The Passage: A Novel

I don't usually read vampire novels. I gave this one a try after hearing the review on NPR because I tend to enjoy post-apocalyptic novels (odd for someone who won't read a book with a sad ending). It was nearly impossible to put down. It's better than pulp but not quite fine literature either. The genre is a combination of vampire, quest (a la Frodo and Sam), and apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic. ...more

I don't usually read vampire novels. I gave this one a try after hearing the review on NPR because I tend to enjoy post-apocalyptic novels (odd for someone who won't read a book with a sad ending). It was nearly impossible to put down. It's better than pulp but not quite fine literature either. The genre is a combination of vampire, quest (a la Frodo and Sam), and apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic. The characters are fleshed out, the writing occasionally veers into false mysticism but usually serves as straight narrative with an occasional striking metaphor or nice turn of phrase. It's irritating that characters tend to be "good" or "bad" with few shades of gray, and that the "good" characters have some sort of magical intuition that allows them to escape from dire peril every time, but otherwise I have no complaints. Great entertainment. I will definitely read the sequel when it's available.   hide

Much too long a book to have such an unfinished and abrupt ending. The middle of the book is the hardest to get through, highlights being the beginning and ending. Could "The Passage" refer to the amount of time that will pass while trying to finish this book? Quite possibly. It is interesting to think about and discuss in retrospect. When another suggested to me that it was written sort of like...more

Much too long a book to have such an unfinished and abrupt ending. The middle of the book is the hardest to get through, highlights being the beginning and ending. Could "The Passage" refer to the amount of time that will pass while trying to finish this book? Quite possibly. It is interesting to think about and discuss in retrospect. When another suggested to me that it was written sort of like string theory, where one move can affect someone's life years down the road, then I began to appreciate the book a lot more. But ultimately it is a vampire apocalypse version of McCarthy's The Road but too long and with much less symbolism.   hide

If Dacre Stoker could write like Justin Cronin, the “Dracula” sequel would have been soooo much better. "The Passage" is the first of 3 novels describing the end of civilization as we know it due to a virus that turns humans into vampire-like creatures, more like vampire bats than the Count. I was astounded that Cronin could create characters that you cared about, and then kill them off...more

If Dacre Stoker could write like Justin Cronin, the “Dracula” sequel would have been soooo much better. "The Passage" is the first of 3 novels describing the end of civilization as we know it due to a virus that turns humans into vampire-like creatures, more like vampire bats than the Count. I was astounded that Cronin could create characters that you cared about, and then kill them off after 246 pages. New characters are then introduced, and you become interested in them right away, and then care all over again -- talk about craft! This book is 766 pages long and I savored every page of it! Cronin’s writing reminds me of Stephen King, whom I adore, but for some reason, the writing is even better in Cronin’s case. I’m so bummed I have to wait until 2012 for the 2nd volume of the series.   hide

Wow! That's all I really know to say. This story was so engrossing and well written. I'm not sure I've ever read a story this good. I've read some of the reviews that state that the story was slow in the middle. I don't think so. I think Justin Cronin was attempting to convey the near epic struggle of survival of his characters. And I think Mr. Cronin conveyed this perfectly. ...more

Wow! That's all I really know to say. This story was so engrossing and well written. I'm not sure I've ever read a story this good. I've read some of the reviews that state that the story was slow in the middle. I don't think so. I think Justin Cronin was attempting to convey the near epic struggle of survival of his characters. And I think Mr. Cronin conveyed this perfectly. Personally, I found every chapter of the story to be completely engrossing for no other reason that Mr. Cronin threw so many twists and turns into this story that you never knew when another one would come up. I also enjoyed the way Mr. Cronin changed the writing style up every now and then to add a little variety and a good transition from one setting to another. All in all I am glad I read this book (it was a little out of my comfort area). I am definitely a fan of Justin Cronin and of The Passage. I absolutely can not wait until the next book to see where our heros turn up and what twists and turns Mr. Cronin throws at the readers. Highly recommended if you like a good story.   hide

I completely agreed with Tina, but I didn't hate the book the way Julie seems to. I really loved the beginning, all the characters in it, and everything that happened, but the middle just wandered around for a while, seemingly without much purpose, no faith at all, and just a vague sense or 'right'.. So unless you want to waste huge amounts of time on something, then skip this book. I really...more

I completely agreed with Tina, but I didn't hate the book the way Julie seems to. I really loved the beginning, all the characters in it, and everything that happened, but the middle just wandered around for a while, seemingly without much purpose, no faith at all, and just a vague sense or 'right'.. So unless you want to waste huge amounts of time on something, then skip this book. I really struggled to get through to the very end!! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE larger books. This one just didn't seem to be edited quite well. If you want a good world-killing plague, read The Stand. IF you want post-apocalyptic horror and complete desolation, read The Road (I cried!). This one left WAY too many threads loose, some characters were just forgotten about, and some of the facts seems completely unreal. They forget what Christmas is? Cans of food can be GOOD, and consumed after 100 years?? God, and the Bible, ALL religions, completely left to the way-side??? Other countries not contacting us, after the virus died down?? The Many causing horrible nightmares to humans, caused from abusive remembrances from their own, forgotten prior lives, repeated ad-nauseum throughout the whole book?? No way, sorry... Too many things just didn't fit. It wasn't the flu that made me take a whole week to get through this mess of a book... it was the lack of believable, sturdy, foundations in the novel's makings. I don't know if I will read another book in this author's library, again. We will see.   hide

I never read this type of book. It's being compared to The Stand by Stephen King. I don't usually go for the futuristic - end of the world type of book. However, I did give this one a try and it was pretty darn good! The entire thing takes place in the future, but it jumps around a bit from distant future to not so distant where it begins. A government testing experiment goes wrong and some...more

I never read this type of book. It's being compared to The Stand by Stephen King. I don't usually go for the futuristic - end of the world type of book. However, I did give this one a try and it was pretty darn good! The entire thing takes place in the future, but it jumps around a bit from distant future to not so distant where it begins. A government testing experiment goes wrong and some creepy vampirish creatures get unleashed onto the population spreading a nasty virus that turns the innocents into other creatures. You do get drawn in to the story and to the lives of the characters. I hear it's going to be made into a movie, can't wait to see how they make the creatures!!!   hide

Although this novel wasn't especially original, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sort of like a mix between the post-apocalyptic worlds of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend and Stephen King's The Stand, the book covers over 1000 years of fictional history, beginning with the accidental release of a biological weapon that triggers vampiric symptoms, tracing the spread of the virus throughout the United...more

Although this novel wasn't especially original, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sort of like a mix between the post-apocalyptic worlds of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend and Stephen King's The Stand, the book covers over 1000 years of fictional history, beginning with the accidental release of a biological weapon that triggers vampiric symptoms, tracing the spread of the virus throughout the United States (contact with other nations is lost, and the fate of the rest of the world is largely unknown), and following the survivors in their quest to survive against the ravenous onslaught of the vampiric horde. Cronin does an excellent job creating memorable and interesting characters, and provides an interesting thought experiment on what happens to human society when most of the modern comforts we take for granted are lost. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a journey into the darkest depths of the human spirit, and the eventual redemption of the human soul.   hide

Plot: Humanity as we know it is wiped out by genetically engineered vampires, and only a little girl can save the surviving humans. Pros: good writing style, well etched characters. Cons: Diehard fans of post apocalypse genre have already 'been there done that'. Wipe out of humanity/ takeover by mutants/ band of resisting humans/ child as savior/ wise old black woman/long journey to...more

Plot: Humanity as we know it is wiped out by genetically engineered vampires, and only a little girl can save the surviving humans. Pros: good writing style, well etched characters. Cons: Diehard fans of post apocalypse genre have already 'been there done that'. Wipe out of humanity/ takeover by mutants/ band of resisting humans/ child as savior/ wise old black woman/long journey to salvation..cronin uses every single cliche. (a la The Stand/ The Last Human/ The Road/ The Host..etc). However his great writing style definitely goes on to make it a captivating read. Hope he comes up with more originals storyline in his next one.   hide

A virus that might actually make you live as long as Noah. What if it doesn't work like they want it to? 100 years later the smokes are still out there. The lights are still on in the colony, but life is hard. How to keep everyone alive is the daily quest. Not only a twist on vampires, but a twist on the end of our world as we know it. I found the history of the virus very interesting and...more

A virus that might actually make you live as long as Noah. What if it doesn't work like they want it to? 100 years later the smokes are still out there. The lights are still on in the colony, but life is hard. How to keep everyone alive is the daily quest. Not only a twist on vampires, but a twist on the end of our world as we know it. I found the history of the virus very interesting and couldn't put the book down. Once you are into the aftermath it was not quite the page-turner I thought it would be, but still a really good read. I think the way Justin Cronin writes the characters so you either love them and want them to survive or hate them and are okay if they die was really wonderful. I didn't like the ending, but that's only because I want to know what else happens and now I have to wait 2 more years.   hide