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

Fantastic performance, okay story

Ron Perlman absolutely kills it with his reading of The Strain. He’s got a deep, resonant voice and a gravitas that carries the material. For my money though, I just really couldn’t get into it. Partly a plague procedural and partly a domestic vignette set with some powerful overarching mythos? It can be a lot. The best character there is Vasily Fet and he doesn’t show up until the last third of the book. Eph is not a great protagonist but there aren’t any fun antagonists either. It’s a little too bland and serious for what is frankly a really cool premise.

excellent, fast paced, wonderful acting

are you looking for a mix of zombie and vampires? look no further. Ron Perlman is amazing, speaking in both sexes, different ethics,and even super natural voice's with ease. this is a trilogy, just fyi.

Good story, narration falls flat

Love the concept and the story but Pearlman's monotone doesn't do it for me. Glad it's a new guy for the sequels

an amazing taken on the vampire story a great read

an great story, scary gut wrenching and impactful. a must read for the sci fi fan

only five star so far

Real MVP wasn't Hogan's almost clinical description to match the medical setting and feeling. Nor was it Del Torro's constantly anxiety ridden plot points. It was Pearlman's voice -work which somehow made every character both unique and yet believable. Whole thing worth doing over again.

Ron Perlman has everything you want!

Where does The Strain rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is in my top 5 now - I just wish that Ron Perlman had been the one to read the rest of the books in this trilogy.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Setrakian - the old professor. I love how they kept doing flash backs of his life and previous encounters.

What about Ron Perlman’s performance did you like?

Everything - absolutely everything. I love his voice, the personality that he gave all the characters, just everything.

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

Yes it was and I was actually able to listen to a lot of it on a car trip.

Any additional comments?

Seriously wish that Ron Perlman had been the one to read the other books - listened to the sample and it's just not the same. I am probably just going to buy the hardcopy of the following books to read to myself instead of get the other 2 in audio.

A great take on vampires in a modern world

The story is spooky, tense and engaging.

The narrator (Ron Perlman) has an unmistakable and fantastic voice for narration.

It reads (or listens) like a blockbuster movie.

Loved it!

We really loved this story and are fans of Guillermo del Toro! We found the TV series online and watched it.

Great story

An fun and interesting take on the vampire storyline. One of my favorite series. I only wish that the T.V. series would have kept closer to the books.

Not a vampire romance novel.

The story was great. The experience would have been perfect had Ray Porter narrated it.
Ron Perlman is hard to follow. He just lulls on and you lose interest. You also cant tell which character is which. Or he uses the wrong voice.
Loved the concept. I'm on to the 2nd book which has a different narrator. Hopefully its better.