From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever…

The Passage (The Passage, #1)

Justin Cronin

Discussion: AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

Why we're reading this: Want to see if anyone else thought it was as long winded and self important as I did
[close] Want to see if anyone else thought it was as long winded and self important as I did

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AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

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What Members Thought

May 17, 2011 🥀 Rose 🥀 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: vampire, dystopian-speculative-fiction, apocalypse

In one word "Vampacalypse". This story is many stories upon stories upon layers and layers. There are so many facets to this book I hardly know where to begin.

The first part of this book deals with the world as we know it today. A group of scientists embark on a journey for cures/immortatlity in the jungles, with good intentions, however end up combining their efforts with the military with all but good intentions. One side wants to cure death and the other wants to create super soldiers and wha In one word "Vampacalypse". This story is many stories upon stories upon layers and layers. There are so many facets to this book I hardly know where to begin.

The first part of this book deals with the world as we know it today. A group of scientists embark on a journey for cures/immortatlity in the jungles, with good intentions, however end up combining their efforts with the military with all but good intentions. One side wants to cure death and the other wants to create super soldiers and what do you get, total human annhiliation. Yep, in a nutshell. Without going into too much "giveaway" details, it centers around the military using human experiments in the way of death row inmates as guinea pigs and one 6 year old girl. When all comes crashing down and the inmates escapes, the world as we know it falls.

The next part of the book deals with the world 100 years later and what it looks like, how small populations have survived, especially focusing on one in particular. The virals, jumps or dracs as the infected are known are immortal as well as the little girl who was experimented on. The original 12 that escaped, either killed or created more virals by infecting them with bites. However, Amy, the girl, is not a viral but has been infected with a more perfected dose of the virus via the experiment. When our band of rebels from one of the colonies decides to venture out and find out where Amy came from and wanting to find answers to the world and how it became what it is, they meet many interesting people along the way and learn very important things regarding the virals to help them win the world back. Be warned, this is book one of a trilogy so there are no solutions one you have finished this behemouth of a book (747 pages!)

I found the story unpredictable in it's telling with all sorts of details and layers within the story. I loved how the stories of vampires had a nugget of truth to them and it's explained nicely in this novel. Justin Cronin has a lovely, easy and comfortable way of writing which lets you just fall into the world he has created and allows you to love the people that live there. I look forward to the next installment of the Passage which should be out Summer 2012. Highly recommend. ...more

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Jul 22, 2010 Christy rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction-and-fantasy, horror, vampires, 21st-century-american-lit

This is somewhere between three and four stars for me. It is definitely worth four stars for the first 250 pages, which were compelling and gripping and had me racing through them at a bar while I waited for friends. The rest of the book is not bad but somehow lacks that sense of urgency--even though that's the post-monster-escape part and one would think that the constant threat of being killed by virals (aka lab-created vampires) would lend a sense of urgency. I found myself skimming bits of i ...more

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Oct 15, 2016 Alice rated it really liked it

Shelves: scifi-apocalyptic-fantasy, 2016

Amazingly epic and a real page-turner, as they say. I am pretty sure I read this 700+ page book in half the time than the 200 page book I read before hand.

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Mar 01, 2011 Deana rated it it was ok

i think it got away from him

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Aug 31, 2010 Stephanie Dalphin rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-read-in-2010

I really wanted to like this book but instead I found myself forcing myself to read it. What a huge disappointment. I Love post-apocalyptic/dystopian literature and until now I had never found a book in this genre I didn't like. Admittedly, when I started this book I did not realize that it was the first of a 3 book series which might explain plot lines that were started and never came to any sort of resolution and the ending that just sort of fizzles out, but still I think that especially the f ...more

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Nov 09, 2010 Joanna rated it liked it

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, sci-fi

I'm torn between giving this 3 or 4 stars. On the one hand, awesome story, great "world building" (and I put this in quotes because it technically takes place the present and in a future post-apocalyptic US). I also liked how he built up the story, brick by brick until it all comes together.

Dislikes, the pacing was PAINFUL. The character building felt tedious and I had to force myself to get through certain sections. Overly detailed to the point where I skimmed through parts. For such a rivetin ...more

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Dec 02, 2010 Julie rated it liked it

Shelves: speculative-fiction, literature

Despite it's somewhat cheesy concept (did he have to jump on the vampire bandwagon?) and a few too many parallels to the Stand, the story stayed with me and kept my interest. The dystopian world was interesting and I found myself invested in the characters. But it really didn't need to be this long (almost 800 pages) - a little editing wouldn't have hurt the story. And to write a book that is that long, but then not really end it, but set yourself up for a sequel?! Come on! That being said, I wi ...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Jessi rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, fiction

I'd like to give this book 3.75 stars, but goodreads only allows whole number ratings so I'm being a little generous with 4 stars. It was good and I really enjoyed it. Cronin is obviously a clever guy, but I didn't think the novel needed to be quite that long. I like how certain people/places/events tied together throughout the story. And I like the characteristics of the virals.

I was skeptical when I first learned about this book and its massive popularity right now, but I wanted to see what al ...more

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Nov 16, 2010 Linnea rated it really liked it

Loved this book. It's one of those books that suck you in and you can't put it down until you finish it. ...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Vicky rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction-fantasy, audiobook, vampires, 2010, z_list__gr10_overall, z_list__gr10_hero, reviewed

Very hard to rate. The beginning was fantastic. Interesting characters that I felt invested in quickly, government conspiracies, and a real page turner The middle was so-so. Too many entirely new characters to keep track of and no real investment in any of them for far too long. The end picked up again, only to end with a cliffhanger-- I hadn't realized this was the first in a trilogy when I started.

If I were able to rate each part separately, the first third would get a 5, the middle a 1.5, an ...more

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