Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Strain
    The Strain
    The Strain
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Strain

    Written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

    Narrated by Ron Perlman

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    “A high-tech vampire epic....Terrifying.”
    —San Francisco Chronicle

    “Part The Andromeda Strain, part Night of the Living Dead.”
    —Salon.com

    “Chuck Hogan is known for his taut thrillers, Guillermo del Toro for his surreal horror films…The Strain brings out the best of each.”
    —Minneapolis Star Tribune

    An epic battle for survival begins between man and vampire in The Strain—the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy from one of Hollywood’s most inventive storytellers and a critically acclaimed thriller writer. Guillermo del Toro, the genius director of the Academy Award-winning Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, and Hammett Award-winning author Chuck Hogan have joined forces to boldly reinvent the vampire novel. Brilliant, blood-chilling, and unputdownable, The Strain is a nightmare of the first order.

    Editor's Note

    An old-fashioned horror…

    The first installment of the famed director’s trilogy-turned-TV series, this vampire novel will thrill lovers of sci-fi and good old-fashioned horror.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 2, 2009
    ISBN9780061902055
    Author

    Guillermo del Toro

    Guillermo del Toro is an Academy Award®–winning film director as well as a screenwriter, producer, and New York Times bestselling novelist. He is best known for his foreign fantasy films, especially Pan’s Labyrinth, and American mainstream movies like The Shape of Water. Del Toro has published multiple bestselling adult novels with HarperCollins, including The Strain, which was adapted into a TV series by FX, and he is the creator of Trollhunters, Netflix’s most-watched children’s series.

    More audiobooks from Guillermo Del Toro

    Related to The Strain

    Titles in the series (3)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Lord’s Work

      May 26, 2019

      Lord’s Work
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Symmetry Of Ruby Margot

      Feb 6, 2020

      The Symmetry Of Ruby Margot
      10 min read

    • Article

      Ursula K. Le Guin

      Jun 15, 2018

      He was thinking of Lookfar, abandoned long ago, beached on the sands of Selidor. Little of her would be left by now, a plank or two down in the sand maybe, a bit of driftwood on the western sea. As he drifted near sleep he began to remember sailing t

      15 min read

    • Article

      The Dancing Skinny

      Jul 11, 2019

      The Dancing Skinny
      12 min read

    • Article

      Meant Well

      Apr 14, 2022

      Meant Well
      16 min read

    • Article

      The Wimblestone

      Oct 1, 2023

      The Wimblestone
      7 min read

    • Article

      Left To Lose

      Jul 10, 2022

      Around the time she gives up her name, it starts to feel like this entire revolution isn’t worth it anymore. The world is probably lucky that Kelian—she still remembers Kelian, in spite of everything—is there to pick up the pieces, the way he always

      11 min read

    • Article

      DULCE DOMUM From The Wind In The Willows

      Nov 1, 2022

      DULCE DOMUM From The Wind In The Willows
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Dragon’s Teeth

      Feb 2, 2022

      The Dragon’s Teeth
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Witch Finders

      Jul 16, 2020

      Beth pulled her cloak tightly around her. It was the very last day of October and the air was damp and chill. Dead autumn leaves lay in deep piles in the woods and smoke curled into the night air from her cottage. Not far to go now. She bent her head

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Right Time

      Oct 14, 2019

      The Right Time
      5 min read

    • Article

      Elsi, The Strange Maid

      Aug 29, 2018

      Elsi, The Strange Maid
      17 min read

    • Article

      Saving Freyfaxi

      Jan 1, 2024

      Saving Freyfaxi
      8 min read

    • Article

      Moments In Time

      May 22, 2019

      Moments In Time
      3 min read

    • Article

      As the World Collapses

      Jul 27, 2017

      As the World Collapses
      7 min read

    • Article

      Run, Baby, Run!

      Sep 25, 2023

      Run, Baby, Run!
      7 min read

    • Article

      Second Language

      Aug 14, 2017

      Second Language
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Wisdom of Women Shines in Najla Jraissaty Khoury’s ‘Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales’

      Oct 22, 2018

      Long, long ago These things happened or maybe no. Let’s start with the image on the cover. Three women sit in a courtyard. One holds a long-handled pan over a coal brazier; the other two, one of whom has her back to us, hold small cups. They wear ide

      7 min read

    • Article

      THE BLACK SPIDER Part Two

      Oct 30, 2019

      THE BLACK SPIDER Part Two
      25 min read

    • Article

      The Air You Breathe

      Aug 20, 2018

      The Air You Breathe
      23 min read

    • Article

      A Literary Zoo

      Dec 9, 2021

      A Literary Zoo
      4 min read

    • Article

      Weird World Folklore Frenzy

      Oct 6, 2022

      Weird World Folklore Frenzy
      2 min read

    • Article

      Weird World Folklore Frenzy

      Oct 6, 2022

      Weird World Folklore Frenzy
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Strain

    4/5

    461 ratings200 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A plane lands in New York with most of its passengers and crew dead. As the FBI and CDC investigate the possible causes for the tragedy, something begins to happen to the few survivors. And that something is spreading like a virus.I am not easily frightened by fiction. In spite of being a lifelong fan of the genre, I can count on my fingers the number of times I've been spooked by a book or film. But I have to say that delToro and Hogan have managed to make the hair on the back of my neck stand up with "The Strain." They seem to have an unerring instinct for the unsettling, the sinister and the downright creepy. Their writing is also informed by what has gone before in the horror genre -- the similarity between the dead airplane (even the electronic and mechanical processes failed utterly) with its grisly cargo of corpses, and the dead ship which brings Dracula to England is not an accident. They write with an awareness of what will get under our skin, what will move us to turn on the lights and lock the doors.But the horrors here are not all supernatural. As in "Pan's Labyrinth" the Nazis play a supporting role, and the combination of real world horror and unreal is a stomach-knotting one. Real horror exists on many levels, inside our hearts as well as our minds.I also have to say that while I find that many narratives need time to develop before they catch my interest, Hogan and del Toro caught me right from the first page. It's a compelling, well-written, nail-biting book that may well send you running for the locks and light switches. Highly recommended.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Not a bad read by any means, but I have a hard time with a lot of zombie/vampire horror (gets a bit too predictable frequently), and I ended up being pretty disappointed in the roles he placed Kelley and Nora in. I don't have any real urge to continue reading the series, but I think it will make a decent TV show (and thus far it has indeed been decidedly decent, I'll wait a few more episodes for something more definitive than that).

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Extremely entertaining & highly recommended!!! Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan give us creatures of the night we can fear again thrown into a thrilling, suspenseful, and action packed tale.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I loved this incarnation of the vampire. In this tale they resemble the vampires of 30 Days of Night. These vampires aren't cute and sparkly and they will stop at nothing to get you.
      I love the characters. Ef, his son, the pawn shop owner and the exterminator are all great and unique. They all have unique voices, complicated relationships, strengths and weaknesses. I am disappointed in the women. There are two, Nora, Ef's partner and his ex-wife Kelly. Its not that their characterizations are necessarily bad, but they do fall a bit short and flat. The males are strongly drawn and show up in my mind's eye clearly. The women? The two are a muddled mess in my head. No definition or strength.
      I'm listening to this. Its being read by Ron Perlman and he is fantastic. Right accent, right timber. An awesome listening experience.
      The story unfolds well, and feels believable. Imagine that for a vampire tale. This isn't a pretty story. This is a gritty, properly frightening tale of the attempted takeover of New York then the world by vampires.
      Not sure if these hero's can stop it, but I'm moving on to the next book to find out.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      This book is all kinds of dumb, but when it works, it really works. Some of the early scene-setting moments are fantastic, and the "getting the team together" moments crackle. The action feels so by-the-books, though, and the prose is...it's not bad, but it's sometimes too punchy.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      WOW. I am not normally a fan of the vampire fiction genre, but I was hooked from the start. It is exciting and intelligent. There is a strong storyline with multiple layers. I like that it is more of a virus that a monster tale. I can't wait to finish the trilogy.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      This was certainly a page turner. It's a perfect answer to the annoying warm and fuzzy vampire nonsense from Stephanie Meyer. These are horrifying monsters, not potential boyfriends. I can't wait to read the next one in the series.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      So creepy and good... must get the rest of the series

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      I liked it and will read the next one. Not quite as good as I was hoping but a nice change of pace. Good to read an evil vampire story.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Great story. Enjoyed the development of the characters & the build up .
    • 5/5
      Better than I expected. A really interesting and modern take on the classical vampire story. Definitely worth reading.
    • 4/5
      The Strain is the first book in a trilogy from Oscar award-winning director Guillermo Del Toro and Hammet-winning author Chuck Hogan. It's a bone-chilling, epic vampire story that is the complete opposite the to world of Twilight. Guillermo Del Toro created a fanastically evil, yet beautiful world in his amazing film Pan's Labyrinth, and now we can get to read his take on the vampire myth.This story is a good, old-fashioned vampire story with real nasties and this first installment lays the ground for what should be a truly fantastic set of books. It takes certain elements of vampire lore and combines them with modern science and epidemiology, resulting in a modern horror tale. The novel contains strong elements of famous vampire stories, such as the original Dracula, the famous I Am Legend, all the way through to the vampires in Blade II. However, the authors have done an amazing job in creating a new vampire lore.The novel is a page-turner, captivating the reader and drawing them in from the very first scenes. From the minute that Flight 753 lands in New York, seemingly full of dead passengers, the scene is set. The main characters are extremely well developed and I am already anticipating the next novel in this series so that I can find out what happens.It's clear that the novel was written with the big screen in mind. As you read, you can clearly picture each scene in your head. It won't take much to turn this novel into a film, as I'm sure Guillermo Del Toro is planning. If you're a horror fan, then you will love this, and trust me, quiet sounds in the house at night will never seem the same again.
    • 5/5
      I'm not generally a fan of the horror genre anymore, haven't been for years. I used to collect Stephen King books in my early 20's but that ship sailed quite some time ago. There must be something to the idea that the older you get the more you realize that the truly frightening stuff is on the 6 O'Clock news everyday and there is really no need to scare yourself further with walls that bleed or extra special serial killers. BUT, I loved Pan's Labrynth so I thought "what the hell...". Turns out I couldn't put it down once I started. If I had to describe this book in one sentence... think "[I Am Legend] meets Gil Grissom". I actually found myself taking the book to work with me and holing myself up in my office with the door locked and reading all afternoon instead of working on my research. I just HAD to find out what happened next. And that's, well let's be honest, a pretty nice thing to find in any book. Is the writing a bit sophomoric? Well, only if you dig reading authors like Austen or Faulkner and can no longer enjoy another book that doesn't fall into that category. In this case I find the easier reading style to be a plus. This isn't writing you want to savor like a fine cheese, this is a story you want to totally lose yourself in so that when someone taps on your shoulder somewhere around page 355 you jump and scream like a little girl. And did I mention the best part of the book? Not one vampire SPARKLES. And even better... there will be no debate as to which one is "OMG... hotter?!?!?!"Lastly, another reviewer commented on the inclusion of the holocaust and how unnecessary and offensive they found that to be, the holocaust being horrific enough with the addition of storybook monsters (or something to that affect). And I have to admit that gave me pause for thought. But I think I ultimately don't agree to the point of taking offense. I won't go so far as to say that the author was using the vampire legend as a tool to expose the true monsters in the story (although I believe he inadvertently did, the vampire in question having nothing on the Nazi's if you ask me) but that doesn't mean you can't still walk away understanding that sometimes monsters do walk the earth and they look exactly like the rest of us.Now, how long until the second book comes out?
    • 4/5
      Del Toro’s and Hogan’s novel—the first of a trilogy—is carefully crafted as an episodic and well-plotted narrative that focuses on an invasion of viral vampirism (the gory ugly kind, not the glittery adolescent kind). Using contemporary versions of stock characters, Del Toro and Hogan have created pure escapist horror fiction. The good guys consist of Eph Goodweather (how’s that for a descriptive name?), a CDC epidemiologist, Nora Martinez (his multicultural colleague), Vasily Fet (an analytical exterminator—aren’t you loving the extended metaphors?), and Professor Setrakian, a Holocaust survivor who fills the Van Helsing role. The big bad guy is Sardu, aka The Master, a rogue vampire who’s determined to defy his vampire peers, create an army of malevolent vampires armed with stingers emanating from their throats (kind of like what would have happened had the alien lodged in John Hurt’s neck rather than bursting through his gut), destroy the timed-honored truce between the races, and take over the human race.This first volume of the trilogy fulfills all the narrative requirements—complex characters are created, the vampire mythology is invented, gruesome episodes occur, and the plot builds to a suspenseful showdown…which is perfectly orchestrated to lead in to the sequel. It’s all pure fun, and if you enjoy vampire novels at all, you’ll be drawn in—as I was—to this fast-paced tale.
    • 4/5
      The Strain, by authors Chuck Hogan and Guillermo Del Toro, has a vampire apocalypse decimating NYC and the audiobook is read by actor Ron Perlman? Cool! And this novel is just the first in a trilogy. The audiobook did have weird musical interludes after several chapters, I guess to add a spooky mood at key points. I enjoyed the science of the spread of the vampire plague and the myriad of characters affected by it.
    • 4/5
      I can't wait to read the next book in The Strain trilogy! From beginning to end, this book is 585 pages and I finished it in 3 short days. That is how engrossed I was with this story! The vampires in this story are of the terrifying variety with a twist.Some have complained that this book reads more like a movie script, but I didn't find that to be so. I think some expect it to be as such just by seeing Guillermo Del Toro's name on the cover.Highly recommended!
    • 3/5
      This book puts a spin on the classic vampire novels, and for that very reason I found myself disliking the story. I feel I am a "purist" in the sense of the rules of vampires, but this book took the rule book and through it out the window. Very intriguing from the beggining but I found myself counting down the pages until the end. I did feel the characters were well developed and personable to the reader. I might pick this up again and re-read it and possibly enjoy it the second time more then the first now that I have no preconcieved ideas about the vampires in the book.
    • 3/5
      3 and 1/2 stars.

      This different take on vampires attempts to intertwine science, religion, epic myths and historical events. The writing isn't stellar but the entertainment factor and the gripping story edge that out in this one.
    • 2/5
      I was really disappointed. It's my fault. I see Del Toro's name and I think: How can this go wrong? Basically, this is bad Stephen King/CSI. It's not particularly clever or innovative. Even the YA book Peeps had more insight and ideas. It felt like the promise of 2 more was more of a threat than a gift.
    • 3/5
      I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It told an interesting story and was still a fast read. I've read that some don't like the changes to the vampire myth that Del Toro and Hogan made but I thought they worked.

      My only gripe is there is a scene near the end that is a little too much like a scene in Blade 2 (also done by Del Toro). But overall very enjoyable, and I look forward to the next ones.
    • 2/5
      Not good. Was hopeful starting out but it soon got too crazy for me to enjoy it. I finished it but I don’t think I’m going to continue in the series.
    • 4/5
      This is about vampires and how they start taking over Manhattan. I don't want to get too specific into story details, because the mythology in this book is very different than your typical vampire fare and I don't want to cheat anyone out of the discovery.I will say that this book gave me a serious case of the creepies, and I wasn't sure why at first, seeing as how I love scary movies and anything even remotely unsettling. (In fiction--not a big fan of real serial killers.)But now I think I know what it is. Most of the time when you read about vampires, it's fun. They're generally malevolent creatures and there's something to be said for watching them gleefully spread havoc throughout their respective communities because they can. The ones in this? Really, not so much. It's like the shark in Jaws. It's not mean and it doesn't particularly enjoy what it does. It just kills because it can and because it's hungry. This is the first book in a trilogy, and I'm very excited to start book two.
    • 3/5
      This book started off rather slow. So slow, in fact, that I was worried I would not be able to read the whole thing. Yet those few chapters in the beginning were needed for me to understand and grasp the entirety and nuances of further chapters. Which were extremely good.The novel is heart-pumping, edge-of-your-seat thrilling. It describes vampirism as a disease using extremely realistic descriptions of the virus and the modifications it makes upon the human body. This made it feel real to me. I was horrified and fascinated.The massive amount of characters that I needed to keep track was a bit distracting at times, but I ended up getting to know each and every character. It was overall an enjoyable book and I would reccommend it to anyone who likes evil-vampire novels or apocalyptic (or post-apocalyptic) fiction. Actually, the entire novel reminded me of Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon (not They Thirst, although They Thirst is McCammon's vampire novel, it wasn't epic enough to compare to the Strain). Read it, work through the first slow chapters. You'll be glad you did.
    • 5/5
      A truly remarkable Book, I want to hear more .
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book well enough, but sadly not as well as I had expected. It suffers rather significantly from not knowing what sort of book it actually is. Is it a mystery? A thriller? Horror? A good author can manage all three, but this book just managed to feel unbalanced. They didn't come together smoothly. The characters were adequette, but with the exception of a pawn-broker who's spent his life preparing for this event, largely forgettable. The plot was interesting enough, but it seems to me that someone has confused vampires with zombies. And coming off the heels of WWZ, this 'outbreak of a horrible disease that spreads rapidly and turns our own into killing machines beyond number' simply does not hold up. I'm all for mixing mythos to come up with something interesting and new, but this doesn't quite manage.There are some hints at better possibilities in future volumes - the reasons behind the sudden outbreak are mysterious and interesting, and the coming war may provide fodder. I'm unconvinced, but I'll probably keep reading.
    • 5/5
      Story telling and narration about as good as it gets.
    • 3/5
      An entertaining read, but better as a TV show.
    • 5/5
      A new kind of vampire strikes New York. But someone with a lot of power is keeping it quiet. We follow two CDC doctors, an exterminator, and an old Jew as they try to fight the horde that is quickly taking over everything.

      I love this book and have read it in the past. Ron Perlman does a great job narrating this story. It's so easy to get into this book. Make sure to read The Strain before watching the tv series. The book is just a tough better than the series.
    • 4/5
      Good book. A pretty light read.
    • 4/5
      Finally, a vampire novel for grown-ups! Totally engrossing, a first-rate page-turner with characters I want to follow in the next 2 books.The novel seems to be good for people (like me) who don’t usually like fantasy fiction, since the author’s grounded the main characters in a sort of “New York sceptic scientist” mode and it reads more like a murder mystery. Reminded me of Caleb Carr, but modern-day. In some parts, reminded me of Lawrence Block.Loved the New York City settings, dialogue rang true, and most of the plot’s logic worked. I won’t note a spoiler, but one major character’s motivation for his most influential action (to the plot) didn’t get properly explained to me.Of course, that did nothing to stop me from gulping the book down in two marathon sessions. Zombie? Well, yes, that would be me the next day at work after reading this darn book until 2 am.This book will be in bookstores on June 2, 2009.