The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy

The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy is the middle book of a vampire trilogy by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.The third book has not yet been published.


Like everyone else who takes on the vampire genre, del Toro and Hogan have added their stamp to this archetypal monster, so much so that Bram Stoker would probably not even recognize the monsters in The Fall as vampires. I won't go into details about what make The Fall's vampires tick, but if you are hoping for pretty teen vampires in designer jeans or castle-dwelling Eastern European counts, this book will disappoint you.

The Fall opens with New York (and the world) in flames. Vampires are preying on people and spreading the curse of their blood lust at such an alarming rate that there are few humans left to tend to critical matters like, say, maintaining nuclear reactors. A team of unlikely allies under the leadership of a vampire expert must rid the world of this substantial menace while there is still time. Their biggest challenge is defeating the Master, the vampire overlord who telepathically unites all the monsters under him into a pretty feisty fighting force.

I found this book enjoyable for the most part. It was just what I was in the mood for: quick-reading, fast-paced entertainment. The narrative should hold the interest of most readers and I never found myself rooting for the vampires, which is a good sign. However, the writing is a bit wooden and the plot is completely unbelievable. Yes, I know that one must suspend disbelief when reading a monster book, but it is possible to write in this genre without resorting to scenarios that are so absurd as to be unlikely even in a highly fictionalized setting. Stephen King, for example, pulls this feat off well.

Other quibbles: the characters are a bit thin on personality and the focus is on action, not terror, so I never found myself scared. Negatives aside, I am sure I will read the third book when it comes out.

Oh, and surprise, surprise -- they are making a movie based on it.

-Paul


If you like The Fall you may also appreciate:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. A very suspensful and well-written story about the hunt for an elusive vampire.
The Vampire Chronicles, a series by Anne Rice.
Salem's Lot by Stephen King. Very creepy!