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Feb 09, 2011

Newengland rated it:

THE PASSAGE is a lot like the month of March. It comes in like a vampire thriller and goes out like a batty soap opera. And it's big! Spreading its bat wings, it measures in at 766 pages (or at least the ARC version does). TWILIGHT this ain’t, and regular vampire fare it isn’t either. It’s a hodgepodge of Bram Stoker, Tom Clancy, Stephen King, and John Steinbeck: one if by vampires, two if by military games, three if by bloodbath, and four if by brotherly melodrama.

Overall I lik More...

34 comments like (188 people liked it)

Jul 08, 2010

Ellen rated it:

Later, Keith Olbermann’s words, “WORST PERSON IN THE WO-O-R-R-L-L-D!!!” would echo in my head.

The other morning, my daughter called, crying, and said, “I just did something terrible.”

I froze. As a parent, these words could mean anything. I waited.

“I hit a car. I was trying to move over because the street was narrow. I hit someone’s mirror. I panicked. I just took off. I’m late for work already. They’ll fire me if I’m late. I know I damaged the mirror. I More...

56 comments like (192 people liked it)

Jul 31, 2010

Mark rated it:

Thank you, GoodReads for this Advance Reader's Edition. So hard to rate. Act I is simply superb - brilliantly written, suspenseful, beautiful, a full 5. Act II is cluttered, (too) many actors moving on and off stage, rarely doing anything of consequence while they are there. Act III is a combination screenplay, set-up for a sequel, exciting in a dystopian, end-of-days sort of way, (with a ray or two of hope).

15 comments like (44 people liked it)

Sep 03, 2011

Garet rated it:

Oh, The Passage. You promised me such wonderful things with your sparkly cover, your titillating title (a passage to WHERE??), and your massive hype. Also your sizable heft, as you are a large, obese book, full of words and things. I figured if I didn't like you, I could use you to stone evil-doers in some town square somewhere. How could I turn you down?

Your promises, though, were only partially fulfilled. While I enjoyed stoning people in the village square with you, your cover was More...

9 comments like (34 people liked it)

Mar 11, 2011

Kemper rated it:

Good afternoon. This is Wolf Blitzer from CNN’s The Situation Room, the program that tries to make viewers think that you’re seeing the busy hub of television journalism instead of admitting that despite our high-tech looking set and satellite feeds, you’d probably learn more about what’s actually going on in the world by looking out your window.

We turn our focus now to growing rumors that the U.S. Army is conducting secret medical experiments on American soil. The bizarre claims More...

8 comments like (44 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2012

Kaia rated it:

Chapter One: Long sob story about poor, small town girl who gets herself knocked up at 19 by an abusive man. Woman eventually loses house, has to prostitute self out to keep a roof over her head and her daughter's. Eventually does something bad and has to strand daughter with a bunch of nuns. Verdict: Cliche, stereotypical, possibly a bit misogynistic. Also, wtf is up with the dialog?

Chapter Two: E-mails from doctor/scientist guy on secret mission for something involving vampires in More...

5 comments like (13 people liked it)

Nov 17, 2010

Eddie rated it:

This book, by far, was the biggest book I've read to date. And I stay away from really big books, usually, because I don't want to get to the end feeling dissatisfied. This big book left me feeling just that. The first 250 pages of this book were brilliant—left me wanting more—Initially. But, the rest of the 766 pages? Not so brilliant. By page 650, I wanted this way-too-long story to be over. I wanted to be taken off of life support and die. I had to convince myself to finish the last 100 page More...

14 comments like (43 people liked it)

Jun 12, 2011

mark rated it:

when i read horror, i'm usually looking for: (1) cheap thrills or (2) surreal and metaphysical weirdness or, best of all, (3) an epic full of dread and melancholy.

there is plenty of the first sort and so much of it is trash. but fun can be had with trashy things and i'm no snob. the second type can be a little more hard to find, but there's a lot to be had as well, if you look in the right places, especially the past. but the third kind, that's the hardest, i've only found a few. De More...

7 comments like (25 people liked it)

Aug 07, 2010

Will rated it:

The hype machine was working. With some terrific reviews, this was immediately one of THE BOOKS TO READ for summer 2010, a vampire tale not written by Stephanie Meyer, and not even promoted very much as vampiric. Maybe our capacity for reading vampire novels has clotted somewhat?

The world in question begins in 2022. Gas is $13 a gallon. Iranian jihadists have killed hundreds at the Mall of America. Jenna Bush is Texas guv (this is a horror story, after all). New Orleans, battered by More...

17 comments like (45 people liked it)

Jul 30, 2010

Chandra rated it:

It really doesn't surprise me that I didn't love this. It immediately reminded me of The Stand - which I have never been able to get through. It does surprise me that I actually got through the thing (800 freaking pages!!!) But a very dear, respected and highly intelligent friend gave this to me as a gift and so I felt super obligated to give it an honest try. There were a few bright spots and interesting moments through out - I like post-apocalyptic carnage as much as the next gal. But most More...

18 comments like (21 people liked it)

Jul 28, 2010

Annette2009 rated it:

A combination of King's The Stand, McCarthy's The Road, and the movie I Am Legend.

Very engrossing; the first third reads like sci-fi thriller, thoroughly setting up the scenarios of the plague that alters the world. I enjoyed the small details of the future world; no spoilers, but look for the name of the Texas governor and certain details about evacuation plans and state secessions.

Unlike others, I enjoyed the second third the best. I found the society and government e More...

14 comments like (31 people liked it)

Jul 02, 2010

Benjamin is currently reading it

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5 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jul 06, 2010

Robert rated it:

In this masterfully written tale, Justin Cronin takes us on a dark and harrowing journey to witness the death of one age and the birth of another. Epic in scope and yet profoundly personal, Cronin's work is full of depth, evil, heroism, and a surprisingly beautiful, if all-too-human, darkness.

I was immediately drawn in and captivated by the amazingly well-written prose. After a few days of finding myself called back to the book, as if by telepathic inducement, I completed this amazi More...

6 comments like (25 people liked it)

Jul 20, 2010

galleycat rated it:

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7 comments like (24 people liked it)

Jan 10, 2011

Kathy rated it:

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19 comments like (10 people liked it)

Jan 07, 2011

Joel rated it:

If you don't count audiobooks, this is one of the the longest books I have ever read. At first I thought that The Fountainhead was longer, but it only seemed that way because Ayn Rand is kind of a terrible writer and there aren't any parts where Dominique Francon is beset upon by a swarm of vampires (unfortunately).

Justin Cronin is not a terrible writer, in fact he's most often a very good writer, and this book has lots and lots of scenes with vampires. Lots and lots because it is s More...

10 comments like (23 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2010

Alex rated it:

This book got me to the important realization that zombies are just vampires gone retarded.

9 comments like (23 people liked it)

Mar 09, 2011

Katie rated it:

OK, long book, long review. That's the deal.

If you write a book that is over 750 pages long, then you sure as heck better deliver a whoppingly satisfying ending. What you should not do is write a book of that length that ends with nothing more than a set up for the sequel. To do that is arrogant and presumptuous. And it makes me hate you. More on that later.

The premise is not unfamiliar: secret military experiment goes awry, super virus spreads everywhere, most peopl More...

7 comments like (14 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2011

Corina rated it:

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0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Apr 12, 2011

Erin rated it:

This book is Cormack McCarthy's THE ROAD meets Michael Crichton, laid out in almost, at times, lyrical prose evocative of John Irving and other great, decidedly-literary writers. It is a story about government-engineered vampires, yes, but it is so much more -- a story about humanity and what it means to be human, a story about how tentative and precipitous humanity's position in the world is. It is an ambitious, giant undertaking -- telling the story of the world and it's downfall, even in the More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Sep 02, 2011

Jammies rated it:

This book does a great job of reclaiming vampires as evil, scary, formerly human beings rather than the romantic ravishers they seem to have become. Somehow, Mr. Cronin managed to combine apocalyptic, dystopian, gubmint-conspiracy, questing, horror, sci-fi and a little bit of humor into a book that had me looking away from the page in an effort to stop bad things from happening to characters I like and yet sad when I reached the end and a little bummed that I have to wait another year for the n More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 02, 2011

Bonnie rated it:

This was such an amazing novel. Sure it was insanely long and sometimes could be so intense that you just had to give yourself a break even though you felt you just couldn't stop no matter what... but was well worth it.

This is a novel about vampires, although you'd never guess it. Bottom line? It is nothing like anything out there today and is the most original story I have read in a long time. The details of all the storylines and the depth shown in all of the chracters... I am so gla More...

9 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 31, 2012

Chantal rated it:

In the beginning of this story, we are presented with a cast of characters who all end up tied into a military experiment with a virus that has healing and strength properties, if you survive it, but also leaves its target with vampiric-like traits: a thirst for blood, a sensitivity to daylight, mind-control, something akin to flight and a “sweet spot” in the chest where the individually can be staked. The characters are a diverse lot. We have Amy, a child who has a strange effect on animals, More...

10 comments like (8 people liked it)

Sep 08, 2010

Brandon rated it:

I take in book related podcasts, spend a lot of time on GoodReads.com and browse the web for upcoming releases that are setting the book industry ON FIRE. Therefore, I'm bound to be sucked into the hype machine that can surround some big releases. This year, I took in the first Stieg Larsson book, The Girl With The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and loved it; the hype was worth it. I thought to myself, "Hey, maybe hype isn't all that bad." I haven't read nearly enough books to conside More...

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Sep 02, 2011

Misha rated it:

*4.5 Stars*

The Passage was like an exciting, heart-pounding ride. It started off great! Somewhere in the middle, it got a tiny bit boring and seemed to go nowhere. Then when a character I loved died, I was pretty sure I was going to hate it from then on. However, the opposite happened. The plot seemed to suddenly get even more compelling, as I got more involved into the almost scarily believable world that the author has created. The Passage is the only apocalyptic novel I have read More...

7 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 07, 2011

Lance rated it:

Don't be deceived by my three star rating. I enjoyed this book. However, it is nothing new. I think that this book, and many others, are a direct result of an over-saturation of both post apocalyptic and especially vampire books in the media right now. But, since I enjoy such books for the most part, I'll claim this book as a goodread.
The book begins in a not-so-distant-future kinda atmosphere and then abruptly shoots about 100 years further into our world to be. Although More...

6 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 26, 2010

Shellie (Layers of Thought) rated it:

4.5 stars actually

The original copy of this review with additional links is posted at Layers of Thought, including a link to an interview on NPR.

Tired of vampires? Well not so fast. This is a different kind of vampire (no sparkles here.) These are termed “Virals” and they are very scary.

Synopsis: In the recess of the Amazonian mountains a virus is discovered which scientists believe may extend human life, as well as some other physically enhan More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 16, 2012

Debra rated it:

Stephen King recommended book. He called The Passage "enthralling", and said that "It has the vividness that only epic works of fantasy and imagination can achieve." He also said: "Read this an the ordinary world disappears."

More from King: "You've heard about this ripping (literally) yarn; summer's the perfect time to read it. Zombie vampires called ''virals'' overwhelm the world, and mankind's only hope rests with an immortal little girl from Iowa More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 02, 2011

Christopher rated it:

I have been waiting to read this since it was first released a few months ago. I loved every page of this sophisticated 'beach read.' It is a real 'stem-winder' from start to finish. This is a post-apocalyptic novel in the vein of Stephen King's masterpiece, The Stand, and might even be a notch better. Be aware that this is the first book of a planned two part series. The ending of the first book is still quite satisfying and leaves one with a real desire to read the next installment. Cron More...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 15, 2011

Valerie rated it:

Think Stephen King's "The Stand," mixed with Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan's "The Strain," and throw in the character Alice from "Resident Evil" - that's this book.

A tale of the apocalypse, wrought by human greed - Project NOAH was supposed to create super soldiers, but instead, created the end of the world as we know it. Only one hope remains - a young girl named Amy, the final test subject of Project NOAH. As Amy and her savior flee to the mountains More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)