The Fall

Book Two of the Strain Trilogy

By: Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan

Narrated by: Daniel Oreskes

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

From the authors of the instant New York Times best seller The Strain comes the next volume in one of the most imaginative and frightening thriller series in many, many years.

Last week they invaded Manhattan. This week they will destroy the world. The vampiric virus unleashed in The Strain has taken over New York City. It is spreading and soon will envelop the globe. Amid the chaos, Eph Goodweather - head of the Centers for Disease Control's team - leads a band out to stop these bloodthirsty monsters. But it may be too late.

Ignited by the Master's horrific plan, a war erupts between Old and New World vampires, each vying for control. At the center of the conflict lies a book, an ancient text that contains the vampires' entire history... and their darkest secrets. Whoever finds the book can control the outcome of the war and, ultimately, the fate of us all. And it is between these warring forces that humans - powerless and vulnerable - find themselves no longer the consumers but the consumed.

Though Eph understands the vampiric plague better than anyone, even he cannot protect those he loves. His ex-wife, Kelly, has been transformed into a bloodcrazed creature of the night, and now she stalks the city looking for her chance to reclaim her Dear One: Zack, Eph's young son.

With the future of humankind in the balance, Eph and his team, guided by the brilliant former professor and Holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian and exterminator Vasiliy Fet, and joined by a crew of ragtag gangsters, must combat a terror whose ultimate plan is more terrible than anyone has imagined - a fate worse than annihilation.

Listen to the first book, The Strain.

©2010 Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Pure Genius...You Won't Regret Reading This Series

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

Yes and I have! I don't know if anyone has taken me up on it. It might be a different story if I was willing to part with my physical copies of the book, but I tell people all the time that this series is one you will be addicted to. Other than 'The Passage,' this series is the best books on vampires I've ever read (People always talk about Anne Rice and I promise, I want to read her stuff, but I'm more about the vampires who can't think and just DRINK BLOOD. So, I fear Anne Rice, who is a talented writer, just might not be for me).

What did you like best about this story?

Basically, you go from one extreme to the next with this series. When you think that it can't get any worse, it does and you just have to hold on and hope everything is alright. People may find that stressful, but I loved Hogan's and del Toro's work in this one specifically.

Which scene was your favorite?

Getting the book! That's all I will say :)

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

The entire series has this fight for family values and connection. I think the fact that the vampires' perversion on that love is so interesting. The love that one has, if turned, becomes the thing that makes your loved ones become targets. It's fascinating. So, to answer the question, Eph's continued loyalty to his son and the fact that nothing will stop him from making sure Zach is safe has always moved me since the first book.

Any additional comments?

You won't regret reading this series even if you've watched some or all of the FX show so far. It's so much deeper than that and, although I love the show, you just get more out of the books.

Not as good as first in audio quality

Some reviewers didn't like the story; not the case here. While the 1st book was better, I still enjoyed this story. The audiobook itself is far less polished than 1st. Perlman was awesome (except for mispronouncing Ephraim) and you could automatically tell who was talking vs narrator narrating. Very helpful too were the clear breaks between scenes/chapters. Gone now is that finess. There are no scene delineations so that was VERY jarring. The narrator pronounced Eph correctly... But lost the wonderful storytelling Perlman had.

Another great installment

This series is amazing and very well written. Plot and setting very well done. As a New Yorker I felt the city was well represented and turned into a mystifying place. The Foe is hot on the heels of our hero's in this one and the odds seem stacked against them.

Narrator changed, not good

The narrator was Ron Pearlman for the first book, and brought it to life. Daniel Oreskes didn't keep with Ron's pronounciation of some names (eg. Eef to Ef), which to me, whether right or wrong, shouldn't happen. This book in itself is a 3/5 star book, and I give Daniel the same on his reading. I will still buy the final installment when released however

Mediocre rehashing of Vampire Legends Meets CSI

The only worthwhile parts of this book are the background sections, which are basically ripped off from Lovecraft, Stoker, and Dan Williams. The remaining plot will turn you into a somnambulist, but this is what passes for good storytelling now.

Ready for the next book

I have listened to the two books in this series, The Strain and The Fall and really liked them both. These two books are good Vampire story. Not hokey or stupid like some Vampire stories can be. I am anxious to see how the next book ends it.

phenomenal

amazing series, found the book from the show. I wish they would have made took more from the book into the show but overall amazing

Loved it

after watching the strain series on Hulu. I decided the books would be great. Too bad I have to wait to hear the last one.

Great second book to The Strain

Love this series overall - but it gets really really slow, especially the middle several chapters. Way too much time is being spent constantly re-describing the physical appearance of the vampires. The problem is that you HAVE to read the second book because there are key points.

Move over Bram

WOW!! These two guys recreated the vampire like no other. This book has it all! …Steve King’s Salem’s Lot was an excellent book and still one of my favorite classic vamp tales but The Strain nudges King off of the top of my list! …and if these books were written before Bram Stoker's Vampire, the stereotypical white faced, long toothed, black cape wearing fellow would have never even made it to the main stream!! Bravo!! DO NOT PASS THIS BOOK BY! ....PS. the narrator ISN'T that bad. Ok, so his character distinction isn't the best on Audible but he still has a pleasant reading voice and he is more than bearable. Do not let the bad review’s of the reading scare you off. …the vamp's might though….