The Strain: A gripping suspense thriller that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last!

Steeped in the traditions of vampiric lore yet also interesting to see del Toro's cinematic ideas sometimes pop up in the story....think Cronos and Blade 2 mashup!!The Strain is a very well written modern take on vampires. For me there are very few team up books that are actually more than just ok, a book like Good Omens for example is a perfect matchup and so great from Gaiman and Pratchett. You can add Chuck Close and Del Toro to that list of quality team writers as having nearly finished the 2nd book, The Fall, I'm having a great time still! The Strain is truly creepy from the start, and keeps that momentum for most of the way. The beginning reminds me of one of the scariest intros I've read, Perdido St. Station by China M Mieville... which I highly recommend.If it does become a little less scary by the time more is revealed in the 2nd book, this is not at the expense of the quality of writing. It does start to feel more of a dark adventure than a creepy horror later, but I enjoy the pace, the close shaves, the twists and turns and the lore revelations all the way through. All that commentary aside I know I will quickly read this fun trilogy all the way through, so for that reason alone it is worth the 5 star rating.Highly recommended if you are a Del Toro movie fan.

As I mentioned in my review of the second installment, "the fall" I didn't find out that this was a trilogy of fiction books, until I had watched the first season of "the Strain" television show. Which I greatly enjoyed.The first thing that I will say about this book in comparison with the TV series, is that the series does follow the book fairly closely it definitely delivers us to a similar conclusion, but the book and series do differ on some points, and in my mind, the book (which is usually the case) is far more intriguing, and some of the conclusions drawn are more enjoyable and fitting in the book then they are in the TV series. I felt though that the changes in the TV series, worked better for a television show, and likewise for those which differed in the book, as for a book delivery.I absolutely enjoyed this book and just couldn't put it down. The writing is great, and doesn't drag on and on. Also the background knowledge by the authors, to certain machinations and the atmosphere of New York itself are just really well done, it really made me catch a close enough glimpse of the city, and made me feel like I was there. Now this may be a bit tainted, although I have never lived in New York City, I have visited it in the past for an extended period of time. So my memories of the city helped put me there while reading the story. This may not be the same for readers who have never been to NYC proper.Since I had watched the television series first, it took me about 100 pages before I stopped hearing the actor’s voices in my head for the characters. Lol.Overall, if you have seen the series and enjoyed it, you will love this book and the second book (I haven't started the third and final book as of this writing, so check back in a week or so of the publishing of this review if you would like to know my thoughts on it!) But I loved the second book as well.If you haven't watched the series, read the book first, mainly, it is a lot more enjoyable to see the characters you have come to enjoy in the book, be given moving life by actors, after reading the story. At least this is my opinion.Great story telling, awesome characters, and what a great premise! If you are a fan of even just a good story, and don't mind horror, I will be surprised if you don't at least find this book pretty enjoyable.

No sparkly, sympathic creatures here! del Toro always has a fresh perspective on horror and the appcalyptic world he has fashioned here is no exception. The human characters are well moulded and the non human ones are creepier than anything I've seen in a long, long time.There are no wasted words on these pages, the story is taut and fast paced- I can't wait to finish the series.

'The Strain' is a fast paced new take on the vampire genre.The story's main character is Ephraim Goddweather an epidemiologist with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) working in New York City. Eph is currently divorced and struggling through a custody case for his son. At the early parts of the book, this made me a little worried that the main character was the same old story in so many books. Eph's divorce was caused in part by his 'dedication' to his job. The other characters are very interesting and for the most part essential to the story.Abraham Setrakian works a pawn shop in NYC and luckily is an old vampire hunter familiar with the foe. Another great character is Vasily Fet, a pest control worker in NYC who turns out to be a fearless companion.The story starts when a Boeing 777 lands in NYC and immediately goes 'dark'. No lights, no communication, nothing. Is it a new pandemic disease...a terrorist attack...When the authorities finally get into the plane they find all, but three of the passengers dead. The living passengers are taken to hosipitals and the dead bodies are contained, and sent for examination. This is how the CDC is called in. What could kill a plane full of people so quickly?The story takes off when the survivors start to turn, and the dead bodies begin to rise. The new take (at least for me) of the vampires is very good. The method of attack is different. The vampires develop tentacles in their throats which can extend out and suck the blood of their victims. A bit of confusion is how the book explains the changes to the victims. At one point the cause is attributed to a virus, but 'worms' or parasites are also found in the victims blood.A great device is getting a peak into the plane surviors as they begin turning into vampires. I found those portions of the story to be captivating. There are a couple of stumbles along the way. The fact that Eph's ex-wife is captured by the vampire leader casued a yawn. When the hero are making their attack on the vampire leader, Abraham has heart problems which cause Eph to let the vampire escape.An interesting thread that I can not wait to see where it goes, involves the fact that vampires are living around us. They are organized and have agreed to remain hidden. That is until this 'Strain' decides to not play by those rules. 'The Strain' is a very good start to a planned trilogy. The trick will be how the story is maintained and grows inthe next installments. I highly recommend this book. It will be a great summer read.

This book, although it was somewhat slow to start; to build up all the anticipation and suspense. Once it got going I could not put it down and now I want more. Characters are likeable, the story and the suspense was great. I eagerly await the next book in the series; The Fall.