaimed but extremely gruesome Pan’s Labyrinth, apparently was tired of the vampires being castrated by hordes of adoring teenage girls and set out to make them monsters again. And he does a pretty good job.
A Boeing 777 lands in New York but most of the passengers are dead. Before you can say 'Bela Lugosi', a CDC doctor is getting lessons from a Van Helsing wannabe named Setrakian on the best way to deal with the vamps, which are essentially a parasitic virus run amok with a Master bloodsucker as the main villain pulling the strings to launch a full scale vampire apocalypse.
The book had a fresh take on the vampire story and Del Toro and co-author Chuck Hogan do a good job of mixing some Old World vampire mysticism with 21st century science and tech. Especially creepy is the way that Manhattan is soon being quietly overrun during the initial outbreak. It’s got a Stephen King ‘Salem’s Lot vibe in those descriptions.
However, Del Toro borrowed liberally from some of his movies, most noticeably Mimic and Blade II. The characters are B-movie thin, especially the hero who is also saddled with a bad sub-plot of a custody fight for his son. (His ex-wife and the social service worker can’t understand why a potential viral outbreak might cause a CDC doctor to have to reschedule an appointment or two.) The opening set-up with a plane load of dead passengers has been used twice before that I know of in Nelson DeMille’s The Lion’s Game and Fringe in its pilot episode.
So the story seemed overly familiar in a lot of ways, and the writing isn’t especially great, but it’s got a lot of momentum and is loaded with enough gore and ultra-violence to make vampires nasty again. It’s the first in a trilogy, and it was enough fun that I’ll be checking out the next two.
December 4, 2010
This is a terrible book. Nearly all of the characters were caricatures straight out of Central Casting, or TV Tropes. We had the Wise Old Guy, the Street-Smart Shitkicker, The Brain, and The Chick. Oh, and speaking of The Chick, there were two: the love interest of the Brain and the nagging, irrational Ex-Wife -- because Ex-Wives must never be charming and smart -- mother of The Wesley Crusher son of The Brain. The whole book reads as though somebody figured out how to do Novel-By-Numbers and made a bestseller out of it. Wait. That's probably exactly what happened. (i.e., book packager)
So why three stars? Because I couldn't put the damn thing down. -_- Even bought the sequel (and devoured it too); how bizarre is that? It's terrible, but riveting. The fresh take on vampirism -- which I didn't think I would care about because I DON'T LIKE VAMPIRE NOVELS -- was enough to keep me reading despite the wooden characterization and leaden prose. And then somehow I started liking the damn thing. I never liked the "good guys", kept hoping for them to die -- but the villains were so much worse that I kept hoping for them to die first. Eventually I was just reading to enjoy every single character's death. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS.
But any book that hooked me this hard deserves at least three stars, so here they are. Oy vey.
So why three stars? Because I couldn't put the damn thing down. -_- Even bought the sequel (and devoured it too); how bizarre is that? It's terrible, but riveting. The fresh take on vampirism -- which I didn't think I would care about because I DON'T LIKE VAMPIRE NOVELS -- was enough to keep me reading despite the wooden characterization and leaden prose. And then somehow I started liking the damn thing. I never liked the "good guys", kept hoping for them to die -- but the villains were so much worse that I kept hoping for them to die first. Eventually I was just reading to enjoy every single character's death. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS.
But any book that hooked me this hard deserves at least three stars, so here they are. Oy vey.
June 27, 2014
What if vampires were real, ancient, and spread their vampirism like a virus? That's the central premise of The Strain, and I was on board from the first page. Ultimately, it was a disappointment for me, and I won't be reading the other books in the trilogy.
This book starts out with so much promise. It's a taught, intense, compelling thriller that gradually introduces compelling characters that it's easy to care about.
Then, in its middle third, it starts to wobble a little bit. The characters start doing things that don't make sense based on what we know about them, but because the slightly-too-convenient plot demands it. There were still enough interesting bits to keep me reading, but just past the halfway mark, I started to lose interest.
In the final third, it completely collapses under the weight of lazy, hacky writing that moves from one set piece to the next, sloppily throwing in brief and unsatisfying character moments as an afterthought.
So I'm of two minds on this: one, everything I stated above. The other, maybe I could have just suspended my disbelief and enjoyed the ride (which, I suspect, a lot of readers are able to do).
Strangely, I expect that a lot of what didn't work for me in this book will actually play out fairly well on the television series that starts in July, and I'm interested to see how they will handle it.
This book starts out with so much promise. It's a taught, intense, compelling thriller that gradually introduces compelling characters that it's easy to care about.
Then, in its middle third, it starts to wobble a little bit. The characters start doing things that don't make sense based on what we know about them, but because the slightly-too-convenient plot demands it. There were still enough interesting bits to keep me reading, but just past the halfway mark, I started to lose interest.
In the final third, it completely collapses under the weight of lazy, hacky writing that moves from one set piece to the next, sloppily throwing in brief and unsatisfying character moments as an afterthought.
So I'm of two minds on this: one, everything I stated above. The other, maybe I could have just suspended my disbelief and enjoyed the ride (which, I suspect, a lot of readers are able to do).
Strangely, I expect that a lot of what didn't work for me in this book will actually play out fairly well on the television series that starts in July, and I'm interested to see how they will handle it.
October 3, 2018
It was alright. I kinda got lost. Zero stars for the dogs!! And the milky stuff - ewwwww. I hate milk and this made me want to gag! I still have to fight gagging when watching the first Alien for the millionth time 😂
Happy Halloween 🎃
Mel 🖤🐺🐾
Happy Halloween 🎃
Mel 🖤🐺🐾
October 18, 2025
This is the first of a planned trilogy. The director of Pan’s Labyrinth and an award winning mystery author brings their vision to the vampire tale.
Del Toro and friend - from Geek Nation
The Strain is a fast, entertaining read, with a twist to the rationale for vampirism that is fun, if a bit derivative. In fact a lot of this book is derivative, cobbling together elements from a host of books and films. There is a scene that is reminiscent of the haunted ship sequence in Dracula. In the original a ship that is carrying Dracula’s coffin, home soil, and Drac himself, makes it to its destination, but the ship is completely depopulated. In this one an airplane manages to land, but all the passengers succumb to an instantaneous malady that appears to kill all but four of the people aboard. Fans of Alien will recognize a smile at how these vamps bite their prey. The subcutaneous squigglies that appear here will be familiar to anyone with the SyFy channel in their cable package. The New York setting brings together hints of 9/11 with the sort of I Am Legend scenario of one or a few real humans holding off the vampiric hordes. There is a strong element of 24 Days here as well. How long will it be before the entire city, and then the nation is overtaken by the bloodsuckers? And the vamps here seem to share considerable DNA with zombies. There is a hint of Underworld and even Anne Rice in that there is mention of battles between factions of the undead. No doubt fodder for volumes 2 and 3.
While I found the frequent homages (they are homages, right, not crass copying?) to prior works tiresome after the first batch, I enjoyed some of the mechanisms presented as ways of dispatching the blood-hungry, and the added nuance to how mirrors work. And the name Eldritch Palmer summons not only Lovecraft, but Philip K. Dick’s The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.
Jonathan Hyde as Eldritch Palmer – from Mashable.com
delToro and Hogan have fun with darkness, from the dark cave that first takes the evil giant Sardu, to the darkness of the death plane, to the darkness of the solar eclipse. They head to the appropriate underworld of the New York infrastructure and counterpoint a bit with the skyscraper home of a prime baddie. A solar eclipse is imminent (actually, the next one in NYC is not until 2079) and some people ascribe the extant madness to that event. There are plenty of nifty visuals here, to be expected given that one author is such a master of visual media.
David Bradley as Abraham Selvakian - from The Mental Attic
Our Van Helsing is Abraham Selvakian, an old pawnbroker and Talmudic scholar. The authors go a bit overboard with some of their naming. Our CDC hero is Ephrain Goodweather. Really
Corey Stoll at Ephrain Goodweather- From IGN
I enjoyed the vampire mechanism explanation, but I felt a strong compulsion not to look too closely. I expect it would not hold up to any but the most cursory inspection. And how did all the passengers on that plane suffer the same fate at the same time? Surely someone saw someone else being harmed and left his or her seat, at the very least.
the Master – from The Strain Wikia
The TV show, from which the above images were all taken, is fun, as is the book but, for both book and show, you will definitely have to check your brain before jumping in. And what’s that wormy thing on your arm?
Del Toro and friend - from Geek Nation
The Strain is a fast, entertaining read, with a twist to the rationale for vampirism that is fun, if a bit derivative. In fact a lot of this book is derivative, cobbling together elements from a host of books and films. There is a scene that is reminiscent of the haunted ship sequence in Dracula. In the original a ship that is carrying Dracula’s coffin, home soil, and Drac himself, makes it to its destination, but the ship is completely depopulated. In this one an airplane manages to land, but all the passengers succumb to an instantaneous malady that appears to kill all but four of the people aboard. Fans of Alien will recognize a smile at how these vamps bite their prey. The subcutaneous squigglies that appear here will be familiar to anyone with the SyFy channel in their cable package. The New York setting brings together hints of 9/11 with the sort of I Am Legend scenario of one or a few real humans holding off the vampiric hordes. There is a strong element of 24 Days here as well. How long will it be before the entire city, and then the nation is overtaken by the bloodsuckers? And the vamps here seem to share considerable DNA with zombies. There is a hint of Underworld and even Anne Rice in that there is mention of battles between factions of the undead. No doubt fodder for volumes 2 and 3.
While I found the frequent homages (they are homages, right, not crass copying?) to prior works tiresome after the first batch, I enjoyed some of the mechanisms presented as ways of dispatching the blood-hungry, and the added nuance to how mirrors work. And the name Eldritch Palmer summons not only Lovecraft, but Philip K. Dick’s The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.
Jonathan Hyde as Eldritch Palmer – from Mashable.com
delToro and Hogan have fun with darkness, from the dark cave that first takes the evil giant Sardu, to the darkness of the death plane, to the darkness of the solar eclipse. They head to the appropriate underworld of the New York infrastructure and counterpoint a bit with the skyscraper home of a prime baddie. A solar eclipse is imminent (actually, the next one in NYC is not until 2079) and some people ascribe the extant madness to that event. There are plenty of nifty visuals here, to be expected given that one author is such a master of visual media.
David Bradley as Abraham Selvakian - from The Mental Attic
Our Van Helsing is Abraham Selvakian, an old pawnbroker and Talmudic scholar. The authors go a bit overboard with some of their naming. Our CDC hero is Ephrain Goodweather. Really
Corey Stoll at Ephrain Goodweather- From IGN
I enjoyed the vampire mechanism explanation, but I felt a strong compulsion not to look too closely. I expect it would not hold up to any but the most cursory inspection. And how did all the passengers on that plane suffer the same fate at the same time? Surely someone saw someone else being harmed and left his or her seat, at the very least.
the Master – from The Strain Wikia
The TV show, from which the above images were all taken, is fun, as is the book but, for both book and show, you will definitely have to check your brain before jumping in. And what’s that wormy thing on your arm?
October 25, 2020
This is a striking example of what is officially called literatherapy. So tired from finals (finishing a semester-long draft--ending with 322 pages [!] plus a non fiction piece PLUS grading... [This is sooo irrelevant,) but a good assessment of this reviewer's desperate mindset whilst reading the novel]) I REALLY had to do something about the overstimulated brain, to lull my senses significantly and inspire me to finally do something to chillax--so I got this from the library, deciding that del Toro seems to be one of the few to have something both legitimately novel and ancient to say about my favorite all time genre, that is to say, Horror.
But the cliches pile up like bodies: this is what I mean by literatherapy. They are so irresistibly recognizable (the NYC backdrop [WTC site, to be exact], the creatures from the night being tied to one main baddie, a father and son finally getting close by slaying/mutilating vampires...) as to be the equivalent of McDonalds chicken nuggets the bright day after an enormous all-night fiesta. There is nothing out of this world here--it is a so so mix between del Toro's "Mimic" & that crap movie "I Am Legend" (you can practically tell where all the CGI in the movie version of the novel will be found at--the creatures' tongues are more than ready and rendered in 3D at this point). I was disappointed that there is nothing new to inform on the genre. (But it is not easy to contribute to it at all.) The familiarity of it just wrapped me up like one large, fuzzy blanket.
But the cliches pile up like bodies: this is what I mean by literatherapy. They are so irresistibly recognizable (the NYC backdrop [WTC site, to be exact], the creatures from the night being tied to one main baddie, a father and son finally getting close by slaying/mutilating vampires...) as to be the equivalent of McDonalds chicken nuggets the bright day after an enormous all-night fiesta. There is nothing out of this world here--it is a so so mix between del Toro's "Mimic" & that crap movie "I Am Legend" (you can practically tell where all the CGI in the movie version of the novel will be found at--the creatures' tongues are more than ready and rendered in 3D at this point). I was disappointed that there is nothing new to inform on the genre. (But it is not easy to contribute to it at all.) The familiarity of it just wrapped me up like one large, fuzzy blanket.
December 9, 2025
"Hunger, a poet once said, is the most important thing we know, the first lesson we learn. But hunger can be easily quieted down, easily satiated. There is another force, a different type of hunger, an unquenchable thirst that cannot be extinguished. Its very existence is what defines us, what makes us human. That force is love.”
C’mon, who doesn’t like a good vampire story?
Yup, I’m that fool who romanticizes vampires. I’ve had a fascination with them since I was young. So of course I had to watch the TV series alongside the book. With The Strain though, I can’t say I wish to be one of them. Guillermo del Toro made the vampires in this series repulsive and horrifying. Very… unsexy. lol The complete opposite of let’s say Anne Rice or Stephenie Meyer’s portrayal of them. Nope, there was definitely no pretty glittering diamond-like skin in this version. Goodreads, I admit, I have zero survival skills other than my strong will, so in the event of a vampire contagion outbreak, I know my ass would be one of the first to go. It does make you wonder, especially after experiencing the COVID pandemic. How would you fare in the face of an apocalyptic viral outbreak?
"Strigoi, sabia mea cântă cu argint!"
"Vampire, my sword sings of silver!" -in Romanian.
“The underground of the city is like what's underground in people. Beneath the surface, it's boiling with monsters.”
-Guillermo del Toro on writing The Strain.
C’mon, who doesn’t like a good vampire story?
Yup, I’m that fool who romanticizes vampires. I’ve had a fascination with them since I was young. So of course I had to watch the TV series alongside the book. With The Strain though, I can’t say I wish to be one of them. Guillermo del Toro made the vampires in this series repulsive and horrifying. Very… unsexy. lol The complete opposite of let’s say Anne Rice or Stephenie Meyer’s portrayal of them. Nope, there was definitely no pretty glittering diamond-like skin in this version. Goodreads, I admit, I have zero survival skills other than my strong will, so in the event of a vampire contagion outbreak, I know my ass would be one of the first to go. It does make you wonder, especially after experiencing the COVID pandemic. How would you fare in the face of an apocalyptic viral outbreak?
"Strigoi, sabia mea cântă cu argint!"
"Vampire, my sword sings of silver!" -in Romanian.
“The underground of the city is like what's underground in people. Beneath the surface, it's boiling with monsters.”
-Guillermo del Toro on writing The Strain.
December 4, 2013
Seems these days if you want to make a buck, you gotta write a vampire story. Don't get me wrong. I've enjoyed many vampire books out there but think the sub-genre has all but been bled dry. So along comes a book co-authored by visionary Guillermo Del Toro, a favorite movie director of mine, that claims to turn the concept of the vampire story on to its head. So yeah, I had high hopes for the book. It's too bad that after the promising first few chapters it simulated the experience of watching a bad TV mini-series with a blindfold on -- complete with cliche characters, anti-climactic and wholly ridiculous action scenes, and a very predictable and unsatisfying ending.
Here's the set up: after a triple 7 jumbo jet taxis onto a JFK runway it goes mysteriously and completely belly up. That's a hook! All shades are inexplicably drawn and no one is able to communicate with the pilots or gain entrance to the plane. Neat-o. What gives? Once it's pried open like a tin of sardines (and the door mysteriously opens) they find a whole lot of people restfully peacefully in their seats, all dead. Oh, and a coffin filled with some very nice compost. Thankfully, a small cast of stereotypes is perceived to still be alive (the pilot, the rock star, the vicious lawyer bitch, the cute kid) and serve as some of the agents of the book's slow plot progression.
We are left with some intriguing questions:
What's that horrible smell?
Why were all the shades drawn?
How did this very modern plane with independent and redundant electrical systems fail all at once?
Why were there no signs of struggle?
How did that coffin get through Customs when I have to practically strip naked to get on a plane?
Well, one of these questions is kind of answered in the rest of the book so I hope you're not a nitpicker like me.
Enter our good guy, a free-thinking doctor from the CDC with marriage problems. He's not a bad fellow you see, he just works so hard at his job but BOY does he love his son! He could have completed the cliche by being named Jack but instead goes by...Eph.
Following our intrepid hero throughout the book, for no other reason than to provide a romantic interest and a counterpoint to his limp, wet dish rag relationship with his ex-wife, is Nora, the Strong Silent Type. So silent that she isn't given more than two sentences of dialog throughout the entire book -- despite being nearly inseparable from our protagonist. If this trilogy does make it to the theaters as so many speculate I feel for the woman cast in this thankless role.
Expanding on our list of characters, we have a burly exterminator -- no, really, we do -- and a Holocaust survivor turned avenging vampire slayer, Abraham "Rambo" Setrakian. Abe, though pushing 80-something, according to my calculations, is an absolute death-dealing merchant in the presence of those pesky vampires. His walking stick predictably conceals a silver Ginsu sword which he swings about like Errol freakin' Flynn and yells "My sword sings silver" or something equally silly as he lops heads, arms, and other vampire appendages free in a furious rage. . Oh please. Abe hints at the end of the book that there's a lot about the vampires that the authors have been keeping him from saying. We'll see if that pays off in the future books.
So, this whole "redefining the genre" nonsense? You're asking yourself: "Can this really be true?" In a word, no. As I said, the vampire genre has petered out significantly. The recent publication of The Passage was entertaining and somewhat original but the concept of vampires being created by viruses was plumbed many times before. Micheal Romkey's vampire books come to mind. Cripes, one of them was even called The Vampire Virus. The vampire elements could have been assembled from any number of checklists. The Strain is purely "paint by numbers".
The middle of the book is maddeningly repetitive. We are quickly presented with a sketch or our next victim in their home, arriving home, or leaving their home. Their routine is interrupted by Something Unusual (dirt on the floor, a Haitian housekeeper sneaking into a house, the shed door being strangely open, etc.). The soon-to-be victims move forward without a flashlight or lights turned on to investigate, unsuccessfully trying to build up some tension in the reader, are faced with a "turned" vampire (usually a relative, friend, or cute kid) are are pounced upon, drained by the vampire's proboscis, and pooped and urinated on by the attacker.
Aaaaand scene!
This is played out so many DAMN times with so many people we don't know or care about it becomes nearly unbearable. The Strain might refer as much to the effort it takes to make it through these tedious scenes as it does the vampire virus.
Other parts of the book are meant to inform the reader (city rats, the inner workings of the CDC, the lunar eclipse [HA HA! It's actually an occultation, you fool!] for example) but are so unnecessarily drawn out that they detract from what little story there is. As I felt recently with Cherie Priest's Boneshaker book, less is often more in these cases.
"Lookit me!! I did my RESEARCH!"
As for logic problems and plot holes, they exist a-plenty. I won't go into all of them but the biggest to me seem to involve the virus itself. If it's a virus, why do our vampire buddies require an invitation to cross a body of water? Is the virus transmitted by vampire blood or by these pesky inchworms? Why would silver affect the vampires the way it does? What the heck is with the coffin, other than it being a carryover from other vampire novels. Its purpose is never explained and the reader is left wondering if there is any reason for it at all. I also wonder how a Holocaust survivor turned professor turned pawn shop owner, an exterminator, and a doctor all somehow turn into vampire slaying ninjas in a matter of hours. They are slicing, dicing, kicking, flipping, and karate chopping the vampires with such ruthless efficiency they emerge from every scuffle without a scratch. This not only demolishes the believability of the book but also makes us even less interested in each skirmish's outcome. We already know they'll be triumphant -- even if they are picked up by the head like a basketball with dandruff, thrown clear across the room into walls, and beset upon by legions of strong, fast, toothy monsters Hell bent to destroy them. For all the slapstick violence The Strain could almost have been titled "The Three Stooges Meet Dracula" save for the lack of humor.
We are given glimpses of some of the other six vampire Mafiosos near the end and are led to believe some kind of Vampire War is coming. Some kind of truce was formed and 3 Bosses got land over there, the other 3 got land over here. Our main vampire Boss in this book appears to have gotten the short end of the stick somewhere along the line and has been causing all sorts of ruckus of late because, darn it, he's had enough and he's not going to take it anymore!
With a set up like that the series promises to get a whole lot worse before getting any better. And I'm just talking about the writing and plot.
Here's the set up: after a triple 7 jumbo jet taxis onto a JFK runway it goes mysteriously and completely belly up. That's a hook! All shades are inexplicably drawn and no one is able to communicate with the pilots or gain entrance to the plane. Neat-o. What gives? Once it's pried open like a tin of sardines (and the door mysteriously opens) they find a whole lot of people restfully peacefully in their seats, all dead. Oh, and a coffin filled with some very nice compost. Thankfully, a small cast of stereotypes is perceived to still be alive (the pilot, the rock star, the vicious lawyer bitch, the cute kid) and serve as some of the agents of the book's slow plot progression.
We are left with some intriguing questions:
What's that horrible smell?
Why were all the shades drawn?
How did this very modern plane with independent and redundant electrical systems fail all at once?
Why were there no signs of struggle?
How did that coffin get through Customs when I have to practically strip naked to get on a plane?
Well, one of these questions is kind of answered in the rest of the book so I hope you're not a nitpicker like me.
Enter our good guy, a free-thinking doctor from the CDC with marriage problems. He's not a bad fellow you see, he just works so hard at his job but BOY does he love his son! He could have completed the cliche by being named Jack but instead goes by...Eph.
Following our intrepid hero throughout the book, for no other reason than to provide a romantic interest and a counterpoint to his limp, wet dish rag relationship with his ex-wife, is Nora, the Strong Silent Type. So silent that she isn't given more than two sentences of dialog throughout the entire book -- despite being nearly inseparable from our protagonist. If this trilogy does make it to the theaters as so many speculate I feel for the woman cast in this thankless role.
Expanding on our list of characters, we have a burly exterminator -- no, really, we do -- and a Holocaust survivor turned avenging vampire slayer, Abraham "Rambo" Setrakian. Abe, though pushing 80-something, according to my calculations, is an absolute death-dealing merchant in the presence of those pesky vampires. His walking stick predictably conceals a silver Ginsu sword which he swings about like Errol freakin' Flynn and yells "My sword sings silver" or something equally silly as he lops heads, arms, and other vampire appendages free in a furious rage. . Oh please. Abe hints at the end of the book that there's a lot about the vampires that the authors have been keeping him from saying. We'll see if that pays off in the future books.
So, this whole "redefining the genre" nonsense? You're asking yourself: "Can this really be true?" In a word, no. As I said, the vampire genre has petered out significantly. The recent publication of The Passage was entertaining and somewhat original but the concept of vampires being created by viruses was plumbed many times before. Micheal Romkey's vampire books come to mind. Cripes, one of them was even called The Vampire Virus. The vampire elements could have been assembled from any number of checklists. The Strain is purely "paint by numbers".
The middle of the book is maddeningly repetitive. We are quickly presented with a sketch or our next victim in their home, arriving home, or leaving their home. Their routine is interrupted by Something Unusual (dirt on the floor, a Haitian housekeeper sneaking into a house, the shed door being strangely open, etc.). The soon-to-be victims move forward without a flashlight or lights turned on to investigate, unsuccessfully trying to build up some tension in the reader, are faced with a "turned" vampire (usually a relative, friend, or cute kid) are are pounced upon, drained by the vampire's proboscis, and pooped and urinated on by the attacker.
Aaaaand scene!
This is played out so many DAMN times with so many people we don't know or care about it becomes nearly unbearable. The Strain might refer as much to the effort it takes to make it through these tedious scenes as it does the vampire virus.
Other parts of the book are meant to inform the reader (city rats, the inner workings of the CDC, the lunar eclipse [HA HA! It's actually an occultation, you fool!] for example) but are so unnecessarily drawn out that they detract from what little story there is. As I felt recently with Cherie Priest's Boneshaker book, less is often more in these cases.
"Lookit me!! I did my RESEARCH!"
As for logic problems and plot holes, they exist a-plenty. I won't go into all of them but the biggest to me seem to involve the virus itself. If it's a virus, why do our vampire buddies require an invitation to cross a body of water? Is the virus transmitted by vampire blood or by these pesky inchworms? Why would silver affect the vampires the way it does? What the heck is with the coffin, other than it being a carryover from other vampire novels. Its purpose is never explained and the reader is left wondering if there is any reason for it at all. I also wonder how a Holocaust survivor turned professor turned pawn shop owner, an exterminator, and a doctor all somehow turn into vampire slaying ninjas in a matter of hours. They are slicing, dicing, kicking, flipping, and karate chopping the vampires with such ruthless efficiency they emerge from every scuffle without a scratch. This not only demolishes the believability of the book but also makes us even less interested in each skirmish's outcome. We already know they'll be triumphant -- even if they are picked up by the head like a basketball with dandruff, thrown clear across the room into walls, and beset upon by legions of strong, fast, toothy monsters Hell bent to destroy them. For all the slapstick violence The Strain could almost have been titled "The Three Stooges Meet Dracula" save for the lack of humor.
We are given glimpses of some of the other six vampire Mafiosos near the end and are led to believe some kind of Vampire War is coming. Some kind of truce was formed and 3 Bosses got land over there, the other 3 got land over here. Our main vampire Boss in this book appears to have gotten the short end of the stick somewhere along the line and has been causing all sorts of ruckus of late because, darn it, he's had enough and he's not going to take it anymore!
With a set up like that the series promises to get a whole lot worse before getting any better. And I'm just talking about the writing and plot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2009
6.0 stars (this one may make it onto my "All Time Favorite" list). This is instantly on my list of the top five Vampire stories I have ever read (or in this case read and also listened to on audiobook). I am not a "vampire" book reader in general meaning I do not buy every new vampire story that comes out. I do read a lot of SF/Fantasy/Horror and so I do come across them on a fairly typical basis. For me, what makes a great vampire novel is when you can create a completely original (or mostly original) take on the very well known Vampire mythos. Examples of well done, original vampire stories (IMHO) include: (1) Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (2)
Agyar by Steven Brust and (3) the Lestat novels by Anne Rice (yes these have been much imitated since they first came out and are likely responsible for the myriad of vampire novels out today but at the time they were "ground breaking" and created a whole new Vampire Mythos).
The Strain adds to this legacy by handling the vampire "mythos" in a very effective way. In addition to making the "vampires" completely alien and scary (i.e., no pretty people biting pretty people), the book is structured in a very clinical "CSI" type fashion which I thought was very well done. Another very interesting (and original) aspect of the book is the way it explores the struggle of the "newly infected" in coping with what they are becoming and the danger they pose to their friends and family. Very well done.
Highly recommended!!!!
Agyar by Steven Brust and (3) the Lestat novels by Anne Rice (yes these have been much imitated since they first came out and are likely responsible for the myriad of vampire novels out today but at the time they were "ground breaking" and created a whole new Vampire Mythos).
The Strain adds to this legacy by handling the vampire "mythos" in a very effective way. In addition to making the "vampires" completely alien and scary (i.e., no pretty people biting pretty people), the book is structured in a very clinical "CSI" type fashion which I thought was very well done. Another very interesting (and original) aspect of the book is the way it explores the struggle of the "newly infected" in coping with what they are becoming and the danger they pose to their friends and family. Very well done.
Highly recommended!!!!
September 11, 2009
This just isn't very good. After a promising and creepy opening, it devolves into repetitive ridiculousness. The writing is also just not good and sometimes laughable, providing such gems as this:
"Eph too had been turned. Not from human to vampire, but from healer to slayer."
I did somehow finish it. My wife did not. I'm sure del Toro will eventually make a movie out of this and it will be one of the rare occasions that the movie is better than the book.
"Eph too had been turned. Not from human to vampire, but from healer to slayer."
I did somehow finish it. My wife did not. I'm sure del Toro will eventually make a movie out of this and it will be one of the rare occasions that the movie is better than the book.
August 5, 2017
If you have found yourself reading vampire fiction and thought, "You know what this needs? Vampires urinating and defecating on their victims. Also, tongues that shoot out of their necks with stingers on the end. And, make sure that they have worms crawling out of their milky white blood."
Then, boy, do I have the book for you!!
As for me:
You need rubber gloves to touch this book, it is so gross.
This book is so disgusting that I need a bath in bleach right now to clean off the yuckiness in my brain. I need some therapy. Maybe something with bunnies and unicorns.
Ah, that's better.
This book reads like a disaster movie where it is following the story of a few different characters as this vampire "virus" starts spreading. It even starts with an airplane that is down. It really seemed like something that could easily be adapted to film - and might actually be better than the book. I know, I know. Impossible, right?
Usually.
It also reads like a total guys book. Instead of chick-lit, it is a bro-book. There are so many descriptions of things that seem incidental to me, but might interest a guy. Especially an engineer. Like, when the plane is sitting on the tarmac, we get to learn all about planes, the different models, how the air traffic control system works, and airport protocol. When there are bodies in the morg, we get to learn exactly what goes down at an autopsy. Waaaay more than I wanted to know. And, we get this kind of stuff throughout. In the big picture, it didn't really matter what type of plane it was, or how an autopsy is performed, but for some reason, we had pages of this stuff. That was where you found me skimming.
If I want to learn about airplanes, I'll google it like a sane person.
So, our main hero is a guy who works for the CDC and is called in when the airplane of dead things arrives. All kinds of weird and creepy shit is happening, and when a strange old man tells him it is vampires, he feels like this is a reasonable explanation.
Logic. Some peoples don't got it.
So, they pick up their next guy to join their superhero vampire killer group - an exterminator. This brings us the a place where we get to learn everything there is to know about rats. FML!!!
What's next, grossy-mcgrosserson? How the sewage system works? How sausage is made?
And, that's really what I kept telling myself. Stop reading this book, it is making you miserable. But, my OCD made me finish it. And, now, I'm just relieved it is over. Yes, it had an open ending. Yes, there are more of them. But, no. Not going there again.
Then, boy, do I have the book for you!!
As for me:
You need rubber gloves to touch this book, it is so gross.
This book is so disgusting that I need a bath in bleach right now to clean off the yuckiness in my brain. I need some therapy. Maybe something with bunnies and unicorns.
Ah, that's better.
This book reads like a disaster movie where it is following the story of a few different characters as this vampire "virus" starts spreading. It even starts with an airplane that is down. It really seemed like something that could easily be adapted to film - and might actually be better than the book. I know, I know. Impossible, right?
Usually.
It also reads like a total guys book. Instead of chick-lit, it is a bro-book. There are so many descriptions of things that seem incidental to me, but might interest a guy. Especially an engineer. Like, when the plane is sitting on the tarmac, we get to learn all about planes, the different models, how the air traffic control system works, and airport protocol. When there are bodies in the morg, we get to learn exactly what goes down at an autopsy. Waaaay more than I wanted to know. And, we get this kind of stuff throughout. In the big picture, it didn't really matter what type of plane it was, or how an autopsy is performed, but for some reason, we had pages of this stuff. That was where you found me skimming.
If I want to learn about airplanes, I'll google it like a sane person.
So, our main hero is a guy who works for the CDC and is called in when the airplane of dead things arrives. All kinds of weird and creepy shit is happening, and when a strange old man tells him it is vampires, he feels like this is a reasonable explanation.
Logic. Some peoples don't got it.
So, they pick up their next guy to join their superhero vampire killer group - an exterminator. This brings us the a place where we get to learn everything there is to know about rats. FML!!!
What's next, grossy-mcgrosserson? How the sewage system works? How sausage is made?
And, that's really what I kept telling myself. Stop reading this book, it is making you miserable. But, my OCD made me finish it. And, now, I'm just relieved it is over. Yes, it had an open ending. Yes, there are more of them. But, no. Not going there again.
June 8, 2023
Security Question:
Please answer the following question to proceed with the review.
What is your idea of a vampire?
a.A sparkly 'Monster' like this:
b. A vicious, stinger flaring Monster like this:
If you answer (b), read on. Else, you might find this review a little offensive.
The First Bight:
When I saw that Guillermo del Toro had written a book, I simply could not wait to read it. Reason: He's the Master of dark fantasies. No no, not paranormal eroticas, which people try to pass off under the same title, but real horror, the occults, the tabboos... The creator of Pan's Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone and The Orphanage.
So, as soon as I laid my hands on this book, I fell upon it hungrily and started devouring it. And the first chapter was one of the BEST first chapters I've EVER read.
The Transformation:
As I slowly started getting drawn into the story, I realized that it was ages since I'd last read a good horror tale. This can be a really tricky genre. You overdo the gore, it becomes a slasher-tale. You overdo the suspense, it gets tedious. You overdo the cheap thrills and it becomes plain stupid. But this book had all the ingredients in the perfect proportions.
The story reads like a CSI, and I was amazed at how CREDIBLE it sounded. Credible, and at the same time amazingly scary.
A Thank You note: Early in the story while talking about vampires, the author says: "Think more along the lines of a man with a black cape. Fangs. Funny accent. Now take away the cape and fangs. The funny accent. Take away anything funny about it."Thank you for reinforcing my belief in Vampires to be sickly rotten creatures of the dark feeding upon innocent warm human blood, not to be loved, not to be respected, but to be feared.
[image error]
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you want to relieve the magic of your childhood horror tales -- the ones which left you enough scared to detest going to piss at night, the ones which fed on your deepest fears, and played tricks with your mind!
What is your idea of a vampire?
a.A sparkly 'Monster' like this:
b. A vicious, stinger flaring Monster like this:
If you answer (b), read on. Else, you might find this review a little offensive.
The First Bight:
When I saw that Guillermo del Toro had written a book, I simply could not wait to read it. Reason: He's the Master of dark fantasies. No no, not paranormal eroticas, which people try to pass off under the same title, but real horror, the occults, the tabboos... The creator of Pan's Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone and The Orphanage.
So, as soon as I laid my hands on this book, I fell upon it hungrily and started devouring it. And the first chapter was one of the BEST first chapters I've EVER read.
The Transformation:
As I slowly started getting drawn into the story, I realized that it was ages since I'd last read a good horror tale. This can be a really tricky genre. You overdo the gore, it becomes a slasher-tale. You overdo the suspense, it gets tedious. You overdo the cheap thrills and it becomes plain stupid. But this book had all the ingredients in the perfect proportions.
The plot:A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK carrying the of dead bodies of all the passengers and the crew. It falls upon Dr. Ephraim "Eph" Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, to solve the mystery. With each new clue unearthed, he finds himself drawn into a battle of mammoth proportions as a virus spreads through the city, turning it's population into vampires. He is helped by Abraham Setrakian, a former professor and Holocaust survivor, who is the only person who knows how to fight the evil force.
The story reads like a CSI, and I was amazed at how CREDIBLE it sounded. Credible, and at the same time amazingly scary.
A Thank You note: Early in the story while talking about vampires, the author says: "Think more along the lines of a man with a black cape. Fangs. Funny accent. Now take away the cape and fangs. The funny accent. Take away anything funny about it."Thank you for reinforcing my belief in Vampires to be sickly rotten creatures of the dark feeding upon innocent warm human blood, not to be loved, not to be respected, but to be feared.
[image error]
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you want to relieve the magic of your childhood horror tales -- the ones which left you enough scared to detest going to piss at night, the ones which fed on your deepest fears, and played tricks with your mind!
December 3, 2013
(Music fades.)
Me: Welcome back to the studio everyone, we have a wonderful surprise for you. Joining us for a few minutes on the airwaves today are two men that have transformed the vampire world: let’s welcome Chuck Logan and Guillermo Del Toro.
Let’s start with you Chuck. You are the recipient of a 2005 Hammett Award for your novel PRINCE OF THIEVES, and are the bestselling author of numerous others. I have to admit, I just saw Ben Affleck’s version of your novel PRINCE OF THIEVES, renamed The Town, and I have to say: Wow! What a great movie.
CL: Thanks, Gavin, you’re too kind.
Me: And joining Mr. Logan is the incredible genius behind such stellar films as Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy. Tell me Mr. Del Toro, when will The Hobbit be done…I kid, I kid, we are all waiting patiently to see if you can live up to Peter Jackson. Another joke…moving on! What inspired you to take on the awesome challenge of rewriting the vampire tale?
GDT: It was easy, really. I hate sparkling vampires.
Me: Well said, sir.
GDT: And the story needed to be revamped…(chuckles to himself)…vampires are mean and nasty and smelly and don’t want to date. They want to feed on you and rip you apart and savor the blood in your veins.
Me: There are children listening, so let’s keep the graphic details to a minimum. Okay, thanks.
CL: He’s right, though. There are too many vampire stories now that show vampires as gentle and understanding creatures that have been misunderstood or marginalized in society. This type of storytelling is a disservice to vampires everywhere. Vampires aren’t suave like Brad Pitt, and they certainly aren’t romantic. They see us humans as nothing more than cattle. A source of food. To them, we are no better than rats.
Me: Elaborate, please.
CL: Sure. You see, like rats, humans have become a plague on this planet. We have managed to infiltrate every known surface and populate it with our kind. And what do we do when he have successfully populated a place? We harvest it for its resources or whatever we think is valuable. Like rats, we spread our disease through consumption.
Me: A pleasant thought.
GDT: Excuse me; I need to use the restroom.
Me: Sure. Down the hall and on the left.
(Guillermo Del Toro leaves the room.)
Me: Okay, Chuck, do you mind if I call you Chuck? We have only a few moments and I need to get some things off my chest. First off, you are the writer of the two. Stop taking a backseat. Del Toro has an incredible imagination, and you two are sitting on a potential game-changer here. But you need to man up and take the reigns. Let him storyboard the hell out of it, I’d like to see that movie, but you need to be the one dictating the novels. Let me shoot you straight. The book sucks. The writing in places shines. I’ll give you the credit. But, overall, it seems as if you were practicing your secretarial skills. You have a whale of a story that is lost in the murky shallows. I expect big things in book two.
(Guillermo Del Toro reenters the room.)
Me: Well, folks, that’s all the time we have for today. Be sure to tune in for our discussion of book two of this trilogy THE FALL.
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
(THE FALL if you are listening, please be better than THE STRAIN.)
Me: Welcome back to the studio everyone, we have a wonderful surprise for you. Joining us for a few minutes on the airwaves today are two men that have transformed the vampire world: let’s welcome Chuck Logan and Guillermo Del Toro.
Let’s start with you Chuck. You are the recipient of a 2005 Hammett Award for your novel PRINCE OF THIEVES, and are the bestselling author of numerous others. I have to admit, I just saw Ben Affleck’s version of your novel PRINCE OF THIEVES, renamed The Town, and I have to say: Wow! What a great movie.
CL: Thanks, Gavin, you’re too kind.
Me: And joining Mr. Logan is the incredible genius behind such stellar films as Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy. Tell me Mr. Del Toro, when will The Hobbit be done…I kid, I kid, we are all waiting patiently to see if you can live up to Peter Jackson. Another joke…moving on! What inspired you to take on the awesome challenge of rewriting the vampire tale?
GDT: It was easy, really. I hate sparkling vampires.
Me: Well said, sir.
GDT: And the story needed to be revamped…(chuckles to himself)…vampires are mean and nasty and smelly and don’t want to date. They want to feed on you and rip you apart and savor the blood in your veins.
Me: There are children listening, so let’s keep the graphic details to a minimum. Okay, thanks.
CL: He’s right, though. There are too many vampire stories now that show vampires as gentle and understanding creatures that have been misunderstood or marginalized in society. This type of storytelling is a disservice to vampires everywhere. Vampires aren’t suave like Brad Pitt, and they certainly aren’t romantic. They see us humans as nothing more than cattle. A source of food. To them, we are no better than rats.
Me: Elaborate, please.
CL: Sure. You see, like rats, humans have become a plague on this planet. We have managed to infiltrate every known surface and populate it with our kind. And what do we do when he have successfully populated a place? We harvest it for its resources or whatever we think is valuable. Like rats, we spread our disease through consumption.
Me: A pleasant thought.
GDT: Excuse me; I need to use the restroom.
Me: Sure. Down the hall and on the left.
(Guillermo Del Toro leaves the room.)
Me: Okay, Chuck, do you mind if I call you Chuck? We have only a few moments and I need to get some things off my chest. First off, you are the writer of the two. Stop taking a backseat. Del Toro has an incredible imagination, and you two are sitting on a potential game-changer here. But you need to man up and take the reigns. Let him storyboard the hell out of it, I’d like to see that movie, but you need to be the one dictating the novels. Let me shoot you straight. The book sucks. The writing in places shines. I’ll give you the credit. But, overall, it seems as if you were practicing your secretarial skills. You have a whale of a story that is lost in the murky shallows. I expect big things in book two.
(Guillermo Del Toro reenters the room.)
Me: Well, folks, that’s all the time we have for today. Be sure to tune in for our discussion of book two of this trilogy THE FALL.
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS
(THE FALL if you are listening, please be better than THE STRAIN.)
July 22, 2017
Tέλειο! Από τα αναγνώσματα εκείνα που σε πάει -τρείς και εξήντα- από το φόβο.
Επίσης είναι ένα βιβλίο που τα βαμπίρ επιτέλους είναι ΤΡΟΜΑΚΤΙΚΑ και δε μοιάζουν με μοντέλα που μόλις το έσκασαν από επίδειξη εσωρούχων της Yamamay ή της Victoria΄s Secret.
Τσεκάρετέ το.
Επίσης είναι ένα βιβλίο που τα βαμπίρ επιτέλους είναι ΤΡΟΜΑΚΤΙΚΑ και δε μοιάζουν με μοντέλα που μόλις το έσκασαν από επίδειξη εσωρούχων της Yamamay ή της Victoria΄s Secret.
Τσεκάρετέ το.
October 8, 2021
Whoever said this book is full of clichés I think missed the mark a bit. Yes, there are obviously some cliché characters such as the knowledgeable old man, but there is also a lot of originality in relation to the mechanics of the vampires. How can you write a vampire book without clichés?
The best way I can describe the vampires is that they act like zombies. They slowly turn and are brainless beings. It's not until a week in where they gain their human intelligence back. Their "blood" is also full of leech-like organisms that are drawn to humans, which to my knowledge is unique to this book. There are a few other differences as well compared to the textbook vampire.
The beginning was a tight thriller-style sequence that was a lot of fun to get through. As the mystery of the event was unraveled, the story slowed down a ton and never really got back to that first pace. It took longer than expected to get to an enjoyable pace again. Even the last 10% of the book failed to capture that excitement.
The book introduces a ton of characters, which contributes to the slowness. It seems the author was establishing multiple storylines to propel through the trilogy, so that's something that's common to any series. I was undecided to continue to book two until the last 5%. I think it was intriguing enough to make me want to go on, so I will... eventually.
The best way I can describe the vampires is that they act like zombies. They slowly turn and are brainless beings. It's not until a week in where they gain their human intelligence back. Their "blood" is also full of leech-like organisms that are drawn to humans, which to my knowledge is unique to this book. There are a few other differences as well compared to the textbook vampire.
The beginning was a tight thriller-style sequence that was a lot of fun to get through. As the mystery of the event was unraveled, the story slowed down a ton and never really got back to that first pace. It took longer than expected to get to an enjoyable pace again. Even the last 10% of the book failed to capture that excitement.
The book introduces a ton of characters, which contributes to the slowness. It seems the author was establishing multiple storylines to propel through the trilogy, so that's something that's common to any series. I was undecided to continue to book two until the last 5%. I think it was intriguing enough to make me want to go on, so I will... eventually.
July 24, 2019
I thoroughly loved this book
A take on the classic vampire tale
A twist of biology
Mythology
And ancient lore
And the human fear and shortcomings
Can’t wait to read book 2
A take on the classic vampire tale
A twist of biology
Mythology
And ancient lore
And the human fear and shortcomings
Can’t wait to read book 2
January 27, 2016
“...to all the monsters in my nursery: May you never leave me alone.”
While the Strain may deliver a nifty TV show, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a great book.
While that may sound contradictory, trust me, that’s the way it read. Guillermo del Toro is used to making movies and you can feel the sense of 'scene changes' in the book. You can tell it's for the sake of reading the story and plot rather than reading through character's experiencing story and plot. Lots of tell, little show, there is no sense of care or realism with the paper people.
I watched an episode of the TV show, which worked because they made the characters come alive, but also because this story isn't done in TV show format much. Yeah, we get the popular vampire strains in True Blood and Vampire Diaries, but how often recently have we gotten TV shows about bad vamps like this on the TV screen? Since it’s not done to death, it works for watching – but in book form, the story has been sucked dry, so it needs other redeeming qualities to keep people returning for more.
For the TV media it was new and inventive. In book form it is dull and so overdone that I couldn't bring myself to care. There were no surprise twists, I didn't care about the victims, the story was stale. I could predict most of the events that took place as they came around. To stay fresh and intriguing, this book at least needed fleshed-out characters I cared about. Instead we get semi-dry people who blended together after a while. Having a custody battle thrown in wasn’t fun either.
It didn't help that I'd seen the show first - no surprises in store for me - but the dry writing combined with the familiar plot makes this one an average read. If you’re a die hard fan of the show you may be impressed, but for me? I needed more substance.
March 2, 2020
Action-packed and gory, this book kept me on the edge of my seat!
4.5 stars rounded up
4.5 stars rounded up
July 7, 2024
Loved it and since it takes place in NYC every chapter is an area around nyc so I can envision it. Page turner perfection highly recommended
December 16, 2015
3.5 stars, with a slight nudge toward 4.
I have had this book on my To-Read list for a while, but never got around to reading it until now. I'm glad that I read it because it was pretty good, and parts were very creepy. I didn't find it scary and had no problem sleeping or anything reading it, but there were parts that had a higher than average creep factor, and it was nice.
I liked that this book had a realistic baseline, and felt like it could truly happen. Don't get me wrong, I like the traditional vampire lore that is based on a curse or some evil or something, a changing of the soul that's manifested in the body, if you will... but this was different and I really liked the concept, as well as the science behind it.
There were things that I felt could have been stronger, and more fleshed out, mainly the characters. There were a few references that didn't really bear out in behavior, and some behaviors that didn't quite match the information that we had, like Setrakian's stamina, or Ephraim being a recovering alcoholic of less than a year and not craving a drink... but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I mostly didn't have any trouble liking or caring about these characters, so the little inconsistencies didn't become issues for me. Also, I feel like there were one or two unresolved issues in the story (or maybe they were resolved, but not exactly clearly?), but they didn't detract too much from the story, and could still be addressed in later books.
I also liked the writing for the most part. It had a sort of "For Everyday Use" feel, but then some parts were written in such a way as to just feel like they were more. Again though, there were sections that, for lack of a better term, tried too hard and felt a little forced or out of place. For instance, this line: "Like smoke rising up a chimney, we must force him to the roof." This, in the middle of a vampire vs human battle... I just feel like the first part of the line makes it awkward and takes me out of the story. I think of myself as if I were in the story: I'm fighting my ass off to stay alive here, I see my target, I communicate my intention in the shortest possible command to save my breath, to not waste time, to not give anything a chance to kill me while I'm waxing poetic. "Force him to the roof!" or at the most, "We must force him to the roof!". Who has time for similes in life or death situations? Sure the hell not me.
Anyway, I'm curious where this story is going to go... there was an interesting development at the end that has me intrigued...
Horror October 2011: #5
I have had this book on my To-Read list for a while, but never got around to reading it until now. I'm glad that I read it because it was pretty good, and parts were very creepy. I didn't find it scary and had no problem sleeping or anything reading it, but there were parts that had a higher than average creep factor, and it was nice.
I liked that this book had a realistic baseline, and felt like it could truly happen. Don't get me wrong, I like the traditional vampire lore that is based on a curse or some evil or something, a changing of the soul that's manifested in the body, if you will... but this was different and I really liked the concept, as well as the science behind it.
There were things that I felt could have been stronger, and more fleshed out, mainly the characters. There were a few references that didn't really bear out in behavior, and some behaviors that didn't quite match the information that we had, like Setrakian's stamina, or Ephraim being a recovering alcoholic of less than a year and not craving a drink... but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I mostly didn't have any trouble liking or caring about these characters, so the little inconsistencies didn't become issues for me. Also, I feel like there were one or two unresolved issues in the story (or maybe they were resolved, but not exactly clearly?), but they didn't detract too much from the story, and could still be addressed in later books.
I also liked the writing for the most part. It had a sort of "For Everyday Use" feel, but then some parts were written in such a way as to just feel like they were more. Again though, there were sections that, for lack of a better term, tried too hard and felt a little forced or out of place. For instance, this line: "Like smoke rising up a chimney, we must force him to the roof." This, in the middle of a vampire vs human battle... I just feel like the first part of the line makes it awkward and takes me out of the story. I think of myself as if I were in the story: I'm fighting my ass off to stay alive here, I see my target, I communicate my intention in the shortest possible command to save my breath, to not waste time, to not give anything a chance to kill me while I'm waxing poetic. "Force him to the roof!" or at the most, "We must force him to the roof!". Who has time for similes in life or death situations? Sure the hell not me.
Anyway, I'm curious where this story is going to go... there was an interesting development at the end that has me intrigued...
Horror October 2011: #5
May 29, 2018
This series was very problematic, in my opinion. Please read the full review for the series here on my blog.
Book one was the only book truly worth the attention. Like I said, it started out quite original, like any catastrophy or epidemic story, and I have to say, it was very cinematic! No wonder, it's co-written by Guillermo del Toro. The book reads pretty much like a show – in scenes. Most things are indeed tell, and not show, which put you in the middle of the action. The tension is very strong, and it's built up so well with all the infuriating interludes that are not in the same timeline, that you're simply on the edge, like in a psychological thriller movie.
It's also a very interesting take on vampires. The Strigoi are something between vampires, zombies and those infected by parasites. The resulting story is quite believable – one balancing right on the verge of scientific and paranormal, so it's a read that could appeal to both scifi and paranormal fans. The story works well in bringing those two together – Eff as the voice of science, and Setrakian as the voice of tradition, or learning by experience and history.
However... At times, I felt like there were too many scenes that are just killings for the sake of killing. They served no purpose and got very old, very fast – at least for me. It might be that the thriller reader and watcher expects this from a book and it might work for them, but I felt like they were unnecessary scenes that brought nothing extra to the story.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
Book one was the only book truly worth the attention. Like I said, it started out quite original, like any catastrophy or epidemic story, and I have to say, it was very cinematic! No wonder, it's co-written by Guillermo del Toro. The book reads pretty much like a show – in scenes. Most things are indeed tell, and not show, which put you in the middle of the action. The tension is very strong, and it's built up so well with all the infuriating interludes that are not in the same timeline, that you're simply on the edge, like in a psychological thriller movie.
It's also a very interesting take on vampires. The Strigoi are something between vampires, zombies and those infected by parasites. The resulting story is quite believable – one balancing right on the verge of scientific and paranormal, so it's a read that could appeal to both scifi and paranormal fans. The story works well in bringing those two together – Eff as the voice of science, and Setrakian as the voice of tradition, or learning by experience and history.
However... At times, I felt like there were too many scenes that are just killings for the sake of killing. They served no purpose and got very old, very fast – at least for me. It might be that the thriller reader and watcher expects this from a book and it might work for them, but I felt like they were unnecessary scenes that brought nothing extra to the story.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
July 16, 2021
I know this book is old but why dont more people talk about it????
I have no words for just how much I enjoyed this book. I had so much fun reading this book and I need to watch the tv show now.
But not before I read book 2 The Fall.
I haven't read and enjoyed a vampire book in so long, probably not since Salem's Lot. And just like in Salem's Lot, the vampires are truly terrifying in this book. Once again this book has something I usually hate. This book has A LOT of characters...A LOT! And yet I wasn't bothered by that. This book needed a lot of characters in order to build the story and to build the terror and dread.
I think it also helped that this book is a pandemic story and currently the real world is still dealing with it's own pandemic. Vampirism is a easily spread and highly dangerous virus. And just like in the real world, the powers that be are corrupt and useless. The people in power don't want to create a panic so they are instead letting The Strain spread. This book just hits different after the year and half we've all lived through.
If you like Horror, than I think you'll like The
I have no words for just how much I enjoyed this book. I had so much fun reading this book and I need to watch the tv show now.
But not before I read book 2 The Fall.
I haven't read and enjoyed a vampire book in so long, probably not since Salem's Lot. And just like in Salem's Lot, the vampires are truly terrifying in this book. Once again this book has something I usually hate. This book has A LOT of characters...A LOT! And yet I wasn't bothered by that. This book needed a lot of characters in order to build the story and to build the terror and dread.
I think it also helped that this book is a pandemic story and currently the real world is still dealing with it's own pandemic. Vampirism is a easily spread and highly dangerous virus. And just like in the real world, the powers that be are corrupt and useless. The people in power don't want to create a panic so they are instead letting The Strain spread. This book just hits different after the year and half we've all lived through.
If you like Horror, than I think you'll like The
March 7, 2024
След 50-тина страници реших, че не си заслужава да губя повече от времето си с поредния тъповат вампирски полуфабрикат, много е зле положението...
February 24, 2017
A nice and breezy read, though nice isn't quite the right word and the breeze is a bit fetid! The Strain is an increasingly rare (ahem) strain of badass vampire novels. There are no well-coiffed, sexy, maudlin vampires in this book, they just "vant to suck your blood" (without the Lugosi style Euro-accented declaration). Of course talking about how de-fanged, lame and sparkly vampires have become since the advent of Twilight has become a trope for vampire books review so I just want to get it out of my system. Besides, I believe Anne Rice started the trend with Interview with the Vampire, to her credit she told her story in a more thoughtful, literary and intelligent manner than Ms. Meyer (of no-link-to-author fame).
Artwork for the graphic novel edition
Anyway, back to badass vampires and the fun times to be had with them. The Strain starts off very well with a plane mysteriously landing with all the lights off and no communication or activity from the crew or passengers. Given the synopsis of the book (not to be found within this review), you can probably guess what happened to them. In this case being somewhat predictable does not detract from the fun as the story is nicely built up and the excitement mounts. I do enjoy the sci-fi-ish vampire design (that is some crazy proboscis!), and the more scientific description and rationalization of vampirism which is all too rare. For example:
"It (a vampire's heart) was misshapen, shrunken. The arterial structure had been altered also, the circulatory system grown more simplified, the arteries themselves covered over with a dark, cancerous blight."
No, this is not Gene Simmons
This reminds me of GRRM's Fevre Dream and Brian Lumley's excellent Necroscope series, I am reliably told there are others like Justin Cronin's The Passage but I have not read them yet. I am leery of reading vampire fiction these days, I am afraid (very afraid) of coming across more Edwards, Stefans, Damons etc. The co-authors did a good job with the plot structure, the action and the accessible / readable narrative. The prose style and characterization seem a little pedestrian to me, no linguistic flourishes to be found here, not that such a thing is necessary of course, but they add to the reading experience. Guillermo del Toro is of course a highly gifted director of popular genre movies like Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy movies. The book's action scenes do seem to be quite cinematic and visual, though I could have done without some of the soap opera elements. His co-author
Chuck Hoganwas a very popular wrestler in his heyday before turning to writing is the author of several best sellers which I have not had the pleasure of reading (I do wonder what his prose style is like in his solo endeavors?).
The end of the book is inconclusive without being a cliffhanger, clearly due to this being the first book of a trilogy and the authors want to entice the readers to come back. The book is fun but I am somewhat ambivalent about reading the rest of the trilogy, something is missing here, may be a staked heart.
Vampire Homer
_______________________
Notes:
• The Passage by Justin Cronin is a similar bio-vampire book, also a commercially successful series, and also being adapted for TV. It is mostly set in a far future post apocalypse world. It better written than The Strain I think, but suffers from excessive length.
• I have seen a few episodes of the TV show based on this series, gave it up after these few. Didn't really work for me, the acting and the script was not up to par I think; some of the special effects were fun.
Cool artwork for the TV show. Look at that damn proboscis!
Artwork for the graphic novel edition
Anyway, back to badass vampires and the fun times to be had with them. The Strain starts off very well with a plane mysteriously landing with all the lights off and no communication or activity from the crew or passengers. Given the synopsis of the book (not to be found within this review), you can probably guess what happened to them. In this case being somewhat predictable does not detract from the fun as the story is nicely built up and the excitement mounts. I do enjoy the sci-fi-ish vampire design (that is some crazy proboscis!), and the more scientific description and rationalization of vampirism which is all too rare. For example:
"It (a vampire's heart) was misshapen, shrunken. The arterial structure had been altered also, the circulatory system grown more simplified, the arteries themselves covered over with a dark, cancerous blight."
No, this is not Gene Simmons
This reminds me of GRRM's Fevre Dream and Brian Lumley's excellent Necroscope series, I am reliably told there are others like Justin Cronin's The Passage but I have not read them yet. I am leery of reading vampire fiction these days, I am afraid (very afraid) of coming across more Edwards, Stefans, Damons etc. The co-authors did a good job with the plot structure, the action and the accessible / readable narrative. The prose style and characterization seem a little pedestrian to me, no linguistic flourishes to be found here, not that such a thing is necessary of course, but they add to the reading experience. Guillermo del Toro is of course a highly gifted director of popular genre movies like Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy movies. The book's action scenes do seem to be quite cinematic and visual, though I could have done without some of the soap opera elements. His co-author
Chuck Hogan
The end of the book is inconclusive without being a cliffhanger, clearly due to this being the first book of a trilogy and the authors want to entice the readers to come back. The book is fun but I am somewhat ambivalent about reading the rest of the trilogy, something is missing here, may be a staked heart.
Vampire Homer
_______________________
Notes:
• The Passage by Justin Cronin is a similar bio-vampire book, also a commercially successful series, and also being adapted for TV. It is mostly set in a far future post apocalypse world. It better written than The Strain I think, but suffers from excessive length.
• I have seen a few episodes of the TV show based on this series, gave it up after these few. Didn't really work for me, the acting and the script was not up to par I think; some of the special effects were fun.
Cool artwork for the TV show. Look at that damn proboscis!
August 2, 2011
This was probably a 3.5 star read for me. It was good, but it could have been better. I think the writing lacked a certain polish, although I did like some of the imagery. And it definitely was scary!
Story:
The vampires in this book were both disgusting and fearsome. I admit that thinking about the vampires and their nasty stinger and how they would excrete their waste products gave me the shivers (both in repulsion and fear). I liked the scientific angle employed in this story, taking an ancient evil, and giving it a scientific explanation. The potential for exponential and catastrophic spread of the vampire plague in this novel gives me the shudders. Books like this make me glad for the light of the sun, which is what a good vampire novel should do. This book touches both on my primal fear of ancient evil and infection, so it really did push my buttons.
Characters:
There were some characters that were so beautifully written that they spoke to me. Others were too cardboard for me. Abraham Satrakian, the elderly Jewish Shoah survivor was a wonderful character. He was like Van Helsing, with even more credibility, having earned his slayer status deep in the trenches. Hearing about his horrendous time in the Treblinka concentration camp added a deeper sense of horror and anguish to this story. He's one tough old guy, and he's definitely my favorite character in this novel. Ephraim is a pretty good character. At times, his narrative seemed a little half-baked. Over the course of the book, he gained a little more life and authority in my mind. I think his co-worker Nora was woefully under-used. I wondered what the purpose of her character was, other than being a soundboard for him. I felt very badly for Ansel and his situation, with his wife Anne-Marie. I didn't really care for the lawyer woman Luss, although I want to see what happens with her perceptive, Haitian nanny and the kids she saved from their mother. I like Fett, the ratcatcher a lot. He's a smart guy, street smart, intelligent, and resourceful. He knows how to handle himself. He is a huge asset to the small vampire slaying group that Abraham forms with Ephraim. The Master Vampire, well, I'm kind of undecided about. He wasn't in this book enough for him to resonate with me. I think Abraham is a much more powerful, and iconic character. The Master is more like Patient Zero to me, just a disease vector, one who comes around and sneers into the camera. He didn't really establish a lot of credibility with me as the Great Villain or the Big Bad. We'll see if that changes with the other books in the series...
Overall Thoughts:
This was a suspenseful, scary book to hear on audio. I was definitely sucked in. My aunt (who was riding with me on Friday) also got sucked in. Unfortunately, I think the characterization could have been more even-handed. There were a bit too many storylines, and I felt like some were dropped prematurely. I know this is a three-part book, so I guess I will have to keep reading to see where things go. As far as being scary and gross and keeping a reader invested, this is a Class A read. I think that work on the characters and the plot would have made it a stronger read over all. Ron Perlman was a really good narrator. He has a great voice, and he did a good job with the accents. I would definitely listen to other audiobooks read by him. If you find this available on audiobooks, and you are a vampire fan, I say check it out.
Story:
The vampires in this book were both disgusting and fearsome. I admit that thinking about the vampires and their nasty stinger and how they would excrete their waste products gave me the shivers (both in repulsion and fear). I liked the scientific angle employed in this story, taking an ancient evil, and giving it a scientific explanation. The potential for exponential and catastrophic spread of the vampire plague in this novel gives me the shudders. Books like this make me glad for the light of the sun, which is what a good vampire novel should do. This book touches both on my primal fear of ancient evil and infection, so it really did push my buttons.
Characters:
There were some characters that were so beautifully written that they spoke to me. Others were too cardboard for me. Abraham Satrakian, the elderly Jewish Shoah survivor was a wonderful character. He was like Van Helsing, with even more credibility, having earned his slayer status deep in the trenches. Hearing about his horrendous time in the Treblinka concentration camp added a deeper sense of horror and anguish to this story. He's one tough old guy, and he's definitely my favorite character in this novel. Ephraim is a pretty good character. At times, his narrative seemed a little half-baked. Over the course of the book, he gained a little more life and authority in my mind. I think his co-worker Nora was woefully under-used. I wondered what the purpose of her character was, other than being a soundboard for him. I felt very badly for Ansel and his situation, with his wife Anne-Marie. I didn't really care for the lawyer woman Luss, although I want to see what happens with her perceptive, Haitian nanny and the kids she saved from their mother. I like Fett, the ratcatcher a lot. He's a smart guy, street smart, intelligent, and resourceful. He knows how to handle himself. He is a huge asset to the small vampire slaying group that Abraham forms with Ephraim. The Master Vampire, well, I'm kind of undecided about. He wasn't in this book enough for him to resonate with me. I think Abraham is a much more powerful, and iconic character. The Master is more like Patient Zero to me, just a disease vector, one who comes around and sneers into the camera. He didn't really establish a lot of credibility with me as the Great Villain or the Big Bad. We'll see if that changes with the other books in the series...
Overall Thoughts:
This was a suspenseful, scary book to hear on audio. I was definitely sucked in. My aunt (who was riding with me on Friday) also got sucked in. Unfortunately, I think the characterization could have been more even-handed. There were a bit too many storylines, and I felt like some were dropped prematurely. I know this is a three-part book, so I guess I will have to keep reading to see where things go. As far as being scary and gross and keeping a reader invested, this is a Class A read. I think that work on the characters and the plot would have made it a stronger read over all. Ron Perlman was a really good narrator. He has a great voice, and he did a good job with the accents. I would definitely listen to other audiobooks read by him. If you find this available on audiobooks, and you are a vampire fan, I say check it out.
September 29, 2022
Tra le 2 e le 3 stelle. Inizio molto intrigante ed entusiasmante, la parte thriller tiene con il fiato sospeso. Quando sfocia nell'horror si perde in mille descrizioni poco utili e in una trama da B Movie. Finale troppo affrettato e veloce.
June 23, 2012
This book is a wonderful telling in the horror genre, with Guillermo del Toro as the expert storyteller. I'm not familiar with co-author Chuck Hogan, but Hogan's 'Prince of Thieves: A Novel,' was rated as one of that year's ten best novels by Stephen King. Guillermo del Toro I'm more familiar with through his directorship of the movies, 'Hell Boy,' and 'Pan's Labyrinth.' It was with the movie, 'Pan's Labyrinth,' that I first became interested in del Toro's work. 'Pan's Labyrinth,' is one of my all time favorite movies. But this is a review of 'The Strain.' The book starts off with the legend of Jusef Sardu as told by the grandmother of Abraham Setrakian, one of the book's main characters. The reader is introduced to the mythology of Sardu as a giant of a young man with weak muscles. Sardu's nobleman father decides to take him on a hunting trip with the belief that eating the meat of wolves will cure his weak muscles. During the course of the hunting trip, Sardu's relatives and father disappear, until only Sardu is left. Sardu discovers their bodies at the entrance to an underground cave and returns that night to face whatever demons he believes are responsible for their murders. Eleven weeks later Sardu returns home, and the reader is left to speculate upon what happened in the cave. Sardu is now a different man.
January 21, 2012
First off, I have to say that I am not the kind of person that enjoys writing bad reviews. I love books, all books pretty much, and I’m really easy to please. Yet this book was a letdown of utter proportions and I can’t contain my frustration with it. I had been eagerly awaiting The Strain for months, I had heard nothing but good things from all the book related cites I visit and all of the catalogues I receive, not to mention the raving reviews it got everywhere else. The one question I have for all of the people who said how amazing it was is: Did you and I read the same book? My second question: Do Richard Matheson and Stephen King know that their work is being compared to this?
I think I need to explain step by step why I really disliked this book and why I think it’s so misleading. Here I’ve copied the synopsis, it’s nearly identical to what is on the back of the paperback edition:
They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country. In two months—the world.
A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.
In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing...
Sounds pretty freaking amazing, eh? Then, inside the cover of the paperback edition, are five –yes, five– pages of reviews going on, and on, and ON, about how fantastic The Strain is, how it’s a masterpiece that has redefined the vampire myth, how it’s “an unholy spawn of I Am Legend out of Salem’s Lot” –at this point, I started to gag a little bit.
Can you say ‘misleading’?
Needless to say I’m bummed out. I’m going to read the second one because I want to see what happens and I’m hoping they’ve fixed a few things. It’s smaller than The Strain, so that’s already a positive for it.
End of whine-off.
I think I need to explain step by step why I really disliked this book and why I think it’s so misleading. Here I’ve copied the synopsis, it’s nearly identical to what is on the back of the paperback edition:
They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come. In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country. In two months—the world.
A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.
In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing...
Sounds pretty freaking amazing, eh? Then, inside the cover of the paperback edition, are five –yes, five– pages of reviews going on, and on, and ON, about how fantastic The Strain is, how it’s a masterpiece that has redefined the vampire myth, how it’s “an unholy spawn of I Am Legend out of Salem’s Lot” –at this point, I started to gag a little bit.
Can you say ‘misleading’?
Needless to say I’m bummed out. I’m going to read the second one because I want to see what happens and I’m hoping they’ve fixed a few things. It’s smaller than The Strain, so that’s already a positive for it.
End of whine-off.
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