With 2011 coming to a close, I’m working on the final installments of two long-running series of novels I’ve enjoyed over the past few years.
The Night Eternal is the third and final book in The Strain trilogy by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo Del Toro. An apocalyptic vampire story by way of CSI, I enjoyed the first book of the series quite a bit. Although Hogan and Del Toro aren’t doing much new here, at the very least the authors are cognicent of this fact and they pay homage to their influences in a fairly obvious, enjoyable way. The human protagonist’s characterization is a little thin, but they service the plot and The Strain series are page-turners.
I must confess, I had a slight problem with The Night Eternal’s scope and pacing. While the first two novels have rather successfully focused solely on Manhattan and its’ place in this vampiric outbreak, The Night Eternal broadens out from New York City in a way I felt was uneven. Considering this vampire plague was a worldwide threat, it felt strange to spend so much time in the first two thirds of this story in New York and then have the solution to mankind’s problems be located elsewhere. Please note that “problem” is not the same thing as a “complaint” and the finale works regardless of my quibble.
I’m also staring Out of Oz, the presumably the last book in Gregory Maguire’s Wicked series.. but more on that one when I finish it.
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Here’s something interesting: In the past week, folks on the Internet have been getting all riled up/excited about the swirling rumors that DC Comics is going to be producing a sequel to Watchmen, the seminal 1980’s revisionist superhero opus written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons.
Teachable Moments 