In 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin, a dystopian future unfolds where vampire-like creatures control most of North America due to a failed experiment. The story spans over a hundred years, exploring the aftermath of the virus outbreak and the struggle for survival in a world devastated by these creatures. The narrative is filled with well-developed characters, compelling backstories, and a complex inner dialogue, all woven together through various storytelling techniques like first-person narratives, third-person perspectives, and journal entries.
The book captivates readers with its gripping plot, multi-layered storytelling, and unique take on the post-apocalyptic genre. It delves into themes of survival, hope, and the unknown future in a world where civilization has crumbled under the threat of vampire-like beings. With a mix of suspense, mystery, and elements of horror, 'The Passage' keeps readers on the edge of their seats, immersing them in a world where the line between humanity and monstrosity blurs.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include graphic descriptions of violence, death, and themes related to government experimentation and its ethical dilemmas, as well as some scenes depicting animal cruelty.
From The Publisher:
"It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born."
An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy-abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape-but he can't stop society's collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
This thrilling novel kicks off what Stephen King calls "a trilogy that will stand as one of the great achievements in American fantasy fiction."
NOW A FOX TV SERIES!
NAMED ONE OF PASTE'S BEST HORROR BOOKS OF THE DECADE
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE YEAR BY TIME AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post
Esquire
U.S. News & World Report
NPR/On Point
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
BookPage
Library Journal
Look for the entire Passage trilogy:
THE PASSAGE | THE TWELVE | THE CITY OF MIRRORS
Praise for The Passage
"[A] blockbuster."-The New York Times Book Review
"Mythic storytelling."-San Francisco Chronicle
"Magnificent . . . Cronin has taken his literary gifts, and he has weaponized them. . . . The Passage can stand proudly next to Stephen King's apocalyptic masterpiece The Stand, but a closer match would be Cormac McCarthy's The Road: a story about human beings trying to generate new hope in a world from which all hope has long since been burnt."-Time
"The type of big, engrossing read that will have you leaving the lights on late into the night."-The Dallas Morning News
"Addictive."-Men's Journal
"Cronin's unguessable plot and appealing characters will seize your heart and mind."-Parade
Ratings (91)
Incredible (20) | |
Loved It (26) | |
Liked It (22) | |
It Was OK (18) | |
Did Not Like (5) |
Reader Stats (190):
Read It (96) | |
Currently Reading (2) | |
Want To Read (64) | |
Did Not Finish (3) | |
Not Interested (25) |
4 comment(s)
I haven’t read any of Justin Cronin’s books. I picked this one up solely based on an interview the
New York Times did with the author. Of course, the interviewer was asking Cronin if he read
Twilight (he hadn’t.) Is
Twilight REALLY the be-all, end-all of vampire books? This book runs circles around that teenage sop-fest. A better comparison would be Bram Stoker’s
Dracula. Actually, an even better comparison would be to the movie
The Village (without the awkward twist) or George Stewart’s
Earth Abides.
When I first picked up this book, I considered not reading it because it was 766 pages and that seemed way too long. However, I read the first sentence and got sucked in:
Before she became the Girl from Nowhere -- the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years, she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy. Amy Harper Bellafonte. It took me about a week to get through this book -- I couldn't put it down (except to sleep and work.)
Cronin’s writing is exquisite. I felt like I truly knew (and cared about) the characters. I was even sympathetic to the vamps (or virals as they’re called in this book). Let’s face it, his vampires are the creatures in the night you warn your children about, not the ones you want to make out with. I couldn’t get a good sense of what they looked like, but I visualized something that was a little human, a little praying mantis and a little bat. And let me tell you, the thought scared the bejeezus out of me.
It was a fascinating read. I love reading these post-apocalyptic books because there’s such a sense of hope. Even when the world is overrun by scary bloodsucking bat-things, pockets of humanity somehow find a way to survive. I need to start stockpiling batteries and canned food!
The ending is a little abrupt – and hopefully what appears to happen doesn’t actually happen. There are two additional books in the series. I think the next one is coming out in two years (ugh).
Do you like things that are awesome? If so, clear your schedule and get this book. Seriously, take some vacation days, get a babysitter, play hooky. Just read this book as soon as you can.
From the well-crafted voices to the dizzying array of literary allusions (from the Bible to Shakespeare to Steven King to Dracula (duh) to The Velveteen Rabbit to ....ugh, I got all teary when I thought about The Velveteen Rabbit) to the amazing action sequences and dense plot (seriously, this thing is plot all the way down) to the romances...
It's just awesome. I don't care what kinds of books you usually read, if you are a fan of awesome things you will like this book.
Different
Different sort of post-apocalyptic saga with man-made vampires. Ok for younger teens, plenty of violence but no gore and no sex
This is one of the most frustrating books I have ever read. It took me over a month to power through it. I was going to give up many times. It is densely written & could have used some good editing. There are too many characters to keep straight or care about. Occasionally characters would DIE and I would have no recollection of who they even were. It is dreary and dark and depressing. And yet, I kept reading it. And reading it. Once I was about 40% in, I did not want to quit and powered through the rest over one weekend. You feel like you are one of the characters in the book, like something dreadful is always looming or that something, anything, to explain all of this is going to occur, and then....it's more and more of the same. The atmosphere is good and tense and several sentences made me stop and think. I had weirdo dreams after I read this before going to sleep. Other times, I felt there was way too much detail, too much ennui, and too many re-tellings of the same story, just from a different perspective. We did not need diary entries.
What can you read after
The Passage?
About the Author:
Justin Cronin is the New York Times bestselling author of The Passage, The Twelve, The City of Mirrors, Mary and O'Neil (which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize), and The Summer Guest.
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