The Passage

i started this right after the hunger games phenomenon. so i was looking for a book with the same exciting fast paced nature. the reviews on this book are extremely high with exceptions of a few negative.

*****what drove me insane is the soft cover version the print is tiny....WHY???***** i have great vision and it took my eyes chapters to adjust to the print. i kept reading the wrong sentence

the first quarter of the book was really good (ex: wolgast, amy, lacey, doyle and carter) great set up for the story to follow

the half way to point was a drag. for some reason i could not keep straight all the characters. honestly there was so many characters and their povs that i could not keep up. it also dragged quite a bit here.

last quarter amazing zipped through like it was nothing. by this time i was use to the characters and who was who. use of nick names mixed with their actual names can be confusing

in general good book. i think readers will enjoy it. great post apocalyptic story. i can see why they will make it into a movie. it will be great on screen. i do agree with one past review that 100 pages could have been cut out- totally unnecessary for some details. i didn't find it as creepy as past readers, but it was intense.

if you are looking for a series to get into that is post apocalyptic, end of the world, things that go bump in the night this is it. at the time i was definitely sure i would not getting the second one. as i have finished it now i stand to be corrected i will be getting "the twelve" when it hit shelves in the fall.

This book felt like looking into a keyhole. At the beginning you think you know exactly where the story is going and you know all the characters, then suddenly the doors are blown off and an entire other world opens up. The writing is fantastic, the story is incredibly engaging, and Cronin manages to take a genre and subject that have been used and reused to death and make it his own and breath a whole new life into it. I actually dropped the book at a certain twist. I can't recommend this story enough.

This book was a very in depth read. When I picked this book up I was excited as I love the feel of a thick book wondering how far it will draw me in. And this book drew me in.

The plot while familiar was enthralling. The characters were inspiring and motivating to see how they dealt with challenges in an apocalyptic future that we could never imagine and yet we wonder whether it's coming.

I highly recommend it as it was very entertaining and perfect to sit on the beach or enjoy on a wintery day as you are drawn into the life and experiences of these survivors.

I've got to say, when I first started reading this my first reaction was, "Wow!" Cronin's novel definitely looks like a challenge of a read, but instead he has created something that could whisk you away into a disturbing, and frighteningly possible (due to all the secret stuff we don't know about the government), apocalyptic future.

I think one of the things that I enjoyed most is how at times the action and storyline was so well written and so moving that I actually voiced my astonishment. From scenes that were truly heartbreaking, to scenes full of so much action and suspense that I had to put the book down for a sec just to collect my emotions.
Believe me, when I first started reading it I was kind of weary, since it is nearly 800 (thin) pages long. But, what fascinates me is how quickly I went through it, not noticing that I'd gone through a hundred pages before turning in for the night.
The reason why I didn't give The Passage a five is because it started out a bit slow. I'd heard good things about this novel and nearly nothing bad, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and continued along.
I was not disappointed, since the events that define the novel shortly after the fifty or so pages.
Masterfully written. Relatable and strong characters. Spine tingling moments of awe.
If you're looking for that next good apocalyptic/non-sparkly vamp read, then definitely check this one out.
You won't regret it.

p.s. The ending will leave you guessing enough to excitedly await The Twelve.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and being a fan of vampire novels I was very excited to give it a try. I was not disappointed. I felt this book did a wonderful job of putting the scare back into the vampire genre, while at the same time pulling on the other human emotions. This was a book I could not put down and I can't wait until the next one!!

Te story is based on a subject that has been used and reused so many times...but the quality of the writing is simply remarquable. The author was able to immerse me in the vision he had of this world....and of this EPIC adventure.

Can't wait to read the other books...characters are well developped, to a point where you care about them. However, there is sometimes a LOT of details..which can be frustrating because you get so anxious to know the development of the story but are slowed down by the details.

Addictive. This book is an apocalyptic vampire thriller, but these aren't your "Twilight" vampires. This epic horror story chronicles the devastating fall and the tentative re-birth of mankind. This is not a quick read, with numerous characters and locales, but it is entirely satisfying and exciting. If you only have a few minutes to read, think before you start this book. Otherwise, all of your other activities will fall by the wayside. I did not want this book to end, and did not know it was a proposed trilogy when I started it. I am VERY excited about the continuation.

This novel makes absolutely ZERO sense. It is a rambling excuse for a novel and it makes me sick to think Cronin is profiting from this. He must have anxiety, wondering when someone's gonna break down his door and call him out for the fraud he is.

This was a waste of not only my precious reading time, but also my money

This was a very quick read for me - just over a week, even though the book is almost 800 pages long. It is simply fantastic. It has an interesting structure with large sections of the book separating by periods of time but this is no real problem to negotiate. If you like post-apocalyptic novels, you simply must read this book. In the beginning, it reads a little like "The Stand" or "Swan Song" but halfway through, it really takes off. Cronin has a real knack for keeping our interest throughout this large novel with intriguing characters and boatloads of suspense. Cronin doesn't mind killing off his characters and this adds to the uneasiness that you feel while reading - nothing is sacred and you will fear for everyone. There is definitely a feeling of dread underlying this novel. I was sad when I finally finished the book since the thrill ride was over but then I learned that it was to become a trilogy... Put me down for the next one the moment it comes out.

Very much in the vein of Stephen King's The Stand and others. Just never quite works. Starts with a bang, but the jump in time slows everything down while he rebuilds the world. I liked it, just not sure I can recommend to others and the epilogue is an annoying downer!

This is a must read. And for those like me who lovvvvve very long books, this will be a feast. I think there will be another book because the end is kind of weird and you're left hanging asking yourself a lot of quesitons. But don't be bothered by that, the story is amazing. For fantasy fans especially!

I loved it !!!! There were many nights I went to bed at like 4 am. I couldn't put this book down. It was fun and very entertaining. Some parts were very heart touching that I actually teared up a little. Simply one of the best books I've ever read.

I read this book as soon as it came out and haven't stopped talking and recommend it to everyone I see since. Wow, I couldn't put the book down and it took me only two days to read it as it was that gripping. I have also read the "Stand" by Steven King and can see the comparisons, but I think this book is better! I would also recommend the "Strain" as a very similar book. I dont want to spoil the book for anyone by giving any of the story away, all I can say is it left me wanting more!!!!

For such a thick book 700 pages and counting - this was a fast and entertaining read. Great characters amid post-apocalpytic settings fighting really nasty virals. Cannot wait for the second book of the trilogy. As well, a movie adaptation is in the works. The Passage is a tale of vampirific proportions the likes we have never seen before. Strongly recommended.

upon reading reviews about this book, i decided to give it a try. i am not into vampire stories, don't watch vampire shows etc..... this book is very engrossing, the only complaint would be around the middle of the book, it gets to be kind of tedious reading, making me want to skip pages to get over the boring parts. if i did'nt know that this book was the first of a trilogy, i would think the ending was a total loss. why would'nt the author say anywhere in the title jacket that this was part of a trilogy???? anyhow, enough said, happy reading

While browsing in Chapters on Father's Day weekend, I noticed this book at 50% off....an employee saw me looking at it and told me that it was a fantastic book, and that if I didn't like it I could return it and SHE would buy it back from me :) I wasn't able to start it until a few weeks later, but once I did, I couldn't put it down! I love the writer's style and the story kept me captivated right to the end. The ONLY complaint was the author's use of the word "flyers".....can you say cheesy??!!

Can't wait for the second book to come out!

"The Passage" by Justin Cronin starts in 2016 and spans one hundred years in a post-apocalyptic world that is dominated by "The Twelve" and their victims. The twelve are zombie-vampire like creatures that use to be human, but became infected with a virus designed by the United States Army and the virus changed them into powerful zombie-vampire beings.

The twelve were death row criminals and the government offered them immortality if they choose to become infected with the virus. The results are disastrous and the world is destroyed by the creatures the twelve become. There is one girl named Amy who also received a perfected form of the virus and she becomes a totally different type of viral and plays a pivotal role in the story of seeking out the twelve.

The story begins with Amy and the twelve being infected with the virus and then the twelve escape and havoc wrecks the world. The story then goes forward 92 years to a colony of human survivors who live their lives in fear of the virals that rule the world. The colony's daily life is spent defending themselves from attacks from the virals. Eventually Amy shows up at the colony and one of the twelve has an influence on the colony's weak minded and havoc rules the colony.

A group of people leave the colony with Amy to seek out Colorado where Amy originated from and in the process they discover other groups of people still alive and fighting or in some cases conforming to the virals.

In the end they are able to destroy one of the twelve and his followers and they form a band to seek out the other eleven to destroy them and free the world.

I found the last one hundred to two hundred pages of the book to be riveting and the first one hundred pages to be interesting, but the other four hundred pages not as exciting. I would of liked to have had more information about the virus being developed and how certain things happened…like how did Amy all of a sudden show up at the colony…how did she get there and why…we are expected to just accept the fact that she magically shows up? The book needs more detail of how things happened and the motivation behind people's actions. The dialogue seems a bit stiff and needs to flow more and have more emotion and reality added. I did not seem to attach to any characters in an emotional way; they just do not seem real. It reminds me a lot of "I am Legend" with just a tinge of "Twilight" thrown in. The last part of the book I enjoyed the most, I found learning about the twelve and Amy to be fascinating and the development of Peter and Lish as characters was welcomed. A bit more detail and better dialogue and it would have been a great read.

I stumbled upon this book while browsing around for a good summer read. I hadn't heard any of the hype about it...just thought it sounded good - something to capture my interest for a couple of weeks.
Well, I read the entire 766 pages in 3 days.
Totally unexpectedly engrossing.
Don't let the mention of vampire throw you off, this is not at all a vampire story but instead an amazingly intricate and expertly thought out epic that I am sure will become one of the most talked about books of 2010. And do yourself the favour, read it now so you can tell people you read it LONG before the movie was ever in the works.

How is it even possible that ANOTHER post-apocalyptic story about infected humans in a vampire/zombie-like state should interest the masses, let alone captivate them? Well, this book manages to do this. I am not quite sure how. Sure, the book is good - but man, the detail the author goes into explaining mundane details was exhausting. I read other reviews that it would be easy to publish an abridged version of this book, and it's true. That also means that it would be easy to make this movie into an hour and a half movie. Do I really need to hear ALL of the details about how and why Carter ended-up on death row? Who cares? We hear nothing about him again for 700 pages?

Having said that, the characters are varied and quite interesting...and honestly, that's what makes a good book in my mind. I do agree with other reviewers that there are a lot of unanswered questions, but there are two more books in the works, apparently.

The author's style takes some getting used to (jumping from scene to scene, using documents that are apparently journals that are recovered from abandoned sites centuries in the future. It's somewhat frustrating at times.

It's not the best book I've read, but I'd like to see it come to life on screen (and I've read that Ridley Scott has already bought the rights). I think dedicated readers - and lovers of this genre - will gobble it up.

This book almost got 1 star instead of the 4 I'm giving it. Why you ask? Because nowhere on the dust jacket, in the book, in the bookstore, or easily found on the indigo website or the publishers does it tell you that this book is the first part of a trilogy. To the crew that did the marketing for this release all I've got to say is WTF????

When I got to the end of this book I was furious, I'd plowed through almost 800 pages in less than 2 weeks, waking bleary eyed in the mornings to go to work horribly over-tired because I couldn't put it down. And then, bam, it just ended with a tonne of loose ends needing tying up and no sign of a sequel. So mad… but… I read a review on here that complained about the same thing, and then a comment leading me to believe it was a trilogy, and then, oh glorious day, I googled it and found out it was indeed true. Yippy Skippy!

The first 200 pages of this book are fantastic, and I wish there was more. I would have really liked more description of what the viral plague was like and how it spread and finally played out. But overall it was a really good read, I had a hard time putting it down, which hasn't happened to me enough this year.

Characters are engaging, there are some good twists that keep it all interesting, and the writing is suspenseful. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's into apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.

I would not, however recommend it for anyone who's into good editing. This book had enough typo's in it for me to recognize on multiple occasions (usually I pick up 1 every couple of books I read, so this stood out). I know for a fact that I didn't get an early release copy, so someone did a poor job in the editing room which I hate because it trips me up when I'm reading and pulls me out of the story, lame.