The Strain: Part 1, Sections 1 to 6

The Strain (Sections) #Part 1

by Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan

A plane lands at JFK and mysteriously ‘goes dark’, stopping in the middle of the runway for no apparent reason, all lights off, all doors sealed. The pilots cannot be raised. When the hatch above the wing finally clicks open, it soon becomes clear that everyone on board is dead – although there is no sign of any trauma or struggle. Ephraim Goodweather and his team from the Center for Disease Control must work quickly to establish the cause of this strange occurrence before panic spreads. The first thing they discover is that four of the victims are actually still alive. But that’s the only good news. And when all two hundred corpses disappear from various morgues around the city on the same night, things very rapidly get worse. Soon Eph and a small band of helpers will find themselves battling to protect not only their own loved ones, but the whole city, against an ancient threat to humanity. Perfect for fans of Dean Koontz’s The Eyes of Darkness

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 9, 2014

About the author

Guillermo 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.

Reviews

[Tristan]

This is effectively a free sample, a first part of a longer novel released in episodes.

It’s very well done, nicely written with loads of technical detail which gives the impression of a deeply researched documentary (although it could all be technobabble, how would I know the difference?), with a sympathetic main character trying to do his medical examiner work whilst respecting the victims in a callous world that just wants to move on.

Annoyingly, he’s embroiled in a messy divorce / custody battle to add human interest and a bunch of additional POVs to rescue or watch die in due course. Why? It’s a Hollywood staple I suppose. But this subplot is so stereotypical that it does not *add* humanity to our MC, it *removes* some because it’s all so fake. The moral quandaries of his work provide easily enough emotional interest. They should be considered deeper, not glossed over.

Likewise the profusion of side character POVs. They don’t add anything but popcorn.

And then there’s the obligatory Holocaust survivor and the obligatory billionaire evil guy, both with their reasons to know what’s truly going on. Both whopping stereotypes. And that’s before we get to the supernatural Macguffin itself. And there’s a portentous solar eclipse thrown in, just in case there wasn’t enough sauce.

There’s too much going on to get involved with the story. Each new POV distances me from the thread of the tale. How many chorus girls do you really need up on stage to provide entertainment?

More is not more, in my view. This accumulation of tick box horror movie modules actually ends up being risible. The mystery illness on a plane would be entirely enough to weave a decent, focussed thriller.

Nevertheless, this is very competent writing. A good undemanding read. Would I want to read on and therefore buy the next instalments or the whole novel (or the trilogy for that matter)? To be honest, no. I can more or less guess how it’s going to pan out.

[nickiknackinoo]

Intriguing

This book had to have five stars!! I read it in a day and am hungry for part two!!! So well written,and so mysterious,the characters have been introduced but their purpose hasn't really been shown to us yet. You'll love it!!

[Pete Woollven]

Strange

Strange but compelling I had to keep reading this book well written and a great cast of characters and story line will read more

[Katrina Skinner]

The suspense!

Definitely keeps you wanting more. Part one was really good and honestly feels like a really good build up to something great! Look forward to reading the rest.