Four years after the release of The Strain, I finally got around to reading and finishing The Night Eternal…book #3 of The Strain Trilogy.
Shortly after the release of book #2, The Fall, I headed into NYC for an event with both authors Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo made time to chat with everyone there…
…he seemed very sweet and even his autograph was cute!!
Which makes it all the more interesting just how twisted this guy is!!
As for the series, I enjoyed it. I would give the trilogy, as a whole, about three stars. It dragged at times, it certainly didn’t require three books. Occasionally, the writing was a little corny and sometimes events just didn’t fit. Like one of the characters waltzing into an abandoned Macy’s (two years after all of the looting and destruction began) during a time when all clothes and food were obtained either by vouchers or on the black market…and her big decision was whether or not she should go for boots (in her size) with or without a heel?!
So, this didn’t really offer up fantastic writing or a gripping fast-moving plot, but it was an interesting take on a theme that has become so incredibly played out. The books seemed to be organized well, starting with epidemiology, on to the spread of this ‘plague’, the aftermath and then the eradication. Beginning, middle, end…packaged up all nice and tidy (wiggly blood-worms excluded) for their dear readers.
With that said, this read from the start like something headed straight for the screen. That wasn’t really a grand prediction, considering del Toro’s involvement, so it’s not surprising that it’s already in the works. What IS surprising (to me anyway) is that they opted for tv rather than film. Guillermo definitely does not glamorize these vamps…they are ugly and vicious…they should be sure to have a warning in the credits letting people know these vampires don’t sparkle.
the daily oz 
I absolutely loved this trilogy! You’re right, it wasn’t the best thing ever written but it was different and kept me entertained! How great that you got to meet Del Toro in person!
Exactly, even with it’s drawbacks I think the originality of it made for a worthwhile series! He was so nice to everyone…it took FOREVER to get to him because he chatted with just about everyone who stepped up to the table. I also went to see Jen Lancaster a few years ago…she did a reading prior to the signing and was, of course, hysterical : )
I still haven’t read the third book in the trilogy. At this point, I’ll need to reread the first two just to remember what’s going on.
That’s probably a very good idea. There was a big gap between the last two books for me, while I was able to jump in and follow along I think I felt a little too removed from the story to fully get back into it. It’s likely I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t started cold!!