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What Members Thought

Donna
Sep 24, 2009 rated it really liked it
Shelves: horror, supernatural
This is the first in a trilogy by filmmaker Del Toro and crime fiction author Chuck Hogan. They meld old-school vampires from European folk tradition with modern science in an interesting way. An ancient "Master" vampire conspires with human accomplices to ship himself from Germany to New York via aircraft. The plane he's on goes suddenly dead just after landing, and first responders discover that everyone on board is dead of unknown causes. Two CDC epidemiologists are soon on the case. They're ...more
Kathryn
Sep 16, 2009 rated it liked it
Shelves: fantastical
I thought it was a unique take on vampirism. These vampires were indeed scary and truly repulsive ... not an Edward Cullen in the bunch. I liked the way the authors set up the later events through the prologue, but some of the early promise seemed to fade toward the end, and the writing was only competent, never inspired. The ready-for-a-sequel ending also felt like a bit of a cheat. I've liked Del Toro's films, but this novel never reached the imaginative heights of Pan's Labyrinth; too bad. ...more
Jaime
Dec 13, 2010 rated it liked it
Shelves: horror, read-2010
It’s been a few weeks since I finished this, and I’m still not completely sure what I thought about it. On one hand, it was a interesting, creepy twist on the vampire. No brooding looks or sparkling skin here, just gore and horror. On the other hand, you could really tell that a screenwriter was one of the authors. Things jumped around A LOT. There were many times when I just wanted to get back to our main heroes: Eph, Nora, and Setrakian. The reason we were following some of these secondary cha ...more
Martha
Jan 29, 2012 rated it it was ok
Initially entertaining, but would only have remained so at about half its current length. Reads very much like a book written by people who a)are under the mistaken impression that writing quality, pulply novels is easy, and b)figure it doesn't really matter much how good the writing is, because what they're really focused on is the movie trilogy that's just down the road. ...more
Juliezs
Aug 02, 2011 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: read-in-2011
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Amy (folkpants)
Aug 15, 2013 rated it it was ok
I was right with this book for the first 400 of its 500 pages. Then, it went off the rails into the realm of patriarchal crap and bad character motivation. I struggled to make it to the end.
Joanne
Aug 04, 2009 rated it it was amazing
It's been a long time since I devoured a book like I devoured The Strain. It grabs you from the first page. Soooo good. And spooky! ...more
Emily
Aug 19, 2009 rated it really liked it
omg omg omg this was sooooooo scary, i can hardly explain the depths of gross scariness im not even sure i can read the next two
Laurie
Mar 30, 2011 rated it liked it
Shelves: 2011
I really liked this and will read the rest of the series. My only critique is that it was sooooo slow at setting the stage. I get that it is the first book in a trilogy, but I think the authors could have moved into the actual story a little more quickly. Still, lots of action, suspense and a unique view of vampires.
Erin
Jun 09, 2009 rated it liked it
A little bit interesting, a little bit predictable. I had hoped for more (and a little less borrowing from other books and movies), but I was intrigued enough to want to read the next volume. Why, oh, why isn't there more good horror? ...more
Brenda
Jun 18, 2009 rated it it was amazing
I have one huge complaint with this book......I've got to wait till sometime next year to read the 2nd book in this exciting, thrilling trilogy!!! These vamps kept me awake long after I read the last page. ...more
Martha
Aug 11, 2009 rated it really liked it
WOW! Read this in one afternoon and evening. The writing wasn't that fantastic, but the story really pulled me in and I wanted to know what was going to happen next and how it was going to end.

It's definitely a different kind of vampire story.
...more
Jillian
Jul 24, 2015 rated it liked it
It was only a like, not a "really like," although it was still quite good. I like the angle of vampirism being an actual biological virus (see Scott Westerfeld's Peeps for another example) and the scary bits were properly scary. ...more
jess sanford
Jul 20, 2009 marked it as to-read
Anne Gresham
Jan 05, 2010 added it
Shelves: horror
Mandy
Feb 03, 2010 marked it as to-read
Leslie
Feb 24, 2010 rated it it was amazing
Wendy E.
Jul 05, 2010 rated it really liked it
Christian
Aug 14, 2010 marked it as tjek-ud
Tara
Sep 21, 2010 rated it it was amazing
Kate
Jan 03, 2011 marked it as to-read
Jennie K.
May 13, 2013 marked it as to-read
Roman Colombo
Feb 09, 2014 rated it did not like it
Caitlin H
Mar 14, 2014 rated it really liked it
Laura
Aug 19, 2014 marked it as to-read
Shelves: series
Monique
Aug 29, 2014 rated it really liked it
Sarah
Dec 30, 2017 marked it as to-read