The Passage

A Novel (Book One of The Passage Trilogy)

By: Justin Cronin

Narrated by: Scott Brick

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.”

ONE OF PASTE’S BEST HORROR BOOKS OF THE DECADE • ONE OF TIME’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, Esquire, U.S. News & World Report, NPR/On Point, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, BookPage, 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

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

Critic reviews

“[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

“Cronin has given us what could be the best book of the summer. Don’t wait to dive into The Passage.”—USA Today

“Great storytelling . . . vital, tender, and compelling.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“Cronin gets it just right; the combination of attentive realism and doomsday stakes makes for a mesmerizing experience.”—Salon

“Magnificently unnerving . . . A The Stand-meets-The Road journey.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Imagine Michael Crichton crossbreeding Stephen King’s The Stand and Salem’s Lot in that lab on Jurassic Park, with rich infusions of Robert McCammon’s Swan Song, Battlestar Galactica and even Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.”—The Washington Post

Ruined Me...

Since listening to this trilogy I have yet to find another book to be as compelling. I decided to listen to The Passage because I ran out of books and while not my usually genre I was completely hooked. To say this trilogy was amazing is an understatement, and I believe it's because of the moral of the story which I won't reveal. So, as I continue to peruse book after book on audible's site for my next listen, this story continues to stay with me.

I couldn't stop ...

I couldn't stop listening to this book. I don't understand anyone who didn't find this book engrossing, thrilling, suspenseful, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking. Now I have to wait two more years for the sequel. Yes, there were some rough spots, but I think this book was all of five stars and if there were six, I'd give it another. Read it, you won't regret it.

not my cup of tea

I struggled to finish this. I generally go through and audiobook of this size in a week or less but with this book I found I difficult to listen to for too long without dozing off. it's an interesting premise and story but it drags on in several parts. Then there's the mystical/religious aspects that I'm not a fan of.

Meh

The beginning was fantastic, but deteriorated quickly after 4 hours or so. Narration was fine, it was the story that strayed.

just ok...

not horrible, and had potential, but was too long to keep me engaged with the story...I felt myself often wondering what was even going on.