Scan barcode
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
3.0
This is at least 3 books crammed into one cover. I found it very difficult to read as a single book and ended up taking long breaks which is unusual for me - even in a very long book. I'm going to review it as three separate sections. I would give a lot of caveats before I recommended this book to another reader, and I would not recommend to someone who wasn't an avid reader. I did, however, love the ideas in this book and found about 2/3rds of it really well written.
The first section was fantastic. Written in the ‘now’ it was engaging, fact paced and the characters were so real feeling. I loved this first section and it left me wanting more.
The second section was written in the 100+ish year future. It felt like many dystopian future books I’ve read but was far less interesting. This section held all the problems the second book in a trilogy has, it was slow paced and meandering. It felt like filler with too much character building and not enough things happening. There were so many characters and so many names to keep track of that I struggled keeping them straight. I would have absolutely stopped at this point if I hadn’t promised to finish this book.
In the final sections, the book becomes a road trip adventure. The pace picked up and the writing became more engaging again, but I still struggled to pick this book up because of the bad taste from the slow sections.
The first section was fantastic. Written in the ‘now’ it was engaging, fact paced and the characters were so real feeling. I loved this first section and it left me wanting more.
The second section was written in the 100+ish year future. It felt like many dystopian future books I’ve read but was far less interesting. This section held all the problems the second book in a trilogy has, it was slow paced and meandering. It felt like filler with too much character building and not enough things happening. There were so many characters and so many names to keep track of that I struggled keeping them straight. I would have absolutely stopped at this point if I hadn’t promised to finish this book.
In the final sections, the book becomes a road trip adventure. The pace picked up and the writing became more engaging again, but I still struggled to pick this book up because of the bad taste from the slow sections.
cygryu's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
frankikaos's review against another edition
5.0
A very interesting take on the vampire mythology.
Literally follows the lore from discovering primative beginnings, to following the development and research of the virus and finally to documenting what happened when the virus finally got out and the world changed.
Once the story stayed with the core group of characters- it jumps through time quite quickly, once it's built up a set of characters it can jump decades into the future and introduce a new set -I found it extremely hard to put down. As the cracks begin to appear in their perfect civilisation and questions are raised that lead to an expedition and further discoveries... Wow, it really picks up pace and is quite unputdownable!
Very interested to see how Cronin follows part one of his trilogy and very much looking forwards to seeing if The Twelve are finally defeated...
Literally follows the lore from discovering primative beginnings, to following the development and research of the virus and finally to documenting what happened when the virus finally got out and the world changed.
Once the story stayed with the core group of characters- it jumps through time quite quickly, once it's built up a set of characters it can jump decades into the future and introduce a new set -I found it extremely hard to put down. As the cracks begin to appear in their perfect civilisation and questions are raised that lead to an expedition and further discoveries... Wow, it really picks up pace and is quite unputdownable!
Very interested to see how Cronin follows part one of his trilogy and very much looking forwards to seeing if The Twelve are finally defeated...
bridgett_b's review against another edition
3.0
Gah! This is the second book I've read this summer where the first half is amazing, you fall in love with the characters and don't want to put it down...and then bleeeeeeeh the author completely loses your interest. Also, just like the last book, this one is also freaking enormous, so it feels like a major defeat to stop reading halfway when halfway is page 350! I really feel tempted to skip, oh, 100 pages and see if that helps.
Otherwise, I second other reviews: it's like a better-written version of Stephen King's The Stand, and as I recall that book had a similar issue with losing steam. Still, Act I of The Passage would make an amazing movie.
Otherwise, I second other reviews: it's like a better-written version of Stephen King's The Stand, and as I recall that book had a similar issue with losing steam. Still, Act I of The Passage would make an amazing movie.
shellytaftreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shermanberry's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book. I would really like to give it 4.5 stars. It’s not quite a 5.
It is often compared to The Stand (definitely in my all time Top 10). There are lots of similarities but for me it falls just short.
The characters are all believable and superbly written. There is a lot of mystery and suspense woven into the excellent story. There are periods in the plot where I felt tense, amused, intrigued, amazed and emotional. All ingredients for a tremendous read.
If I had one slight criticism it would be the length. I’m not averse to reading doorstop novels if the story moves along. There was a chunk of this book in the middle where I was waiting for things to get going.
Ultimately brilliant and I will most certainly put the second and third books on my ‘Want to Read’ list.
It is often compared to The Stand (definitely in my all time Top 10). There are lots of similarities but for me it falls just short.
The characters are all believable and superbly written. There is a lot of mystery and suspense woven into the excellent story. There are periods in the plot where I felt tense, amused, intrigued, amazed and emotional. All ingredients for a tremendous read.
If I had one slight criticism it would be the length. I’m not averse to reading doorstop novels if the story moves along. There was a chunk of this book in the middle where I was waiting for things to get going.
Ultimately brilliant and I will most certainly put the second and third books on my ‘Want to Read’ list.
kim_j_dare's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the first half of this, but it he second half really should have been continued as the next installment in the series. Way too long and bogged down as a single novel.
bluehound's review against another edition
2.0
got tired of some of the same sentences used over and over. " .. it was the same, but not exactly." What 10 times for this phrase. Great literature it is not. I mean, where was the editor? Otherwise enjoyable.
librarydoc's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I could not put this book down. I didn't want the story to end! I loved this book, and I can't wait to read the second in the trilogy.