The Strain

By: Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan

Narrated by: Ron Perlman

Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins

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

Great story great Narration

Ron Perlman voice works brilliantly with this fantastic work of literature.
Was hoping next books in series would also be narrated by him..

Slow Start

The book has a very slow start, but picks up in the middle and towards the end. I read the hard cover when it came out and enjoyed it. I was looking forward to listening to it. The narrator pretty much ruined it. His slow monotone voice makes you want to chew nails. I suggest get the hard cover but if you get the audio, put it on 2x. It is fun to have a vampire story in the United States, in Modern Times and it not be a romance.

Could be better but still a worthy vampire yarn

Yes, Ron Perlman was not the best choice of narrator, but I've heard much worse. He does not excel at voice characterizations (except he does a good job with the old Romanian vampire hunter), and he speaks in a bit of a monotone (but not completely). For all that, I got used to his performance and was able to enjoy the book. As to the story itself, it's a bit formulaic, but the idea of a plague of vampires in New York City is novel enough to me that I was carried along by it. If you like the vampire and/or zombie genre, give this a try. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

Could Not Put It Down!!

I didnt expect this to be such a grea read (listen) but I could not put it down. This is not your typical vamp book. One of the best I have "heard" in a long time. Ron Pearlman is a terrific narrator and I found myself with my jaw hanging open more then a few times.

Scary Fun

Good, old-fashioned vampire read.... highly recommend. Modern twist on the traditional story adding an element of science and pandemic believability.

Just when I

wanted a really good listen along comes this book! Great story, and superb narration by R.Perlman. I'm looking forward to the next titles!
Worth the Credit or you cash.

Scared the heck out of me, but not too much.

I'm not sure what all other negative reviewers are on about. I really enjoyed this. I must say, I'm not a big reader of horror/thriller stuff, but this was great. Scared me so much in some parts I couldn't listen at night. I like the way the different characters and stories wove together. I loved the sense of doom and it built really well.

I had no problem with Ron Pearlman's performance. I liked his deep tone and he did the growling and creepy bits really well.

I think most of the negative reviews are very harsh and some of them just simply wrong. Loved it.

28 Days Later ... for vampires

Some people will knock this book because it rails against the popular trend in vampire stories over the past 20 years. In The Strain, the vampires don't want to date humans; they're not good looking, witty or graceful; there are no humans (save one) who want to join the ranks of the undead and being bitten is neither a sexy nor orgasmic experience - it is horrific in the ugliest sense of the word.

The Strain presents vampirism as a disease that you definitely do not want to catch and offers all the nail-biting suspense that "28 Days Later" gave zombie-lovers.

The characters are well-crafted (unlike most horror characters, I actually found myself caring which ones made it to the end); the world described by Del Toro and Hogan is detailed, gritty and real (which plays a large part in making the idea of this particular infection believable); and Ron Perlman does an outstanding job narrating.

I don't recommend many books to my friends, but this one gets my whole-hearted recommendation if you are someone who is tired of the cliched, whiny, over-sexed, Goth-wearing, "I'd rather tell you my sad story than bite you" kind of vampire.

Excellent Vampire tale

Good book, I felt Ron Perlman did an excellent job, his deep voice added to the malevolence of the story. It's great to have vampires who are evil and not the Jonas Brothers.

Great take on the Undead story

Loved the book. Great to have a new take in this genre. Will keep reading the next book in the series