What do you think?
Rate this book
The Strain #3
A Noite Eterna
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Horror (2011)Terceiro e último volume da saga de vampiros da autoria do célebre realizador Guillermo del Toro. A estirpe misteriosa que transforma os habitantes dos Estados Unidos da América em está a espalhar-se pelo resto do mundo. Apenas um pequeno grupo tenta lutar contra os monstros sedentos de sangue. Mas Eph Goodweather, o médico que conseguiu identificar o parasita que causa a infecção trouxe a esperança para o ultimo combate. É o ajuste de contas final, com um resulta emocionante e totalmente inesperado.
482 pages, Capa mole
First published October 25, 2011
About the author
Guillermo del Toro
130 books4,842 followersGuillermo del Toro is a Mexican director mostly known for his acclaimed films Pan's Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone, Crimson Peak and the Hellboy film franchise. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy, horror, and war. In 2009, Del Toro released his debut novel, The Strain, co-authored with Chuck Hogan, as the first part of The Strain Trilogy, an apocalyptic horror series featuring vampires. The series continued with The Fall in 2010 and concluded with The Night Eternal in 2011.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,360 reviews
July 10, 2014
I am amazed that a series which started so well with The Strain ended so badly. The second book was disappointing, but sometimes the middle book of a trilogy is, but The Night Eternal is simply awful. Mostly I was bored because not much happened in the book. Not only is it not scary or interesting, but it didn't make any kind of logical sense, and yes, even vampire apocalyptic novels should follow some sort of logic. So much is wrong with this novel I'm not sure where to start. Let's see. First, our little gang of survivors/vampire hunters/so-called hope for the human race is fighting with each other. Eph has turned into some kind of alcoholic druggie due to his son being kidnapped by his vamp wife. Everyone's irritated with him because he's never where he's supposed to be. Which begs the question: why would you all be separated anyway? Everyone has his own little hide-out, which I thought was weird. If vamps are looking for you, why would you split up? Isn't there strength in numbers? Who guards your back while you're sleeping if everyone is hanging out at his own hidey-hole in different areas of NYC?
Two years have passed since the nuclear explosions took place in the second book. I don't know what our intrepid vamp hunters were doing during that time (other than Eph who raiding pharmacies and hospitals for drugs) apparently because the authors have no idea either. The vamps are busy turning humans into cattle for their feedings and setting up different camps. Also, which made no sense to me, apparently whatever humans aren't in camps as food or being used as labor are allowed to go about their daily lives and go to work and there is still electricity and limited internet and tv broadcasts (all reruns). Huh? What jobs? This is explained by the authors as a way of keeping the humans in line--the vamps give them some semblance of their old lives as a way of keeping them under control. That makes no damn sense. Why would the vamps have to cater to humans? It's quite clear the vamps are physically more advanced and are pretty much in charge of the world. Also, now that there's very little sunlight due to the destroyed environment, the vamps are pretty much out all the time. So where are these humans going on the subways? What jobs are they working? Are they getting paid? Is there still a government? All questions worthy of being asked but do not get answered.
Also extremely annoying is the Harlequin romance that crops up almost immediately. Nora and Eph used to be a couple, but ever since he turned druggie, she and Fet have been making goo-goo eyes at each other. Okay, fine, but this turns into a weirdo love triangle with Eph finding out and getting jealous and there's an absolutely ridiculous scene in which Fet and Nora are reunited (after something stupid happens) and the passage goes something like this: "Nora knew now was not the time to give into her feelings for Fet, but she couldn't help herself and they kissed." Really? Oh, gag. And of course Eph is lurking in the shadows and when he sees them kiss he vows revenge. WTF. How much more awful could this book be? A whole lotta nothing happens in this book. Nothing makes sense and I skimmed a lot of it, just reading enough to keep track of the plot (such as it was).
There's a whole senseless subplot in which Nora needs to escape her hiding place where she's been keeping her mother with her. This makes NO SENSE AT ALL. Supposedly the future of the human race depends on their actions yet this woman keeps her mother with her. Mom has dementia and can't do much except be a burden. If Nora (and the authors) had half a brain, they would have allowed Nora to euthanize Mom. Her death by Nora's hand would be more peaceful and painless than what would happen if the vamps caught her (old people are useless & the vamps drain them and then kill them). But oh no, Nora drags Mom around with her while trying to escape the vamps tracking her--and you can guess how well that turns out. I figure the authors allowed this to happen because they needed Nora to get captured so she could be sent to the camp so what happens there can happen (which is dumb, but again the whole book is dumb). Eph's son has been hanging with The Master and he's turned into a little shithead (he was more or less brain-washed but still I can't forgive him for killing the zoo animals) and I don't care what happens to him. I actually hoped a vamp would get mad and eat him.
The book ends just as stupidly as it began and I'm beginning to think authors who get lost in their plots and can't figure a way out turn to religion, specifically Christianity, and even more specifically, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah from the Bible. I don't really know how that story and these different angels connected to the plot because I didn't care enough to read those parts of the book (the infamous "interludes"). Suffice it to say the authors wrapped it neatly with a bow by borrowing Christian theology and somehow working vampires into it. I won't comment on the end of the novel except to say it smacked of being written in a hurry just to finish off the book and be done with it. And that's how I read it--quickly so I could be done with it. Awful, boring, dumb, horrible book. I will be deleting it from my Nook library.
Attention to those who want to comment on my review:
I enjoy comments. I do. But if you want to explain to me the plot of this stupid book, please don't comment at all! I understood it. Really, I did. I just thought it didn't work for many reasons which I explain in my review. If you want to argue my REASONS for not liking the plot, fine. But quit trying to explain the plot to me! Just because I didn't like the book doesn't mean I'm an idiot who didn't understand it. I'm sorry that I have to add this cranky comment to my review, but I'm tired of having the book explained to me by people who loved the book. If you loved it, great. If you can't handle dissent, then stick to reading reviews that agree with your point of view. To those of you who didn't agree with me but managed to leave thoughtful comments, thank you.
Two years have passed since the nuclear explosions took place in the second book. I don't know what our intrepid vamp hunters were doing during that time (other than Eph who raiding pharmacies and hospitals for drugs) apparently because the authors have no idea either. The vamps are busy turning humans into cattle for their feedings and setting up different camps. Also, which made no sense to me, apparently whatever humans aren't in camps as food or being used as labor are allowed to go about their daily lives and go to work and there is still electricity and limited internet and tv broadcasts (all reruns). Huh? What jobs? This is explained by the authors as a way of keeping the humans in line--the vamps give them some semblance of their old lives as a way of keeping them under control. That makes no damn sense. Why would the vamps have to cater to humans? It's quite clear the vamps are physically more advanced and are pretty much in charge of the world. Also, now that there's very little sunlight due to the destroyed environment, the vamps are pretty much out all the time. So where are these humans going on the subways? What jobs are they working? Are they getting paid? Is there still a government? All questions worthy of being asked but do not get answered.
Also extremely annoying is the Harlequin romance that crops up almost immediately. Nora and Eph used to be a couple, but ever since he turned druggie, she and Fet have been making goo-goo eyes at each other. Okay, fine, but this turns into a weirdo love triangle with Eph finding out and getting jealous and there's an absolutely ridiculous scene in which Fet and Nora are reunited (after something stupid happens) and the passage goes something like this: "Nora knew now was not the time to give into her feelings for Fet, but she couldn't help herself and they kissed." Really? Oh, gag. And of course Eph is lurking in the shadows and when he sees them kiss he vows revenge. WTF. How much more awful could this book be? A whole lotta nothing happens in this book. Nothing makes sense and I skimmed a lot of it, just reading enough to keep track of the plot (such as it was).
There's a whole senseless subplot in which Nora needs to escape her hiding place where she's been keeping her mother with her. This makes NO SENSE AT ALL. Supposedly the future of the human race depends on their actions yet this woman keeps her mother with her. Mom has dementia and can't do much except be a burden. If Nora (and the authors) had half a brain, they would have allowed Nora to euthanize Mom. Her death by Nora's hand would be more peaceful and painless than what would happen if the vamps caught her (old people are useless & the vamps drain them and then kill them). But oh no, Nora drags Mom around with her while trying to escape the vamps tracking her--and you can guess how well that turns out. I figure the authors allowed this to happen because they needed Nora to get captured so she could be sent to the camp so what happens there can happen (which is dumb, but again the whole book is dumb). Eph's son has been hanging with The Master and he's turned into a little shithead (he was more or less brain-washed but still I can't forgive him for killing the zoo animals) and I don't care what happens to him. I actually hoped a vamp would get mad and eat him.
The book ends just as stupidly as it began and I'm beginning to think authors who get lost in their plots and can't figure a way out turn to religion, specifically Christianity, and even more specifically, the story of Sodom and Gomorrah from the Bible. I don't really know how that story and these different angels connected to the plot because I didn't care enough to read those parts of the book (the infamous "interludes"). Suffice it to say the authors wrapped it neatly with a bow by borrowing Christian theology and somehow working vampires into it. I won't comment on the end of the novel except to say it smacked of being written in a hurry just to finish off the book and be done with it. And that's how I read it--quickly so I could be done with it. Awful, boring, dumb, horrible book. I will be deleting it from my Nook library.
Attention to those who want to comment on my review:
I enjoy comments. I do. But if you want to explain to me the plot of this stupid book, please don't comment at all! I understood it. Really, I did. I just thought it didn't work for many reasons which I explain in my review. If you want to argue my REASONS for not liking the plot, fine. But quit trying to explain the plot to me! Just because I didn't like the book doesn't mean I'm an idiot who didn't understand it. I'm sorry that I have to add this cranky comment to my review, but I'm tired of having the book explained to me by people who loved the book. If you loved it, great. If you can't handle dissent, then stick to reading reviews that agree with your point of view. To those of you who didn't agree with me but managed to leave thoughtful comments, thank you.
February 9, 2012
One of the worst books I've ever read. Be warned, the following is full of spoilers!
This book is FULL of plot holes - like suddenly, an epidemiologist is a freaking ninja, able to wield a sword against tens of vampires at the same time (even though said vampires have 6-foot long stingers, so...). The vampire blood is now caustic (since when??) and vampires frow wattles (???) even though the Ancients didn't have these...
Also, apparently the UK is largely vampire-free, due to being an island. FYI, geography fans, the United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales...and Northern Ireland. So to be clear, Del Torro is trying to tell us that the island of England, Scotland and Wales (that would be Great Britain) PLUS Northern Ireland (on a separate island) are vamp-free, which presumably means that the Republic of Ireland is full of vampires, who don't like to cross the border into Northern Ireland. Maybe they don't like Protestants.
Also, why would the UK, a global power with advanced weaponry, just leave the rest of the world to be run by vampires? What, did we just decide everyone else could go fuck themselves?
Speaking of everyone else, what about New Zealand, Australia, Hawii, Madagascar and all the other hundreds and thousands of islands in the world? Did the vampires get them? The UK is singled out as being different, so it would appear so.
Then we get to the planes - I think this was mentioned in The Fall, but I'm ranting here to stick with it. I can suspend my disbelief & allow for the Master to arrive in New York and infect passengers on a place - but how did he manage doing this in airports around the globe?! Did he have an army of other master-level vampires all able to do his bidding?
Also the religion. The first book was genius in using science to add an element of reality to the vampire myth and it worked brilliantly; this book feels like a massive step backward by suddenly trying to explain vampires via the Bible (sidenote, in the second book we get mention of this mysterious "Sadam and Gamrah" - I'm not even freaking Christian and I could guess that was Soddom and Gomorrah). If vampires came from the blood of angels and were accursed by God, then why doesn't Holy Water and crosses work against them?
The light at the end, over the bomb - was that meant to be God setting off the bomb, or just a coincidence? Why was the "murdered" angel suddenly okay? Why was an angel who went nuts & murdered another allowed to resurrect and go to Heaven? Why did ACTUAL ANGELS appear at the end? DAMN but that was stupid.
It seemed weird that Zack would also become a total sociopath; he was such a nice kid in the first and second books, had a strong relationship with his dad and yet in this book he's identifying with the Master and starving zoo animals trapped in cages, shooting at strangers. Seemed utterly out of character.
The grinding lack of charicterisation continues in this book, too. There were frequent occasions when I genuinely forgot who was meant to be talking, because they all sound the damn same. Also suddenly Setrakian was this big father-figure to Fet. And Fet is Ukranian instead of Russian.
Basically, the second and third books were just error after error after error. Don't bother.
This book is FULL of plot holes - like suddenly, an epidemiologist is a freaking ninja, able to wield a sword against tens of vampires at the same time (even though said vampires have 6-foot long stingers, so...). The vampire blood is now caustic (since when??) and vampires frow wattles (???) even though the Ancients didn't have these...
Also, apparently the UK is largely vampire-free, due to being an island. FYI, geography fans, the United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales...and Northern Ireland. So to be clear, Del Torro is trying to tell us that the island of England, Scotland and Wales (that would be Great Britain) PLUS Northern Ireland (on a separate island) are vamp-free, which presumably means that the Republic of Ireland is full of vampires, who don't like to cross the border into Northern Ireland. Maybe they don't like Protestants.
Also, why would the UK, a global power with advanced weaponry, just leave the rest of the world to be run by vampires? What, did we just decide everyone else could go fuck themselves?
Speaking of everyone else, what about New Zealand, Australia, Hawii, Madagascar and all the other hundreds and thousands of islands in the world? Did the vampires get them? The UK is singled out as being different, so it would appear so.
Then we get to the planes - I think this was mentioned in The Fall, but I'm ranting here to stick with it. I can suspend my disbelief & allow for the Master to arrive in New York and infect passengers on a place - but how did he manage doing this in airports around the globe?! Did he have an army of other master-level vampires all able to do his bidding?
Also the religion. The first book was genius in using science to add an element of reality to the vampire myth and it worked brilliantly; this book feels like a massive step backward by suddenly trying to explain vampires via the Bible (sidenote, in the second book we get mention of this mysterious "Sadam and Gamrah" - I'm not even freaking Christian and I could guess that was Soddom and Gomorrah). If vampires came from the blood of angels and were accursed by God, then why doesn't Holy Water and crosses work against them?
The light at the end, over the bomb - was that meant to be God setting off the bomb, or just a coincidence? Why was the "murdered" angel suddenly okay? Why was an angel who went nuts & murdered another allowed to resurrect and go to Heaven? Why did ACTUAL ANGELS appear at the end? DAMN but that was stupid.
It seemed weird that Zack would also become a total sociopath; he was such a nice kid in the first and second books, had a strong relationship with his dad and yet in this book he's identifying with the Master and starving zoo animals trapped in cages, shooting at strangers. Seemed utterly out of character.
The grinding lack of charicterisation continues in this book, too. There were frequent occasions when I genuinely forgot who was meant to be talking, because they all sound the damn same. Also suddenly Setrakian was this big father-figure to Fet. And Fet is Ukranian instead of Russian.
Basically, the second and third books were just error after error after error. Don't bother.
December 4, 2012
My original review is below. I revisited this book and, though I thought it impossible, my loathing has only grown. I now hate this book and the catastrophic end it brought more than Donald Trump hates our President. More than the Kardashians hate privacy. More than hippies hate soap. More than children hate broccoli. This book is an abomination that made me stupider to read it. This book is a tragedy filled with faux mystical nonsense that the hack writers of the Left Behind series would feel ashamed to put on paper. If a monkey had drunken sex with the Old Testament, this would have been the aborted offspring.
For the love of all that's unholy, do not read this book. You've been warned.
*********************
Oh, Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. You roped me in with your awesome, tense first book. You kept me going through deprivation and fear in the second.
And then you give me this drivel.
The vampire plague goes from a biological threat to Biblical baloney. Eph goes from a character I feel for and root for to someone I want to kick seven kinds of hell out of. I actually root for the vampires to bite his ass. His son is a douche. Nora and her exterminator lover are 2 dimensional as they come. This isn't a story about degradation for a purpose; that I could handle. This book just SUCKED.
Don't read it. Quit at #1 or #2. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
For the love of all that's unholy, do not read this book. You've been warned.
*********************
Oh, Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. You roped me in with your awesome, tense first book. You kept me going through deprivation and fear in the second.
And then you give me this drivel.
The vampire plague goes from a biological threat to Biblical baloney. Eph goes from a character I feel for and root for to someone I want to kick seven kinds of hell out of. I actually root for the vampires to bite his ass. His son is a douche. Nora and her exterminator lover are 2 dimensional as they come. This isn't a story about degradation for a purpose; that I could handle. This book just SUCKED.
Don't read it. Quit at #1 or #2. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.
January 15, 2016
A bit spoilerish but not too dangerous...
Disappointing end. Not just the ending of the trilogy but the whole book. It tasted so different if compared with the predecessors. I don't even know where to start pointing out the things I dislike from this book. The archangels and Sodom & Gomora & Old Testament tales are so ridiculous I spent much time frowning and shaking my head. Too much deus ex machina here and there. Why can't the authors make an original tale of the vampire creation? And the romance between Ef, Nora, Vet...booooringgggg. And Ef's inner battles? His diary entries are ok, sometimes it's way too melodramatic and repetitive. The big ending? Yawn.
It felt like ages, reading this book. It lost the arresting quality the first book has. The scariest part is not about the vampires but when Zack killed a snow leopard *sigh. Scary level down to almost zero.
I am sure there will be a movie on this but not sure whether I want to watch it or not. Hell, maybe if it's only based on the first book.
PS: Mr. Quinland is Blade, right? right?
Disappointing end. Not just the ending of the trilogy but the whole book. It tasted so different if compared with the predecessors. I don't even know where to start pointing out the things I dislike from this book. The archangels and Sodom & Gomora & Old Testament tales are so ridiculous I spent much time frowning and shaking my head. Too much deus ex machina here and there. Why can't the authors make an original tale of the vampire creation? And the romance between Ef, Nora, Vet...booooringgggg. And Ef's inner battles? His diary entries are ok, sometimes it's way too melodramatic and repetitive. The big ending? Yawn.
It felt like ages, reading this book. It lost the arresting quality the first book has. The scariest part is not about the vampires but when Zack killed a snow leopard *sigh. Scary level down to almost zero.
I am sure there will be a movie on this but not sure whether I want to watch it or not. Hell, maybe if it's only based on the first book.
PS: Mr. Quinland is Blade, right? right?
July 8, 2012
A great cataclysmic finale to a story of biblical proportions, a story thats unearths a history as old as mankind.
A father and a son separated across the Atlantic, are two important characters in this third and grand finale of a book. The father Dr Ephraim Goodweather, once a prominent epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has a very important role, for the end of times is near either for the humans or the vampire race. For some reason, which will be unveiled in the book, Ephraim is drawn to the deciphering of the 'Lumen.'
The Occido Lumen is an important book, a wanted book by 'The Master'(the evil leader of the vampires), it is a book of revelations to the vampires, just like the holy books of the humans. It contains the creation and history of the worlds vampire race.
The son, Zack has also a vital role in the darkness ensuing, he is being controlled in the old art of the vampires of telepathic mind control, groomed into a vessel that the Master the one vampire who wishes to soon inhabit his body. The boy Zack lived like a prince under the watchful eye of the evil Master, In a real castle in the center of a giant city. He was given anything he wanted and was handed a zoo to own. But, here is the big but! It all came at a price, a price Zack was not aware of due to the mind control. The price was he is to be the next body host for the master who at present is in possession of a rock stars body. Zack has been lied to his father he was told was dead and his mother a turned vampire in service of the master. The master was controlling his actions and thoughts and emulating the darkness of his heart, to make him more evil. The master gets kicks out acts of decadence and brutality. The boys young mind was an agreeable lump of dough, one the Master continued to knead. There is one scene that stays with you where the boy is placed in a position where he has to kill one animal, on orders from the master, to save the other animals and to keep and own the zoo.
The father races against time in saving the planet and his son from complete human extinction. The others on his side is 'the born' Mr Quinlan another ancient vampire who's against the master, and a band of people courageous souls who mostly have lost loved ones to the vampires.
They are against the master and his band of vampires (strigoi), feelers(four legged blood suckers), and humans that work in his service.
This proved, where many have failed! that a trilogy can really work and the third book can be one of the strongest stories. I don't really have nightmares after reading books but this gave me one hell of a nightmare last night. The two authors really take you back to the beginning with this book and answer all the questions you were left in doubt about in the first and second book, it tells the story of the genesis of the vampires, the ancients, the first few. Their are powers more greater than you can fathom at play in the order of the things that will or will not save humanity, time will tell.
Let me say that this, that the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah play and important role to the vampires history.
I don't want to spoil the story but he has really plotted deep and added some real darkness to this story and genre on a whole, he has rewritten the script on vampires. Forget romance and the now vampire fluffiness ever present in novels, this is darkness true and true a real engrossing tale of humanities perilous battle for survival from the first novel to the third and grand finale.
I am in awe of the kind of movie Del Toro could make from these epic stories!
New video with Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan discussing THE STRAIN Trilogy Here
A father and a son separated across the Atlantic, are two important characters in this third and grand finale of a book. The father Dr Ephraim Goodweather, once a prominent epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has a very important role, for the end of times is near either for the humans or the vampire race. For some reason, which will be unveiled in the book, Ephraim is drawn to the deciphering of the 'Lumen.'
The Occido Lumen is an important book, a wanted book by 'The Master'(the evil leader of the vampires), it is a book of revelations to the vampires, just like the holy books of the humans. It contains the creation and history of the worlds vampire race.
The son, Zack has also a vital role in the darkness ensuing, he is being controlled in the old art of the vampires of telepathic mind control, groomed into a vessel that the Master the one vampire who wishes to soon inhabit his body. The boy Zack lived like a prince under the watchful eye of the evil Master, In a real castle in the center of a giant city. He was given anything he wanted and was handed a zoo to own. But, here is the big but! It all came at a price, a price Zack was not aware of due to the mind control. The price was he is to be the next body host for the master who at present is in possession of a rock stars body. Zack has been lied to his father he was told was dead and his mother a turned vampire in service of the master. The master was controlling his actions and thoughts and emulating the darkness of his heart, to make him more evil. The master gets kicks out acts of decadence and brutality. The boys young mind was an agreeable lump of dough, one the Master continued to knead. There is one scene that stays with you where the boy is placed in a position where he has to kill one animal, on orders from the master, to save the other animals and to keep and own the zoo.
The father races against time in saving the planet and his son from complete human extinction. The others on his side is 'the born' Mr Quinlan another ancient vampire who's against the master, and a band of people courageous souls who mostly have lost loved ones to the vampires.
They are against the master and his band of vampires (strigoi), feelers(four legged blood suckers), and humans that work in his service.
This proved, where many have failed! that a trilogy can really work and the third book can be one of the strongest stories. I don't really have nightmares after reading books but this gave me one hell of a nightmare last night. The two authors really take you back to the beginning with this book and answer all the questions you were left in doubt about in the first and second book, it tells the story of the genesis of the vampires, the ancients, the first few. Their are powers more greater than you can fathom at play in the order of the things that will or will not save humanity, time will tell.
Let me say that this, that the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah play and important role to the vampires history.
I don't want to spoil the story but he has really plotted deep and added some real darkness to this story and genre on a whole, he has rewritten the script on vampires. Forget romance and the now vampire fluffiness ever present in novels, this is darkness true and true a real engrossing tale of humanities perilous battle for survival from the first novel to the third and grand finale.
I am in awe of the kind of movie Del Toro could make from these epic stories!
"Eph wondered what time it was. Sometime o'clock in the morning, he figured, judging by his own failing circadian rhythm. It was summer-at least according to the old calendar-and so the sun should have been high and hot in the sky.
Instead, darkness prevailed. The natural order of the night and day had been shattered, presumably forever. The sun was obliterated by a murky veil of ash floating in the sky. The new atmosphere was comprised of the detritus of nuclear explosions and volcanic eruptions distributed around the globe, a ball of blue-green candy wrapped inside a crust of poisonous chocolate. It had cured into a thick, insulating cowl, sealing in darkness and cold and sealing out the sun.
Perennial nightfall. The planet turned into a pale, rotting netherworld of rime and torment
The perfect ecology for vampires."
"For the Master, it is best to consider the whole of recorded human history as a series of test runs. A set of experiments carried out over time, in preparation for the final master stroke. The Master was there during the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. He learned from the French Revolution, the Napoleonic wars. He nested in the concentration camps. He lived among you like a deviant sociologist, learning everything he could from and about you, in order to engineer your collapse. Patterns over time. The Master learned to align himself with influential power brokers, such as Eldritch Palmer, and corrupt them. He devised a formula for the mathematics of power. The perfect balance of vampires, cattle, and wardens."
New video with Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan discussing THE STRAIN Trilogy Here
May 29, 2018
The third book is... absolute bull.
The only reason I kept reading is because I kind of wanted to know how it ends, but more importantly – so I can record the bull and put it in my review!
So get this. You know how Chernobyl crashed like 40 years ago, and you STILL need permits to go there, and there are STILL areas that are totally off limits cause they're very dangerous? Well, apparently, this is not the way nuclear waste works in the universe of The Strain. There are going to be spoilers now, but I strongly advise you to click them and read them, cause I also advise you to NOT pick up this series.
All of these incongruencies were wayyyyy too much for me to deal with. Even a middle grader knows this stuff won't work. When in book two, I was wondering what book three was even going to be about, cause considering the damage, nobody should be alive in book three, apart from the bad guys, and they don't have anything to eat without humans, so they wouldn't be alive either. But nope. The authors found a way to somehow drive this plot off the cliff and still have book three.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
So get this. You know how Chernobyl crashed like 40 years ago, and you STILL need permits to go there, and there are STILL areas that are totally off limits cause they're very dangerous? Well, apparently, this is not the way nuclear waste works in the universe of The Strain. There are going to be spoilers now, but I strongly advise you to click them and read them, cause I also advise you to NOT pick up this series.
All of these incongruencies were wayyyyy too much for me to deal with. Even a middle grader knows this stuff won't work. When in book two, I was wondering what book three was even going to be about, cause considering the damage, nobody should be alive in book three, apart from the bad guys, and they don't have anything to eat without humans, so they wouldn't be alive either. But nope. The authors found a way to somehow drive this plot off the cliff and still have book three.
Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
October 7, 2017
Η επικράτηση του Αφέντη έφερε τη βασιλεία του σκοταδιού και την ανατροπή της φυσικής τάξης μέρας και νύχτας. Τίποτε δεν είναι το ίδιο σε έναν κόσμο που ο ήλιος έχει χαθεί πίσω από ένα αδιαπέραστο πέπλο στάχτης, σε ένα ρημαγμένο περιβάλλον που αποτελεί πια τον ιδανικό βιότοπο για βαμπίρ. Η μοίρα του ανθρώπινου είδους έχει προδιαγραφεί, το ίδιο και ο πολιτισμός του. Ο κόσμος γέμισε ξανά στρατόπεδα συγκέντρωσης και ανθρωποφύλακες.
Το τρίτο και τελευταίο μέρος της τριλογίας The Strain εκτυλίσσεται στο σκοτάδι∙ και περιγράφει το έρεβος, τον όλεθρο, την επικράτηση της Αιώνιας Νύχτας και της μάστιγας που διαβιεί κάτω από τις μαύρες φτερούγες της. Το απόλυτο κακό εγκαθίδρυσε την επί γης εξουσία του κι οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι συνθηκολόγησαν, υποτάχθηκαν, έγιναν οι ορντινάντσες των βδελυγμάτων, του υποείδους που κυβερνά προσωρινά τα ανθρώπινα.
Υπάρχουν κι οι άλλοι, όμως. Εκείνοι που ονειρεύονται ακόμη, που αγωνίζονται μέχρις εσχάτων, που δεν θα λυτρωθούν αν δεν ελευθερώσουν τον άνθρωπο από τα δεσμά του Αφέντη. Ο Εφραίμ Γκουντγουέδερ, ο Βασίλι Φετ, η Νόρα Μαρτίνεζ και ο Γκας Ελιζάντε είναι μερικοί από αυτούς. Σύμμαχός τους ο γιος του Αφέντη, ο Κουίνλαν, μισός άνθρωπος, μισός στριγκόι, που μολυσμένος από την κατάρα του Αφέντη διάλεξε στρατόπεδο από νωρίς, και το Occido Lumen, το βιβλίο που εξιστορεί την πρώτη εμφάνιση των στριγκόι και περιέχει, ίσως, τον τρόπο να απαλλαγεί κανείς οριστικά από αυτούς.
Στις τελευταίες εκατόν πενήντα σελίδες αδυνατείς να αφήσεις το βιβλίο από τα χέρια σου, η δράση είναι φρενήρης κι οι ανατροπές σε σχέση με την τηλεοπτική παραγωγή εντυπωσιακά πολλές. Ανάμεσα στο αίμα που ρέει άφθονο και στα τρία βιβλία, τα παρασιτικά σκουλίκια που ως φορείς του ιού αναζητούν τον επόμενο ξενιστή τους, τους αμέτρητους θανάτους και τις αναρίθμητες μεταμορφώσεις ανθρώπων σε στριγκόι, επιτρέψτε μου να διαλέξω την ειδυλλιακή εικόνα του τέλους, τα λόγια που σκέφτηκε η Νόρα Μαρτίνεζ κοιτώντας το γαλήνιο προσωπάκι του βρέφους της:
Όταν κοιτάζει κανείς πίσω τη ζωή του, καταλαβαίνει ότι η αγάπη είναι η απάντηση σε όλα .
Το τρίτο και τελευταίο μέρος της τριλογίας The Strain εκτυλίσσεται στο σκοτάδι∙ και περιγράφει το έρεβος, τον όλεθρο, την επικράτηση της Αιώνιας Νύχτας και της μάστιγας που διαβιεί κάτω από τις μαύρες φτερούγες της. Το απόλυτο κακό εγκαθίδρυσε την επί γης εξουσία του κι οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι συνθηκολόγησαν, υποτάχθηκαν, έγιναν οι ορντινάντσες των βδελυγμάτων, του υποείδους που κυβερνά προσωρινά τα ανθρώπινα.
Υπάρχουν κι οι άλλοι, όμως. Εκείνοι που ονειρεύονται ακόμη, που αγωνίζονται μέχρις εσχάτων, που δεν θα λυτρωθούν αν δεν ελευθερώσουν τον άνθρωπο από τα δεσμά του Αφέντη. Ο Εφραίμ Γκουντγουέδερ, ο Βασίλι Φετ, η Νόρα Μαρτίνεζ και ο Γκας Ελιζάντε είναι μερικοί από αυτούς. Σύμμαχός τους ο γιος του Αφέντη, ο Κουίνλαν, μισός άνθρωπος, μισός στριγκόι, που μολυσμένος από την κατάρα του Αφέντη διάλεξε στρατόπεδο από νωρίς, και το Occido Lumen, το βιβλίο που εξιστορεί την πρώτη εμφάνιση των στριγκόι και περιέχει, ίσως, τον τρόπο να απαλλαγεί κανείς οριστικά από αυτούς.
Στις τελευταίες εκατόν πενήντα σελίδες αδυνατείς να αφήσεις το βιβλίο από τα χέρια σου, η δράση είναι φρενήρης κι οι ανατροπές σε σχέση με την τηλεοπτική παραγωγή εντυπωσιακά πολλές. Ανάμεσα στο αίμα που ρέει άφθονο και στα τρία βιβλία, τα παρασιτικά σκουλίκια που ως φορείς του ιού αναζητούν τον επόμενο ξενιστή τους, τους αμέτρητους θανάτους και τις αναρίθμητες μεταμορφώσεις ανθρώπων σε στριγκόι, επιτρέψτε μου να διαλέξω την ειδυλλιακή εικόνα του τέλους, τα λόγια που σκέφτηκε η Νόρα Μαρτίνεζ κοιτώντας το γαλήνιο προσωπάκι του βρέφους της:
Όταν κοιτάζει κανείς πίσω τη ζωή του, καταλαβαίνει ότι η αγάπη είναι η απάντηση σε όλα .
February 23, 2015
Book 3 The Night Eternal of The Strain trilogy resumes with the resistance and The Born (Mr. Quinlan) out to find and destroy The Master at his site of origin, but there is a traitor among them and another with his own agenda....
While there is a bit more history and background information than necessary on how "it" all began in this finale, it was still full of action and very entertaining if you like this genre and accept it for what it is.
The ending was not exactly what I had hoped for,
Anyway, I have never read anything quite like this before, and as a new experience in reading, I'm not sure it will be on my priority list going forward, but oh it was gruesomely fun!!!
September 28, 2023
Me ha encantado esta trilogía, este libro es un perfecto final para cerrarla.
Este libro tiene mucha más acción que los 2 libros anteriores, y en él veremos hasta dónde llega el alcance del mal de El Amo, también sabremos de donde proviene y conoceremos la historia de Quinlan, entre otras cosas.
Os invito a leer las aventuras de Eph, Nora, Fet, Gus y Quinlan, y acompañarles en su lucha contra El Amo y este gran desenlace final.
Este libro tiene mucha más acción que los 2 libros anteriores, y en él veremos hasta dónde llega el alcance del mal de El Amo, también sabremos de donde proviene y conoceremos la historia de Quinlan, entre otras cosas.
Os invito a leer las aventuras de Eph, Nora, Fet, Gus y Quinlan, y acompañarles en su lucha contra El Amo y este gran desenlace final.
May 24, 2016
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
Night Eternal: the final installation in the Strain Trilogy. As the title may tell you, you’re in for a very dark and desolate journey. I will keep this short and sweet as much of this novel needs to be experienced firsthand, instead of through a review.
The Storyline
As the story opens, Dr. Ephraim (Eph) Goodweather is still reeling from the loss of his son, Zachary. Due to the vampire nature, his mother Kelly came back for him after she had already been turned.
”The insidious epidemiology of the virus spread in a vampiric perversion of human love.”
Norah and Fet are slowly developing a relationship between each other as Eph has been continually absent from Norah’s life.
The world they live in now is an extremely bleak one. The vampires control everything and you don’t get fed unless you work for them or reside in a blood farm.
”The farms were the only entirely different thing in this new world. That and the fact that there was no more educational system. No more schooling, no more reading, no more thinking.”
The blood farms were exactly as they sound: humans were rounded up as they were in concentration camps and they are drained of blood. Only the young and healthy were kept; the older humans simply weren’t kept around.
’The darkly quiet exterior of the camp spoke to an oppressive efficiency that was almost as shocking.’
The Vampires
I had been anxiously awaiting how the authors decided to handle the creation aspect. I’ll keep this as a spoiler as some readers may be pleasantly surprised and I would hate to ruin this for them.
The Writing
I had complained early on in the trilogy that the books read like a screenplay and that they would do fabulous as a movie, but left a little to be desired as a novel. The writing in the third, despite the bleakness, was completely enthralling and was worth suffering through the darkness. And dark it was; there was not one single of iota of happiness until maybe the very end and even that can is up for debate.
Final Thoughts
I’m quite pleased at how the trilogy was wrapped up. Ending a series well always seems like such a struggle in trying to wrap up all the storylines and loose ends but I think the authors pulled it off sufficiently. I’m not sure that it’s exactly what I had anticipated, not sure what I would have changed if I could, but you're still left with a feeling of completion. All in all this is one of the best vampire series I have read; definitely one of my favorites.
Night Eternal: the final installation in the Strain Trilogy. As the title may tell you, you’re in for a very dark and desolate journey. I will keep this short and sweet as much of this novel needs to be experienced firsthand, instead of through a review.
The Storyline
As the story opens, Dr. Ephraim (Eph) Goodweather is still reeling from the loss of his son, Zachary. Due to the vampire nature, his mother Kelly came back for him after she had already been turned.
”The insidious epidemiology of the virus spread in a vampiric perversion of human love.”
Norah and Fet are slowly developing a relationship between each other as Eph has been continually absent from Norah’s life.
The world they live in now is an extremely bleak one. The vampires control everything and you don’t get fed unless you work for them or reside in a blood farm.
”The farms were the only entirely different thing in this new world. That and the fact that there was no more educational system. No more schooling, no more reading, no more thinking.”
The blood farms were exactly as they sound: humans were rounded up as they were in concentration camps and they are drained of blood. Only the young and healthy were kept; the older humans simply weren’t kept around.
’The darkly quiet exterior of the camp spoke to an oppressive efficiency that was almost as shocking.’
The Vampires
I had been anxiously awaiting how the authors decided to handle the creation aspect. I’ll keep this as a spoiler as some readers may be pleasantly surprised and I would hate to ruin this for them.
The Writing
I had complained early on in the trilogy that the books read like a screenplay and that they would do fabulous as a movie, but left a little to be desired as a novel. The writing in the third, despite the bleakness, was completely enthralling and was worth suffering through the darkness. And dark it was; there was not one single of iota of happiness until maybe the very end and even that can is up for debate.
Final Thoughts
I’m quite pleased at how the trilogy was wrapped up. Ending a series well always seems like such a struggle in trying to wrap up all the storylines and loose ends but I think the authors pulled it off sufficiently. I’m not sure that it’s exactly what I had anticipated, not sure what I would have changed if I could, but you're still left with a feeling of completion. All in all this is one of the best vampire series I have read; definitely one of my favorites.
July 3, 2016
The Strain Trilogy is comprised of three separate volumes published between 2009 and 2011: The Strain (2009); The Fall (2010); and The Night Eternal (2011). Written by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, it chronicles a vampiric takeover of the world and the efforts of a band of humans to resist.
The trilogy as a whole is entertaining. Certainly not with great literary quality but it will make, under Guillermo del Toro’s direction, a heart-stopping movie. The writing is not bad. I presume that the primary author is Chuck Hogan; and, based only on the one novel of his that I have read, Prince of Thieves, he is talented. As in Prince of Thieves, the action in the trilogy is charged, breathless and easy to follow. All three books are quick reads that will keep you turning pages to the last.
Here is the real strength of the trilogy. The vampires—creations, I assume, from the imagination of Guillermo del Toro—are great. They look as vampires should look. They act as vampires should act. No handsome men or beautiful women romancing here. They suck blood and nothing else—preferably type “B”. And they smell bad.
Actually the vampires in the trilogy are not all the same. There is an hierarchy with the Master at the top then the "strigoi" who are linked to the Master telepathically. There are also “feelers”—vampiric children blinded and who scramble on all fours and who are also under the direct control of the Master. This array of the undead makes human existence exceedingly problematic. To be turned is not a pleasant experience. Worms that carry the vampiric virus pass from the vampire to the target through a huge stinger that rolls out of the vampire’s mouth much like a frog’s tongue extends to catch his food. And once turned, the targets loose many of the features that mark them as human: ears, noses, hair, genitals, opaque skin, refined digits. Also, as all vampires starting with Brian Stoker’s Dracula, they don’t react well to silver or to daylight or ultraviolet light.
The Master has some unique characteristics that the "strigoi" lack. He can and has changed bodies: his essence survives body jumps. (This ability has an importance in volume 3.) He, alone, travels with a casket layered with dirt from his home of origin. He thinks, strategizes and reasons. He communicates telepathically. He is fixated on one of the humans, Dr. Eph Goodweather, although it is never clear exactly why.
The band of humans, if the truth be known, is no more attractive in regard to its souls than the vamps, who really don’t have souls. We like them because they are human; and, in short measure by the end of the first volume, they become as agile killing and stalking vampires as Bruce Willis would be if he had a part in the action. The action in volume 3 takes place 2 years after the ending of volume 2. By then, our band of humans is ragged, worn and mal-nourished. One, Dr. Goodweather, a recovering alcoholic, even pops vicodin with regularity. But they barely show their deteriorated or drugged condition when confronting the strigoi: they can take out gaggles of them in short order as if they were in the top of their form. The authors have given humanity’s defenders some back history to flesh them out a bit, although even then we would still not take them home to meet our Moms. They are just not overly loveable as a group or as individuals.
The trilogy is really about action and not people: good versus evil in the broadest brush strokes. And by volume 3 the authors have enfolded the Master into a creation myth rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Turns out there is a God. He just is not pulling the strings as aggressively as one might anticipate. He did, however, have a hand, unwittingly it would seem, in creating vampires. And he eventually intervenes after a fashion, although through a glass darkly.
I presume that there are some loose and dead ends that are never fully explained by the authors but I can’t pull any up as an example. I was tracking several myself, but they were all eventually explained, more or less, by the end of volume 3. I have a sense, however, that the world of The Stain is not as tightly nor sophisticatedly constructed as something Margaret Atwood has done.
Had it not been for Guillermo del Toro’s name on the first entry in the trilogy (I am smitten by his Pam’s Labyrinth), I probably would not have bought the book. With the movie certain to hit the screens, there is no reason to tackle the original text unless you are at the end of your “to read” list or unless you are really looking for an undemanding but page-turning read.
The trilogy as a whole is entertaining. Certainly not with great literary quality but it will make, under Guillermo del Toro’s direction, a heart-stopping movie. The writing is not bad. I presume that the primary author is Chuck Hogan; and, based only on the one novel of his that I have read, Prince of Thieves, he is talented. As in Prince of Thieves, the action in the trilogy is charged, breathless and easy to follow. All three books are quick reads that will keep you turning pages to the last.
Here is the real strength of the trilogy. The vampires—creations, I assume, from the imagination of Guillermo del Toro—are great. They look as vampires should look. They act as vampires should act. No handsome men or beautiful women romancing here. They suck blood and nothing else—preferably type “B”. And they smell bad.
Actually the vampires in the trilogy are not all the same. There is an hierarchy with the Master at the top then the "strigoi" who are linked to the Master telepathically. There are also “feelers”—vampiric children blinded and who scramble on all fours and who are also under the direct control of the Master. This array of the undead makes human existence exceedingly problematic. To be turned is not a pleasant experience. Worms that carry the vampiric virus pass from the vampire to the target through a huge stinger that rolls out of the vampire’s mouth much like a frog’s tongue extends to catch his food. And once turned, the targets loose many of the features that mark them as human: ears, noses, hair, genitals, opaque skin, refined digits. Also, as all vampires starting with Brian Stoker’s Dracula, they don’t react well to silver or to daylight or ultraviolet light.
The Master has some unique characteristics that the "strigoi" lack. He can and has changed bodies: his essence survives body jumps. (This ability has an importance in volume 3.) He, alone, travels with a casket layered with dirt from his home of origin. He thinks, strategizes and reasons. He communicates telepathically. He is fixated on one of the humans, Dr. Eph Goodweather, although it is never clear exactly why.
The band of humans, if the truth be known, is no more attractive in regard to its souls than the vamps, who really don’t have souls. We like them because they are human; and, in short measure by the end of the first volume, they become as agile killing and stalking vampires as Bruce Willis would be if he had a part in the action. The action in volume 3 takes place 2 years after the ending of volume 2. By then, our band of humans is ragged, worn and mal-nourished. One, Dr. Goodweather, a recovering alcoholic, even pops vicodin with regularity. But they barely show their deteriorated or drugged condition when confronting the strigoi: they can take out gaggles of them in short order as if they were in the top of their form. The authors have given humanity’s defenders some back history to flesh them out a bit, although even then we would still not take them home to meet our Moms. They are just not overly loveable as a group or as individuals.
The trilogy is really about action and not people: good versus evil in the broadest brush strokes. And by volume 3 the authors have enfolded the Master into a creation myth rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Turns out there is a God. He just is not pulling the strings as aggressively as one might anticipate. He did, however, have a hand, unwittingly it would seem, in creating vampires. And he eventually intervenes after a fashion, although through a glass darkly.
I presume that there are some loose and dead ends that are never fully explained by the authors but I can’t pull any up as an example. I was tracking several myself, but they were all eventually explained, more or less, by the end of volume 3. I have a sense, however, that the world of The Stain is not as tightly nor sophisticatedly constructed as something Margaret Atwood has done.
Had it not been for Guillermo del Toro’s name on the first entry in the trilogy (I am smitten by his Pam’s Labyrinth), I probably would not have bought the book. With the movie certain to hit the screens, there is no reason to tackle the original text unless you are at the end of your “to read” list or unless you are really looking for an undemanding but page-turning read.
June 12, 2012
I am a HUGE vampire fan (real vampires, not those glittery pieces of crap that are in those dumb ass twilight books), and found this series to be a great read. I like the twist on the traditional vampire story with some old legendy stuff thrown in.
In my life I have bought less than a dozen brand new books in hardcover (when they first came out) and this series (after reading the first book) was one in which I just couldn't wait for the paperback version to come out because I had to buy it. I rate books on how much I want to read them so that I have to actually buy a copy and because this book compelled me to actually buy it new (I actually pre-ordered it), that should tell you something about how good it was. I own more than 1000 books and out of all of those less than 12 were purchased as brand new hardcover editions.
That all being said, this series is a def MUST read for any vampire enthusiast. I sincerely hope that these two write more books in the future AND that this series gets made into some movies. Good movies, not made for TV crap you see on the SyFy channel (no offense to those who actually watch that garbage). So, if you want a good story with an engaging plot, pick these books up and you won't be disappointed.
In my life I have bought less than a dozen brand new books in hardcover (when they first came out) and this series (after reading the first book) was one in which I just couldn't wait for the paperback version to come out because I had to buy it. I rate books on how much I want to read them so that I have to actually buy a copy and because this book compelled me to actually buy it new (I actually pre-ordered it), that should tell you something about how good it was. I own more than 1000 books and out of all of those less than 12 were purchased as brand new hardcover editions.
That all being said, this series is a def MUST read for any vampire enthusiast. I sincerely hope that these two write more books in the future AND that this series gets made into some movies. Good movies, not made for TV crap you see on the SyFy channel (no offense to those who actually watch that garbage). So, if you want a good story with an engaging plot, pick these books up and you won't be disappointed.
July 20, 2021
Reviewing the conclusion of a series is always the most difficult. No matter how good the book may be, its almost always going to be a letdown. I was warned that this book would be a disappointment. And maybe that helped me enjoy this book more than others did.
The Night Eternal picks up 2 years after the rise of The Strain and humanity is not doing well. I wont say too much about the plot because it would spoil the first 2 books. I will say that I understand why people dislike this book and had I not gone into this book prepared to be disappointed I probably would have given it 2 stars. But since I went in with low expectations I was able to just enjoy it for what it is.
It was anticlimactic in my opinion and it did kind of ruin the villain by spending too much time on them. The villain was much scarier when we only got small glimpses of them.
Despite book 3 being not the best I still would recommend the series overall. The Strain is still in my opinion one of the best horror books I've read in a long time. So if you do nothing else at least read book one The Strain.
Now I'm off to finish watching the tv show The Strain!
The Night Eternal picks up 2 years after the rise of The Strain and humanity is not doing well. I wont say too much about the plot because it would spoil the first 2 books. I will say that I understand why people dislike this book and had I not gone into this book prepared to be disappointed I probably would have given it 2 stars. But since I went in with low expectations I was able to just enjoy it for what it is.
It was anticlimactic in my opinion and it did kind of ruin the villain by spending too much time on them. The villain was much scarier when we only got small glimpses of them.
Despite book 3 being not the best I still would recommend the series overall. The Strain is still in my opinion one of the best horror books I've read in a long time. So if you do nothing else at least read book one The Strain.
Now I'm off to finish watching the tv show The Strain!
March 31, 2019
Η αλήθεια είναι πως χαίρομαι πολύ που διάβασα τη συγκεκριμένη τριλογία, όμως χαίρομαι και που τελείωσε. Νομίζω πως ό,τι είχε να πει, το είπε. Και αυτό το τρίτο βιβλίο με κούρασε λίγο - όχι ότι δεν το απόλαυσα, αλλά όχι όσο τα δύο προηγούμενα.
Η δράση εδώ εκτυλίσσεται δύο χρόνια μετά την έλευση της Αιώνιας Νύχτας και την επικράτηση των βαμπίρ έναντι των ανθρώπων. Η καθημερινότητα όλων έχει γίνει σκληρή, απάνθρωπη, αβάσταχτη, σκοτεινή και πολύ επικίνδυνη. Η πλειοψηφία των ανθρώπων μοιάζει να έχει υποταχθεί στη μοίρα της και στα σκοτεινά πλάσματα του Αφέντη. Όμως, η ομάδα των γνωστών αγνώστων μας συνεχίζει να αγωνίζεται, ενάντια σε όλες τις αντιξοότητες. Συνεχίζει να μη δέχεται πως το μέλλον τους είναι να κρύβονται αιωνίως από τον Αφέντη ή να πέσουν τελικά στα νύχια του. Συνεχίζει να μάχεται το σκοτάδι και να ψάχνει τον τρόπο για να τον εξοντώσει μια και καλή.
Θεωρώ πως το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο προσφέρει ένα αξιοπρεπέστατο 'κλείσιμο' σ' αυτή την ιστορία και ικανοποιεί τον αναγνώστη. Και γενικότερα, από κάθε άποψη, η συγκεκριμένη τριλογία αξίζει να διαβαστεί νομίζω από φανατικούς και μη του είδους.
Η δράση εδώ εκτυλίσσεται δύο χρόνια μετά την έλευση της Αιώνιας Νύχτας και την επικράτηση των βαμπίρ έναντι των ανθρώπων. Η καθημερινότητα όλων έχει γίνει σκληρή, απάνθρωπη, αβάσταχτη, σκοτεινή και πολύ επικίνδυνη. Η πλειοψηφία των ανθρώπων μοιάζει να έχει υποταχθεί στη μοίρα της και στα σκοτεινά πλάσματα του Αφέντη. Όμως, η ομάδα των γνωστών αγνώστων μας συνεχίζει να αγωνίζεται, ενάντια σε όλες τις αντιξοότητες. Συνεχίζει να μη δέχεται πως το μέλλον τους είναι να κρύβονται αιωνίως από τον Αφέντη ή να πέσουν τελικά στα νύχια του. Συνεχίζει να μάχεται το σκοτάδι και να ψάχνει τον τρόπο για να τον εξοντώσει μια και καλή.
Θεωρώ πως το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο προσφέρει ένα αξιοπρεπέστατο 'κλείσιμο' σ' αυτή την ιστορία και ικανοποιεί τον αναγνώστη. Και γενικότερα, από κάθε άποψη, η συγκεκριμένη τριλογία αξίζει να διαβαστεί νομίζω από φανατικούς και μη του είδους.
December 17, 2015
After reading book two, I concluded that perhaps my love of The Strain was a result of hatred of friendly (and sparkly) vampires and being read by Ron Perleman. I can't rule out the former, but the lack of Perleman did not lessen my enjoyment of The Night Eternal . It is always difficult for me to know how to review books that are continuations of a series since by book three it is likely unfair to evaluate whether the book can stand alone. In fact, who would expect it to? Listening/reading 2 hours of back-story is enough for any series reader to want to choke the author -- so I actually appreciated that The Night Eternal didn't even bother. We went right to the action and that was actually a huge plus of this final entry in The Strain trilogy.
Further, it did a nice job of working well within the trilogy format -- which I quite liked from the entire series. One thing I have complained about is the recent trend to serialize everything with the huge downside that every book seems to end in a cliffhanger and I end up feeling like I am in a book version of the Sims where I have to keep paying for the expansion packs just to find out what happens. The Strain avoided this pitfall and I have to take a moment to acknowledge how much I appreciated that.
Overall, I thought this book was probably the strongest in the series. del Toro finally cut out the overly repetitive and long "action" sequences -- I said it before and I will say it again, how can you actually make sword fighting tedious? I found the character development here much better than in the rest of the series, new elements, like the human camps, interesting and adding a lot of twists and turns kept it fresh and moving right along. . And I felt that the series did resolve itself well.
Is this serious literature? No, but I find it did a fantastic, better than average, job of being what it was: well-written entertainment. Definite two thumbs up for me.
Further, it did a nice job of working well within the trilogy format -- which I quite liked from the entire series. One thing I have complained about is the recent trend to serialize everything with the huge downside that every book seems to end in a cliffhanger and I end up feeling like I am in a book version of the Sims where I have to keep paying for the expansion packs just to find out what happens. The Strain avoided this pitfall and I have to take a moment to acknowledge how much I appreciated that.
Overall, I thought this book was probably the strongest in the series. del Toro finally cut out the overly repetitive and long "action" sequences -- I said it before and I will say it again, how can you actually make sword fighting tedious? I found the character development here much better than in the rest of the series, new elements, like the human camps, interesting and adding a lot of twists and turns kept it fresh and moving right along. . And I felt that the series did resolve itself well.
Is this serious literature? No, but I find it did a fantastic, better than average, job of being what it was: well-written entertainment. Definite two thumbs up for me.
January 7, 2012
I will add my voice to the chorus who found this final book in the Strain Trilogy to be a great disappointment. One of my major complaints regards the Biblical origin story that Guillermo and Hogan have concocted, since it cheapens one of the great premises on which the original book rests: that the vampires have a detailed, real-world biology. Additionally, the plot is sloppily constructed, as with the chapter that, late in the game, describes how Eph's son is developing OCD; in no previous chapter highlighting this character has this even been hinted at, and it is of no consequence to the character or plot after it is addressed (where was the editor?) But actually, the "trilogy" conceit itself, of which every scifi and fantasy author seems to be so enamored these days, is what brings this story low. Trilogies by their nature mean that the third book wraps everything up, and in this case, when there is a single aim driving all of the action for this book, and it is the last book, there is only one way it will end, and it makes for a boring and unsurprising read. This is not a book where the predictability of the plot is compensated for by rich characterization, lofty themes and beautiful language...it is a plot-driven thriller, and as such, it fails.
March 7, 2017
Η μυθοπλασια φανταστική. Τα πολλά μικρά λαθακια που οδηγουσαν σε ατοπα, δεν εξηγηθηκαν στο τρίτο μέρος της τριλογίας.
July 6, 2020
DNF at 50%
June 2, 2022
Uffff 👌 pedazo de trilogía!! A mi me ha encantado en primera el ritmo que lleva no baja y el desarrollo de los personajes es grande! Que decir de esa forma tan peculiar de Guillermo y Chuck se nota el sello 🤗 me emocioné, me puso de nervios y me enoje 🤭 en conjunto todas esas emociones que me acampañaron en cada página lo agradezco enorme pues lo disfrute muchísimo ✨ un personaje que se corrompe sin duda alguna será un representativo glorioso de una gran historia!! Ohhhh y también sentí un picor en mi corazón 💔 a casi la mitad de este libro que me dejó volando la cabeza y las ideas de que sucedería....
June 8, 2017
Реалната ми оценка за трилогията "Напаст" е някъде ~ 3,5. Щеше ми се апокалиптичната картина, в която вампирите стават владетели на света, да има по-голям размах (спомнете си какво стори с един грипен вирус чичо Кинг в "Сблъсък"), но не би... Главният герой Еф Гудуедър за две години (толкова е времевият интервал между втората и третата книга) се бе превърнал в алкохолизиран мухльо, чак ми идеше да скокна до опустошения Ню Йорк и да му забърша няколко шамара; действието вървеше по холивудски клиширано, краят ми се стори леееко смешен... И все пак, дори за миг не съжалявам, че си причиних тази книжна серия. Като фен на хоръра приветствам всеки излязъл на родния пазар образец с ясното съзнание, че няма как всичко да е хипер-ултра-мега-добро, особено в преекспонираната през годините "вампирска" тема. Адмирации и за Студио Арт Лайн - издателство, често опитващо се да радва читателите си с доста по-нестандартни, да не кажа "рискови" проекти.
March 27, 2012
I've read through a few of the negative reviews about this final book in the trilogy, and although I saw some valid points, I didn't see anything to sway me from giving this book a good rating.
I enjoyed the entire trilogy and the last book was very good, IMHO. It was a page-turner with plenty of action and intrigue, and I enjoyed the biblical implications (whereas others didn't). I liked how the authors explained the rising of the first vampires. It was uniquely different from what we've heard in the past.
Character-development was excellent through-out the series, and I cared about our little band of heroes very much. They weren't perfect, and more complex than the standard infallible heroes, which made them more believable.
Anyway, I think the whole trilogy was great and well worth the read. A creative take on the vampire mythology.
I enjoyed the entire trilogy and the last book was very good, IMHO. It was a page-turner with plenty of action and intrigue, and I enjoyed the biblical implications (whereas others didn't). I liked how the authors explained the rising of the first vampires. It was uniquely different from what we've heard in the past.
Character-development was excellent through-out the series, and I cared about our little band of heroes very much. They weren't perfect, and more complex than the standard infallible heroes, which made them more believable.
Anyway, I think the whole trilogy was great and well worth the read. A creative take on the vampire mythology.
March 3, 2023
Ágil y entretenido.
Amantes de la lectura.
Amantes de la lectura.
November 26, 2013
"The vampires have established themselves at top of the food chain, Tescos is out, express blood banks are in. Humans are now the cattle."
I found myself rooting for Eph to kick the Masters arse towards the end. What a blaze of glory the ending had. I know, I know, I've said several times how dull this novel is, how much it borrows from Del Toro's other works and genres. I couldn't help it. Damn it, I feel somehow, tainted.
Anyway, so The Night Eternal is the last in Del Toro and Hogan's The Strain trilogy. The vampires have established themselves at top of the food chain, Tescos is out, express blood banks are in. Humans are now the cattle. It's a vampiric paradise out there, 22 hours a day of darkness and meals on legs. Brilliant.
Ephraim Goodweather and his merryband, Nora, Vasily Fet and Gus are still entrenched fighting the good fight. The timeline has moved on by a few years. Food is in short supply and the group have been busy. Fet travelling across the world to find out more about Lumen, a book which is essentially the Bible of the vampires. Yes, complete myth you see. OK, sarcasm aside it's written in a language no one can decipher. A bit of a dead end then? No not really. The Born has arrived. Mr. Quinlan, NO, not Mr. Anderson! The Q-man is a off-spring of The Master. There is a lovely little backstory, which delves into both The Born and Masters past. The tale involving the creation of the Master was complete waffle and jibberish, Arch-Angel indeed. Pfft. The Born really vampiric arse, he is one rather all, just a more pure-strain (or something).
Eph and The Born become fairly tight, watching out for each other, especially as Eph is obsessed with finding his son. What Eph doesn't know is his son, Zack, is now under the influence of the Master. The horror! One thing the writers aren't afraid of is killing off their chess pieces. A lot of characters are gnawed on, chewed over and bleed. I won't be naming names, but things go all grimdark for half the novel. Not a bad thing.
The prose is woefully bad. There are some very basic grammatical errors. Am I being picky? No, this is meant to be a professional piece of work, so should reflect that. The biggest problem with the Strain trilogy is that a lot of the characters and creations are heavily borrowed from Del Toro's movies, such as Blade I and II and Mimic. This was my main problem with the entire series. Surely someone who is so creatively unique can come up with something, well, different. Obviously not in this case. I've also stated how standard the characters are, they are a dull affair. Nothing really grabs me in there regard. Another element that I found weird was that the group i.e. Eph, Nora etc, were killing vampires with ease. Yet the world was being held 'hostage' by ten thousand vampires? Come on give me a break. I know it's a work of fiction, but at least sort the continuation out. Out of balanced comes to mind.
I could go into detail and talk about how one could view this as a sociological rant at society. How we've become owned by the things we own, and the need to break free of this mundane items in our lives. However, these novels are what they are, pulp-fiction. So I won't be wasting my time in this case. Over the entire series it's been a average read. Average doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. You may more than me. I'd be interested to see what you have to say.
I found myself rooting for Eph to kick the Masters arse towards the end. What a blaze of glory the ending had. I know, I know, I've said several times how dull this novel is, how much it borrows from Del Toro's other works and genres. I couldn't help it. Damn it, I feel somehow, tainted.
Anyway, so The Night Eternal is the last in Del Toro and Hogan's The Strain trilogy. The vampires have established themselves at top of the food chain, Tescos is out, express blood banks are in. Humans are now the cattle. It's a vampiric paradise out there, 22 hours a day of darkness and meals on legs. Brilliant.
Ephraim Goodweather and his merryband, Nora, Vasily Fet and Gus are still entrenched fighting the good fight. The timeline has moved on by a few years. Food is in short supply and the group have been busy. Fet travelling across the world to find out more about Lumen, a book which is essentially the Bible of the vampires. Yes, complete myth you see. OK, sarcasm aside it's written in a language no one can decipher. A bit of a dead end then? No not really. The Born has arrived. Mr. Quinlan, NO, not Mr. Anderson! The Q-man is a off-spring of The Master. There is a lovely little backstory, which delves into both The Born and Masters past. The tale involving the creation of the Master was complete waffle and jibberish, Arch-Angel indeed. Pfft. The Born really vampiric arse, he is one rather all, just a more pure-strain (or something).
Eph and The Born become fairly tight, watching out for each other, especially as Eph is obsessed with finding his son. What Eph doesn't know is his son, Zack, is now under the influence of the Master. The horror! One thing the writers aren't afraid of is killing off their chess pieces. A lot of characters are gnawed on, chewed over and bleed. I won't be naming names, but things go all grimdark for half the novel. Not a bad thing.
The prose is woefully bad. There are some very basic grammatical errors. Am I being picky? No, this is meant to be a professional piece of work, so should reflect that. The biggest problem with the Strain trilogy is that a lot of the characters and creations are heavily borrowed from Del Toro's movies, such as Blade I and II and Mimic. This was my main problem with the entire series. Surely someone who is so creatively unique can come up with something, well, different. Obviously not in this case. I've also stated how standard the characters are, they are a dull affair. Nothing really grabs me in there regard. Another element that I found weird was that the group i.e. Eph, Nora etc, were killing vampires with ease. Yet the world was being held 'hostage' by ten thousand vampires? Come on give me a break. I know it's a work of fiction, but at least sort the continuation out. Out of balanced comes to mind.
I could go into detail and talk about how one could view this as a sociological rant at society. How we've become owned by the things we own, and the need to break free of this mundane items in our lives. However, these novels are what they are, pulp-fiction. So I won't be wasting my time in this case. Over the entire series it's been a average read. Average doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. You may more than me. I'd be interested to see what you have to say.
December 27, 2023
Relectura realizada en noviembre-diciembre de 2023
En esta ocasión, percibí un ritmo más lento durante la primera mitad de la novela. No es que no ocurriera nada, pero sí que había un mayor estancamiento y considero que la autocompasión de Eph y el desprecio que despertaba en algunos personajes era exagerado. El gran punto fuerte es que todo lo que viven los protagonistas acaba derivando en un final en el que ninguno queda deslucido. Unos triunfan, otros viven pérdidas que les destrozarán, pero todos recuperan su esencia y encandilan. Cuando la acción es el elemento dominante, es imposible dejar de leer. Vivir o morir, tracionar o ser justos... cada decisión es importante y da pena decirle adión a esta historia.
No dudaría en recomendar esta trilogía. Vampiros, luchas que no tienen fin y unos personajes que logran que te impliques en su misión.
Primera lectura realizada en agosto de 2016
"La lucha por la supervivencia llega a su fin. "Eterna" solventa todas las cuestiones que se han ido desarrollando en los libros anteriores, proporcionándonos un final lleno de acción en el que los personajes sufrirán para intentar ganar la batalla, aunque su éxito es casi imposible. Con una trama ágil y muchos descubrimientos, "Eterna" no te permite despegarte de sus páginas y, si no fuera por ciertos detalles en los que no se profundiza, sería un libro perfecto".
Reseña completa: https://entrelalecturayelcine.blogspo...
Tras la relectura, mantengo casi todo lo que dije en mi reseña original. Únicamente he añadido algunos matices sobre determinados aspectos.
En esta ocasión, percibí un ritmo más lento durante la primera mitad de la novela. No es que no ocurriera nada, pero sí que había un mayor estancamiento y considero que la autocompasión de Eph y el desprecio que despertaba en algunos personajes era exagerado. El gran punto fuerte es que todo lo que viven los protagonistas acaba derivando en un final en el que ninguno queda deslucido. Unos triunfan, otros viven pérdidas que les destrozarán, pero todos recuperan su esencia y encandilan. Cuando la acción es el elemento dominante, es imposible dejar de leer. Vivir o morir, tracionar o ser justos... cada decisión es importante y da pena decirle adión a esta historia.
No dudaría en recomendar esta trilogía. Vampiros, luchas que no tienen fin y unos personajes que logran que te impliques en su misión.
Primera lectura realizada en agosto de 2016
"La lucha por la supervivencia llega a su fin. "Eterna" solventa todas las cuestiones que se han ido desarrollando en los libros anteriores, proporcionándonos un final lleno de acción en el que los personajes sufrirán para intentar ganar la batalla, aunque su éxito es casi imposible. Con una trama ágil y muchos descubrimientos, "Eterna" no te permite despegarte de sus páginas y, si no fuera por ciertos detalles en los que no se profundiza, sería un libro perfecto".
Reseña completa: https://entrelalecturayelcine.blogspo...
Tras la relectura, mantengo casi todo lo que dije en mi reseña original. Únicamente he añadido algunos matices sobre determinados aspectos.
May 16, 2014
I can't believe it's over...! With a satisfying ending, this last book of "The Strain" trilogy did not let me down...except by ending! It was thoroughly suspenseful--the last twenty percent or so really had me at the edge of my seat. No spoilers from me, but wow...I didn't expect that ending! Now I can't wait for the television series that's expected to air this summer on FX. I hope it will closely mirror the book, unlike many other series based on books.
Again, I highly recommend this amazing series. It's horror with heart--with sympathetic characters you worry about and cheer for and even cry over. 5+ stars from me!
Again, I highly recommend this amazing series. It's horror with heart--with sympathetic characters you worry about and cheer for and even cry over. 5+ stars from me!
September 12, 2019
This is not your standard Vampire story! Yes there is the standard old foreign vampire hunter that trains the main character to fight the undead. I really enjoyed the way the vampire scruge was portrayed with a scientific viewpoint even though it has supernatural origins. And the origin of the vampire menace was a extremely nice new twist to the old legends. Overall nice action and flow of the story throughout the books. The trilogy builds well and keeps up the pace without any slow spots. Very recommended
April 24, 2013
Review of a book received from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review, review written 2011.
Two years have passed since the fall of The Night Eternal. The Master has consolidated his control over humanity by the wholesale slaughter of the leaders, the intelligentsia, the scientists – anyone who might challenge his supremacy – and of those who are elderly or infirm or otherwise incapable of being contributing members of society. In the meantime, humans are controlled by the vampires – if humans want to eat, have clothes and be left alone, they must contribute. Payment by money no longer exists – humans are paid with vouchers for rations and clothing. And the unlucky ones are sent to camps, where they become either breeding machines or slave labor. Eph, Nora, Vasiliy, and Gus and his friends continue to fight against the Master and his regime. But things seems to be coming to a head; the vampires have discovered their hiding spots and the rebels are on the run. They need to translate the Lumen, to discover the location of the Master’s origin, and destroy it – thereby destroying the strain. But can they do it? Will they be able to stay ahead of the Master and his strain long enough to decipher the ancient text? And will they survive the treachery that raises its head amongst them?
While I was bothered by a few plot holes – mostly, how is it that they’ve accomplished so little in two years, yet remained ahead of the vamps, and then suddenly everything comes down at once – overall I found this to be an eminently satisfying conclusion to The Strain Trilogy. The characters continue to be a strong aspect, and the plot continues to be fast-paced but strongly developed, and the ending seems realistic – well, as realistic as can be expected in a apocalyptic vampire novel! I thinks fans of this trilogy will be happy with the ending of the series. If you haven’t discovered The Strain yet, be sure to seek it out, starting with “The Strain,” released in 2009, then “The Fall” in 2010, and finally “The Night Eternal,” which was just released.
Two years have passed since the fall of The Night Eternal. The Master has consolidated his control over humanity by the wholesale slaughter of the leaders, the intelligentsia, the scientists – anyone who might challenge his supremacy – and of those who are elderly or infirm or otherwise incapable of being contributing members of society. In the meantime, humans are controlled by the vampires – if humans want to eat, have clothes and be left alone, they must contribute. Payment by money no longer exists – humans are paid with vouchers for rations and clothing. And the unlucky ones are sent to camps, where they become either breeding machines or slave labor. Eph, Nora, Vasiliy, and Gus and his friends continue to fight against the Master and his regime. But things seems to be coming to a head; the vampires have discovered their hiding spots and the rebels are on the run. They need to translate the Lumen, to discover the location of the Master’s origin, and destroy it – thereby destroying the strain. But can they do it? Will they be able to stay ahead of the Master and his strain long enough to decipher the ancient text? And will they survive the treachery that raises its head amongst them?
While I was bothered by a few plot holes – mostly, how is it that they’ve accomplished so little in two years, yet remained ahead of the vamps, and then suddenly everything comes down at once – overall I found this to be an eminently satisfying conclusion to The Strain Trilogy. The characters continue to be a strong aspect, and the plot continues to be fast-paced but strongly developed, and the ending seems realistic – well, as realistic as can be expected in a apocalyptic vampire novel! I thinks fans of this trilogy will be happy with the ending of the series. If you haven’t discovered The Strain yet, be sure to seek it out, starting with “The Strain,” released in 2009, then “The Fall” in 2010, and finally “The Night Eternal,” which was just released.
July 21, 2014
Ugh where to begin. I gave this two stars only because I was interested enough to finish it, also because I didn't "hate" it. Although this was a hugely disappointing ending. In the strain the whole concept of vampirism being biological completely sucked me in. Unique concept! I didn't expect the whole end of world and harvesting idea either, so what happens in the second book was also original storytelling. However the characters, all started out pretty good, but quickly were losing me as the story went on. They felt very one dimensional, cardboard, especially Gus! He was more of a cartoon character, so over the top silliness and given the absolute worse dialogue EVER! Barnes was never really explained and was a total stereotype. I also could never really figure the old rich guy out. Who is so awful, that he would destroy the whole world just to live as some nasty parasite forever. Zack completely changed from a pretty nice kid to a complete sociopath like it was nothing. I don't care how young you are or who is manipulating you, how do you become someone who kills animals like that. It all didn't gel well at all. In the end I could care less if any of them made it. I never worried or felt any concern for them. Not a good sign.
Initially I thought the whole archangel bit and pulling in that legend could be interesting. I still think that. But not the way they the authors did it. This story went from biological to biblical which made no sense at all. I saw no connection there. Maybe a smoother transition or perhaps sticking with one idea or the other, be it science or biblical legend. It all felt pulled together hastily. ,it felt like a rushed mess. I feel the authors "wrote on the go" versus laying out a rough storyline covering the direction they wanted this to go.
Overall ifs completely forgettable. I imagine I may view the show to see if they make any changes for the better.
Initially I thought the whole archangel bit and pulling in that legend could be interesting. I still think that. But not the way they the authors did it. This story went from biological to biblical which made no sense at all. I saw no connection there. Maybe a smoother transition or perhaps sticking with one idea or the other, be it science or biblical legend. It all felt pulled together hastily. ,it felt like a rushed mess. I feel the authors "wrote on the go" versus laying out a rough storyline covering the direction they wanted this to go.
Overall ifs completely forgettable. I imagine I may view the show to see if they make any changes for the better.
February 9, 2017
Longer review:
http://biteintobooks.blogspot.nl/2017...
This series was a rollercoaster ride! I loved to read this series together with Zwaantina.
I can tell you this; it's a unique series in the vampire-themed books. I loved the fact that del Toro and Hogan weren't scared to make the world in this book AWEFUL. I wouldn't want to live there.
The book really builds up to an ending that could go either way. I felt like the world was lost forever, and a "good" ending wasn't possible in my opinion.
You should read this series to figure out what you think about the ending...
http://biteintobooks.blogspot.nl/2017...
This series was a rollercoaster ride! I loved to read this series together with Zwaantina.
I can tell you this; it's a unique series in the vampire-themed books. I loved the fact that del Toro and Hogan weren't scared to make the world in this book AWEFUL. I wouldn't want to live there.
The book really builds up to an ending that could go either way. I felt like the world was lost forever, and a "good" ending wasn't possible in my opinion.
You should read this series to figure out what you think about the ending...
April 11, 2018
Радиоактивни облаци потапят света във „Вечната нощ”. Вампирските орди на Господаря властват навред. Хората, доскоро удобно настанени на върха на хранителната верига, сега се превръщат в добитък. Малкото, които не са затворени във лагерите за добив на кръв са на ръба на съществуването. Малцина все още имат сили и воля да продължават да се борят. Бруталната хорър трилогия „Напаст” на Гийермо дел Торо и Чък Хоган (изд. „Студио Арт Лайн”) е към своя край, но нищо не подсказва че той ще е щастлив! Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,360 reviews