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)

Great Listen!

If you could sum up The Passage in three words, what would they be?

I loved this book from the beginning 'til the end and could not wait to get the next book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Passage?

I was most curious about Amy and the incident at the zoo. I don't want to give anything away, but that part had me wondering what in the world was happening.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator was good.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The book is too long to listen in one sitting but I had to read it every day.

Any additional comments?

Get this book. You will love it.

Justin Cronin's Done the Impossible!

Which genre of horror story is least likely to spawn something new? In my opinion it's the vampire story. Yet Justin Cronin not only accomplished this Stokerian feat, but he's built an epic trilogy that thrilled and chilled me from start to finish. The Passage unfolds in a determined way as the author builds to his key premise: DARPA researchers searching the South American rainforest for a rumored mammalian virus that can unlock human super-mortality. The hope for an end to disease, a potential limitless extension of human lifespan, and the ability to build the mythical super-soldier, all push the hunt for this key. The brutal result presents almost the opposite in every way, threatening the survival of humankind. The story becomes an intricate tale spanning the entire Western hemisphere and including everything from the neighborhood housewife and university professor to the state a federal penal system and U.S. military. I couldn't stop reading The Passage and this hugely entertaining book is just the first third of a great trilogy that sets the vampire story's bar to a new height. Read with the lights on.

I'm HOOKED!

If you could sum up The Passage in three words, what would they be?

Excellent story line!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Passage?

SPOILER ----- When Peter and crew leave the Compound. I was so tense.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes - I like Scott Brick on this best!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

SPOILER-----When Amy and Brad meet again!

The best book I have read in a long time!

I LOVED The Passage. I had not heard about this book until I happened across it in a local Barnes & Noble. While I am not generally a vampire book fan, it sounded like a novel approach that Cronin was taking by putting more of a biotech spin on the genre as opposed to the Gothic setting we normally expect. I came home and was able to get the book on Audible for a single credit. What a deal! I was a little unsure if I would like given the comparison to Stephen King as I often find his stuff slow and tedious and did not even finish Under the Dome. Quite the opposite. I was entranced by this story like none other I can remember in recent history. I figured it would take me months to get through such a long book, but I finished it in just over month. I use these generalities in my review because I do not want to give anything. It was that good! There were a few moments that I thought could have been handled differently or not even included, but generally, all aspects of the plots served to begin to bundle up the various threads into a coherent whole as you approached the end, leading you to a cliffhanger ending. I cannot wait until the sequel, The Twelve! This one is HIGHLY recommended if you like a thriller with chills as well as drama.

plus minus

I purchased this book with reservations. On the one hand I found the premise interesting, on the other I have no fondness for the main narrator's technique. While I am able to lose myself in the content for pages during action sequences, it is during the quiet descriptive lulls that I cringe. His need to impart each sentence with deep emotional content no matter the appropriateness is, to me distracting.
> I found the story very good. With a bit more editing to it King fans might feel right at home.

Awesome book!

Great story. You will not be disappointed with this book. I can not wait to start the next one.

First new age vamp book I have liked

I almost never read too much into reviews so when this story took a turn down the vamp path I almost abandoned the book. Glad I did not, the author provided a great story with solid context. On to book 2!

Enjoyed

Long but well written, keeps your interest and you care about what will happen next

Semi-realistic zombie story

Would you listen to The Passage again? Why?

Probably not. I usually don't re-listen to anything.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Difficult to pick one.

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. I heard Scott Brick narrate a biography. It took me a while to get used to him in this format, but now I am fine with it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to book 2.

amazing

well worth a listen! great start to finish. incredible narration helps it along as well.