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skynet666's review against another edition
4.0
I just loved this book - would have given it 5 stars, but it's hard to do that based on an awesome story, but not well developed characters. This author is a great story teller...he has to be if he's expecting the reader to enjoy such a long book. The story has an apocolyptic theme intertwined with the latest vampire craze. I enjoy both....and although I tend to read fantasy as opposed to sci-fi (which I love in other forms), this story really grabbed me.
cube's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
lizbeth_wolff's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
raygersh's review against another edition
4.0
The Passage defies expectations. In reading the synopsis, you may be able to glean some idea of what it is about, but it surprises at every turn. It is about a single mother doing what she needs to in order to scrape by. It is about an FBI agent struggling with the loss of his child. It is about scientists asking not whether they should but whether they could. It is about being human. It is about the apocalypse and surviving the end of the world. And incidentally, it is about vampires.
There is an unwritten law that I must read a vampire book at least once a quarter. This time around, Alexa aided my journey by sagely choosing The Passage for me in the 1st Annual Four Pack Productions Jolabokaflod. I am so happy with her choice! This is not a book I would have necessarily picked out for myself. The 784 page count alone may have deterred me. But what a joy those hundreds of pages turned out to be!
To say that it is a long book is an understatement. The Passage is an immersive experience. With a huge cast of characters, time jumps, and the inception of a new vampire virus, the plot needs all of those pages to unveil the intricacies of the story. In many ways, it is a classic vampire tale, pulling behaviors straight from Dracula lore. But in many other ways, this is one of the most unique vampire novels I have ever read.
The POV jumps from character to character, before, during, and after the viral vampire pandemic. At times we only hear from certain characters one time. What amazes me is these are not throw away chapters that Justin Cronin included just because he wanted to. Everything is so intentional, so purposefully laid out. Each character's experiences are woven into the bigger picture. The payoff is amazing when a character we heard from 300 pages ago suddenly impacts the events our characters are currently experiencing. I would love to see how Cronin mapped this all out because it is beautifully done.
Overall: an epic tale of life and vampires, reminiscent of King.
There is an unwritten law that I must read a vampire book at least once a quarter. This time around, Alexa aided my journey by sagely choosing The Passage for me in the 1st Annual Four Pack Productions Jolabokaflod. I am so happy with her choice! This is not a book I would have necessarily picked out for myself. The 784 page count alone may have deterred me. But what a joy those hundreds of pages turned out to be!
To say that it is a long book is an understatement. The Passage is an immersive experience. With a huge cast of characters, time jumps, and the inception of a new vampire virus, the plot needs all of those pages to unveil the intricacies of the story. In many ways, it is a classic vampire tale, pulling behaviors straight from Dracula lore. But in many other ways, this is one of the most unique vampire novels I have ever read.
The POV jumps from character to character, before, during, and after the viral vampire pandemic. At times we only hear from certain characters one time. What amazes me is these are not throw away chapters that Justin Cronin included just because he wanted to. Everything is so intentional, so purposefully laid out. Each character's experiences are woven into the bigger picture. The payoff is amazing when a character we heard from 300 pages ago suddenly impacts the events our characters are currently experiencing. I would love to see how Cronin mapped this all out because it is beautifully done.
Overall: an epic tale of life and vampires, reminiscent of King.
slowbollard's review against another edition
3.0
This is a tough one for me to rate. It's between 2 and 4 stars, but even the two star aspects weren't exactly bad... The first third was awesome. I was engaged, enjoying the ride, and then BAM! The characters I'm thoroughly invested in are suddenly gone and I'm reading a rambling journal entry. That was jarring and I just never regained the same level of interest after that.
Did it meander a bit much? Yeah, probably. Did the story fall off the rails at a point or two? Yes. Did it drag toward the end? I suppose. But all of these things didn't make me want to quit reading, or regret diving into a 700+ page book, so I'd say that it was good. Considering it was a post apocalyptic vampire book which is not my jam it was surprisingly good. I think my biggest complaint is that I would have loved twice as much of the first third and the last two thirds as a separate book.
Did it meander a bit much? Yeah, probably. Did the story fall off the rails at a point or two? Yes. Did it drag toward the end? I suppose. But all of these things didn't make me want to quit reading, or regret diving into a 700+ page book, so I'd say that it was good. Considering it was a post apocalyptic vampire book which is not my jam it was surprisingly good. I think my biggest complaint is that I would have loved twice as much of the first third and the last two thirds as a separate book.
cooperca's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say. End of the world, vampire like creatures, Palm Springs.
Can't wait for the second book in the trilogy to come out this October!
Can't wait for the second book in the trilogy to come out this October!
kristinmagoo's review against another edition
2.0
Like many other reviewers, I loved the first third. But then... You would think the post-apocalyptic part would be where it gets good. But alas, no. Instead we got long meandering prose and a plethora of new characters, all to set up for a no-doubt equally bloated sequel. No thanks. I'm not sure this was 36 hours of listening time well spent.
thisbookishbee's review against another edition
4.0
Woo, okay! So I started reading this in August and it was a mountain. The pages of the book felt like those pages you get in bibles, very paper thin with a sort of glossy feel to it. I personally loved this, though it did make the book seem a lot larger than it actually is.
The story is absolutely crazy, from start to finish. The characters immense. I was and am so scared for the characters. Nobody is safe in this book. There are people who seem to die and then come back later and for me, one of those people is just heartbreaking for me. A few, actually.
All in all, I really enjoyed The Passage.
The story is absolutely crazy, from start to finish. The characters immense. I was and am so scared for the characters. Nobody is safe in this book. There are people who seem to die and then come back later and for me, one of those people is just heartbreaking for me. A few, actually.
All in all, I really enjoyed The Passage.
meginsanity's review against another edition
3.0
It’s really difficult to write about this book and I know why. It’s because it’s 700 pages long and it contains at least three full novels in there. There’s at least two hundred characters, if not more, who are given names and personalities and occupations – this is a book that requires you to flip back constantly to keep track of people, particularly when some people have first, and last, and nicknames.
Basically Justin Cronin took his Bestseller Blender and he threw in vampires, zombies, and post-apocalyptic conventions, and out came a 700-page book with a Stephen King blurb on the back. Now, I love post-apocalyptic stuff, and I love zombies, and I even still love vampires who don’t sparkle or smile. So this book kept me reading, certainly. There’s a lot of action in it, and the characters are sympathetic, most of them ringing true to life* with flaws and authentic thought processes. There are definitely a few scenes that drew me in – I just had to know what happened next – and the villains (both human and monster) were perfectly creepy.
But ultimately this book falters under the weight of itself. It’s too long, for one, containing bloated scenes, unnecessary, repetitive dialogue, and some unsatisfying, meandering storylines. Our intrepid heroes encounter a lot of very convenient plot twists, and I grew very tired of the “end the scene so you think the character is dead – then have them show up like everything’s normal a few pages later” trope, which is used several times in the book. And the ending – ugh. I don’t want to talk about the ending; it’s too raw.
I really don’t get why this book had to have so much crammed into it. Some trimming and it could have been a really tight, well-honed novel or two or three. Since it’s supposed to be a trilogy, it could have turned into an interesting series.
* Except Amy. Anytime she was on the scene I just knew Justin Cronin wants to cast Summer Glau in the movie.
Basically Justin Cronin took his Bestseller Blender and he threw in vampires, zombies, and post-apocalyptic conventions, and out came a 700-page book with a Stephen King blurb on the back. Now, I love post-apocalyptic stuff, and I love zombies, and I even still love vampires who don’t sparkle or smile. So this book kept me reading, certainly. There’s a lot of action in it, and the characters are sympathetic, most of them ringing true to life* with flaws and authentic thought processes. There are definitely a few scenes that drew me in – I just had to know what happened next – and the villains (both human and monster) were perfectly creepy.
But ultimately this book falters under the weight of itself. It’s too long, for one, containing bloated scenes, unnecessary, repetitive dialogue, and some unsatisfying, meandering storylines. Our intrepid heroes encounter a lot of very convenient plot twists, and I grew very tired of the “end the scene so you think the character is dead – then have them show up like everything’s normal a few pages later” trope, which is used several times in the book. And the ending – ugh. I don’t want to talk about the ending; it’s too raw.
I really don’t get why this book had to have so much crammed into it. Some trimming and it could have been a really tight, well-honed novel or two or three. Since it’s supposed to be a trilogy, it could have turned into an interesting series.
* Except Amy. Anytime she was on the scene I just knew Justin Cronin wants to cast Summer Glau in the movie.
claire_dobson's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 *s
It has a bit of a Stephen King's The Stand vibe about it.
Can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
It has a bit of a Stephen King's The Stand vibe about it.
Can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy.