Title: Strain
Series: The Strain Trilogy
Author: Amelia C. Gormley
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 954 Pages
Category: Sci-Fi
At a Glance: I really enjoyed this trilogy, though there were times when I felt my heart was going to be ripped out of my body and trampled on. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who is willing to forgo immediate gratification and a need for nicely wrapped up storylines in favor of a great deal of angst and hard fought happy ever afters.
Reviewed By: Sammy
Blurb: In the early 22nd century, a deadly virus is unleashed, and the lives of four men collide.
Nico and Zach
A rent-boy and a preacher’s son. They couldn’t be more different, but both bear a burden of guilt for their unwitting roles in the disaster. They find solace in each other in a world that’s falling apart, knowing that every day they’re together, Nico runs the risk of infecting Zach.
Darius and Rhys
Rhys was only a child when the plague began, and Darius is a hardened soldier who wasn’t given a choice in what he became. When Rhys is exposed to the virus, the kindest thing Darius could do is put him out of his misery. Instead, he tries to save Rhys, losing his heart but reclaiming his own humanity.
Joining Forces
When Zach and Nico seek help from Darius and Rhys, they fight to bring long-overdue justice to one of the men responsible for the plague—and maybe offer humankind new hope for survival.
Review: Because I received this trilogy in its boxed format, I am opting to do a brief synopsis and critique of each installment and then an overall review rating of the series. Let me begin by saying, this ain’t yo mama’s romance. This trilogy is dark, gritty and not for the weak of heart. There is dubious consent in some of the novels, and definitely multiple partners and explicit sex. Having made that disclaimer, I will tell you that I never felt any of that was gratuitous or detailed simply to make the reader cringe. This is a dystopian world in violent times and as such, the characters do what they must in order to survive and hopefully thrive.
Strain
The basis for all the novels is that we are set down in a world where bioweapons have gone wrong and nearly wiped out the human race. Specifically, a virus that was intended to be used as a weapon in warfare was mishandled and released into the population. Some soldier squadrons called the Juggernauts were initially given the viral strain, and it basically gave them some superhuman advantages such as increased strength, stamina and the like. The idea was when they died in battle their blood would essentially cause the enemy to become slow—lethargic but unfortunately instead it made some into ravenous beasts—called revenants. That is where the first story picks up, with a pack of revenants storming a monastery where some humans have been hiding for years. Rhys is one of those in hiding, along with his sister and her husband, Jacob, and their child.
Rhys is essentially voted to lead the revs away, trying to save the others. When the chaos and destruction is done, the Juggernauts arrive and are able to save both Rhys and Jacob. Unfortunately, it is likely that both of them have been infected. The only way to save an infected is to essentially exchange bodily fluids, repeatedly, in the hopes they will recover and either become a Juggernaut themselves, or die trying. This is how Rhys will embark on a nightmarish experience of multiple partner sex that he neither enjoys nor wants but realizes they may be his only hope. The only man Rhys seems to be able to relate to is Darius, the leader of the squadron, but even that is tenuous at best.
I really grieved for Rhys. Even if the fluid exchange works, he will never again be able to be part of the human race as he was before, because he is still a risk to them, as are all the soldiers. He has really lost everything he loved. What he endures is, at times, dark and not necessarily always welcome, but he doesn’t feel he is being raped primarily because the soldiers like him and really are doing it in order to save him. Darius and he have a very unlikely romance, if you can even call it that.
The world this author creates is a fascinating one, if not ever really a nice one. You understand, though, that these men, particularly Darius, are trying to be the best they can be given the horrific circumstances under which they survive. This was a pretty twisted romance, again I use that term loosely, but still there is affection and definitely groundwork laid for some sort of relationship to further develop between Rhys and Darius.
Juggernaut
This prequel begins a few months before the major outbreak that would forever change the world. As is, we are in a future which scarily enough looks much like our current modern day. Unchecked military, corporate dominance, massive poverty, fundamentalist religious zealots run amuck—pretty much the doomsday that is our current life. We meet Nico, who works as a high class rent boy in his mother’s corporation. Despite how that sounds, his job and his family are very important to Nico, and he is not opposed to the life he leads. Across town is his polar opposite, Zach. Zach’s father was a fundamentalist preacher who is now a politician. But Zach is a caring young man who sees people for who they are and cares enough to try and right the wrongs he sees. Like Nico, both men are very aware of those who have and those who don’t, and have compassion for the latter. But that doesn’t mean they always make the right decisions or, in Zach’s case, aren’t blind to what their parents are really like.
Then all hell breaks loose and it becomes a struggle just to hold on to what little humanity is left to save. Decisions were hard fought and not often won in this novel. Time and time again, once Zach came to grips with his sexuality, we watch as Nico and he are brought together with the hope that they have made it, only to be torn apart again. This is a great prequel; it gives us the much needed backstory on how the infected Juggernauts and the civilian government end up at Cheyenne Mountain while it evolves Nico and Zach’s story and the trauma they endure. Once again, we are faced with the idea that there is a definite case of dubious consent, and so I again warn you that while this novel is a lot less brutal overall, there is still a very dark underbelly that you will have to get past.
This one really got me thinking. By the end of this installment, the world as we know it is gone, most of its inhabitants dead, but still there is hope. When we hearken back to that horribly traumatic incident where one young man experiences something so horrific, we can see he also finds someone so compassionate and caring. It is the ultimate silver lining to a dark, dark cloud. Despite that, there’s no happy ever after in this book, either. Everything is very much up in the air and unfinished. Even though this is a prequel, I would definitely read it in the order released—second to Strain.
Bane
Finally, something is going better! Two years in the future from the first novel, Darius and Rhys are in a monogamous relationship that seems to be settling down, finally. It’s here that we see the two men really discuss what happened to Rhys at the monastery, and how the entire ordeal with the frequent poly sex, in order for him to survive, affected him. Rhys’ health is still in question, but the two have come so far and are determined to make it work, one day at a time.
We also check in with Nico and Zach, who are not together but meet up in order to further their plans to bring down Secretary Littlewood. Zach is a bit hard to take in this novel, but you can’t fault his convictions to do what is right and you also understand that Nico refuses to put Zach in harm’s way. Not to worry, though; their story does come full circle and in a very satisfying way.
Lots of questions from the first two books are answered in this one. I did feel as though the bad guys were a bit amateurish in this novel—caricatures rather than real. And, I must admit that the somewhat simple solution, which they didn’t pursue in the beginning, seemed a bit contrived. Still, it was really wonderful to see Darius and Rhys happy and to finally see a way toward a real and more stable future for all of them.
Overall Impression: If you are a fan of dark, dystopian, futuristic fiction, then this series cannot be missed. It is so well written. Amelia C. Gormley is an outstanding writer and weaves an intricate, dark tale that is sure to leave an impression on you and cause you to think. I really enjoyed this trilogy, though there were times when I felt my heart was going to be ripped out of my body and trampled on. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who is willing to forgo immediate gratification and a need for nicely wrapped up storylines in favor of a great deal of angst and hard fought happy ever afters.
You can buy Strain: The Complete Trilogy here:
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