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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
This vampire story is one of the most detailed I have read. It is one of the most detailed books of any kind I have ever read. The authors have a great understanding of allowing the reader into their world by having complete characters and settings. There is nothing left to the imagination on who these people are, what they look like, how they feel, and how they live. The story is completely immersive.
When I finished the first 50 pages, my thoughts were that I was going to have nightmares when I slept that night. (Lucky for me I didn’t.) Throughout the book I was disgusted and appalled, in a good way, at the events they were describing. These are NOT the vampires that sparkle. Days after I was done reading the book, while renovating the patio, I got the heebie-jeebies as a little milk white worm was wiggling around trying to make its way to me. I shiver just thinking about it again, that is how under the skin this story can get.
While parts of the book are dizzying, like trying to keep straight the loads of characters in the beginning, it is justified once their paths all cross. The book is part of a trilogy, so the story is open ended with a war of vampires on the way. I think the second book will be even more interesting once we get to meet more of the supernatural creatures instead of focusing on the beginning of the parasitic infection. Book 2, The Fall, will be released September 21, 2010.
When I finished the first 50 pages, my thoughts were that I was going to have nightmares when I slept that night. (Lucky for me I didn’t.) Throughout the book I was disgusted and appalled, in a good way, at the events they were describing. These are NOT the vampires that sparkle. Days after I was done reading the book, while renovating the patio, I got the heebie-jeebies as a little milk white worm was wiggling around trying to make its way to me. I shiver just thinking about it again, that is how under the skin this story can get.
While parts of the book are dizzying, like trying to keep straight the loads of characters in the beginning, it is justified once their paths all cross. The book is part of a trilogy, so the story is open ended with a war of vampires on the way. I think the second book will be even more interesting once we get to meet more of the supernatural creatures instead of focusing on the beginning of the parasitic infection. Book 2, The Fall, will be released September 21, 2010.
As popcorn books go, it's better and smarter than anything in the Dan Brown canon. Del Toro had been playing with vampires for decades, so there are several conceits that folks will recognize from his earliest cinematic works, but it's still a good time at the literary movies.
I liked the style of writing, the story was fine, but this one went really, really slow for me. Since every section is from a different perspective, and they're all rather short, it gives you a lot of stopping points, which meant I would only read a couple pages at a time.
I was a little apprehensive because I watched the show first (I always try to get the book in first normally) but this book was amazing. Action packed and full of amazing description. The first few chapters were a little slow, but don’t let that deter you. About to start the second book in the trilogy right now!
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Slow and wanked on a bit through the beginning and middle. Got more interesting towards the end, so perhaps the next book won't be so laborious.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The Strain is one of the rare horror books that doesn't feel like it's entirely ridiculous. Del Toro and Hogan do a good job of balancing the "real" world with the supernatural world inhabited by the vampires. Del Toro's take on the undead has always been impressive (see Blade II) and the depth of his fiction in this case is outstanding. I flew through this book and couldn't put it down. I'm definitely looking forward to the next two in the trilogy.
I think, in general, this book was pretty mediocre. I have a deep and abiding passion or del Toro's movies and was really hoping this would be as fantastic, but it ended up falling short. It wasn't BAD, persay, the flashbacks to WWII were really neat, for example but... ok... here's my problem: It read like a relatively good novelization of a movie. Or maybe it read like a book that was written in order to be turned into a movie. There was a... flatness to it, something that would be naturally filled out by actors and directors. The descriptions were good, but they all seemed to be describing special effects.
Also, I really didn't like the ending. I understand this is the first book in a trilogy, so I'm not griping about the lack of resolution. The bit I didn't like was the choice the main character made in the very last sentence. (Sorry for being vague, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.)
If I come across the other books in the trilogy, I'll probably read them. It's quite possible that this, as the first of a trilogy, is necessarily unsatisfying and the others would change my opinion, but this didn't leave me with an urgent desire to go out and buy the next.
Also, I really didn't like the ending. I understand this is the first book in a trilogy, so I'm not griping about the lack of resolution. The bit I didn't like was the choice the main character made in the very last sentence. (Sorry for being vague, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.)
If I come across the other books in the trilogy, I'll probably read them. It's quite possible that this, as the first of a trilogy, is necessarily unsatisfying and the others would change my opinion, but this didn't leave me with an urgent desire to go out and buy the next.