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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Pretty good book, with a unique twist on the typical vampire stories mixed with the (now timely, in hindsight) outbreak of what people think is a deadly pandemic. Picture Dracula, Blade, The Andromeda Strain, and CSI combined into a single story, and you have The Strain.
I like the concept of vampirism as a disease. The lore was well explained and not as romantic as some other vampire stories. I didn't really care about any of the characters though. I know there are 2 more books...which I will read as my "trilogy" for the 2015 Reading Challenge...maybe the characters will be more developed in the other books.
This was really close to being a 5 star. I think the only reason it isn't is because of the show. I kept comparing it to the show and while it is very very similar this is better but I kept comparing. So anyway, I loved it. It was really really good! Can't wait to get to the next one.
so... couldn't finish it, it's like reading the equivalent of 90's hallmark and scify channel movies mixed, a cliche after another with nothing interesting between.
I wanted to like it, badly, because I like a lot of stuff from DelToro (except some of his recurrent cliches...). also, I was listening to the audiobook, read by Ron Perlman, how bad can something be that not even Ron Perlman can make better???
I wanted to like it, badly, because I like a lot of stuff from DelToro (except some of his recurrent cliches...). also, I was listening to the audiobook, read by Ron Perlman, how bad can something be that not even Ron Perlman can make better???
Quite enjoyed the re-imagining of vampires, but feel it really fell flat at the finale. Instead of a strong ending, we get an anti-climatic, ham-handed setup for a sequel. Really enjoyed the first 520+ pages, but the last 20 pages just disappointed. Worth the read, but could have been better.
Book 2/2 in my Trashy Summer Pre-Vacation Chores duo.
Huh. Reviewing this nearly two months after reading it, I find I can't call to mind a lot of specifics of the plot. There were vampires. They were half-classical (traveling with dirt from their home country), half new-agey (no sparkles, but some very curious infection-transmission details), and lots and lots of people died.
Other reviewers have said that all the characters came from central casting and that the plot was fairly predictable, but that for some dumb-ass reason they still really liked this. That's mostly my opinion, too. I don't know if I liked it enough to go get the second installment, but I guess we'll see how window-painting season plays out around here...
Huh. Reviewing this nearly two months after reading it, I find I can't call to mind a lot of specifics of the plot. There were vampires. They were half-classical (traveling with dirt from their home country), half new-agey (no sparkles, but some very curious infection-transmission details), and lots and lots of people died.
Other reviewers have said that all the characters came from central casting and that the plot was fairly predictable, but that for some dumb-ass reason they still really liked this. That's mostly my opinion, too. I don't know if I liked it enough to go get the second installment, but I guess we'll see how window-painting season plays out around here...
Really an interesting take on vampire lore. Definitely NOT Twilight!!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A really fun, science-based take on vampires, but the authors' preoccupation with vampire shit and piss was a bit off-putting