• The City of Mirrors

  • A Novel (Book Three of the Passage Trilogy)
  • By: Justin Cronin
  • Narrated by: Scott Brick
  • Length: 29 hrs and 29 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (9,992 ratings)

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The City of Mirrors  By  cover art

The City of Mirrors

By: Justin Cronin
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Publisher's summary

Number-one New York Times best seller

“A thrilling finale to a trilogy that will stand as one of the great achievements in American fantasy fiction.” (Stephen King)

You followed The Passage. You faced The Twelve. Now enter The City of Mirrors for the final reckoning. As the best-selling epic races to its breathtaking finale, Justin Cronin’s band of hardened survivors await the second coming of unspeakable darkness.

The world we knew is gone. What world will rise in its place?

The Twelve have been destroyed, and the terrifying hundred-year reign of darkness that descended upon the world has ended. The survivors are stepping outside their walls, determined to build society anew - and daring to dream of a hopeful future.

But far from them, in a dead metropolis, he waits: Zero. The First. Father of the Twelve. The anguish that shattered his human life haunts him, and the hatred spawned by his transformation burns bright. His fury will be quenched only when he destroys Amy - humanity's only hope, the Girl from Nowhere who grew up to rise against him.

One last time light and dark will clash, and at last Amy and her friends will know their fate.

Look for the entire Passage trilogy:

The Passage
The Twelve
The City of Mirrors

Praise for The City of Mirrors

"Compulsively readable.” (The New York Times Book Review)

The City of Mirrors is poetry. Thrilling in every way it has to be, but poetry just the same... The writing is sumptuous, the language lovely, even when the action itself is dark and violent.” (The Huffington Post)

“This really is the big event you’ve been waiting for... A true last stand that builds and comes with a bloody, roaring payoff you won’t see coming, then builds again to the big face off you’ve been waiting for.” (NPR)

“A masterpiece...with The City of Mirrors, the third volume in The Passage trilogy, Justin Cronin puts paid to what may well be the finest post-apocalyptic epic in our dystopian-glutted times. A stunning achievement by virtually every measure.” (The National Post)

©2016 Justin Cronin (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Superb... This conclusion to bestseller Cronin’s apocalyptic thriller trilogy ends with all of the heartbreak, joy, and unexpected twists of fate that events in The Passage and The Twelve foreordained.” (Publishers Weekly [starred review])

“Readers who have been patiently awaiting the conclusion to Cronin’s sweeping postapocalyptic trilogy are richly rewarded with this epic, heart-wrenching novel.... Not only does this title bring the series to a thrilling and satisfying conclusion, but it also exhibits Cronin’s moving exploration of love as both a destructive force and an elemental need, elevating this work among its dystopian peers.” (Library Journal [starred review])

What listeners say about The City of Mirrors

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

After reading approx 10,000 books over my lifetime

...yes, ten thousand books. This is my favorite trilogy of all time.

Notable aspects about the final book (some of which seem to be bones of contention, judging by other reviews):

1. Scott Brick’s narration
2. Fanning’s backstory
3. Massive jumps in time
4. My minor quibbles

1. Narration: I love Brick’s voice and cadence. No, he doesn’t do character voices (just southern accents for Anthony Carter and Rachel, which I quite liked). I think you either love Brick’s voice or hate it.

2. Fanning (Zero): Personally, I loved hearing Fanning’s pre-virus backstory. I found it interesting and found him to be a likeable though flawed human being. As are we all. But I’m guessing it was there to explain why Fanning comes to do what he does. (See minor quibbles)

3. Time jumps: Yes, there are 1000+ year jumps in time, but they serve the story.

4. Quibbles:

a. I didn’t really buy the reasons for why Fanning does what he does in the part of the post-virus story where most of the action takes place. It wasn’t enough to stop me listening or annoy me too much but…

b. Uh…was one critical character’s storyline NOT wrapped up? It’s possible it was just one line, “And so-and-so was never seen again” and my attention was diverted at that moment in the audio book and I didn’t even realize it.

All in all, while not everything is exactly “happily ever after” for some of our characters, I felt their stories were wrapped up in a satisfying way.

As I said, my favorite trilogy of all time. Throughout these 3 door-stopper books (what’s the audio book equivalent?), I was always completely drawn into the world and characters Cronin created—and so glad that there are a few writers out there who write giant tomes, even if we sometimes have to wait a while for the next book.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Ends the series with a whimper.

The Passage was a gripping book. The kind you don't put down and blast through in a weekend. This book is not that good. It bogs down considerably in the middle when we meet "Zero". I see what Cronin was trying to do with the character, and I generally don't despise allegory but it gets to be a bit too much here. The pacing problems persist into the final third of the book. By the time it comes to the climax I found myself just hoping to get to the end. It might be me but I was disappointed. Not enough to not recommend it. I just wish it was better paced.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

expected more

Well written as usual but a clear drop off from the previous installments. Hours and hours of excess character development (something I'm usually all for)...excess in general. The long, drawn out climax is anticlimactic.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

BLAH - Too little substance - and far too late !

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Perhaps having the third installment a few years earlier. I mean really, it took three years to write that? I felt the story was unimaginative, and the characters just as tired as the story itself. The events were at best just regurgitated bits from books 1 and 2 and at worse just pulp fiction.

What was most disappointing about Justin Cronin’s story?

Lack of character development, lack of story development, you name it. A book, even in a trilogy, should be able to stand on it's own and I felt it relied way too much on the previous two books in the trilogy.

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

Scott Brick always delivers a solid performance but I'm sad to say I didn't have a favorite character. I really wasn't rooting for anyone to survive. Scott performance most definitely deserves a 5 star rating but the material he was working with was mediocre at best.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The City of Mirrors?

The entire Fanning back story contributed nothing to the plot and seemed odd as if it were just filler.

Any additional comments?

It will be a miracle if Justin Cronin doesn't manage to estrange, what I have to believe, is a cult like following. Alas I'm just so relieved to be moving onto greener pastures.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

An infuriating mix of unbearable and inspired

If you've read the first two books, you have to read this one. But, this is by far the weakest in the series. Any of the "Zero" dialogue is a competition to find out what I would hate more; the loathsome writing of the character or the utterly unbearable narration of the character. And this is really sad because the narration and writing of Zero's backstory is fantastic. The rest of the book was great. But I had to skip over the droning, sickening voice of the narrator who seemed to relish being the voice of the biggest most obvious and predictable douche you'll ever meet in real life or in fiction. I really can't say enough about how much I hated these portions of the book. It was so bad that I am not sure I can stand the thoughts of any more performances by this narrator.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Love Bites; Love Bleeds

“Passion. It lies in all of us. Sleeping... waiting... and though unwanted, unbidden, it will stir... open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us... guides us. Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... the clarity of hatred... the ecstasy of grief." Josh Whedon

My goal?..."To make the world a wasteland; to bring upon it the mirrored image of my wretched self; to punish my friend, my enemy, who believed he could save a world that was not savable, that never deserved saving in the first place.” Timothy Fanning aka “Zero”

Cronin leaps ahead almost a century since the carnage that killed 11 of The Twelve virals, including Wolgast (who detonated the bomb) picking up with a prologue that recites a biblical-like document presented at the Third Global Conference of the North American Quarantine Period, dated 1003 A.V. (After Virus). It has been 98 years since the liberation from the *Redeyes" at Homeland. The settlements have become crowded and low on supplies--the “People had begun to openly talk about moving outside the wall.” Believing the age of the virals over after *the hundred years of darkness,* survivors/settlers have grown restless..."A continent stood for the taking” ...have they also become complacent?

To attempt a recap would be like trying to fill a swimming pool with a shot glass. To read this without the foundation formed in the two previous books of this trilogy would be pointless--like entering a play during the grand finale without the foundation or background. This is a lot to chew on and digest. My advice for those of you who can't even remember the names of relatives at a family reunion and don't want to re-tread through the nearly 1400 pages (63½ audible hours) of The Passage and The Twelve combined: go to: enterthepassage.com; or even better: The City of Mirrors on wikipedia -- for a list of characters. This complete list of characters and where they fit in the story may help you keep track; listed as *Before Virus Characters; First Colony Characters; The Twelve; The Haven Characters; Republic of Texas Characters; The Homeland.

Other reviewers have complained about the section where Fanning gives us the catalyst, or impetus, for the story. This portion, Fanning's opus *What I did For Love,* may have been my favorite (though it was narcissism in its grandest form). Hidden deep in the shadows, beneath the crumbling remnants of New York's Grand Central Terminal, Fanning tell his story of a forbidden love and the events that led up to his misguided trip into the jungles where the infected bats unleashed the virus. His love-sick and truly menacing tale is a look at the emotional psyche that has driven some of the greatest literature in history--lost love albeit on bat virus steroids. "The joy of love...the clarity of hatred...the ecstasy of grief." Scott Brick kept the story eerily tight with an emotionless voice that seemed to be in respect for the souls gone from the earth; a world scarred by extermination.

The biblical references--or faux Bible texts--are a reflection of the theology contained the book. In an interview, Cronin stated, "I came to believe that the world in this story was one where some aspects were not visible.… across the trilogy, what you will see is a kind of growing spirituality, where certain things are happening in what Amy calls the World Behind the World. [The Seattle Times, June 9, 2016] ...the ark explained; the Twelve *apostles of doom* Amy the savior, the twelve books, etc.

The City of Mirrors is a reflection of the tenacity of the human race. A sprawling and imaginative narrative that spans a millennium; with generations of powerfully drawn characters; a plot that is laser-focused...the final installment is storytelling at its best. Cronin captured his audience with a unique vampire apocalypse story that stood out from others in that genre with The Passage. With the conclusion to the trilogy, he shows us he not only had a good story, but that he is a literary writer with a vision and an understanding of the psychology and philosophy of what it is to be human. How it impacted me was really secondary to the whole accomplishment of the novel. It wraps things up but leaves a chilling thread dangling; (*Note: a missing thread tied in? a minor faux pas, but didn’t trip me up) I always found myself listening with a sense of wonder and a tension controlled by the author; the book has stayed with me since I finished-- almost beckoning me back, to devote those 92 hrs. to a re-read; and finally, with these novels Cronin seized from our language three words that will forever be his...”Come to me” – the disquieting connection to these words will be always be ours.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Ssssllllllooooowwww....

Cronin can write. There is no doubt about that. But, this book would have benefited from some additional editing. The pace is one slow train of depressing non-climactic events. This is not helped by the narrator's creeping monotone. I am glad I finished it. I adored the first and second books, which I read. Maybe choosing to listen to this one was not the right choice.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

ugh love conqueres all... yuck

after a great story, a huge build up, only to be smothered and lathered with Disneyland and heartfelt poetry for an ending. the last few parts of this book fall into a hole of love and God saves the day. total cop-out screw you cronin!

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

I wanted vampires, not college orgies

The first book in the trilogy was incredible. The second one was really good. The first half of this one sucks! Then the second half is OK. The ending is heartfelt. I got to give the author credit, his writing is beautiful. And the narrator did a fantastic job as usual. The only reason I dislike this book, is the backstory. It’s incredibly long, boring, and overly sexual.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Missed the mark

I was severely disappointed. Cronin set up an amazing story with books one and two and then it falls flat in City of Mirrors. In an effort to sound really profound he forgot to tell a good, coherent story. I had to force my way through it and wouldn't recommend it.

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