The Passage

A Novel (Book One of The Passage Trilogy)

By: Justin Cronin

Narrated by: Scott Brick, Adenrele Ojo, Abby Craden

Length: 36 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller.

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 10 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, and Library Journal.

“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. Look for the entire Passage trilogy:

• The Passage
• The Twelve
• The City of Mirrors

©2010 Justin Cronin (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

“[A] blockbuster.” (The New York Times)

“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)

AMAZE-BALLS!!!

I'm a huge Stephen King fan and this book was right down my alley! In a way, I can understand all the negative reviews I read, and somewhat agree with most of them. But that doesn't change the fact that it was an amazing story and was very well written. It is a very sad story, but hello, it's the end of the world, so...It's also a very long story, but I was never bored or ever found myself wishing it was over. And I didn't mind the narrator. I can't say he's my favorite, but he didn't bug me that bad like he did some people. I highly recommend this audio book!

Depressing

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This is one of the most depressing books I have read in a long time. The story was a good story but it left me feeling apprehensive. The performance was fantastic and kudos to the actors but I cannot read another one like this. If you want uplifting…this is not it!

Would you recommend The Passage to your friends? Why or why not?

Only if they wanted to be depressed.

Which scene was your favorite?

The birth of the baby.

Was The Passage worth the listening time?

Yes.

good not great

I stayed with it, first 5 hours very slow, building and building the story, fine, but let's get it going, it's like a long drawn out 9 year tv series. it's not bad but so much dialogue and talk not to much action

Fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not sure where the negative comments are coming from. Great book. I thought 40 hrs would take forever but I was done in just over 1 week. Creatures are frightening, heroes have faults, great narration by Scott. Great book and the ending was (well you will have to hear it). A plus

Exactly what I’ve waited for

I’ve been searching for a book that captivated me, one I could not wait to listen to and I found it! The Passage was outstanding! There were times during the reading where I felt my heart pounding so fast I wasn’t sure I could keep going! If you like apocalyptic stories that are a thrill ride this book is for you. The narrator is wonderful and his voice took me on an amazing ride. Highly highly recommend.

I’m torn…

When my friend told me about this book my gut reaction was: “a vampire apocalypse?! Sign me up!” As I started listening I kept asking Scott (the voice actor): “where are the vampires Scott?! You told me there would be vampires!”. I quickly came to realize the pacing of this book is incredibly slow. I really want to like it. The universe is so cool and the voice acting was great, but the exciting moments are few and far between. If I do continue with the series it will be because the genre captured me. But I’m worried I’ll be sucked into another slow burn… flyers help me.

Stephen King was right.

A trilogy of a Viral experiment gone wrong. Most of civilization has died off from Virals who attack mercilessly, to fast for the Human reflex. When the Civil structure breaks down, a girl from the past time arrives to unknowingly move a group of survivors across the country to stop the never ending feeding frenzie and try to start anew in an old crumbled land.

Fantastic Read!!

second time reading the trilogy -- every bit as excellent as the first time! no doubt, I'll read it all again in a few years.

Excellent narration of a spectacular story.

I read this before and enjoyed the audible version the second time. I am moving on to the second and third books.

LOVED THIS BOOK

Some people reported that nothing happened until well into the book but I found this packed with action from the start. Lots of time building characters and background but that is necessary and without it much of the feeling of the story would be lost.
I was captivated from the start and found myself anxious to have a few moments of free time to listen.
I just finished and rushed to spend another credit on the next volume.