Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Fantastic! I loved it. I'm a big fan of post-apocalyptic stories and this did not disappoint.
It's weird because the whole time I was reading this I kept thinking: 2010 isn't that long ago and yet this book feels dated. I'm not even sure why.
Maybe because our ideas of dystopia, or maybe, more accurately, MY ideas of dystopia have changed a lot over the last ten years. I found myself resisting the second half of the book's insistence on patriarchy in the new dystopian world. I feel like that's a pretty common assumption in most dystopian novels and TV shows, and, while I have no doubt there would be large pockets of it, I have to say: I'm not convinced that would be the case everywhere.
At any rate, the first half was five stars. Interesting premise, great plot, some great writing. Second half was a struggle for a bit. I don't mind new characters in a book, but Cronin had a lot of backstory and a ton of new characters in the second half that I found less engaging at first.
One thing I found particularly interesting from a writing standpoint was the ideas about sleeping walking and lighthouses and dreams that transfered over into his latest novel: The Ferryman. The writerly obsessions we have that we rework and rework until we draw them down to the bone.
Maybe because our ideas of dystopia, or maybe, more accurately, MY ideas of dystopia have changed a lot over the last ten years. I found myself resisting the second half of the book's insistence on patriarchy in the new dystopian world. I feel like that's a pretty common assumption in most dystopian novels and TV shows, and, while I have no doubt there would be large pockets of it, I have to say: I'm not convinced that would be the case everywhere.
At any rate, the first half was five stars. Interesting premise, great plot, some great writing. Second half was a struggle for a bit. I don't mind new characters in a book, but Cronin had a lot of backstory and a ton of new characters in the second half that I found less engaging at first.
One thing I found particularly interesting from a writing standpoint was the ideas about sleeping walking and lighthouses and dreams that transfered over into his latest novel: The Ferryman. The writerly obsessions we have that we rework and rework until we draw them down to the bone.
I received a free Audacity account for Christmas. Eight credits. This was credit number one. Its main attraction was that it lasted 35 hours. It has kept me entertained for weeks. I have read the book and it was quite interesting to see the difference. It was unabridged and read by Scott Brick. A very consistent reader. Funny how you notice the writer's tics that crop up in such a huge book when you hear them rather than see them. All the horses 'nicker'; they are quite often riding across the 'flat pan'; engines and in some cases eyes 'thrum' etc.
The first 150 pages are excellent. The rest sort of ordinary but interesting storyline. The closing chapters a bit irritating full of Saturday matinee cliffhangers. The end ... meh. Still having said that I have spent my second credit on The Twelve (part 2 of the trilogy). A mere 26 hours. Starting that one in March.
The first 150 pages are excellent. The rest sort of ordinary but interesting storyline. The closing chapters a bit irritating full of Saturday matinee cliffhangers. The end ... meh. Still having said that I have spent my second credit on The Twelve (part 2 of the trilogy). A mere 26 hours. Starting that one in March.
Apocalyptic, addictive albeit appreciably anti-climactic. Will be reading the second instalment. Enjoyed this one.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
I loved loved loved the first half - even three quarters of this book and I kept telling myself to try and stop reading because the second book isnt out until 2012!!
But then...
Unfortunately (or fortunately as it saves me the torture of waiting) by the end I had enough. I will still read the next book of course but I am not feeling that 'aaahhh what happens to them' feeling. He just packed too many details into the end.
Still a great book!
But then...
Unfortunately (or fortunately as it saves me the torture of waiting) by the end I had enough. I will still read the next book of course but I am not feeling that 'aaahhh what happens to them' feeling. He just packed too many details into the end.
Still a great book!
At 400 pages of this 725 page novel, I realized I didn't care about any of the characters, nor what happened to them. I slogged on for another 40 pages before realizing I was under no obligation to continue. Stopped with no regrets.
It's somewhat a combination of [b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1213131305s/149267.jpg|1742269] and [b:I am Legend|547094|I Am Legend|Richard Matheson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266582358s/547094.jpg|2223519], but nowhere near as good as either of them. The military is experimenting with a vampire-like virus with the hopes of creating immortal soldiers. Shockingly, something goes wrong. Vampires are released, society is destroyed, and then we fast forward 100 years to possibly the last remaining fortress of humanity. Their culture has evolved with the times, they have little time before even this oasis is gone forever, and of course, they have their own personal dramas. Yawn.
Part of the problem with this book was that it just seemed cliche. The other problem was the verbosity of the author, who always used a paragraph when a sentence would do, and a couple of pages when a paragraph would do. If I enjoyed his prose more, I suppose this could be a good thing. Unfortunately, I did not. Avoid.
It's somewhat a combination of [b:The Stand|149267|The Stand|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1213131305s/149267.jpg|1742269] and [b:I am Legend|547094|I Am Legend|Richard Matheson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266582358s/547094.jpg|2223519], but nowhere near as good as either of them. The military is experimenting with a vampire-like virus with the hopes of creating immortal soldiers. Shockingly, something goes wrong. Vampires are released, society is destroyed, and then we fast forward 100 years to possibly the last remaining fortress of humanity. Their culture has evolved with the times, they have little time before even this oasis is gone forever, and of course, they have their own personal dramas. Yawn.
Part of the problem with this book was that it just seemed cliche. The other problem was the verbosity of the author, who always used a paragraph when a sentence would do, and a couple of pages when a paragraph would do. If I enjoyed his prose more, I suppose this could be a good thing. Unfortunately, I did not. Avoid.
I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. I liked it because the writing was very good in that Cronin sure does have a way with words but I didn't like it in that it was sooooooooo long. There are books that are long but don't seem it and then there are books that you wonder, "how can I possibly have that much more to read???" The Passage fell into that second category more than I expected.
It mostly had to do with the book's uneven pacing. You have your slow build up to the big event and the action surrounding that. There is also a lot of changes in perspectives with a lot of different characters. Then the book takes an abrupt turn, slows down and starts all over with a different cast of characters far in the future. It was the nature of the story so I get it but still it felt long to me. There were also a couple of cryptic characters which tend to annoy me as a reader. Auntie who talks in circles. The nun and her "you'll know what to do when the time comes" mumbo jumbo towards the end. A lot of repetition of phrases. There was one point when he kept repeating "Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?" I thought I might have to slap someone. And towards the end when Amy is ticking off the names of the virals one by one. OMG, that was painful. This was definitely more of an annoyance of the audiobook. When you're reading, you can just skip past that nonsense. Listening to it, it's hard to skip forward without missing something and I found myself huffing and thinking, "I get it already! Let's move on!"
I also wasn't so in love with Peter as a hero, at least not initially. He improved throughout the book but I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at his obtuseness in several parts of the story. Still, the book is very interesting and I found myself wondering what will happen next. What's so special about Peter...if anything? How will Amy's character develop? What happened to their family/friends that went to Texas? A lot was left hanging and I find myself looking forward to reading the sequel when it comes out later this year. I just hope that the next book will be a little less meandering.
It mostly had to do with the book's uneven pacing. You have your slow build up to the big event and the action surrounding that. There is also a lot of changes in perspectives with a lot of different characters. Then the book takes an abrupt turn, slows down and starts all over with a different cast of characters far in the future. It was the nature of the story so I get it but still it felt long to me. There were also a couple of cryptic characters which tend to annoy me as a reader. Auntie who talks in circles. The nun and her "you'll know what to do when the time comes" mumbo jumbo towards the end. A lot of repetition of phrases. There was one point when he kept repeating "Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?" I thought I might have to slap someone. And towards the end when Amy is ticking off the names of the virals one by one. OMG, that was painful. This was definitely more of an annoyance of the audiobook. When you're reading, you can just skip past that nonsense. Listening to it, it's hard to skip forward without missing something and I found myself huffing and thinking, "I get it already! Let's move on!"
I also wasn't so in love with Peter as a hero, at least not initially. He improved throughout the book but I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at his obtuseness in several parts of the story. Still, the book is very interesting and I found myself wondering what will happen next. What's so special about Peter...if anything? How will Amy's character develop? What happened to their family/friends that went to Texas? A lot was left hanging and I find myself looking forward to reading the sequel when it comes out later this year. I just hope that the next book will be a little less meandering.