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The Strain

By: Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan
Narrated by: Ron Perlman
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Publisher's summary

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.

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.

©2009 Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Featured Article: The 25 Best Vampire Audiobooks to Suck You In


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What listeners say about The Strain

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    3,415
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  • Overall
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MASTERFULLY PREFORMED!

Ron Perlman brings to life the characters of The Strain with the intensity of despair.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely amazing

A nonstop ride through the world of the Strigoi the type of storytelling that keeps the reader on the edge of their seats awaiting the next chapter

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved It

Loved it! Ron Pearlman has the perfect voice for narration. Interesting take on the vampire genre.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Exceptional

Perlman did a great job bringing the characters to life with actually switching between accents & tones to make the whole experience more authentic. Great story, very well written.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

best in the trilogy, and best beginning

i think this book had an amazing start, but it went a bit down hill for one reason only, how the author keeps on saying they are vampiers, although all (almost all) what they do and how they spread are exactly like zombies... thats the only bad part in this book, if they made it into zombies, or made them more like knows vamps then that would be understandable.

but ya its a bit confusing.... but over all its a good book, and a good trilogy.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great fun! Wildly addicting!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Never a dull moment!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Strain?

When the Master 1st evades destruction by the sunlight. SHOCKER!

Have you listened to any of Ron Perlman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was my 1st, but he was great!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the son Zach sees his changed mother. That was rough.

Any additional comments?

It's great how firmly rooted in science and medicine this tale is while still maintaining the ethos of the vampire!

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Good

I hate Ron Pearlman's voice. Glad the other two have different narrators.
Great story though!!

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great story

I enjoyed this one alot. vampires are not my normal cup of tea but this was a good book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Okay...not for everyone...but I like it

This trilogy is definately not for everyone. And the narration is a little dry. But I admit it...I love this stuff. I'm a end-of-the world, conspiracy theory, epic disaster junkie. What are you gonna do? I grew up in the 70's with Towering Inferno, Earthquake and all the Airport movies.

Anyway, this series is a bit on the far-fetched side of the vampire stuff, but I like the main characters a lot. They are just regular people that get to save the world. They don't have any special powers, and they lose people that they love in the process, which makes it more real.

And the vampires aren't flying around like bats and sparkling in the daylight, although they have this gross stinger thing that shoots out to "drink your blood."

If you are squeamish at all I would opt for lighter vampire fare, like the popular Twilight series or something equally YA, but if you like more hardcore apocalyptic stuff, give this trilogy a go.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wow!

This reading of THE STRAIN is wonderful. I cannot wait to hear the 2nd book!

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