The Night Eternal (Strain Trilogy #3)

Incredibly disappointing

The first two books in the trilogy were engaging and extremely entertaining.
I don't know what happened in the two years between The Fall and The Night Eternal to turn the characters (especially Nora, Zach and V) into cardboard, self-absorbed idiots, but it was as if someone else had written this waste of money and time.
The characters became uninteresting. The situations, unbelievable. The origins of the vampires, a lame joke.
if you've read and enjoyed the first two books, do yourself a favor and make up your own ending. It's sure to be more satisfying!

6 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

Buckle Your Seat Belts... Your in for a thrillTastic Ride!

I have tears in my eyes as I type this review. I can hardly believe I've been involved in this world, in this Strain, for 3 years. I bought the first book on a whim because I like Guillermo Del Toro's storytelling and 3 years later I'm finishing The Night Eternal with tears in my eyes and a heavy yet satisfied heart. This book is the conclusion of a 2 1/2 year battle for humanity's freedom set against the back drop of present day New York City. The story is centered on a biological strain of a parasitic vampiric virus that feeds on blood, all blood, with its preference being that of human blood. Because it is a biological strain all the fantastical concepts of vampires are eliminated. These are nasty, evil, animalistic creatures that hunger only for blood while telepathically obeying the one and only Master. Nora, Fet, Eph,Gus, Mr.Quinlan and Zack are all thrust into a New World, a new reality that forces them to deal with their worst nightmares and yet, though the enemies are the vampires and ultimately The Master, it is Human Nature that attacks their senses and lurks within the shadows. The degradation of humanity is what poses the greatest threat. When people are forced to survive without the protection of "Civilization", when money currency no longer dictates the worthy from the worthless, and when individual survival is determined by the devil himself, does the true nature of the human being emerge. This story is a perfect conclusion to a 3 year old adventure that I waited so patiently to conclude. The story is well written and will certainly immerse you into the apocalyptic tale. But it is the character's individual stories that will enthrall you and challenge you to ask yourself, "What would I do?" I have never dealt with vampires but I have felt every emotion these characters dealt with when faced with detrimental situations. I yelled, I screamed, I cried, I put the book down, I came back to it, I felt most every feeling possible and ultimately that is what I look for. I want art to elicit emotions from me thus allowing me to become an active contributor. I was not disappointed. I encourage you to read this Trilogy, it is well worth it, and just maybe you will learn something about your nature and how you would deal with. the end of the world.

5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Inconsistent Finale

The finale to del Toro and Hogan's "Strain" trilogy was simply inconsistent. I enjoyed the conclusion to the mythology of where and how the strain began, but I was disappointed in the conclusions to the various plot threads.

The dark and serious mythology really drove the first two books, followed closely by development of the characters. While the myth drove my excitement to finish the trilogy, the flat characterizations made it more of a chore. Something was lost at the conclusion of "The Fall" following the death of Vampire-hunter Abraham Setrakian and the vampire-napping of Eph's son Zacharcy Goodweather.

There were hints of strength throughout the book - the writing is good, the violence is heavy and believable. The apocalyptic world built in the first two books continues to build and remain authentic, but the plot threads became disjointed, and conclusions reached too conveniently.

I heartily recommend this read for anyone who's read the first two books. The big 'reveal' behind The Master's creation, as well as the newly developed backstory of Mr. Quinlan make it a wholly worthwhile investment. Just keep your expectations measured.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

I can't believe this is it.

I waited anxiously for 2 years for this! What a let down, pieces of this felt like they were lifted from movies or other old books. The G Fellow Journal just took up space. The charecters of Gus and Fet who were the absolute strongest were left to the sidelines. And just what exactly happened to the professor.

I would have been much happier if the snow leopard had eated zack, but i am certain his toxic personality would have killed him.

Third time was not the charm, in the words of the immortal Meatloaf this book " was a lemon and I want my money back."

3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Can't wait!!

The first two books are awesome. I love the original features of the vampires these guys created and there's plenty of frightening violence to keep you on edge. It's so nice to read a vampire series in which they don't 'sparkle' and their storyline doesn't include a high school dance. I'd like to see movies made out of these books!! (I'd also like to see another Blade movie...come on Guillermo!)

3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Intense!! I loved it!

Intense, writing is genius! This was a great ending to an amazing trilogy. Every page was so intense. Kept me guessing and i didnt want to stop reading.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

When does the movie come out?!

It's over? :( I was so impatient for this last and final part of The Strain trilogy, but the closer I got to the end, the slower I read. lol..I didn't want it to be over! In del Toro's final piece, we learn where the "Master" truely came from and what the character's destinies truely are. Some are backstabbers, some are destined to fall in love and others simply "go out with a bang". It's a great read and I can honestly say that I was satisfied with the ending. Now...go read this book!! :)

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

great

Enjoyed this book greatly, can't wait to read the next

2 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A deadly virus is claiming world domination and humans are now the hunted!

When the unthinkable happens to the entire world, chaos will soon reign and humans will be farmed and hunted. So is the premise behind the latest novel from Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan in The Night Eternal.

For just two hours a day, a faint muted light falls upon the earth as sunlight, leaving the rest of the day in darkness. This is the result of nuclear fallout that now blankets the earth and creates prime living conditions for a new race called strigoi, a type of vampire that is infected with a worm like virus. The Master, as he is called, has formed a new race on earth, the strigoi, that live only to feed and with the only way to kill them being the use of silver weapons and nuclear devices, the strigoi have been collecting them as a way to ensure their own survival from the remaining humans who would like to see them destroyed.

The humans that remain that are unwilling or unable to fight back are kept in collective farms, herded like livestock, throughout the world in various cities, as a way to ensure that the strigoi will always have enough food. B+ blood being the most sought after are treated far better than the rest of the human race and the elderly are dispatched quickly. Only a handful of humans seek to uncover the secret that lies within a silver bound book called the Occido Lumen entrusted to them by a man called Setrakian. In it contains the way to destroy the Master and the muted race of strigoi and hopefully restore the world before all hope is lost. Will they be able to decipher the book before they are all hunted down and eliminated?

I received this book compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I saw this book comparable to the movie I Am Legend but with more in depth story content. A warning to some of my readers that this book does contain a fair amount of profanity but overall the story is well written and thought out. I would rate this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars and for those the like a story that pits good against evil, then this is definitely a book for you. This is book 3 in The Strain Trilogy.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

The final Strain post-apocalyptic urban fantasy is an exciting ending to an entertaining fresh modern spin to the mythos

Two years ago the pandemic vampiric virus was deployed on an unsuspecting New York City (see The Strain). The toll turned devastatingly global as humanity fell from the top of the food chain with the vampires hunting mortals. Releasing a nuclear winter that turned the earth into almost total Night Eternal, the Master ancient vampire has his followers establish death camp ranches where his followers can breed humans in order to snack on the mortals.

There are few free humans who remain outside the cattle captivity; most of those hide in remote holes. A small defiant cell continues to rebel against the Master and his bloody horde. Doctors Eph Goodweather and Nora Martinez, Vasiliy Fet, and the Master's hybrid offspring Mr. Quinlan have different motivations accentuated by the death of their spiritual leader Abraham Setrakian (see The Fall) in spite of the same goal to rid the planet of the bloodsuckers. One of the rebels has the answer to end the genocide killing of the Master and his species in what would be a suicide mission, but whose side is this individual on as the ancient vampire masterly manipulates his enemies into betraying their kind.

The final Strain post-apocalyptic urban fantasy is an exciting ending to an entertaining fresh modern spin to the mythos. Action-packed throughout the trilogy, readers will enjoy what looks like the final extermination of humanity except for those in the camps. Although the climax will not shock the audience and too much personal demons defang the human resistance (and slows the plot), fans will appreciate getting there; as before they become bloodless fodder Nora and others must discover man's most beloved weapon against an amoral more powerful predator.

Harriet Klausner

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

I love this trilogy!!!!

I cant wait till this book comes out! I couldnt put the other two down!

2 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Let down

The first two books were great. This third is a waste. You are better to make up you own ending than to have to endure the tiresome eph, zach, and nora.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow

Wow, enjoyed the last installment. Did not end as expected. Still confused about the space satalite and how it fits with the story.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

fantastic read!!

This was a great ending to a very fast paced, engrossing series! I hope there are more books from these two in the future!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fun fun fun

I had a wonderful month reading all three books iam going to tell all my colllege friends to get this book for their winter vacation it was a total distraction loved it

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

this book is going to rock thanks del toro and chuck hogan

this book looks amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Great series. Highly Recommend starting from the first book though

Guillermo del toro, the creator of Pans Labyrinth, teams up with another great author who has written some great movie novelizations and more to construct this modernish vampire story.

Book 1, The Strain, is the only place to start!
If youre looking at this before reading/buying the first one, go get that one too.

Excellent

If you like vampire novels, you must read the strain first. All three books were amazing written. Excellent read.

Songwhisper

Shecat. Looks beutiful gray and eyes are ocen green. Crush none thinks no one likes her. Personality sad all the time.

Clearwing

Position: elder. Gender:tom. Fur color: all white with grey flecks. Eye color: creamy blue. Mate: no one. Kits:none. History : was a loner his whole life until his abandoned den (where he lived) caught on fire.