Review: The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

A plane lands at JFK Airport. There is no communication from the plane, the lights are off and the window shades pulled. When the plane is finally inspected, it appears all on board are dead. Fearing an outbreak of some deadly disease, the CDC is called in to investigate. Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his team begin removing the bodies from the plane only to find four survivors. They have no idea what transpired aboard the plane.

A large container is found in the cargo area of the plane. Before the container can be inspected it mysteriously disappears. Then other things disappear, the bodies of the victims. Enter a strange old man, Abraham Setrakian. He runs a pawn shop in downtown New York and claims to know the answer to the mysterious events surrounding the plane. Setrakian attempts to convince Goodweather that he is facing a vampire plague. He claims to have seen this before. He claims to know how to stop it.

This is one deliciously creepy vampire story. It is refreshing to read a book about vampires that does not portray them as suave, yet disturbed, gorgeous men. These vampires are pure evil. There is a scene where a man is in the process of turning into a vampire and is struggling with his desires for blood. He eventually kills the family pets and then locks himself to a pole in a garage to keep from attacking his own family. That is the stuff nightmares are made from.

I can see why some people have complained about the book being slow at the beginning. The action appears more towards the middle of the book. I really enjoyed the medical mystery that takes place in the first part of the book. But if that's not your thing, don't worry. There is plenty of horrific action just after that.

The authors have spent some time developing their theory of vampires. They have drawn their inspiration from Bram Stoker's original vampire story, Dracula. But don't worry, this is no retelling of that story. They have put quite an original spin on vampires and, at least as far as I'm concerned, it is a success.

I've read online that this was originally pitched as a mini series for television. It was apparently turned down. I would find it especially ironic if this book is made into a motion picture. It is one that I would go see.