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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Incredible.. I love the authors version of Vampires, just read it; it's slept on.
I really enjoyed this take on the apocalypse. Although the novel is lengthy, the plot and characters are so engaging that it's difficult to put down.
slow-paced
Flyers, this book took me forever to read! The first third was great, the middle bogged down to a crawl, and by the time it picked back up again I was kind of ready for a new book. It was a bit derivative of The Stand. I'll probably continue the series, but I need a bit of a break first. Maybe 3.5 stars.
As many other reviewers have said, the first part of the book, while slow to develop, is great, and the plot and characters kept me engaged.
The jump to the second part is jarring, but I was still invested and the writing is good enough that I carried on for a good few hundred pages. There's just way too many characters, I don't care about them, and the jumping between viewpoints...I get that these are all criticisms that could be applied to Stephen King's The Stand (one of my all-time favourites), which this book has been compared to, so I guess it's a matter of personal taste how much of this you can tolerate. To be fair, though, The Stand keeps the same main characters throughout, and continues to develop them. The massive host of new characters introduced in the second part of this, and then minimally developed was what I couldn't stick with.
I could have finished reading this book, wouldn't have even of minded it, but I just don't have enough time to read a book that I don't actually WANT to return to, in my spare time. I read enough stuff that "I should read" for work.
The jump to the second part is jarring, but I was still invested and the writing is good enough that I carried on for a good few hundred pages. There's just way too many characters, I don't care about them, and the jumping between viewpoints...I get that these are all criticisms that could be applied to Stephen King's The Stand (one of my all-time favourites), which this book has been compared to, so I guess it's a matter of personal taste how much of this you can tolerate. To be fair, though, The Stand keeps the same main characters throughout, and continues to develop them. The massive host of new characters introduced in the second part of this, and then minimally developed was what I couldn't stick with.
I could have finished reading this book, wouldn't have even of minded it, but I just don't have enough time to read a book that I don't actually WANT to return to, in my spare time. I read enough stuff that "I should read" for work.
More like a 3.5. May read sequels, but also not my favorite genre.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
This book certainly is epic. The story sprawls across a grand sweep of time and a wide swath of the country. The characters are interesting and the plot is compelling. It's rather like a zombie book in some ways: just no zombies and a bit less gore. I didn't know it was the start of a series -- I might not have started it if I had known that -- but it doesn't beg for a follow up story as much as remain open for one.
Some sequences within the story were so vivid.
Some sequences within the story were so vivid.
Long, so so long! I liked the story, when I finally got to it. I grew up on Stephen King (a *lot* of Stephen King), and Cronin is very similar. Unfortunately one of those similarities is his tendency to drone on, filling in a lot of backstory instead of getting on with the story I wanted to read about! When King keeps the plot tight, like 'Salem's Lot or the first book of the Dark Tower, he's not to be beat. Maybe at some point, Cronin will tighten it up, too, because I think there's probably a good storyteller in there somewhere.