Even though The Fall has a lot of action, del Toro and Hogan don’t neglect character development in the process. All of the characters from The Strain are back and fleshed out. Some characters go down paths you won’t like, but that’s half the fun of this trilogy. It’s like watching a train crash (which literally occurs in The Fall) and not being able to stop it.

There are several new elements introduced here as well, including a couple of new characters. While the beginning of the book is interesting and fun to read, The Fall really shines during its last fifty or sixty pages. Not to spoil anything, but as you’d probably suspect - not every character makes it out alive. I was genuinely surprised at some of the twists and turns that appeared near the end. I guarantee that you won’t be able to put the book down for the last sixty pages.

I give a lot of credit to del Toro and Hogan for ending The Fall in such a bold manner. It’s the kind of ending where everything changes, and I wonder how this trilogy can end with any glimmer of hope. The Fall, as I mentioned in my review of The Strain, is the second book in a trilogy. The second chapter of any trilogy is usually pretty dark in nature… and that’s definitely the case here. The Fall is aptly named, too - everything falls apart, both literally and figuratively.

It’s going to be a long, difficult wait for the final chapter of this engaging trilogy. The Fall has only upped the stakes in a monumental way, making me wonder how this trilogy can possibly end for our characters. I can’t wait to read Eternal Night.

-MP