(Originally published 2009, Mass Market Paperback 585 pages)
Mr. Del Toro and Mr. Hogan have reinvented the vampire myth with some impressive
upgrades. The fangs are jettisoned for something far worse. In keeping with our
more science-based view of the world and much like the evolution of most new
zombie stories, the authors' vampires are created by a pathogen and a twist of
dark magic. The book is a mixture of horror, mystery and action. I also enjoyed
that they interspersed trivia about such things as the nature of pathogens, rats
and New York City.
As the late, great director Alfred Hitchcock said, "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." So naturally, the mysterious, instantaneous death of all the passengers on the Boeing 777, keeps the reader on edge. You don't know what the heck is going on and that in itself freaks you out for the first few hundred pages or so. As the story moves along and you get a better understanding of what is occurring, it becomes more of an action adventure. However, Mr. Del Toro and Mr. Hogan serve up plenty of scary scenes throughout the book which kept my sphincter muscle puckered up nice and tight. New York City and its creepy subterranean network are a great choice for the story's location.
The first book in this trilogy ends with the reader understanding who are the key players, some of the threats still ahead as well as a good dollop of mysteries unanswered. My guess is the second book will have more of an action/adventure feel to it than a horror story. Mr. Del Torro & Mr. Hogan have written a solid, highly entertaining tale that was well worth reading.
As the late, great director Alfred Hitchcock said, "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." So naturally, the mysterious, instantaneous death of all the passengers on the Boeing 777, keeps the reader on edge. You don't know what the heck is going on and that in itself freaks you out for the first few hundred pages or so. As the story moves along and you get a better understanding of what is occurring, it becomes more of an action adventure. However, Mr. Del Toro and Mr. Hogan serve up plenty of scary scenes throughout the book which kept my sphincter muscle puckered up nice and tight. New York City and its creepy subterranean network are a great choice for the story's location.
The first book in this trilogy ends with the reader understanding who are the key players, some of the threats still ahead as well as a good dollop of mysteries unanswered. My guess is the second book will have more of an action/adventure feel to it than a horror story. Mr. Del Torro & Mr. Hogan have written a solid, highly entertaining tale that was well worth reading.
(Meyers - A few years ago, I
started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short
reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #319)
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