The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

Following on from the grungy horror of `The Strain' was never going to be an easy task, but Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan had always planned for their vampire series to be a trilogy. `The Strain' covered the initial outbreak of vampires that started to take over New York, `The Fall' looks at how they go about taking over the entire world. Most the same cast from the first book are back, but the emphasis on the lead has shifted from the medical team to the slayers. Now it is the ex-rat catcher and the old vampire hunter who take centre stage. The book also shifts slightly in style to be a more straightforward narrative; the side stories are far fewer now, which is a shame as they were a highlight of the first book.

There is a reason why the side plots have been left out this time as `The Fall' is a lot more in-depth a book. There is a real exploration into the reasons why `The Master' has decided to step out of the shadows and try to enslave the human race. This part of the story works really well and the book still feels like one of the most `realistic' vampire books I have read. However, there is a problem with some of the character development as a lot of what makes the humans tick is ignored in favour of painting a world wide picture. This sometimes means that you feel a little distant from the action.

Overall, `The Fall' is a good evolution of the first book, adapting what was almost a set of short stories into a more cohesive whole. The action is once again excellent and I really like the world that del Toro and Hogan paint. However, with some of the cast being less influential, and not all of them surviving, there is a real danger that the emotional element of the books will be lost, but for now `The Fall' remains an excellent continuation of the series.

After reading "The Strain" and absolutely loving it "The Fall" seemed like a good idea. This next book follows straight on from the events of the previous book but with a much greater focus on Setrakian (the professor) and Fet (The exterminator). Essentially the entire city of New York has become riddled with the infected and a number of teams unite to reach a common goal - destroying the blood suckers!

The entire world is now at risk and the infection is spreading. Eph decides that in order to keep what remains of his family safe he must send them away from the city so within the interludes we learn of Nora, Zack and Nora's mothers journey to safety...but of course you can imagine it's never that simple. Infact, Zack's mother Kelly is stalking the city in an attempt to reclaim her "Dear One".

You will learn a little more about the Ancients, particularly the ones that appeared to be "good" in the previous novel but you will also discover information about the Master and his true origins. Not to mention you will discover piece by piece that deadly plan for the rest of the survivors.

This novel really sets up for the next one. Usually with sequels they can fall a bit flat since all they tend to do is lead into the third book. However, this time I actually felt that the beginning and end were really strong and interesting to read. This time we aren't really thrown a lot of scientific information but more myth and tales from Setrakians time. I personally preferred the focus of the novel in The Strain being on Eph for the scientific explainations but never the less, Setrakian is interesting.

The middle of the novel however was not for me. It wasn't that exciting and although a lot seemed to be happening I found myself willing to risk flicking past a couple of pages. I think my reason for doing this is based on the amount of information I was gaining because essentially all that was happening were fight scenes in not that great detail. If you like that kind of thing though then this is perfect for you, just not great from my point of view.

I would recommed this book and it is a great sequel. I personally feel that the Strain was far better but it was still enjoyable and good for learning a little more about the plan for the world's demise.

The ultimate plan in store for them and what remains of the human race is far more terrible than anyone can imagine - a fate even worse than total annihilation.

The Fall is a sequel to The Strain, which I loved and found fresh and exciting. I was really pleased that The Fall was out and couldn't wait to read it. It started really well but ultimately it was a disappointment. The story went off in a strange direction. The tension of the first novel was largely lacking and the pace flagged like a wounded wilderbeast. The great characters who survived to the sequel became mundane or annoying. The developing CDC disease angle largely disappeared and I was quite impressed with the whole vampire as disease idea from The Strain. In my opinion it was a mistake to ditch that. The authors also developed an annoying habit of doing the literary equivalent of a movie disolve when anything exciting was about to happen....changing to a different character. I'm sorry but I'm a bloodthirty gal, I want the horror! It became like a PG version of a horror novel with most of the gore missing. Im really sad to say I won't be tuning in for part three. There is better fare out there for the true vampire fan. Apologies, Mr Del Toro. I love your movies but this was nowhere near their league.