HARRIERS & HEROES.CA

27 August 2011

I decided I needed something new to read. Don't get me wrong, I'm still in love wtih F Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series, and nobody writes a better off-beat thriller than Martin Cruz Smith with his Arkady Renko books, but after a while I sort of get tired of the same stories over and over again. So I visited the local book store and decided to branch out and take a chance on some new writers.

This time out it's The Strain, part one of a trilogy of vampire novels written by film director Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I'm already about 1/3 of the way through the novel. My review so far is this: taut writing, a great storyline that harkens back to Bram Stoker's Dracula, but brings a new modern element to the tale. Unfortunately, at nearly 150 pages in, I'm now chafing at the bit to see what the whole story is all about! A few reviews I read online said that The Strain is a little slow to get moving, but once it builds momentum it's a real roller coaster from then on. I guess we're about to peak that first hill and take the drop that will send us rocketing along.

Book Two of the Strain Trilogy, entitled The Fall, is already in paperback. If the first volume lives up to the hype, I can see that I'll be delving into another series before too long! I'll keep you posted on how well this tale moves along, and whether or not it's worth your time to take a look.

Keep watching. . . .

K