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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
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.
This book was absolutely fantastic. It completely draws you into its world.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not well written. Characters were all fairly identical. Bland storytelling.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Child death
I rated this book 5 stars, but if I could, I would rate it 4.8. Excellent read. If you liked Stephen King's "The Stand", you will thoroughly enjoy this book.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
tense
medium-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
I went through phases with this book where I wanted to keep reading and I didn't care very much. I would definitely say I liked it (4 stars worth) and I'm sure I will read the 2nd book to follow - I also think one of the reviews was right when it said it could become a blockbuster hit. The overall theme of a little girl saving the world from post-apocalypse/vampire craziness is pretty intriguing. Worth the read!
I generally like dystopian novels (Hunger Games, The Giver, etc) but I'm not usually one for post-apocalyptic stories (which is why I'm constantly surprised I like "The Walking Dead" as much as I do). But this. This was really, really great. Loved it. Complex, strong female characters. Riveting plot. Suspenseful. Characters that behaved intelligently in a crisis. Can't wait to get my hands on the sequel!
Note: I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by Edward Hermann. Excellent!
Note2: If done correctly, this would make an amaaaaaaaazing movie or miniseries. Already mentally casting it.
Note: I listened to this on audiobook, narrated by Edward Hermann. Excellent!
Note2: If done correctly, this would make an amaaaaaaaazing movie or miniseries. Already mentally casting it.