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The Passage
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Cronin Justin - The Passage- Start Date June 12th
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OK, trying to catch up with y'all....Questions and Comments for Chapters 4 - 7
Wow! A lot happening in this section...
8) Amy can talk to the animals. Just imagine it, talking to a bird or chimpanzee.... Oops! Sorry that silly song--If I Could Talk to the Animals--entered my head from when I was little and I got carried away. Did this remind you a little of Harry Potter with the snake? What exactly is Amy??? I thought the experiment would come into play with her but is she not a normal human? Was her mother or father like her? The whole episode sets off a bunch of questions in my head. Plus, did you notice that when Amy went into Sister Lacey's room it was said she was "glowing like a coal" and "giving off waves of heat"? Is the glowing like that of the glow lights/vamp experiments or do you think it was an exaggeration? Also, how did Sykes know about Amy?
I never really understood how Amy could converse with the animals, or "what" she is. I think Sykes heard about Amy thru intelligence channels. The government was looking for individuals with no connections (i.e. no one would miss them).
9) While taking prisoners from death row set off bells in my head, taking Amy from the convent leaves no question in my mind that what they're doing is illegal.
Yeah, it's pretty disturbing.
10) I'm starting to wonder if maybe Carter didn't kill the woman. Perhaps it was an accident and they blamed Carter for it because they couldn't accept it was an accident? Anyone else wondering the same thing?
At this point, I did believe Carter killed the woman but that it was likely accidental.
11) So even the caretakers can get sick? I wonder how with them being so careful? This could be a case where people truly do go bat sh*t crazy by being part of the cleaning crew. Scary thought. It makes me wonder how contagious this disease/virus is? I had a friend who was a nurse who contracted a disease which when passed to a fetus caused birth defects and she was pregnant. They'd known she was pregnant, known the patient had the disease, and told her she had to treat the patient or be fired. They suited her up and she still passed it to her unborn child. Very sad.
Wow, that is a sad story. Was she able to take legal action?
It's interesting that the workers are also people who wouldn't be missed terribly by society.
12) What did you think of Grey's story about his trip to the test site? I think I'd be shaking in my boots knowing I almost got shot because I had to make a pit stop. Do you think the caretakers are being experimented on and they put them to use working until the side effects kicks in? Grey's back story was rather troubling. I have no sympathy for the man, but wish the author didn't have to give such detailed accounts about everyone.
I wasn't sure if they were being experimented on, but I was pretty sure they were expendable if something did go wrong.
13) So do I have this right? Is Zero actually an individual named Fanning who was once a friend of Lear's? Could he be the Tim from the emails? The one who seemed to be getting better? That would make the lead scientist of the experiments Jonas Lear, the man who wrote the emails? How did he go from there to doing experiments? I'd think Zero's condition would scare the you know what out of people. *shudder*
Zero wasn't Fahning, but this section was pretty darn creepy, and I liked how the author gave us a little info at a time.
14)I am so not liking Richards. Any comments on the man? He seems like a cold blooded killer to me. I don't think I'd want to be friends with him either.
He's the right person for that particular job, that's for sure.
15) What about those creepy dreams with the voice? Isn't that what the escapee caretakers were talking about when Richards shot them? What's up with that?
The virals getting into the caretakers' heads.
16) What do you think of the author's writing style? Sometimes I feel he jumps around too much in chapters. What do you think?
I actually liked it. I thought it kept me on my toes.
17) So I'm assuming that when they are referring to Amy as Amy NLN, the NLN = No Last Name? I was listening to the audio and I don't believe they explained the initials and that's what I came up with.
18) I have to comment on this because it seems to be a recurring theme with male authors--why do they always have to talk about urinating? Anyone else notice this? I rarely read books by males, no deliberate attempt to avoid them or anything, but I think with one or two exceptions they always include a scene or two centered around this. Out of curiosity, guys, when you read books by female authors, is there anything you notice that makes you think without looking that it was written by a female?
Said this before, I never thought about it but now I will always look for it! LOL
Questions and Comments for Chapters 8 - 1119) So it looks like Amy will end up part of the experiments after all. Were you surprised at the lengths Richards would go to to eliminate any trace of who they were? Will it be enough? Do you think he's acting on orders or is a loose cannon?
I didn't think he came up with this idea himself.
20) So here is one of my crazy thoughts (and if you've ever buddy read with me you know I occasionally do this--sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong)-- What if Bill Reynolds, Amy's dad, was one of the guys who worked at the government testing facility like Walgast. I just can't figure out how they would know about Amy unless someone was tracking her or they had a cop in their pocket in Memphis or they listened to a police channels. Her father fits their salesman MO and my mind keeps drifting to his ruffled exterior. What if his genetics passed something on to her and he was a carrier of the virus but immune to it? Like I said a wild thought.
Excellent theory!!! I had never thougth of that, but it would explain a lot.
21) The carnival scene reinforced my like of Walgast. I think he definitely wants to substitute Amy for Eva.
Yeah, he definitely feels protective of her and reminiscent of his daughter (luckily for Amy!)
22) Paulson is very unlikeable. Do you think everyone or almost everyone in the facility eventually gets those dreams or just those infected? It almost sounded like Paulson got them too or did he hear a rumor?
23) So now we know for sure, Carter was innocent and he'd rather die than tell anyone that Rachel killed herself.
I thought this was so sad. He loved that woman and her child so much. Rachel was a very troubled lady, but I honestly don't think she would have wanted Carter to take the rap for her death.
24) So are you surprised Sister Lacey left? Did she go after Amy? Were you surprised she realized how Walgast felt about Amy? Did you think it unreasonable for everyone to judge her (Lacey) because of something that happened to her in her past?
I thought she felt responsible for Amy and that she did go after her.
Questions and Comments for Chapters 12 - 17Please bear with me. I hope I don't reveal any spoilers because I already read today's section and didn't expect to write yesterday's questions.
25) Without getting too in-depth into religion, what do you think of the religious element in the book? Do you like the voice that guides Sister Lacey? I once went to a retreat with my church group and they had some phenomenal speakers and one told a tale about how she was (I believe) in the hospital and a voice in her head told her to get off the elevator and hide. She did and found out later if she'd gone to the floor she was supposed to she'd probably have ended up dead because there was a crazy man loose shooting people and that's the floor he ended up on. I can't remember all the details, but it was a really scary story and that is what Lacey's story reminded me of so I really like how the author did that. I wonder if he heard the same story?
I think Sister Lacey believes she hears the voice of God which guides her and keeps her safe. I like hearing those types of stories. Regardless of personal beliefs, I think we all have a sixth sense of sorts.
26) Wow! So even the nuns weren't spared by Richards. At this point I'd think the witnesses were far too many to really contain this.
I was very surprised that they took out the nuns.
Very sad.
27) It sounds as though when the second phase of the project, Jump Start, was to start by transferring Zero and the twelve to White Sands? Transportation to anywhere sounds crazy and risky, but it never came to that. I wonder what the second phase to the testing entailed? It also sounded like the majority of people who worked on the project would have been killed.
I think transport would have been suicidal (but then again all aspects of the experiment are suicideal). Yep, they were going to kill of the workers, another reason these were people who weren't find upstanding members of society.
28) So it sounded like someone took control of Grey's mind and he lost portions of his day. Do you think that is what happened when he entered Zero's containment unit? It sounded like he wasn't the only one to do this. It almost sounded like each of the twelve had someone who let them out as well. That's kind of scary. I wonder what other unusual powers these guys have?
I guess now we know.
29) Were you surprised that Wolgast refused the suit? After all they said the virus might still be viable.
I think it was surprising. Why not protect yourself? Then again, maybe he didn't feel he had a reason to live anyway.
30) So we finally meet Lear. What was he babbling about? "Once I saw, once I knew what they were planning, how it would all end. I wanted there to be at least one." and "Keep her close. She's everything."??? I'm guessing it had something to do with Amy? If so why create 12 more of the vampire people? Is anyone else confused?
Yes, I was confused.
31) Does anyone else see a lot of religious similarities in this book? There were 12 disciples. Is Zero supposed to be the antichrist or something? Plus, on the third day, he (Christ) rose again..."On the third day, he told her a story" and Amy rose from her bed???? Is it just me or is there something to this?
I'm sure there are intentional religious overtones, with Amy as the "savior."
32) Doyle was a surprise. I didn't see that coming.
33) The Year of Zero? *shudder* Is Zero in control of the others? Too bad we don't see a little into the dynamics of this group of vamps. I wonder if there is any order to them like a pack? The Chicago Falls newspaper article seems to suggest there is.
34) So they ended up in Oregon and Amy has stopped growing. I wonder why she's different from Zero and the rest? It seemed Lear and his group weren't concerned that Wolgast would turn into a tasty snack. Why is that? What don't we know? I feel we're missing a crucial piece of information.
I think they kept modifying the virus, and that Amy got the last (and best?) iteration.
35) What do you make of the quick spread of the virus? It sounds like many of those infected are becoming vampires. I'm a little surprised by this. I thought in its purest form the virus mainly killed, but if Fanning survived, maybe not? Could their alterations made it less fatal?
I thought the alterations definitely changed the effects of the virus.
36) How'd you like the spin the government put on the virus? That it was terrorist related?
Typical of the government, and interesting given the current NSA whistleblower scandal.
37) What do you make of Amy seemingly be connected to everything and knows what is going on in the world to some extent? Do you think she connected to and there fore knows what Zero and his motley crew are doing or is it something more?
Another religious analogy?
38) So it sounds like Wolgast died. I'm surprised Amy left him. Did anyone else think that odd? I wonder if she thought he was already dead
I thought there was nothing she could do to save him. Wasn't he suffering from radiation exposure?
Questions and Comments for Chapters 18 - 2139) So we are now looking at a time period called AV which I would assume stands for After Virus? We've got vamps called jumps and a train leaving the East coast for the west. What a scary trip for a little girl and to think she almost didn't make it. They started out with an enormous amount of cars and only three made it? Crazy and sad. It reminded me of what they did in England during WWII, I believe it was operation Pied Piper, where civilians, particularly children were evacuated from known bomb zones to safer areas.
The first time I read this, I remember being very disappointed in this abrupt time jump. I was so in to Amy, Wolgast etc. and was so upset that their story was (seemingly) done! In fact, I put the book down for a long time before I started back up. Eventually I came to enjoy Part II, however.
Yes,it was very reminiscent of WWII, and I agree so scary for the children.
40) So 92 years after the Great Viral Cataclysm we get a view of what is happening and things don't look so good. Jumps (vamps) are still around and the population has dwindled. We have no clue what has happened outside the US and the colony has cut off all radio ties. What do you think of the society that they've created? What do you think of their way of life?
I thought they were doing the best they could considering the circumstances. I tried to picture myself in such a scenario. The difference would be most of these people had no clue what life was like before.
41) So power will give out somewhere in the near future, possibly the next 2 years. That's scary, but if no manufacturing plants are operating understandable. Do you think Michael should tell someone so they could prepare or is there no way to prepare?
I thought he should tell someone becuase they did have the resources to fix the problem (although it would take effort and danger to find the resources).
42) In this section, what caught your attention most? Can you imagine spending the first 8 years of your life inside? That just doesn't seem healthy.
Their way of life was so simple...basically just survival. How sad for them. Also, how would you make the choice to have a child knowing their chance of survival was less than optimal??
43) What do you think of Peter? It sounds like he will have a major role to play. Hopefully, Amy will show up soon. We know the answers to both of these issues!
Questions and Comments for Ch 22-2544. Why didn’t they go after Caleb? Was Zander somehow protecting him in order to get to the people he knew would be coming to visit? I want to know why the ‘smokes’ don’t seem to remember who they were until right before they are killed.
I don't remember the details of this scene.
45. Do you think it is the right decision not to bring the guns back to the Colony? Do you agree with Theo that it might cause more harm than good? It seems to me that guns are just too slow to deal with the ‘smokes’ and to be effective at killing them, you have be close enough to use a knife.
I thought that the guns should have been brought to the colony and everyone given safety training. Why couldn't they shoot the virals at close range?
Again, we have a current hot topic...gun control!
46. Why doesn’t the girl remember who she is or the names of the people she stayed with? Is she one of the creatures herself since they don’t seem to attack her? She is the opposite of them in that she wants to protect people not attack and eat them. I think it has to do with the fact that she got a virus changed from the experiment, not directly from those infected with it.
She had the "best" form of the virus.
47. Was anyone else as surprised as I was that Amy seems to have a little control over the creatures? They flock to her and do not harm her and try to do what she says, but their instincts override her wishes.
It wasn't that surprising, given the earlier zoo scene. If she could control them we wouldn't have much of a book.
48. I think there is a conspiracy going on in the Household. Peter’s feeling that there is something going on that he doesn’t know about is true. Just what was explained to Dana to get her to take the family spot in the Household when she wouldn’t before?
Can't remember this scene.
49. It is creepy that people are sleepwalking and waking up not knowing what they have done. This is the same thing that was happening to sweeps back in the experiment. Do you think the creatures are strong and/or close enough to alter their minds now and not just attack them?
I agree...very creepy that the smokes have mind control. No one is safe!
50. What about Auntie’s predictions? How did she know that the girl was coming and that Peter already knew about her? We got that brief glimpse of her journal earlier, but where exactly does she fit into this story?
Is Auntie the little girl on the train?
I have no idea how she knew about the girl, unless somehow Amy was sending her messages.
Questions and Comments for Chapters 27 - 3551) So for almost a hundred years Amy has been roaming mostly alone. She's forgotten her name and how to speak. She seems to care for the virals but more so for people. Over the past 92 years she seems to have aged a little and now looks to be between 13 and 16 years of age. That goes with the VSA (very slow aging) theory which was first presented. She followed Peter home. I wonder how she is the solution? Who or what is the voice asking Amy to bring the humans to him? With the radio device removed will anything change?
We now know the voice is Lear.
52) I'm a little confused about all the terms being slung around. We have First Night, Dark Night, and maybe one or two more. I wish things were explained a little better. First Night sounded like a holiday while Dark Night was perhaps a term for people who died from virals? Is this what everyone else thought? And why all the different names for the vampires? It's confusing. We've got Glow Sticks, Jumps, Smokes, and Virals. Please tell me the author is done and isn't attempting to make it to 12 different names? Gah!
The different names for virals didn't really bug me.
What I did find irritating was how the author would tell you the end result of something (i.e. "everyone died that dark night") and then go back and give the details. I found that annoying and he did it quite a bit.
53) Do you think the new virals are different? Peter kept wondering when did the virals start doing "this" and "that"? Does Amy herself carry a strain of the virus and if so, how will it affect other people? Could she just be a carrier?
I think they are evolving. Amy was injected, wasn't she? So she does have a strain which explains why she's still around and why she only looks 16 and how she can communicate with the virals. (however, maybe she got it from her father according to Lisarenee's theory and wasn't actually injected by the government suits)
Hmmmmmmm
54) Anyone curious about what Michael will find in the chip? I'd actually forgotten about it.
Definitely curious, and impressed that Michael knows how to extract the information.
55) What is with Sanjay? It sounds like he's infected. Has he really been hearing the voice for years or only a short while? I'm a little confused by the statement, "Sanjay Patal, Head of Household, might have said that it had all started years ago. It had started with the dreams." Can the virus lie dormant that long or is it altering his memory?
Maybe the virus takes a long time to work its magic.
56) Do you think they'll be able to stop Sam from putting Caleb out? It sounds like Caleb is still pretty young.
I can't believe they would do that. Seems very harsh given the extenuating circumstances surrounding his "crime."
57) Anyone else think Alicia's demotion was a bad move? Yep
58) We've heard via Amy from all the 12, but is anyone else curious about what happened to Zero?
59) Do you think people underestimate Peter because of his size? It sounds like he's pretty good at dodging and fighting yet he's been passed up many times for those who are bigger and stronger. I felt it a bit ironic that it was Theo who ended up freezing.
I do think he's been underestimated, but that's typically the way it is with the hero.
60) Wouldn't you think with two people getting infected while at the power plant that there should be some major cleaning going on to ensure the virus doesn't spread? I'm guessing Galen will be the next to either be killed or changed.
62) Why do you think Alicia, Sara, Michael, Peter, etc are trying to keep Amy's miraculous healing a secret?
If the colonists suspect she is somehow different, they will want to kill her or exile her.
63) Any predictions for the next section? I haven't a clue, but can't wait to find out what happens next.
Questions and Comments for Chapters 35 - 4264) So a lot of killing going on. First Sanjay, as I think we all pretty much figured, appears to have gone viral. What was surprising to me is the man went home and acted like seemingly nothing out of the ordinary happened. Is that weird or what? I thought He'd totally morph. I guess the process takes a little longer than I thought?
This was interesting. I wondered if he was aware he was changing and was just acting normal so he could launch a surprise attack.
65) Michael figures out how old Amy is and that a signal is coming from Colorado where the outbreak began. Do you think anyone is there? Do you think it is the voice of someone from there that Amy heard in her head telling her to take everyone to them? Would you go to Colorado? If nothing else, they may find a power source.
This reminded me of the TV show Lost when the castaways heard the repeated broadcast in French. So, I thought the voice from CO was a recorded message.
I would probably want to go to CO, but the danger would be way too great to consider that trip.
66) So Galen did know about Theo and his wife. Kind of sad. It sounds like he really loved her. Do you think he's a goner or will he survive the attack?
Sad, yes, but I was also a little angry at Maus for marrying someone else when she loved Theo. It was almost certain that Galen would die.
67) So Auntie is Ida, the little girl from Chapter 18. I like the contrast between her and Amy. I think they may be approximately the same age and I was surprised she was still alive too. Too bad she and Amy didn't meet. I think that could have been fun.
Yeah, that would have been a good friendship, at least until Auntie started to age while Amy stayed 6!
68) So we have a crew heading for Colorado. I feel so bad for all those left behind. The people seem to have lost their minds and I worry about the children. I was sad to hear about Elton and the rest. I thought they'd take Elton with them.
I feel bad for everyone. You just know many people are going to die, one way or another.
69) So were you surprised Sanjay would turn on Amy? I figured if the Virals would respond to her surely the newly or those in the process of becoming full fledged virals would too.
I thought he turned on her b/c he was threatened by her presence.
70)Was there anything else that struck you about this section that I didn't mention. (I'm still pretty sick so I had to read things a couple of times to make sure I understood what I was reading. I hate head colds)
Questions and Comments for Chapters 43 - 49This was the craziest section so far. I don't know what is going on. lol
71) So, the group makes it to a military base. It was well stocked and I kept thinking they should have moved the colony to it. It sounded pretty secure. I wonder if these vampire like creatures have sensitive hearing and these bases give off some sort sound wave they don't like? I was surprised Peter's father and uncle hadn't raided the place better in one of their trips. It seemed odd to me.
I wondered if there was some type of nuclear presence that was keeping the virals away. It was surprising no one else had found that place, but the logistics of moving everyone would have been very difficult.
72) So they get two Hummers up and running and head to Las Vegas. I can't help but wonder what these things (Virals) are surviving on?
Rabbits? Mice?
73) The whole Vegas attack seemed odd especially since Sara was found alive and unharmed. Who are the people who rescued them and what is going on with Michael? Why was he so sick?
We now have the answers to this.
74) What is the Ring? It doesn't have a pleasant ring to it.
75) Why are there no boys and why aren't there many children?
76) The whole scene with Mira was kind of creepy. Is this some kind of olden day biblical type family? Like back when one guy would have several wives?
I thought it was creepy, too. They were very eager to breed more children.
77) Did Alicia see who she thought she did?
Yes?
Questions and Comments for Chapters 50 - 57 Let me just say this section was a bit hard to take in. There was a lot going on and a lot being explained and it all came at us in rapid succession. Let's see if what I think happened is what you think.
78) So some of our questions get answered in this section, we now know Babcock is in Vegas and the ring is all about him. It almost sounds like he's having them treat him like a God. Is this another case of the 10th bunny? He allows so many humans, but some need to be used for food? Perhaps even to keep them in line?
It's surprising that he would allow any to survive, but his thought process is such that he's willing to negotiate.
79) The dream test is a little strange. Perhaps he doesn't want anyone to judge him poorly, therefore, anyone who does the same thing he did is considered worthy of his protection? What do you think?
I'm not sure about this. The whole situation is sad and scary.
80) It kind of sounds like the virals are part of a hive mind. Babcock controls them. They perhaps retreat into themselves, but are hidden deep down and have little, if any, control over themselves. I think that explains the "I am you, you are me" mentality?
So does each of the Twelve control his own hive?
81) Did the author have to kill off Caleb? I liked him. :(
Game of Thrones spoiler: (view spoiler)
It takes courage for an author to kill off a main character. I suppose it wasn't surprising. I also suppose it won't be the last death of a main character in this trilogy.
82) "He was familiar.(...)It means...you can be one of them without being one of them." Sounds like what Grey was at the beginning and Sanjay. Controlled but not changed. How do you figure out who is who? That's a scary concept. I wonder if you kill the source--Babcock if they revert back to themselves? Is it a bit like being possessed?
I still don't have the answers to this.
83) How do you think Amy knew what to do on the train?
84) So Amy can now speak. She's remembered how. I wonder if this will change anything?
I don't think it will change anything. She could already communicate telepathically.
85) Did you notice that the journal entries were proceeded with the words, "From the Journal of Sara Fisher ("The Book of Sara")" and 'presented at the Third Global Conference of the North American Quarantine Period'?
I found this fascinating, looking far into the future and seeing that scholars were studying the people whose stories we are now witnessing.
Going off track here a little, but it sounds a little like the naming of books in the bible. (Sorry but I'm seeing biblical similarities everywhere even with that weird temptation of Theo. It brought up images of Eve and the snake with the forbidden fruit to my mind.)
Does this make you suspect only North America was affected by the Virals? This is being presented in the year of 1003 AV as opposed to 92 AV when all the events with Peter and his friends occurred. That's 1 years later. By the way, The Book of Auntie was presented at the same time. I wonder if that means it's still under quarantine 911 years later? Interesting number.
Again, I found it fascinating. I hope it's not still quarantined. I would love to know what happens in those years in between.
86) Why do you think there are pages missing from the journal? Do you think they contained the personal thoughts of Sara?
Maybe there are secrets that she (or someone else) didn't want anyone to know.
87) "But you might want to pay a little more attention to what's right in front of you." "We live. we die, Somewhere along the way, if we're lucky, we may find someone to help lighten the load." Is Alicia hinting to her relationship with Peter and not just Sara and Hollis?
yes, I thought Alicia had a crush on Peter but he was too dumb to see it.
88) So now there are soldiers. Do you think they're friendly? Talk about a stopping point.
I sure hoped they were friendly. You never know in this book!
Questions and Comments for Chapters 58 - 6489)I like how the author showed how Theo was affected by the dreams. Turtlecollector, after your suggestion that Auntie might be dreaming, I keep noticing all the dream references and thinking that if this ends up being some huge dream I'll be seriously disappointed. I also keep thinking Freddy Krueger and Nightmare on Elmstreet. Did Aliens also have some dreams too? It's been so long since I watched those movies.
One huge dream? Oh man that would be VERY disappointing!
90)I thought it rather humorous that the author threw in a Dracula movie into the story. I liked the soldiers reactions.
yeah, that was a good reference. I wonder if any of these poeple had read Dracula
91) Alicia's confession about being First Expeditionary was a complete surprise. Not sure where the author is going with this little loop, but I enjoyed the commanders reaction, "She's a woman." lol
I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but I was. She is dedicated to her duty, that's for sure. She's a badass.
92) Do you think Amy truly was in Greer's dreams? Yes, but not sure how.
93) So Auntie told Peter it was his time and Alicia told him it was his long journey. Do you agree? Did he need to leave his friends behind?
I suppose he had to in order to fulfill his destiny.
94) Okay, this is getting to be a little like Game of Thrones where you can't be sure anyone is dead. They keep coming back. Sister Lacey is alive? Wow! I wasn't expecting that.
Ha ! Lady Stoneheart perhaps? This was a surprise to me too, but it was sure nice to see her. I really like this character.
95) Withers is having the dreams. That's not good.
Nope, not at all. I can't see a happy ending here.
96) Who or what do you think was in the barn Theo remembered latching shut? Human footprints? Soldiers or someone/something else?
Virals, or semi-virals?
Questions and Comments for Chapters 65 - End97) So what did you think of the ending? Should Amy have destroyed the vials?
I am conflicted about this. On one hand, the vials can save people who might otherwise die. On the other hand, who would have the right to decide who would and wouldn't be saved? I suppose ultimately destroying them was the right thing to do.
98) What did you think of Sister Lacey talking about Noah and the Ark being a little like what Amy, Peter, and the other humans would be embarking on. I think that might be why the author picked Noah as the project name. I personally would have thought Methuselah would have been the better choice, but then there wouldn't have been a cool story behind it. Did you like how Peter will be like Noah and Amy the Ark?
LOL I guess Project Methuselah doesn't have as nice a ring to it as project Noah. Noah (well, his ark I guess)saved certain people and animals while everyone else was destroyed. So, I guess it's an appropriate analogy.
99) What did you think of the 12 all going back to their hometowns? Do you still hold out hope that Anthony Carter may prove to be different than the others?
I think it's a good theory. I really do hope that Carter turns out different. I hope he can be turned back into a good guy.
100) What did you think of Peter having the name of Amy's rabbit? I didn't see the significance of the bunny until now. Neither did I! How interesting. I don't even think this occurred to me when I read this before.
101) Were you surprised Alicia, Michael, and all his friends went in search of him?
No, they are loyal friends and this made sense to me.
102) Were you surprised Lacey sacrificed herself to kill Babcock?
I was surprised that it happened, but not surprised that she would do it, if that makes sense.
103) What did you think of Amy giving the Many back their names and memories? It kind of reminded me of stories where a person is either the grim reaper or the angel of death.
Makes me wonder if she can cure them.
104) What did you think of what Alicia has become?
At the moment it is pretty incredible and she can be a great asset to the humans. However, what if something goes terribly wrong and the virus in her morphs or something and makes her turn evil?
105) What do you think happened to the Colony? It kind of reminded me of the question of what happened in the first US settlement. The one that disappeared. I believe they had settled on Roanoke Island. Do you think they were taken or died?
I hope they were re-settled somewhere else, but the likely story is that they were killed.
106) So did Wolgast die early on or not till the end of the book? Was that who Amy was referring to when she said He is dying? I thought he was a viral at the end.
107) What will you rate this one?
5 stars.
108) What did you like best about the book?
I liked the epic scope. Reminded me a lot of Stephen King's best works.
109) Should we set up a buddy read for The Twelve?
YES!!
I've decided to have a bit of a break in between finishing this book. I started off loving it but have hit a bit of a wall a bit over half-way through so have moved onto something a bit lighter for the moment.Hopefully I can get back to it soon....
Mod
It did slow down around that time. It picks up again toward the end. You might want to pick up and audio version if your library has it.
Half way through the first book "the twelve" I switched to audiobook. I stayed with audiobook with this one as well. I found that the narrator did a great job at keeping my attention and I was much more entertained~able to finish the book...
I finally finished this book. It was a tough read, but I'm glad I stuck with it through the end. I wanted to give up after a certain someone was presumed dead about half-way through. But I kept reading and I really loved the new characters Cronin introduced. I don't know if or when I'll read the next one, but overall I enjoyed this first book.
Lauren wrote: "I finally finished this book. It was a tough read, but I'm glad I stuck with it through the end. I wanted to give up after a certain someone was presumed dead about half-way through. But I kept rea..."The Middle was hard to get through. I think perhaps the book could have used a little trimming to make it shorter, but maybe it all is important for the next books?
The storylines are long, and sometimes feel slightly longwinded, but I think the character development and the time he spends letting you get to know the characters is very important to the overall story.I've read The Twelve and really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to seeing all the storylines converge into one explosive final book.
The main characters from this book play a smaller role in book two, as book two takes minor characters from book one and gives them more storyline and introduces some more new characters (with connections to the old ones)... and it fills in some of the blanks of "right after the fallout" and "in between the Day it happened and the day we pick up with the Colony storyline"
Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
A Discovery of Witches (other topics)The Twelve (other topics)
The Stand (other topics)
The Passage (other topics)
97) So what did you think of the ending? Should Amy have destroyed the vials?
i think amy should have saved peter one, but I understand she's lived so long, and has seen so much, and has so much inside her, that she wouldn't want peter to be like that. on the flipside alicia isn't like amy, whos to say peter would have become like it?
98) What did you think of Sister Lacey talking about Noah and the Ark being a little like what Amy, Peter, and the other humans would be embarking on. I think that might be why the author picked Noah as the project name. I personally would have thought Methuselah would have been the better choice, but then there wouldn't have been a cool story behind it. Did you like how Peter will be like Noah and Amy the Ark?
I love it. but with how it ends, im wondering how the Ark will come about..did everyone die? why did it end like that
99) What did you think of the 12 all going back to their hometowns? Do you still hold out hope that Anthony Carter may prove to be different than the others?
I think that Carter will be different, I don't know how different, or in what way, if he will be the ultimate baddie, or what, because we know tons about Carter, vs the others. i didnt even know their names until the file was read.
100) What did you think of Peter having the name of Amy's rabbit? I didn't see the significance of the bunny until now.
I didnt see it either. but it makes sense, im not sure though, with the vials being burned, how peter can live by amy's side for 1000 years.
101) Were you surprised Alicia, Michael, and all his friends went in search of him?
no, though im not 100% sure how they came across the horse and all that, were they going in the same direction?? but once they saw the horse i knew theyd go after him.
102) Were you surprised Lacey sacrificed herself to kill Babcock?
no, I think that her part of it was written from day one, maybe she always knew what would happen, in some psychic way.
103) What did you think of Amy giving the Many back their names and memories? It kind of reminded me of stories where a person is either the grim reaper or the angel of death.
she does seem like the angel of death, freeing them of the earthly bounds and killing them in their final death.
104) What did you think of what Alicia has become?
I really wish amy hadn't destroyed the vials, peter would have been awesome.
105) What do you think happened to the Colony? It kind of reminded me of the question of what happened in the first US settlement. The one that disappeared. I believe they had settled on Roanoke Island. Do you think they were taken or died?
i bet they were taken.
106) So did Wolgast die early on or not till the end of the book? Was that who Amy was referring to when she said He is dying?
I think that his soul was still roaming the Earth, waiting for amy, and amy had to let him go, remind him of who he was
107) What will you rate this one?
i think im going to rate it 4 stars. its one of those books that while I was reading, i was aggravated at being confused, and the length, and the style of the writing, but at the end of it all i look back and im just like... brilliant.
108) What did you like best about the book?
I liked how everything kinda flowed together, even though it jumped around a lot, it did so in a way that you realized later on.. OH! lightbulb moment!
109) Should we set up a buddy read for The Twelve?
Yes, we should! We totally should. Is the book out yet? I need it. I need to read it like now