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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
Picked this one up off the shelf to read on holiday and am glad I did.
It's almost like a series of novels, and when the first 'book' finished to start with I had trouble getting into the second which didn't seem to have any real connection, but once I'd realised where the story was going I was gripped.
The characters are well defined and felt real to me, giving me those 'oh no' and 'thank goodness he/she's alright' moments.
If you've read Stephen King's 'The Stand' you'll like this as it's a similar type of 'end of civilisation' as we know it epic.
There's a follow up which I am wondering if it will live up to this one. We'll see if I decide to follow on or not.
It's almost like a series of novels, and when the first 'book' finished to start with I had trouble getting into the second which didn't seem to have any real connection, but once I'd realised where the story was going I was gripped.
The characters are well defined and felt real to me, giving me those 'oh no' and 'thank goodness he/she's alright' moments.
If you've read Stephen King's 'The Stand' you'll like this as it's a similar type of 'end of civilisation' as we know it epic.
There's a follow up which I am wondering if it will live up to this one. We'll see if I decide to follow on or not.
This book is one big delicious tease. I was all into the characters that opened the book when I turned the page into a new section or chapter and was stuck with a new set of characters. I missed the old characters and didn't like the new ones, but then before I realized it I was into the new characters . . . and then turned the page again into a new section or chapter and was on to newer or back to an earlier set of characters. In less engaging or less well-written stories such back-and-forth can annoy me, but I found myself happy to turn the page into a new section that focused on any of the characters. There's also the tease of tantalizing clues dropped and statements made about someone or something that made me want to know more NOW. Ugh, have to wait until sometime in 2012 for book two of this trilogy. I think of this book as more along the lines of Stephen King's The Stand rather than as a vampire novel, but it is definitely that, too. I appreciate that Cronin managed to incorporate Bram Stoker's Dracula in a meaningful way, beyond the obligatory nod.
This is a really good book on tape, if you're into that sort of thing.
I love a good vampire book. At the risk of sounding elitist I need to draw a line in the sand before beginning - Twilight is not a good vampire book. Sorry, it's just not. Vampires are monsters, they don't sparkle. Vampires should be the things in the dark that we fear the most. It should come down to a choice of which we'd rather make kissy face with, a vampire or a werewolf. I can't believe I even have to say that.
I had a professor in college (I miss Prof Dorgan) who said that in literature, vampires were a foil to that which the culture from which it emerges considers the most evil, the most morally corrupt.
It holds out pretty well, and it's a nice tool when approaching vampire literature. ... but not twilight.
Anyway, short review on The Passage. Amazing beginning. At about page 100 I was thinking this might be the best vampire book I've read since Anne Rice. Something big happens in the book (no spoilers) and a lot changes. Shortly after that change I almost quit reading. But things got better again. In the end, it was a good vampire book, but not a great one. I'll read the next in the series to see what happens
Okay, here come spoilers. Turn back now, you have been warned...
There were a lot of similarities to the Del Toro "The Strain" series. And a lot of similarities to The Walking Dead too. I wonder if it's an emerging theme. No longer the hidden vampires, but instead vampires as the tool of the apocalypse.
That part interests me, and I think there's an interesting conversation in there somewhere. But here's my qualm, vampires don't fit the 'end of the world' scenario as well as other creatures, like zombies for instance. And in both Del Toro's novel as well as The Passage, the vampires come off as a little... well... Zombie-ish. I like my vampires as solitary, nearly omnipotent nightmare hunters. Not as part of a rampaging horde. But that being said, The Passage and the concept of the Twelve, and the Many was an interesting way to have both.
I had a professor in college (I miss Prof Dorgan) who said that in literature, vampires were a foil to that which the culture from which it emerges considers the most evil, the most morally corrupt.
It holds out pretty well, and it's a nice tool when approaching vampire literature. ... but not twilight.
Anyway, short review on The Passage. Amazing beginning. At about page 100 I was thinking this might be the best vampire book I've read since Anne Rice. Something big happens in the book (no spoilers) and a lot changes. Shortly after that change I almost quit reading. But things got better again. In the end, it was a good vampire book, but not a great one. I'll read the next in the series to see what happens
Okay, here come spoilers. Turn back now, you have been warned...
There were a lot of similarities to the Del Toro "The Strain" series. And a lot of similarities to The Walking Dead too. I wonder if it's an emerging theme. No longer the hidden vampires, but instead vampires as the tool of the apocalypse.
That part interests me, and I think there's an interesting conversation in there somewhere. But here's my qualm, vampires don't fit the 'end of the world' scenario as well as other creatures, like zombies for instance. And in both Del Toro's novel as well as The Passage, the vampires come off as a little... well... Zombie-ish. I like my vampires as solitary, nearly omnipotent nightmare hunters. Not as part of a rampaging horde. But that being said, The Passage and the concept of the Twelve, and the Many was an interesting way to have both.
Reminiscent of "The Stand", "Oryx and Crake", and "World War Z" (among others) - this is a post-apocalytpic world where "smokes" "dracs" "jumps" are all one thing - vampires. But these aren't vampires in the sense of Hollywood movies; they were once human, turned by experimentation and you can guess what happened to cause the ending of the world as we know it. It is long, covering many many years, and it is never a fast-action chase scene kind of book. Instead it is full of slow tension, making me fidget as I read it - and that is a compliment. I also loved the ending...and I look forward to his next book!
I absolutely devoured the part 1 of this novel. The plot was intriguing; the writing was strong and almost ever chapter ended in a mouth-gaping cliffhanger. The mystery surrounding the experiments kept me guessing with a believable yet supernatural storyline.
I switched off my phone and pretended I was not at home just so I could read uninterrupted.
Then I got to part 3…
100 years into the future with brand new characters I simply struggled to connect with. A lot of effort (and pages) were dedicated to this post-apocalyptic world however the pace was very different than part 1 and 2 and with so many new characters, none really stood out and developed fully for me. However I dutifully trudged on reading page after page trying to connect to a character only for them to be killed off. This happened again and again.
The last ¼ of the book, once the expedition reached Vegas, was enjoyable but I never regained that amazed feeling of wanting to read till the sun comes up. Looking back now that I am done, I cannot deny that the storyline and the way most of my questions were answered in the end, is GOOD, but I still think the same story could have been told in a much shorter version.
I switched off my phone and pretended I was not at home just so I could read uninterrupted.
Then I got to part 3…
100 years into the future with brand new characters I simply struggled to connect with. A lot of effort (and pages) were dedicated to this post-apocalyptic world however the pace was very different than part 1 and 2 and with so many new characters, none really stood out and developed fully for me. However I dutifully trudged on reading page after page trying to connect to a character only for them to be killed off. This happened again and again.
The last ¼ of the book, once the expedition reached Vegas, was enjoyable but I never regained that amazed feeling of wanting to read till the sun comes up. Looking back now that I am done, I cannot deny that the storyline and the way most of my questions were answered in the end, is GOOD, but I still think the same story could have been told in a much shorter version.
It's super scary so far. I had to put it down for a bit so I could get a few nights of sleep.
After the first big section, the story remains intense but not as scary. I'm glad I picked it up again and finished it.
After the first big section, the story remains intense but not as scary. I'm glad I picked it up again and finished it.
I know the whole vampire genre is all the rage these days, but this story is a completely unique take on this subject. The book is quite a read at almost 800 pages, but it goes by fast. This is setup for a sequel that is coming out later this year. I am definitely excited to continue the story of Amy though it would have been nice to have a little more closure with this book.
Wow... just finished this book a few minutes ago. Overall, I have to say I liked it, and most of that goes to complete amazement and awe at the author. I can't imagine how he kept all the characters and storylines straight. I have to say, it's absolultey nothing like his first book, other than he definitely has the gift of creating wonderful, complete characters. They really do seem like real people, and I found myself 100% invested in all of them. Peter is a fantastic hero, and Alicia, Maus, Amy, Lacey... all of them great heroines.
The only thing that really bugs me is that I can't imagine what a viral looks like. I really like the story Cronin came up with -- I've always been interested in people who tell the vampire story from the lines that it's a virus, and I think the modern setting is great. But I think part of the problem with having a third person narrator who is close to different characters in different sections is, it makes for somewhat inconsistent storytelling. Sometimes it helps -- for instance, the scene in the Ring, where you get a bunch of different perspectives so that you view the whole picture. But when it comes to actually seeing the virals, I feel like their image is foggy. They vaguely resemble people, I think they're bald? They have rows of sharp teeth. The original 12 are "bigger", whatever that means. One of the Littles said once that a viral looks like a bear, but later on she disputes that. I just wish I had a better picture of this being that Cronin creates.
The other thing, and I just have to say this... it's VERY Stephen King. Not in a bad way; in fact, I think it's interesting to read something that reminds me of him, since mostly nothing does! He gives a dazzling endorsement on the back of the book, and I can see why. I imagine he read the book from cover to cover in one sitting. It also reminds me of the Gone series by Michael Grant, another book Stephen King endorsed. I can't quite put my finger on why they all remind me of each other... other than they're all long, but they still have this immediacy. Like you absolutely have to read the book NOW. And when you're done, you absolutely HAVE to read the next book.
Also, I have to say, the part where Lish attached herself to the Expeditionary. I almost stopped reading, I was so mad. And for the rest of the book I was just furious, until she ends up back with Peter, and I felt like everything was as it should be. Part of me wanted to dock the book a star for that, until I realized that drama actually made the book better, and it made the me realize how much I cared about the characters.
Definitely poised for a sequel -- or two or three.
The only thing that really bugs me is that I can't imagine what a viral looks like. I really like the story Cronin came up with -- I've always been interested in people who tell the vampire story from the lines that it's a virus, and I think the modern setting is great. But I think part of the problem with having a third person narrator who is close to different characters in different sections is, it makes for somewhat inconsistent storytelling. Sometimes it helps -- for instance, the scene in the Ring, where you get a bunch of different perspectives so that you view the whole picture. But when it comes to actually seeing the virals, I feel like their image is foggy. They vaguely resemble people, I think they're bald? They have rows of sharp teeth. The original 12 are "bigger", whatever that means. One of the Littles said once that a viral looks like a bear, but later on she disputes that. I just wish I had a better picture of this being that Cronin creates.
The other thing, and I just have to say this... it's VERY Stephen King. Not in a bad way; in fact, I think it's interesting to read something that reminds me of him, since mostly nothing does! He gives a dazzling endorsement on the back of the book, and I can see why. I imagine he read the book from cover to cover in one sitting. It also reminds me of the Gone series by Michael Grant, another book Stephen King endorsed. I can't quite put my finger on why they all remind me of each other... other than they're all long, but they still have this immediacy. Like you absolutely have to read the book NOW. And when you're done, you absolutely HAVE to read the next book.
Also, I have to say, the part where Lish attached herself to the Expeditionary. I almost stopped reading, I was so mad. And for the rest of the book I was just furious, until she ends up back with Peter, and I felt like everything was as it should be. Part of me wanted to dock the book a star for that, until I realized that drama actually made the book better, and it made the me realize how much I cared about the characters.
Definitely poised for a sequel -- or two or three.