The Fall (The Strain Trilogy) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

After unleashing a vampire plague on New York City in The Strain (The Strain Trilogy), filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy) and Chuck Hogan (The Town: A Novel) are back to finish off humanity in the appropriately-titled sequel The Fall.

While The Strain spent a great deal of time on vampire biology and the spread of the virus, The Fall gets right to the struggle against the scourge. With the city (and soon the world) falling all around them, vampire hunter and Holocaust survivor Abraham Setrakian and his allies (which now include gang leaders, CDC researchers, an exterminator and an aging Mexican wrestler!) mount a fierce resistance to the vampire strain. Their struggle against the vampire overlord known as the Master brings them in contact with the very first vampires, who want the Master stopped for their own reasons.

If The Empire Strikes Back taught us anything, it's that middle volumes in trilogies are downers. The Fall is no exception. Our heroes get battered and beaten, and the ending is so far from happy that you wonder if there will be anything left to save in book 3. The fight goes on though, and the story is so very compelling. Del Toro and Hogan have given us some very real, very believable characters and set up a truly frightening scenario that's both a great read and one that unfolds in a very cinematic manner.

The Fall is every bit as impressive as The Strain, and is one of the absolute best apocalyptic tales I've ever read. Like The Strain, I was compelled to read this book in one sitting, and was totally enthralled from start to finish. Waiting for the final volume in this trilogy is going to be tough.

Being a huge Guillermo Del Toro fan ("Pan's Labyrinth" was easily my favorite film of the year it was released), I was so stoked to hear he was partnering to author a modern vampire epic. It is not an exaggeration to say that "The Strain" was something I was super excited to read. But, probably unlike many other reviewers here, I actually did not like "The Strain." While its early chapters were creepily ominous and the creature conception was strong and unique, I just felt like that novel lacked a bit of heart. More concerned with staging battles and set-up, I didn't particularly care about the characters. The authors introduced a massive cast but, for some reason, I was disconnected from the humanity of the tale. It's hard to appreciate an epic battle when you're somewhat ambivalent about its participants. That said, I feel that "The Fall" has more than made up for what I felt was cold about "The Strain"--and I'm pleased to look forward to the final chapter!

Picking up immediately after the disappointing encounter with the Master, we are quickly reintroduced to the primary cast. The story remains the same, but a secret agenda for the fate of the Earth is uncovered throughout the pages. Vampire hunter Abraham Setrakian is still one of the story's most compelling characters. If anyone steps to the forefront in this chapter--it is him. He is the glue that holds the disparate members of a ragtag band together--including a CDC official, an exterminator, a street tough and a retired wrestler (my personal favorite). While the Master is still pure evil, I actually preferred the human antagonist Eldritch Palmer who uses his power and money to secure a place in the final plan. His confrontations with the Master in jockeying for leverage are among the book's stronger sequences and his story line plays out brilliantly.

Because I cared about the characters, the sense of tension and horror were much stronger in "The Fall." There is an introduction of vampiric children (which I won't spoil by saying too much) that are, to me, easily the most disturbing creation yet. Del Toro and coauthor Chuck Hogan do a great job interspersing history and back story into the current mayhem. The chapter breaks are often cliffhangers which propel the reader forward at a faster and faster momentum until we reach another inevitable confrontation. Not surprisingly for an epic, we lose some major players in "The Fall"--but things seem well positioned for the final installment. But is there anything left to save?

And boy does the cast of characters in The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy know it! The war has begun - and it's not looking so good for us humans.

It's been one week and what seems like one lifetime since the incident on the tarmac. Eph, Nora, Abraham, and Fet are hard at it trying to figure out how they can stop things from getting worse. There seems to be very little light at the end of the tunnel - or even in the tunnel itself.

People are falling like flies, chaos abounds, and it's spreading faster than an STD in a whorehouse. The Master, who they failed to defeat at the end of The Strain (The Strain Trilogy), is continuing with his plan. The industrial millionaire Palmer facilitating things that are, as of yet, unknown-at least not fully. It is evil. It is creepy. It is here. The fate of humanity hanging by a thread.

The characters are rich - as in the first novel Abraham ends up being a focus, albeit more intentional in The Fall. There is significant exposition on Abraham's back story and it is a doozy. Fascinating and obsessive - his tales of the past are vividly drawn - searching, sacrificing, hunting - heartache and resolve. Things you suspect from the first novel you find the answers on all while finding out new things that leave you hanging.

Fet takes more of an active role earlier on here - not as much comedic as before but engaging anyway just for being himself. You really get the sense he's found his calling - and he's blogging which is just way too hilarious.

Gus has become a slayer for the Ancients - and he has quite the purpose along with quite the posse. There's a new guy named Angel as well - who reminds me of a certain wrestler from Angel - Season Five (Slim Set).

Then there's the government - CDC, FBI, and so on - whose side are they on and who is pulling their collective strings?

Nora and Zachary round it out- and of course Kelly Zach's mom who will stop at nothing to get to her "Dear One". Shiver--you just know nothing good is going to come of her.

The action propels this second effort just as much as the first - with the added enjoyment of you being more invested in the characters and familiar with the world thereby making your attachment to the outcomes even greater. It will carry you away - in many ways I enjoyed this book more than The Strain (The Strain Trilogy) because I'm over my initial shock at what happened and am able to, like the characters, think about where it is all going - I'm more of a long range strategic planner myself so The Fall is right up my alley. The first book was really good but there were a few times I felt it was lagging a bit and I had to push to keep reading - not so this sophomore effort - no down time at all!

I had a few small quibbles but nothing that kept me from getting lost in this novel for several hours. If I had to pick a little the constant shift in character perspective was occasionally hard to follow - reminded me of a soap opera where you get a couple lines and cut to a new story. However it is an effective way to ratchet the tension and this is a trilogy. Some things were also far fetched - trains still running with people actually buying tickets without a complete stampede? Hmm..

BUT man oh man - the last 50 pages. Amazing! Of course, just like the first, there's a cliffhanger ending. Did you expect less from the middle of a trilogy? Like Frodo and Samwise - our hero's are looking up at Mt. Doom and wondering how on earth they can win against what seems like overwhelming odds.

While there is enough in here that you could read it as a stand- alone why the heck would you? If you haven't read The Strain (The Strain Trilogy) pick it up now and put this one down until you finish. You won't be sorry!

P.S. a word regarding my expectations so you get an idea of my perspective- I did not expect this to be great literature or allegorical or even full of deeper darker reflections on humanity as a whole. I picked this novel to be entertained, to see me some great kicka%$ action - to lose myself in a story for a few hours. The Fall more than accomplished the task.