The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin

     It's so funny; when I found the first book in this series, I'd not heard of Justin Cronin nor The Passage Trilogy.  I actually got the book from Dollar Tree (everybody knows Dollar Tree!)  So with my book that cost me one buck, I happened to see, about three weeks later, that there was a third book being released.  I was panicked- I had a book that belonged in a series and I didn't know the title of book two! So I set out and purchased book two (Cost me $20!) and signed up to possibly win book three.  Well guess what...        I lucked out and ended up with all three, paying a whopping $22 for three huge novels, and let me tell you: They're amazing.  Justin Cronin is amazing.  You should have these books in your library!

​     All three of these books are one enormous story that spans well over a millennia.  The world has fallen and its only hope to carry on any semblance of humanity stems from a single girl.  Amy Harper Bellafonte.  In The Passage, an FBI agent and his partner are called to pick up a girl for a special, government project, along with other malefactors.  She doesn't belong, she doesn't fit but she and Agent Brad Walgast form a bond that causes him to go against the grain and hide her away.  And it's good that he does!  There's a viral infection that sweeps the nation, killing over 7 billion people.  

     Anyone who comes into contact with Amy seems to benefit from her special gifts, and she is very special.  But with all the good Amy unusually shares, the world can not be saved.  Those infected change.  They become something horrific and they eat people.  Before you know it, civilization, as we know it is gone.  But there are survivors...  

     Book 2: The Twelve,  has an epic beginning, sounding off the previous book's events like the Book of Genesis.  It then dove into filler stories that told you what happened with folks in The Time Before.  You find out the details on Deputy Director Horace Guilder- Walgast's boss.  You even find out what happened to Lila, Walgast's wife.  There are a ton of new folks to add to the list, including Zero's familiar, Grey ( the pedophile).  Anyway, the story gives great backstories and tidbits here and there.  The story, for me, is epic, though very dark and saddening.  There's nothing but suffering, torture and death throughout the book.  Gory and sickening too; it was all right up my alley when it comes to such a tale!

     In the final telling: The City of Mirrors, Cronin takes us back a bit, to the making of Zero and why.  At first, I was bored out of my wits with the story, but I finally understood.  In the final edition to The Passage, you receive an ending worthy of a trilogy.  I found myself so saddened by many of the events, again, but it was all necessary.  The best part, no SPOILERS- don't worry, was that everyone was recognized.  There was a peace in the ending that left me satisfied at using 93 hours of listening time.
 
​     Epic is not the word for this series, but it will do.  Though lengthy and filled with stories that offer more than backstory, I was left happy and willing to seek out more Cronin stories.  I'm off to the next read!