The Strain is a novel series which helped relaunch the vampires in horror genre after die hard horror fans got tired of seeing vampire appear in more romantic forms elsewhere. Its wikipage is here. It has been adapted into a TV series and a graphic novel. -Michele
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Harper; Reprint edition, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061558245
Available: New and Used
A Boeing 777 plane arriving from Germany lands at the JFK airport and stops on the runway with all the window shades shut and no sign of life. When Dr Ephraim Goodweather of the CDC is sent to investigate, he finds a vampiric plague that starts to spread throughout New York City. He teams up with Abraham Setrakian, a pawnbroker/vampire hunter/folklore expert, and pest exterminator Vasiliy Fet, to try to stop the spread of the disease.
The Strain is an example of great horror being published by a mainstream press. The vampires in the book are vicious, blood-drinking monsters that hunt down their own families as an initial source of prey; there is no sparkling vampire love story here. The authors try to explain scientifically how vampirism is basically a virus or disease that changes the host, but there is still a supernatural component to the vampires- for instance, they can’t cross running water. The vampire plague is actually looked upon as a combination of a biological virus with some supernatural properties. The forensic science component makes the story more convincing, and it feels like it could be real. The Strain offers up solid storytelling. With well-fleshed out characters and good pacing, it makes for a thoroughly satisfying read.
The Strain will have a larger appeal than to just horror genre readers, as it is also a thriller, with a dash of mystery. Readers will be turning pages to find out what happens next.
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