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)

Part 1?

If you liked the ending to the last episode of The Sopranos you'll like the ending to The Passage. I have to assume there is a second volume coming. Other than the cliff hanger ending I did enjoy the book. It works great as something to listen to on a cross country car trip.

The characters draw you in

What a book this turned out to be. I'm on to "The Twelve" even after 36 hours of listening to this journey, I can't get enough.
When starting the book, you feel it will be another vampire story, with people getting the virus, turning to undead, and killing the world. The Passage is a complex story of interconnected people all part of the apocalypse. You grow to love the characters, suffering right along with them, saddened with their demise. At the heart of everything is a child called Amy. What and Why she is, slowly unfolds as the book progresses, as each new character is introduced they intermingle with her purpose. Not many high points to be had in this one, just a sad existence of survival and hope.

AWESOME!

I just loved it, couldn't stop listening. I clean when I listen to books on tape, needless to say my house and garage is spotless.

Good Read

Hard to follow at first, but gets really awesome if you stay with it. I'm looking forward to the next one.

This is part of a series

Good read although it seems overly written just to take up space. I’m not sure about the rest of the books in the series.

Great, in the beginning....

This story started out great for me, drawing me in and giving me a few characters I cared about. After an exciting start, the focus changed to a whole new set of characters and circumstances (which is fine, and I followed), but I never connected with any of the new people or cared much about what was happening with or to them. This made it a tough listen for me, but I was determined to get through it. It probably lays a great foundation for books 2 and 3, but I won't continue the series. I did enjoy both the writing and narration.

Loved it despite the flashbacks

I read other reviews that complained about how many flashbacks occur in the story, and yes, there are more than a few. When the author starts turning present moments into future flashbacks (something like "Years later Peter would remember this as the moment . . .") it's seems so overboard it's almost comical.

The flashbacks themselves aren't the problem. The problem is that they come right when you're the most confused and right at the moment the narrative seems near to explaining things. You'd hate a puppy if it denied you resolution at such moments over and over again.

That said, it isn't actually a problem. Just be patient. It isn't a George R. R. Martin Book (spoiler alert), you don't need to abandon all hope of any meaningful resolution. The ends eventually get tied together. The writing and narration are so excellent that the frustration is more than bearable and persistence is rewarded.

Audio Crack!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Passage to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print, I am doing both with the sequel but the narrators did an excellent job expressing the emotions of the characters.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

HELL YES! The story kept you wanting to know more, you wanted to know how they were going to escape a certain situation and you HAD TO KEEP LISTENING to get to that part!

Which scene was your favorite?

When they found Theo.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was pissed when Amy destroyed the vial.

very long but good

There were times when I fell asleep because the voice was so soothing. very long story but good and I'm excited to get the other books in the trilogy

Great take on a classic tale

What made the experience of listening to The Passage the most enjoyable?

Great flow and character development. I am a Scott Brick fan as well. Really enjoy his reading.

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

The whole development of the Amy character.

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

Yes, and this is one of his best.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Vampire Apocalypse

Any additional comments?

I look forward to more books by Mr. Cronin. Comparable writing skills to the great Brandon Sanderson.