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Saturday, June 13, 2009

Guest Reviewer: The Strain reviewed by Fabuloso!!

Today I have a guest reviewer, who prefers to be known as FABULOSO!! Uh...okay then....introducing....*drumroll please.....the debut review of.........*more drumroll....

Fabuloso

The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

This is the “popping of my [review] cherry” and I would be remiss to not thank myself for having that extra glass of Scotch. I’ve read some reviews about the book online and I tooooo will start with the obligatory “I am a fan of Guillermo del Toro’s films” blah, blah—P-p-Pan’s Labyrinth; Hellboy I & II; and even…Blade II! (Wesley Snipes + Kris Kristofferson = Oscar…or should have if the Academy wasn’t racist) (Interestingly, the vampires in The Strain remind me of the mutant vampires in Blade II) (Wow! Triple parentheses! How often do you see that?)

Because I’m a fan of Guillermo del Toro and because he is the master of creepy creatures, I distracted myself wondering how this was going to look on film. It was kind of like reading a book after seeing the movie—except the movie hasn’t been made yet.

The first two chapters—featuring the gentle giant Sardu’s ill-fated hunting trip and the tragic death of the passengers on flight whatever—of this epic tale grab you by the short hairs and don’t let go…until Chapter 3 when they let go (much to the relief of my short hairs). I didn’t have great expectations for this book and Sr. del Toro didn’t disappoint.

Halfway through the book our protagonists still don’t know what the f@*% happened on the plane and I’m thinking “didn’t they read the back cover of the book?” Three-quarters of the way through the book, when they’re still figuring things out, I came to realize what most of you already knew—that this is the first book of a trilogy and wasn’t going to have a tidy ending (didn’t I read the back cover of the book?). Although I really enjoyed the book, and can’t wait to see the pared down film, the author(s) spent so much time developing “the strain” that the ending was abrupt and unsatisfying. Again, I can’t wait to see the movie. Check out the trailer for the book below.

Submitted by Fabuloso


2 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I'm dying to know the identity of Fabuloso since he writes such great reviews. Is it your son?

Kate said...

Who is the mysterious Fabuloso?