The Strain

Guillermo del Toro · Chuck Hogan

Jul 2010 · HarperCollins UK

About this ebook

The high-concept thriller with a supernatural edge from the world-famous director, whose films include Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy.

A plane lands at JFK and mysteriously ‘goes dark’, stopping in the middle of the runway for no apparent reason, all lights off, all doors sealed. The pilots cannot be raised.

When the hatch above the wing finally clicks open, it soon becomes clear that everyone on board is dead – although there is no sign of any trauma or struggle. Ephraim Goodweather and his team from the Center for Disease Control must work quickly to establish the cause of this strange occurrence before panic spreads.

The first thing they discover is that four of the victims are actually still alive. But that’s the only good news. And when all two hundred corpses disappear from various morgues around the city on the same night, things very rapidly get worse. Soon Eph and a small band of helpers will find themselves battling to protect not only their own loved ones, but the whole city, against an ancient threat to humanity.

Perfect for fans of Dean Koontz’s The Eyes of Darkness

Ratings and reviews

So far, I am enjoying the e-book, but for me at least, it is broken: every single page that is within the body of the text (e.g. not the cover, table of contents, dedication, &c., just the actual text of the book) is page 18 as far as the reader is concerned. It resets to the absolute beginning when you open, go to any of your bookmarks, search for text, anything-- the only way to find your place is to flip through from the beginning, Am I the only one having this problem? It is seriously interfering with my desire to finish the book.

Nice viral twist to vampire stories. I wish there had been a little bit more if scientific explanation in it, but overall a good book.

Truly gripping from start to finish. A modern day twist on the long standing vampire mythos. For those of you who played The Last of Us, this is a sure read.. Highly recommended.

About the author

Guillermo Del Toro has enjoyed huge critical and commercial success as a film director in both his native Mexico and Hollywood. His works include Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone, Blade II and Hellboy. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and children.

Chuck Hogan was a video store clerk in Boston when his first thriller, ‘The Standoff’, was published to critical acclaim and went on to become a US bestseller, translated into fourteen international editions. The film rights to his third novel, ‘Prince of Thieves’ is in development with Warner Brothers, with Ben Afflect signed up to direct and star.