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The Strain
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Review
‘The first in a trilogy that soars with spellbinding intrigue.Truly, an unforgettable tale you can’t put down once you read the first page. I can’t wait until the next one.’ Clive Cussler
‘Blood and apocalypse mix in a terrifying story that feels like it was ripped from today's headlines. Vividly wrought and relentlessly paced, THE STRAIN haunts as much as it terrifies. I cannot wait to see where Del Toro and Hogan take us next.’ James Rollins
‘A rattling piece of escapism’ The Times
‘An entertaining mix of action blockbuster and vampire myth … with Del Toro’s talent for creating fantastical, macabre characters shining through … an exciting page-turner’ Metro
‘Del Toro and Hogan succeed in constructing a driving plot and delivering a gripping conclusion. Great characters … and a flair for striking scenes get this trilogy off to a first-rate start. Kirkus Reviews
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.Review
‘The first in a trilogy that soars with spellbinding intrigue. Truly, an unforgettable tale you can’t put down once you read the first page. I can’t wait until the next one.’ Clive Cussler
‘Blood and apocalypse mix in a terrifying story that feels like it was ripped from today's headlines. Vividly wrought and relentlessly paced, THE STRAIN haunts as much as it terrifies. I cannot wait to see where Del Toro and Hogan take us next.’ James Rollins
‘A rattling piece of escapism’ The Times
‘A great read’ Sun
‘An entertaining mix of action blockbuster and vampire myth … with Del Toro’s talent for creating fantastical, macabre characters shining through … an exciting page-turner’ Metro
‘Diverting and never less than expertly crafted’ Guardian
‘A pacy thriller with a great eye for detail and plenty of gloriously icky moments’ SFX
‘The action and excitement never let up’ SciFi Now
‘Del Toro and Hogan succeed in constructing a driving plot and delivering a gripping conclusion. Great characters … and a flair for striking scenes get this trilogy off to a first-rate start. Kirkus Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Whilst I enjoyed the style of writing used throughout The Strain, and was intrigued by the various strands of the story as they appeared I felt that a promising start dissolved into a rather lack lustre book. The story got a bit tired and relentless after the middle, I felt that it could have been about 200 pages shorter and still said the same things. I can't believe the story extends even further into a trilogy, but then I suppose there's still the potential of vampires spreading to the rest of the world isn't there. I might read the other books, but I'm not in a huge hurry.
If you are a fan of vampire stories, this is a good one, but with a good editing it could be much better and tighter.
If you are a fan of vampire stories, this is a good one, but with a good editing it could be much better and tighter.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
First of all, NO SPOILERS will be evident within this review. Now on with the show:
Vampires have been done again and again but never like this. Hundreds if not thousands of people are so desperate for a new take on Twilight - perhaps for something with a little more gore or a little more gripping. I don't pretend to not have a soft spot for Twilight and I'm all for tweaking myths to make them readable but I think this novel does a really good job of that. But do not be fooled, this is not a world like the ones you've read of before. Essentially, we are looking at an apocolypse. Which is exactly what readers of this genre are after - and are used to. So why is this book any better than the others?
The Strain focuses on a very short time frame - think of 28 days later but quicker (which is pretty hard to do). What's unique about this take on Vampires/Vampyres, is that it is considered to be a disease or a pathogen which is contagious. Now most people will associate being bitten with being "turned" but this novel explores why a little more which is far more interesting in my opinion. The science behind the novel is brilliant and believable aswell which is fantastic. Of course there is always a leader of the pack when it comes to baddies and in this case that leader is a pretty formidable fellow. But in this case the pathogen can be spread a little easier. I'd hate to ruin the plot for anyone so I'll simply say that being bitten isn't the worst of it anymore. Not to mention that not just anyone is a target, the infected target specific people but that's for you to discover later.
I loved that there was a sub-plot in that there were people with "real-lives" involved with an interesting and relateable history/background. I also liked the actual history we were supplied with about the origin of the vampyre and it's "spread" if you like. Clearly this novel is meant as an introduction into the following novels (three that I am aware of but of course there may be more). If I had to say I thought there was a lacking in the novel I might say that it wasn't as gruesome as I expected (with the exception of the new twist of infection/attack). Occassionally it's nice to have a bit of gore but having said that one particular chapter was quite upsetting, but again I won't ruin that for you.
For those of you who really aren't into anything remotely scary/gruesome/cruel I wouldn't read this, however if you like something with a bit of science and myth alongside some brilliantly written paragraphs then go for it. This book is a gem. I thought it was fantastic.
Vampires have been done again and again but never like this. Hundreds if not thousands of people are so desperate for a new take on Twilight - perhaps for something with a little more gore or a little more gripping. I don't pretend to not have a soft spot for Twilight and I'm all for tweaking myths to make them readable but I think this novel does a really good job of that. But do not be fooled, this is not a world like the ones you've read of before. Essentially, we are looking at an apocolypse. Which is exactly what readers of this genre are after - and are used to. So why is this book any better than the others?
The Strain focuses on a very short time frame - think of 28 days later but quicker (which is pretty hard to do). What's unique about this take on Vampires/Vampyres, is that it is considered to be a disease or a pathogen which is contagious. Now most people will associate being bitten with being "turned" but this novel explores why a little more which is far more interesting in my opinion. The science behind the novel is brilliant and believable aswell which is fantastic. Of course there is always a leader of the pack when it comes to baddies and in this case that leader is a pretty formidable fellow. But in this case the pathogen can be spread a little easier. I'd hate to ruin the plot for anyone so I'll simply say that being bitten isn't the worst of it anymore. Not to mention that not just anyone is a target, the infected target specific people but that's for you to discover later.
I loved that there was a sub-plot in that there were people with "real-lives" involved with an interesting and relateable history/background. I also liked the actual history we were supplied with about the origin of the vampyre and it's "spread" if you like. Clearly this novel is meant as an introduction into the following novels (three that I am aware of but of course there may be more). If I had to say I thought there was a lacking in the novel I might say that it wasn't as gruesome as I expected (with the exception of the new twist of infection/attack). Occassionally it's nice to have a bit of gore but having said that one particular chapter was quite upsetting, but again I won't ruin that for you.
For those of you who really aren't into anything remotely scary/gruesome/cruel I wouldn't read this, however if you like something with a bit of science and myth alongside some brilliantly written paragraphs then go for it. This book is a gem. I thought it was fantastic.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
There's very little original in this book; most of these things have been done many times before. Some little details are quite novel, but that's about it. The characters are really rather flat, and it's hard to care about them very much. Each of the set pieces is very predictable.
The worst aspect is that there's just so much padding in this; if the other books are similar, then the whole thing could have been fitted into a relatively exciting novel of maybe half the total length. It's also completely formula-written according to the modern "rules".
I really hope the second volume picks up, because otherwise I won't finish the trilogy.
I'm very frustrated now, because I was really looking forward to this; Hogan I don't know, but Del Toro is a brilliant film-maker. I think my three stars could be just two, but I wanted so much for it to be better that maybe I'm being a tad generous.
The worst aspect is that there's just so much padding in this; if the other books are similar, then the whole thing could have been fitted into a relatively exciting novel of maybe half the total length. It's also completely formula-written according to the modern "rules".
I really hope the second volume picks up, because otherwise I won't finish the trilogy.
I'm very frustrated now, because I was really looking forward to this; Hogan I don't know, but Del Toro is a brilliant film-maker. I think my three stars could be just two, but I wanted so much for it to be better that maybe I'm being a tad generous.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Crighton's Lot
Salem's Lot meets Airframe. Cardboard characters, predictable plotlines and so many foot-dragging suburban vignettes I thought I was trapped in a Revolutionary Road time-loop. Read more
Published 1 month ago by joepineapples
Best of the trilogy
Very dark tale which gets off to a flying start. It gripped me and I couldn't put it down, despite us finding out that we are into a vampire tale. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tristram La Roche
the strain
I stormed through this book in two days over christmas. One word - fantastic!
I'm not normally one for horror but I do like the vampire genre. Read more
I'm not normally one for horror but I do like the vampire genre. Read more
Published 5 months ago by veggie_grasshopper
Interesting start, but went downhill from there
The start of this book is very promising, intriguing and mysterious. However, it all went downhill from there. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Schrödinger's Cat
Trashy But Fun
*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*
A good friend of mine sent me this in the post a couple of years ago and it's just been sitting on my bookshelf ever since collecting... Read more
A good friend of mine sent me this in the post a couple of years ago and it's just been sitting on my bookshelf ever since collecting... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Angela
enthralling!
What a ride! I was gripped from the first page and couldn't put it down, a really different take on the whole vampire genre that moves at rocket speed for the duration of the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ambercat
Disappointing and Cliched
I fail to see how anyone could give this book full 5 stars to be honest. It was very cliched and very poorly written. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Serious
Not great literature, but an efficient airport thriller
An aircraft lands in New York and goes dark. The CDC are called, and they find that there is no-one alive on board. At least no-one TRULY alive... Read more
Published 7 months ago by LeMarchand
Promised a lot, but delivered nothing.
Written by Helen. Unfortunately, the name Guillermo Del Toro sold this to me, on the back of his fantastic movies Pan's Labyrinth, The Devil's Backbone, and Cronos; I will not be... Read more
Published 7 months ago by AndyH
An OK take on the vampire legend
I love del Toro's movies so was expecting this to be a gory modern twist on the vampire legend which it kind of is but with a number of distractions. Read more
Published 7 months ago by J. Gardner
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