The Night Eternal

Book Three of the Strain Trilogy

By: Chuck Hogan, Guillermo Del Toro

Narrated by: Daniel Oreskes

Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s been two years since the vampiric virus was unleashed in The Strain and the entire world now lies on the brink of annihilation. There has been a mass extermination of humans orchestrated by the Master - an ancient vampire possessed of unparalleled powers. The future of humankind lies in the hands of a ragtag band of freedom fighters - Dr. Eph Goodweather, Dr. Nora Martinez, Vasiliy Fet, and Mr. Quinlan, the half-breed offspring of the Master who is bent on revenge. It’s their job to overturn this devastating new world order. But good and evil are malleable terms now, and the Master is most skilled at preying on the weaknesses of humans.

Now, at this critical hour, there is evidence of a traitor in their midst... And only one man holds the answer to the Master’s demise, but is he one who can be trusted with the fate of the world? And who among them will pay the ultimate sacrifice - so that others may be saved?

©2011 Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan (P)2011 HarperCollinsPublishers

Good ending

It took me a while to finish but it was bittersweet. it dragged a little bit in some parts but still a good story

Fantastic final book

Loved the wrap up of the whole story in this book. Highly recommend. Yes the narrator is different then the first book, but by this book you’re used to him and he tells the story really well

Amazing end to an amazing trilogy!

Fantastic! What a wild ride! I remember seeing the book in college and thought, “nah, I don’t want to read about a vampire apocalypse.” Boy, was I wrong! An amazing story, the world building and lore are incredible! Kept me strung along to the very end!
My only gripe would be the narrator sounds almost bored at times, but it rarely detracts from the story. An absolute must read!

Great building story line

Great plot and the reader was very easy to listen to. All three books provided a great progression of the characters

Truly creepy!

This is the final book of the Strain Trilogy, and I thought it was the best of the three. I love creepy and frightening books and this one delivers. The vampires in this nightmare are nothing like those of Anne Rice, and nowhere close to those of Stephanie Myer(though I enjoyed the Twilight Series). Except for the leader these monsters operate strictly in the realm of need. Needing blood. They do not think and have absolutely no emotion. And I find that more scary than the traditional portrayal of vampires. Except for Abraham Setrakian the entire crew of freedom fighters is back. They know time is running out for them as The Master is constantly trying to hunt them down. Due to nuclear winter there is only one hour of sunlight each day, so this severely limits the activity the surviving humans can engage in. One gruesome discovery is that The Master is operating a kind of concentration camp, where humans are used for their blood. But certain women are privileged, due to their blood type they are used as breeders, thus insuring a good supply of optimal blood. The humans that are still living can't always be trusted since they turn each other in for special "treatment". Which means they will survive just a little longer serving The Master.

This is a very fast paced story, with very little extraneous dialog. Some parts of the story that may stretch reader credulity, but so what! This is a vampire story after all. I found myself anxious to listen while I was trying to work or sleep. It is that good.

I really wanted to like this book.

There was so much promise in the first book. It was as if Del Toro was brought from screen to page. He reinvented a genre that was in bad need of a face lift. Too many sparkly vampires and angst filled cliches are floating around in the media. We really needed a good old Bram Stoker take on it. The first book delivered in spades, the universe they had set up held so much potential. The characters were well developed and the plot clipped along at an entertaining and engaging pace. And then came the second book, while not as good as the first it felt like was reaching for the same goal.

I really wanted the third book to breath life back into the series. Del Toro is one of my favorite writer/directors and I held faith that the final chapter of his story would offer an original and engaging revival. Instead, as I listened, the atmosphere disappeared, the characters became wooden and shallow, and the plot meandered about as if concussed. I was bored. I am not sure if the story was trying to be too many things at once or just had an identity crisis. Post-apocalyptic/vampire/political drama/world domination/existence of God/whatever. Things were explained too late in the game, or just out right poorly placed within the story. It seemed like this last novel was phoned in, as if the writers just got tired of telling the story and just threw a bunch of fluff at their overall outline.

I'm sitting here still trying to decide if I liked it or not. As a trilogy I would say it is an ok read. Something to kill time between your favorite series. As the third installment, I would say it is the poorest of the three.

I really was hoping for something to give vampires back their dignity. Now I dread another "I am legend" abortion on the big screen. Poor Matheson, that poor bastard needs one of his books done properly. As for Del Toro, I think he supplied a solid world and a setting that had vast potential. I am not sure where the break down occurred but something slipped in the second book and fell flat on its face in the third.

On a side note, while the narrator was solid, you just cannot beat Ron Perlman.

Epic vampire story

Would you consider the audio edition of The Night Eternal to be better than the print version?

yes and no. Its nice to have it read.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Eff

Which scene was your favorite?

The orgin of the vampires.

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

The orgin of the vampires.

Any additional comments?

Great series.

I'm just glad it's over

I'm with the many others who have noted the downward spiral of this series.

This wasn't a terrible book, it's just that the trilogy never lived up to the promise of the first installment. The narration of this book was quite good, but the writing and plot were a letdown.

I was initially intrigued by idea that the Master had replaced Ephraim Goodweather as father to Zachary, and that along with the vampiric Kelly, they made a twisted little family unit. But the religious aspects made me cringe. We started with science, and then suddenly there were archangels, revelatory dreams, sacred texts and...a nuke?? It made little sense.

I agree with Gus, who wisely stated that if there really WAS a God, what was he waiting for?

Satisfactory ending

What made the experience of listening to The Night Eternal the most enjoyable?

I really like the firm resolution to the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Night Eternal?

The ending. That was the best part of the book. Also, I enjoyed how some of the background was explained in more detail.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Daniel Oreskes?

Yes, but I don't think he was the most effective narrator for this book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Probably not. There were definitely some boring areas that made me want to put it down for a while.

Any additional comments?

I think the book could have been a little shorter. Some parts seemed a bit forced and long.

Waste of a good

The first two built up the vampires as a virus, something that could exist in the real world. The last book undoes all that by making it secretly supernatural. I have nothing against supernatural but but why play up a scientific explanation for two books just to throw it all out.
That alone would bad enough but the characters are unlike able, deus ex machina is strong and at the end, god fixes everything. I just hope hope the show ends better.