The Strain: Book One of The Strain Trilogy

Overview

The visionary creator of the Academy Award-winning Pan's Labyrinth and a Hammett Award-winning author bring their imaginations to this bold, epic novel about a horrifying battle between man and vampire that threatens all humanity. It is the first installment in a thrilling trilogy and an extraordinary international publishing event.

The Strain

They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting. Now their time has come.

In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country.

In two months--the world.

A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK and is on its way across the tarmac, when it suddenly stops dead. All window shades are pulled down. All lights are out. All communication channels have gone quiet. Crews on the ground are lost for answers, but an alert goes out to the CDC. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of their Canary project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats, gets the call and boards the plane. What he finds makes his blood run cold.

In a pawnshop in Spanish Harlem, a former professor and survivor of the Holocaust named Abraham Setrakian knows something is happening. And he knows the time has come, that a war is brewing . . .

So begins a battle of mammoth proportions as the vampiric virus that has infected New York begins to spill out into the streets. Eph, who is joined by Setrakian and a motley crew of fighters, must now find a way to stop the contagion and save his city--a city that includes his wife and son--before it is too late.

Editorial Reviews

Director Del Toro (who won an Oscar for Pan's Labyrinth) makes a dramatic splash in his fiction debut, the first volume in a vampires vs. humanity trilogy, coauthored with Hogan (Prince of Thieves). Just as a jumbo jet on a flight from Germany to New York is touching down at JFK, something goes terribly wrong. When Ephraim Goodweather, of the Centers for Disease Control, investigates the darkened plane, he finds all but four passengers and crew dead, drained of blood. Despite Goodweather's efforts to keep the survivors segregated, they get discharged into the general population. Soon after, the corpses of the tragedy's victims disappear. The epidemiologist begins to credit the wild stories of Abraham Setrakian, an elderly pawnbroker who's the book's Van Helsing figure, and concludes that a master vampire has arrived in the U.S. The authors maintain the suspense and tension throughout in a tour de force reminiscent of Whitley Strieber's early work. (June)

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Author Information

Bio of Guillermo Del Toro

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, Guillermo del Toro made his feature directorial debut in 1993 with the film Cronos, and has since gone on to direct Mimic, The Devil's Backbone, Blade II, Hellboy I, Hellboy II, and Pan's Labyrinth, which garnered enormous critical praise worldwide and won three Academy Awards. He will direct two films based on The Hobbit, to be produced by Peter Jackson.

Bio of Chuck Hogan

Chuck Hogan's first novel, The Standoff, was translated into fourteen languages and adapted for film. His second, The Blood Artists, was called "sensational" and "masterfully suspenseful" by Kirkus Reviews and a "quantum leap" by the Chicago Tribune. He lives in Massachusetts and is at work on a new novel.

Customer Reviews

• Holy Crap!

  Posted June 06, 2009 by Nannette, PA

  This was one of those books where you found yourself yelling "Holy crap" out loud! It was a great read, especially for people who still remember vampires being like Christopher Lee and not shiny. It took me 3 days to read. If sleep and family had not been an issue I would have read it straight through. Worth the money!

• WOAH ...

  Posted June 22, 2009 by Read Her, Ft Lauderdale

  What A ride!
  All i can say is ... plan some down time before beginning this one. You will NOT want to put it down.
  VERY interesting story line, cool (honorable) tie-ins to NYC and 911, adrenaline charged, very well written, technical - plus, It'll make you a full-out scardy pants!
  It's not your usual vampire story, by any means. In fact, if not for the blood-suckers it wouldn't be a vampire story at all!
  It's XFiles on Red Bull.
  Warning ... if you're easily freaked out ... don't read it before bed! But DO READ IT - you'll love it!
  As you can see, I'm fairly enthusiastic about this book ...

• A New Addition to Vampire Mythology

  Posted June 23, 2009 by vampirelover, San Diego

  An excellent vampire novel. The authors take elements of traditional vampire lore and add modern-day twists and scientific explanations. The novel is non-stop suspense and very visual; it reads very much like a movie script, and if you've seen Del Toro's films, you know what a sense of imagery he has (check out "Pan's Labyrinth" and "Hell Boy II"). If you liked "Dracula," " 'Salem's Lot," and any number of zombie movies, this one's for you.

• Awesome

  Posted July 14, 2009 by DJ, Winchester CA

  My only regret is that I read this book before the rest of the trilogy has been published. Now I must wait..... A must buy!

• Can't wait for more

  Posted July 29, 2009 by Megan, Quantico

  I really loved this book. The characters, the story, the development....I couldnt stop reading it and when it ended, well... I want more!

• Like "28 Days later" but with vampires

  Posted August 03, 2009 by Francois , Regina

  First book of a trilogy. Just when you thought enough had been written about vampires, a book comes along and changes you perception. Sure, the story is a little on the cookie-cutter side but still, the action and pace will keep you on the edge of your seat. I read it in five days. Buy it!

• Fantastic!

  Posted August 04, 2009 by Tammy H, West Virginia

  I loved this book. I am a big Horror fan and this book kept me on the edge. I didn't want to put it down. When will the next book be out?

• Incredible!

  Posted August 19, 2009 by mwcooper, Beaverton, OR

  Picked this title up on a whim as I was intrigued by the fact that del Torro was listed as co-author.
  
  I have to say this book had me sucked into it from the first page. This is just an incredibly entertaining read with great, vivid imagery. The worst part is waiting for more.

• Must Read

  Posted August 22, 2009 by Eddie, Virginia Beach

  Even if you don't care for the vampire plot, this book will draw you in with its outstanding writing. It will probably be a movie soon.

• Nonsense wrapped in silliness

  Posted October 09, 2009 by Bill in Dallas, Dallas

  Has a very intriguing start and then nosedives into endless variations of the same scene like some immature slasher movie. Person becomes vampire, vampire goes home, vampire either kills loved ones or gets killed. Many little side stories. Who cares.
  
  Is it a virus, or a parasite, or supernatural or what I wanted to scream. At any time it is one or the other or a couple of them causing the vampires. If a virus, why can't they cross water? Why do worms crawl from their bodies? Why can they read minds? Why is a virus starting a war? So the strategy is to kill and eat every person? What is the point in that? SPOILER - how in the world did one vampire kill 200 people instantly, pull down all of the blinds on the plane, kill the power, and poop all over the plane? They never even attempt to explain that one !!
  
  And towards the end - Eph and Fet (really that is their names) once a medical internal medicine doctor and rat catcher become uber vampire killers along with a near 90 year old man (do the math) with bad hands and bad heart. Ok, forget the story line, read it for the poor language!

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Additional Info

Imprint

William Morrow &Company

Filesize

1.22 MB

Number of Pages

416

eBook ISBN

0061882313