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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Great book. Requiring a sharp mind to untwist its many layers of intricacy, deep and touchingly human, it is an epic tale of hope, redemption and human nature. Heart tearing, unforgiving and moving: that is what summarizes this novel.
I enjoyed The Passage - it had an original take on a classic story, it had multiple stories within the story spanning decades, covering both the pre- and post-apocalyptic events, and it had a map which is basically a guarantee that I will love a book.
Despite all the positives, I had trouble really feeling engaged with this book. For a book filled with high tension, action packed scenes, it took me waaaay too long to read. And knowing that it's part of a trilogy, I find myself struggling to decide if I'm really interested enough in reading potentially thousands of more pages.
The first book moves slowly through time, shifting major characters which can be a blessing when you're running low on interest with any given set of individuals. But I think, based on where this books ends, that we have finally hit the core group of people who will carry the rest of this trilogy. Knowing the task ahead of them, I'm finding myself even more disinterested in following through.
A lot remains unexplained at this point in the story - frustrating after close to 800 pages - and I'm just not sure I can plod through two more of these.
This may also be a symptom of post-apocalyptic, dystopian fiction overload. How many stories can one person read/watch about people trekking through dangerous wastelands without inevitably comparing them or just tiring of them altogether?
Okay, it sounds like I'm pretty negative about this book, but I do think it earns three stars for the richly imagined worlds, characters, and social structures Cronin has created. And who knows? Give me a couple of months and I may feel ready to jump back in to this world again.
Despite all the positives, I had trouble really feeling engaged with this book. For a book filled with high tension, action packed scenes, it took me waaaay too long to read. And knowing that it's part of a trilogy, I find myself struggling to decide if I'm really interested enough in reading potentially thousands of more pages.
The first book moves slowly through time, shifting major characters which can be a blessing when you're running low on interest with any given set of individuals. But I think, based on where this books ends, that we have finally hit the core group of people who will carry the rest of this trilogy. Knowing the task ahead of them, I'm finding myself even more disinterested in following through.
A lot remains unexplained at this point in the story - frustrating after close to 800 pages - and I'm just not sure I can plod through two more of these.
This may also be a symptom of post-apocalyptic, dystopian fiction overload. How many stories can one person read/watch about people trekking through dangerous wastelands without inevitably comparing them or just tiring of them altogether?
Okay, it sounds like I'm pretty negative about this book, but I do think it earns three stars for the richly imagined worlds, characters, and social structures Cronin has created. And who knows? Give me a couple of months and I may feel ready to jump back in to this world again.
Heel spannend, niet al te veel stil staan bij de logica van het verhaal want dat hapert af en toe. Op naar de volgende in deze trilogie.
At first glance, this doorstep sized novel (over 900 pages) might appear to be a daunting read. The blurb warns of an apocalypse and hints at the role that a special little girl would play afterwards. She is Amy Harper Bellafonte and she is the key to something. And that something is the reason the FBI abducts her from a the convent her biological mother left her with, and take her to a secret testing facility. Without giving too much away, it seems that her immune system is special and they wish to investigate her in conjunction with another project involving death row inmates at the same facility. Shirtly after her arrival, hell literally breaks loose leaving Amy and her abductor running for their lives. The Vampire Apocalypse is here.
Amy is no Ayla but she’s no Lyra either. As a girl who grew up alone she lacks the social skills, keeps a childhood innocence yet is so wise despite her years. I loathe to elaborate further because I wouldn’t want to spoil her development as a character which is revealed cautiously. She is an enigma and Cronin wants us to see it as well as the people she encounters. But I will say that she is a walking metaphor and I am still trying to piece together everything I think Cronin was trying to say.
Cronin proves that plot and characterisation need not be mortal enemies. Despite its length the story moves quickly and for literary work it flows well. Most of all it has great atmosphere. The tagline of the novel is Something is coming… and that is how the narrative flows, the hint of a threat of what is going to happen next. It is a book about portents and fate.
This is easily one of the best novels I’ve read this year.
See more book reviews at my blog
Amy is no Ayla but she’s no Lyra either. As a girl who grew up alone she lacks the social skills, keeps a childhood innocence yet is so wise despite her years. I loathe to elaborate further because I wouldn’t want to spoil her development as a character which is revealed cautiously. She is an enigma and Cronin wants us to see it as well as the people she encounters. But I will say that she is a walking metaphor and I am still trying to piece together everything I think Cronin was trying to say.
Cronin proves that plot and characterisation need not be mortal enemies. Despite its length the story moves quickly and for literary work it flows well. Most of all it has great atmosphere. The tagline of the novel is Something is coming… and that is how the narrative flows, the hint of a threat of what is going to happen next. It is a book about portents and fate.
This is easily one of the best novels I’ve read this year.
See more book reviews at my blog
The Passage by Justin Cronin is beautifully written and just brimming with vivid imagery. Cronin's talent with the written word is evident from the very first page.
As one of the most talked about books in North America last summer, I've been waiting months to read The Passage. At more than 750 pages it was obviously going to be a longer read, but until I actually started it, I didn't realize how truly dense the story was going to be. The book begins with several different story lines that slowly weave together until they join at the point where the experiment subjects break free of the compound. Unfortunately, this does mean that the first third of the book feels a lot like backstory and that the main storyline doesn't begin until 250 pages in, when we're presented with a whole new cast of characters.
This isn't the type of vampire story that's been popular for the last few years. These vampires aren't the friendly, vegetarian vampires of Twilight, but brutal and gruesome killers. In fact, with the virus-like way in which the vampirism spreads, the book is actually a really interesting combination of the vampire myth with the modern-day zombie apocalypse. And Cronin's writing style is very much in the vein of Stoker's Dracula - it's a literary, Gothic epic.
Although I was really intrigued by Cronin's idea, I wasn't captivated by the story itself. I had no problem putting the book down when other things came up, and I probably wouldn't have finished as quickly had I not been commuting at the time. Moreover, there's no true ending to the book as Cronin intends this to be the first book in a trilogy.
Although I wasn't overwhelmed but the book, I do recommend The Passage to other readers, particularly those interested in darker literature. As for me, I'm waiting to give the next book in the trilogy a try.
As one of the most talked about books in North America last summer, I've been waiting months to read The Passage. At more than 750 pages it was obviously going to be a longer read, but until I actually started it, I didn't realize how truly dense the story was going to be. The book begins with several different story lines that slowly weave together until they join at the point where the experiment subjects break free of the compound. Unfortunately, this does mean that the first third of the book feels a lot like backstory and that the main storyline doesn't begin until 250 pages in, when we're presented with a whole new cast of characters.
This isn't the type of vampire story that's been popular for the last few years. These vampires aren't the friendly, vegetarian vampires of Twilight, but brutal and gruesome killers. In fact, with the virus-like way in which the vampirism spreads, the book is actually a really interesting combination of the vampire myth with the modern-day zombie apocalypse. And Cronin's writing style is very much in the vein of Stoker's Dracula - it's a literary, Gothic epic.
Although I was really intrigued by Cronin's idea, I wasn't captivated by the story itself. I had no problem putting the book down when other things came up, and I probably wouldn't have finished as quickly had I not been commuting at the time. Moreover, there's no true ending to the book as Cronin intends this to be the first book in a trilogy.
Although I wasn't overwhelmed but the book, I do recommend The Passage to other readers, particularly those interested in darker literature. As for me, I'm waiting to give the next book in the trilogy a try.
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've posted Something Like a Review a few months ago. Here's a sample, but to read the whole review, please click here.
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T’was a few weeks before Christmas and all through the store,
I looked for new horror that wasn’t a snore.
What to my wondering eyes should appear,
….but a new post-apocalyptic story with vampires!
Yes, I broke the rhyme, but I didn’t really care. With a new scary story in hand, my little heart squee’d and jumped with delight and I dug in with gusto.
In a manner of speaking.
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Hooked till the very end OMG running to get the next book.
adventurous
dark
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No