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Author: Justin Cronin| Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy| Pages: 766
The Blurb:
First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear–of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.
As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. Wolgast is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors, but for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey–spanning miles and decades–toward the time an place where she must finish what should never have begun.
I’d read about how a writer wrote a book based on his 8-year old daughter’s request. A request that said the book must have – A girl who saves the world and vampires.
The writer is Justin Cronin, the girl – Iris (his daughter), and the book – The Passage.
The Passage is first book of The Passage trilogy. The book is divided into two parts. First part speaks at length about few main characters. Amy, a 6-year-old girl left stranded by her mother. Her mother who has committed a murder. Sister Lacey, Amy’s caretaker at the convent. Brad Wolgast, the officer who is rounding up death row inmates also a part of government’s secret experiment mission.
The second part is all about the post-apocalyptic period where the government experiment fails leading to the rise of vampires that Cronin conveniently names Flyers, Smokes, Virals, and Walkers. A group of people who fight their way to survival. This part of the book is bleedingly tiresome and hard to read another page.
It’s an 800-page mammoth and the more you delve deeper, the more you’re caught in it. To begin with, ‘The Passage’ is not just about walkers or virals, as it may seem. It is strongly centered around the dystopian tension that slowly dwindles into loosely packed chapters and ambiguous characters and so many at that that I can hardly remember their names.
It is the confusing blend of ideas and more so thoughts and ill-written dialogues that make The Passage a tedious read. Characters are too many and the weak portrayal of their personalities just adds to the burn. Neither is Amy’s story clearly defined. The overall plot and more so the ending subtly hints at the following sequel which less excites you after having endured the first book.
The first book didn’t leave much of an impact and I will take my time before I pursue the next book in the trilogy. But if you are someone who enjoys vampire tales and is excited by the effects of scientific experiments gone wrong, this book is for you.
You can buy your copy of ‘The Passage’ by clicking on this link.
Have you read ‘The Passage’? How did you like it? Share your thoughts in comments below.
Happy reading till we meet next.
Until then, carpe diem! 🙂
~~~~~
© Asha Seth
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Asha Seth 
A well-crafted review! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book.
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Thanks, Colin. I wish I had enjoyed the book as much. It’s a sad disappointment when you invest so much time on such heavy books and they fail to be of your liking.
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Haha yes, that’s regrettable. You invest the time and keep hoping it will get better but it ultimately proves an unsatisfying read. Hopefully, the next one you read will yield more for you.
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In the beginning, the novel engrossed me. By the end, I was all like just be done already!
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I feel you. I wasn’t kicked about pursuing the series post this first disappointment.
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As soon as you mentioned vampires I knew I couldn’t be bothered to read this book, there are few truly interesting vampire stories. Stephen King’s The Stand, a brick of a book about the survivors in the aftermath of a pandemic is a good read if you fancy something along similar lines but with no vampires.
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I think Ill pass vamps and the like for good. I aint much intrigued or driven by such tales but the premise of this one felt rather interesting at the start. Ran into a dull monotonous narration toward the middle after which I was just not into it at all. I Like King and I’d certainly read anything he’s written but vampires I’ll surely skip happily. The only vampire story I red and loved was Stoker’s. The Twilight Saga by Meyer too was such an epic disaster. God, I hated those books.
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