Book Review: The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Fall: The Strain Trilogy #2 by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

See my review of the first book here.

The war with the master vampire called "The Master" continues in this book. It (the Master is referred to as "It" since it is so ancient and so inhuman) is orchestrating a world-wide takeover that started in Manhattan. New York City is the hub of action in part because of the Master's reliance on Eldritch Palmer, a financial mogul who is devious and decrepit. Palmer wants to be turned into a vampire so he can live forever (and improve his health). He orchestrated the Master's flight from Europe during an eclipse, allowing the Master to escape from JFK airport. The Master's scheme includes not only turning New Yorkers into a vampire army but also wiping out the six other ancient vampires (called "The Ancients") and acquiring an ancient, accursed occult book that could be used against him. The book was recently discovered and is due to auction at Sotheby's in the coming days.

The main heroes are CDC doctor Ephraim Goodweather and Holocaust-survivor and vampire-hunter Abraham Setrakian. Eph wants to protect his son Zack from his mother who has been turned into a vampire and longs to consume her "Dear One." He also wants to warn the world about the coming plague. People in authority and the media are reluctant to talk about vampires, partly from disbelief and partly from Palmer's influence. Setrakian wants to stop the Master mostly through getting the occult book and discovering its secrets. They have a motley crew of New Yorkers (and some from New Jersey) helping them race around New York fighting vampires and scheming to get the book first.

This second volume suffers a bit from the same problems as the first. The characters are a little underdrawn and not as compelling as they could be. I was hoping the introduction of the Ancients (hinted at in the first book) would bring some new twists or more interesting lore. Neither happens in this book. The uneasy blending of medical technical thriller and vampire apocalypse genres still does not hang together well. The vampire mythology reads like it was crafted to fit the plot of the story. It does not feel like folklore and is unconvincing as a clinical explanation of the vampires' powers and actions. The book does have some interesting ideas but not enough to make for good reading. Or for me to finish the trilogy.

Not recommended.