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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
I am not quite sure how to characterize this book other than really damned long. It's so long, it's like two completely different books, one comparable to Michael Crichton and another more like Steven King. The premise is interesting but stronger than the follow through. The book is so long, in fact that it kind of seems like he forgot how he meant to end it and just-didn't. Still, it kept me turning the pages the whole way, so it gets three stars.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
Maybe 4 and a half, but it was a little on the long side and dragged in a few parts. Interesting and slightly creepy look at what might happen to our world if scientists mess around a little too much with human nature. Would make a good movie, so I'm looking forward to that part too. :)
I have a love/hate relationship with this book. It's very complicated. You see, a couple of months ago Justin Cronin's third book in this series came out and my dear friend (who LOVES the series) took me to Changing Hands Bookstore for a book signing. Cronin was an amazing speaker and I was entranced the entire time. I couldn't wait to finally start the series. My friend bought me the third book and Cronin autographed it (and yes, I got a picture. Thanks!). Finally got The Passage from the library.
So much I loved about it. It kept me hooked. It kept me wanting more. I'm truly invested in the characters and the story.
BUT... this one "little" 900-page book could honestly have been 5 books on it's own. Okay, maybe not 5. But at least 3. It took 150 pages before the first big something happened! 150 pages of building character and back story... and then after bout 50 pages that story is DONE. And then we get another little story, and 100 or so pages later... DONE. Flash forward 100 years for a new story, and we get probably two or three more stories! This first book could have been it's own series! It's just too much for me, and I'm a fast reader/devourer of books!!
That said, I adore Justin Cronin's writing. It's beautiful. It's thought out. There is a purpose for every single stinkin' word (even if I think there are too many words). So yes, I will read the next book and the third. But I need a little break.
Oh. And vampires. Kind of. I'm a vampire girl, so I'm all in.
So much I loved about it. It kept me hooked. It kept me wanting more. I'm truly invested in the characters and the story.
BUT... this one "little" 900-page book could honestly have been 5 books on it's own. Okay, maybe not 5. But at least 3. It took 150 pages before the first big something happened! 150 pages of building character and back story... and then after bout 50 pages that story is DONE. And then we get another little story, and 100 or so pages later... DONE. Flash forward 100 years for a new story, and we get probably two or three more stories! This first book could have been it's own series! It's just too much for me, and I'm a fast reader/devourer of books!!
That said, I adore Justin Cronin's writing. It's beautiful. It's thought out. There is a purpose for every single stinkin' word (even if I think there are too many words). So yes, I will read the next book and the third. But I need a little break.
Oh. And vampires. Kind of. I'm a vampire girl, so I'm all in.
The story of a coming apocolypse is not necessarily unique in fiction. However, The Passage relays this tale in a compelling and clever way. In an effort to create a drug that will cure all disease and bring longevity to humanity, something goes horribly awry. The test subjects, now turned into essentially vampires, escape and unleash hell. Over half a century later, small pockets of untouched humans have survived--one is called the Colony. Here is where the story really takes place. Cronin gives his readers fascinating characters in this novel; people who we are fearful to root for as we know that they will meet a neck-ripping end, soon enough. There is hope for humanity, however. She appears in the form of a young girl/teenager named Amy, who, as one of the original test subjects, has the genetic answer for the eradication of the millions of "virals" who inhabit their world. This is a long tale of a journey, covering various landscapes and circumstances. Teen vampire fiction, this is not. I applaud Mr. Cronin for a really interesting read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really liked this book. At times, I grew somewhat tired of the slower parts. However, I am a firm believer that a good book needs slow parts to make the action filled ones more meaningful. Just like life! I am definitely going to be reading the next book in the series.
Anyway, onto the review. I really like the flow of this book. The way it's written is almost like stream of consciousness sometimes, but not quite. I liked that it doesn't explain everything down to the smallest detail about what's going on. Sometimes things are better when they are left to your interpretation. It's definitely a long read, and a bit slow in the middle but it is well worth reading through. Full of emotions.
Anyway, onto the review. I really like the flow of this book. The way it's written is almost like stream of consciousness sometimes, but not quite. I liked that it doesn't explain everything down to the smallest detail about what's going on. Sometimes things are better when they are left to your interpretation. It's definitely a long read, and a bit slow in the middle but it is well worth reading through. Full of emotions.
Considering I devoured almost half the 800+ pages of this book in one day (that is what Sundays are for, right?), I'd definitely say I really enjoyed my experience with this post-apocalyptic world. I was pretty much hooked on this from the first page, however. Cronin has a great style, and the whole "science experimenting goes horribly wrong" thing is always a fun ride for me.
I loved getting to know the characters in the first portion of this--Wolgast, especially, had such a great many facets to his personality that it was a real treat reading about him. The slow set-up for the eventual blow-out worked really well for me. The details about the world's vampires, and how they were created, were teased out slowly over the first chunk of the book (about 200 pages). It was creepy in just the right ways, never coming out and giving too many details or starting a bloodbath too early, which would have just made the ending scenes of that portion of the novel a kind of overkill. I also enjoyed the use of "documents" inserted throughout to give a bigger sense of authenticity, and also to show more of what was happening all around the world that didn't involve the main cast.
The shift of 92 years later was a bit of a surprise, and at first I was upset to be leaving the chaos of the apocalypse for an entirely new set of characters. There were an awful lot of names to figure out, but it was pretty easy to pick out the main characters quickly, as well as my definite favorites (Alicia, of course, right up at the top). The set-up of the politics of this new society, and just how they survived, was an interesting read. Later, discovering how other pockets of humanity survived was also a real treat for me.
By the time I was hitting the last 100 pages, I was glad to already have known that this was the first in a trilogy, rather than a standalone. Having become so immersed in this world and invested in the future of its inhabitants, it also just seemed impossible for Cronin to wrap up all the loose ends in "just" 100 pages. The ending lines, especially, were a real kicker, and have left me really craving for more.
I loved getting to know the characters in the first portion of this--Wolgast, especially, had such a great many facets to his personality that it was a real treat reading about him. The slow set-up for the eventual blow-out worked really well for me. The details about the world's vampires, and how they were created, were teased out slowly over the first chunk of the book (about 200 pages). It was creepy in just the right ways, never coming out and giving too many details or starting a bloodbath too early, which would have just made the ending scenes of that portion of the novel a kind of overkill. I also enjoyed the use of "documents" inserted throughout to give a bigger sense of authenticity, and also to show more of what was happening all around the world that didn't involve the main cast.
The shift of 92 years later was a bit of a surprise, and at first I was upset to be leaving the chaos of the apocalypse for an entirely new set of characters. There were an awful lot of names to figure out, but it was pretty easy to pick out the main characters quickly, as well as my definite favorites (Alicia, of course, right up at the top). The set-up of the politics of this new society, and just how they survived, was an interesting read. Later, discovering how other pockets of humanity survived was also a real treat for me.
By the time I was hitting the last 100 pages, I was glad to already have known that this was the first in a trilogy, rather than a standalone. Having become so immersed in this world and invested in the future of its inhabitants, it also just seemed impossible for Cronin to wrap up all the loose ends in "just" 100 pages. The ending lines, especially, were a real kicker, and have left me really craving for more.
Outstandingly well-written. Bit of a let-down at the ending. But an engaging, creative read.