THE STRAIN by Guillermo Del Toro

"The Master Strigoi"

The Strain

Posted: February 21, 2011

At New York's JFK Airport, Flight 753 from Berlin, Germany, arrives and suddenly stops dead. All the shades are drawn and there is no communication with the pilots or passengers. Dr. Eph Goodweather, head of a CDC rapid-response team investigating biological threats, is called upon to enter the plane. He encounters an unimaginable scene. All the passengers, pilots, and flight attendants are dead. There are no signs of abuse, guns, knives, or any other sort of weapon. People are still in their seats, some holding hands. The bodies are removed from the plane and brought to area hospitals and morgues for family members to claim. It is discovered that there are four people who are still alive but without any real memories of the trauma that they have been through.

As this is occurring, we are introduced to a gentleman who runs a pawn shop in New York, Setrakian, who is a survivor of the Holocaust and has knowledge of the entity that will be pervading New York after the tragic incident on the plane. Inside the plane is discovered a very large case filled with dirt. The case disappears from the plane with no knowledge of its contents. What follows is a whirlwind of knowledge regarding the beast that has been unleashed on New York by the machinations of a very rich and power-hungry individual.

I think this book would work well as a movie since it begins very slowly and then speeds too fast to the conclusion. I got very comfortable with learning about the families and the histories of the characters, but then there were a quick series of events intended to get to the desired conclusion.

Book 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.

The Strain 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...

The Strain

by: Guillermo Del Toro

Harper
July 1, 2010
On Sale: July 1, 2010
Featuring: Eph Goodweather
608 pages
ISBN: 0061558249
EAN: 9780061558245
Mass Market Paperback (reprint)

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