RSS
Home
Straining to put the ire back in vampires
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The Strain by Guillermo del Torro and Chuck Hogan is the latest entry to the vampire genre that brings fangs back to the creatures of the night. Several movies, magazines, comic books, and novels come and go every year trying to put a new spin on vampire lore. Bram Stoker’s chilling tale has withstood the test of time and much of the mythos surrounding vampire tales comes from this bloodline.
Recently, the Twilight phenomenon has reshaped thinking on vampires and their mythology. However, true horror fans balk at the idea that this story is more than just a new Romeo and Juliette type of tale. Stephen King was quoted in a USA Weekend interview published in March as saying about Stephanie Meyer and Twilight, "It's exciting and it's thrilling and it's not particularly threatening…(a) lot of the physical side of it is conveyed in things like the vampire will touch her forearm or run a hand over skin, and she just flushes all hot and cold. And for girls, that's a shorthand for all the feelings that they're not ready to deal with yet." This is an excellent explanation for why Twilight is so popular among young girls and bored housewives. Enter The Strain which brings the vampire back to its roots – pure evil and violence.
The book is summed up in the front cover,
“They have always been here.
Vampires.
In secret and in darkness.
Waiting.
In one week, Manhattan will be gone. In one month, the country. In two months – the world.”
Dr. Eph Goodweather a CDC Specialist with the Canary project is called in when an airplane goes eerily silent and still shortly after landing at JFK. Nearly everyone on board is thought to be dead when they open the doors and investigate the phenomena. A mystery is revealed and Eph must figure out what is causing very strange occurrences around New York with the help of colleagues and others who have known about the night creatures for years. The story paces well, and sets up the two volumes that will be published over the next 2 years.
The vampires in this story are very violent and calculating. Hogan and del Torro do a masterful job describing attacks, painful transformations, and the unquenchable thirst for blood. To their credit, they weave a new storyline late in the book that will carry the plot in sequels.
Hogan and del Torro put the fear back into vampire legends and much in the same vein as Robert Matheson did in I Am Legend, scientifically explaining how these creatures operate to the point that you may find yourself asking “What if?”
For more info or to order the Strain, visit Amazon.com Here
Related Articles:
Comments
Has anyone ever wondered what happened to Lazarus after Jesus Christ raised him from the dead? It’s a great story about a man who fell ill, …
No Doors. No Windows. is a suspenseful horror novel written by Joe Schreiber who is the author of Chasing the Dead and Eat the Dark. Schreiber has a …
