The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy - Tapa blanda

The Fall is gripping, and vivid enough to spur a few nightmares.... Clearly pulling from his vast imagination, one that created the creatures of Pan's Labyrinth, del Toro invents a vampire that manages to be unique. (Associated Press)

Long before vampires were posing naked on the cover of a recent issue of Rolling Stone, they were vile, terrifying creatures...Fortunately for fans of the old-school literary villains, writing partners Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan are determined to resurrect that archetype.... With The Fall, a sequel to last year's The Strain (and the middle installment of a planned trilogy), the duo succeeds mightily, maintaining the kinetic energy of the first book and raising the stakes significantly. It wouldn t be right to reveal the story's explosive conclusion, but let's just say that when all's said and done, humanity might not be so comfortably positioned at the top of the food chain.... Though elements of the story are familiar, the sharp, propulsive language helps invest them with new power.... Uniquely compelling.... It's not hard to think that were the partners novels to be combined into one lengthy narrative, the result would be something akin...to the best of Stephen King's early, expansive sagas: a sprawling, detailed examination of a world gone mad...and a sparse group of heroes must do whatever they can to prevent the Earth from being consumed by perpetual night.... You have to hand it to Del Toro and Hogan. At a time when brooding, sexy vampires are so ubiquitous...the authors finally have given the creatures back some of their nasty, vicious, delicious bite. (Los Angeles Times)

The Strain trilogy finds civilization teetering on the brink.... The series stands out from the recent spate of vampire-themed entertainment thanks to its semi-scientific premise, convincing characters and wealth of almost cinematically vivid scenes of terror. This book continues in the same chilling vein. Relentlessly paves the way for what promises to be an epic third book. (Kirkus Reviews)

The tension-filled sequel to The Strain, from the world-famous director whose films include Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy. Humans have been displaced at the top of the food chain, and now understand -- to their outright horror -- what it is to be not the consumer, but the consumed. Ephraim Goodweather, director of the New York office of the Centers for Disease control, is one of the few humans who understands what is really happening. Vampires have arrived in New York City, and their condition is contagious. If they cannot be contained, the entire world is at risk of infection. As Eph becomes consumed with the battle against the total corruption of humanity, his ex-wife, Kelly, now a vampire herself, is ever-more determined to claim their son, Zack. As the Biblical origins of the Ancient ones are gradually revealed, Eph learns that there is a greater, more terrible plan in store for the human race -- worse even than annihilation!