Title: The Passage
Author: Justin Cronin
Review: This book is huge. It could be used as a weapon if you had nothing else, throw it hard at the assailant and run. Even with its massive size I read it all and loved it. Stephen King was quoted on the back about how if you read to page 20(or so) you’d be hooked and he was correct. I had a hard time putting it down and read it in only three days(I have five kids and they did not appreciate those three days.)
The story reminded me of Kings Stand, it had a similar theme, but it was also unique to itself. I’ve read other reviews and they always point out the Vampire aspect, but I didn’t see it like that. These creatures are not vampires; they are something new, different and frightening. The story jumped around from place to place, but I thought the transitions were smooth and easy to follow. I had no problem keeping up with the story and what was going on in the different characters lives.
Wonderful writing and an imagination to boot, this author has it all and I enjoyed this book immensely. At the end I was a bit confused, but then I found out that Cronin is writing a series not just a standalone. I was relieved to find that out and I can’t wait to read the next one. I could visualize the people, the monsters, the compound they lived in, the trek to find help and all the other things in this amazing story. I loved the characters and their fight for life against these blood thirsty monsters. The human spirit is alive and well in these pages.
I know this book is enormous, but it is worth it. Read this book and you will be transported to a world that is terrifying, yet holds great hope for the future. I can’t wait to read the next one.
Publisher: June 8th 2010 by Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0345504968
Copyright: 2010
Pages: 766
Quick Review: 4 stars (out of 5)
Why I Read It: David brought it home from the library, I read the back and decided to give it a try.
Where I Obtained the Book: From our local library.
Synopsis: “It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”
First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.
As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.
With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.
Author Biography: Justin Cronin is an American novelist. Awards he's won for his fiction include the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Stephen Crane Prize, and the Whiting Writer's Award.
Born and raised in New England, Cronin is a graduate of Harvard University and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He currently lives with his wife and children in Houston, Texas where he is Professor of English at Rice University.
Other Reviews:
Haha! I loved this "It could be used as a weapon if you had nothing else, throw it hard at the assailant and run.". I have the ebook so I had no idea how big this book is, after reading your review I need to make sure I bumped it up on my TBR list :)
ReplyDeleteIts big, but worth reading. Thanks for stopping by.
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