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.
