Cronin Justin - The Passage- Start Date June 12th

[Lisarenee]

FYI, I just put up two videos of The Passage at the top of the group's home page.

[Koula]

I am in for this one, found it a the library in large print, read in bed a lot and have broken a few glasses and one nook, so with large print I can read with out glasses. This book is huge makes me think of that book I still have from when I took that AT certification class.

[Clare]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 1 - 3
1) From the very first chapter we know there's something about Amy--"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy." Do you think all the background information on Amy's beginnings will play a part later in the story or is the author just trying to paint the picture she started out life as a normal child with humble beginnings?

It really got me hooked – I know nothing about this book at all, and haven’t even read the blurb so I am now wondering whether it is fantasy, science fiction or something else. Good start!

2) Was there anything in Amy's background that struck you as odd or different besides her being left by her mother at a convent? Did her mother do the right thing by leaving her?

That bit of the story really touched me. How awful to grow up seeing your mum prostitute herself for money. I felt so sorry for Amy and for her mother – the bit where she put her to sleep in the bath was so sad. But I could really understand how someone could get in that mess – I suppose it is fairly easy to go from sleeping in a car to doing anything for money.
It was awful when she left her at the convent and she couldn’t even say goodbye. Did she do the right thing? What else could she do?

3) What did you make of the bats attacking the people in the jungles of Bolivia? I don't think I've ever heard of them swarming on people.

Hmm, felt that was a bit far-fetched unless they are special bats. Not sure why they put that in – felt a bit like I was reading an Indiana Jones novel.

4) What were your thoughts about the creepy statue and the Chuchote legend about destroying the demons of man to save the world? Are you feeling yourself being pulled into the story?

I’m definitely into the story, couldn’t stop reading last night, despite it being past midnight! Sounds a bit spooky but can’t wait to see what happens!

5) Do you think Jonas survived? Why do you think the soldiers were there?

I don’t think he did survive. I think that’s why we have e-mails as he isn’t there in person to tell that part of the story anymore. I reckon the soldiers know more about the area than Jonas does. Perhaps it has been used for some sort of military testing or something, hence the very bloodthirsty bats.

6) What did you think of Anthony Lloyd Carter? Seems like they're looking for disposable people whom they can experiment on. Do you think what they're doing is legal? If they can cure everything and increase a person's longevity, are criminals on death row the right people to be potentially be giving an extended life to?

I can see why they are being used – because they are going to die anyway. But I always feel uncomfortable if people are made to do things without giving their permission. It’s obviously not legal as they’re being so hush hush about it. I can think of plenty of other people I would prefer to give an extended life to, but if the experiments don’t work then I would prefer them to die than other, more innocent people.

7) So Walgast had a daughter who died and is now divorced from his wife. What's your first impression of him? Do you like him?

I do like him. He seems to have a conscience which I think is going to become important in the book. I feel sorry for him and Lila as I don’t think they divorced because they didn’t love each other, I think they divorced because they couldn’t be together, thinking about their daughter. I’m interested to see where his character goes in the book.

[Lisarenee]

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?

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.

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?

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.

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.

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*

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.

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?

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?

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?

[Ozana]

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?

As I understand, they picked inmates and Amy because they have noone who will looking for them. Amy's background is mother who from young age gave up on life and father who didn't care and Wolgast and Doyle recive they orders last minute. Amy was special from beginig and her incident in the zoo was just manifestation of something she relised very eary in her life...What am I?

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.

Illegal as hole Project Zero but everything under the Army name is legal even abducting “Caucasian female. Amy NLN. Zero footprint. 20323 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN. Make pickup by Saturday noon latest. No contact. TUR. Sykes.

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?

There are 12 virals and as Wolgast suspected when he was talking with Cater first time that he is innocent
(view spoiler)[Carter was only one who is innocent of all death row inmates turned into a virals and he was always different from the others. Maybe his inocence detrmine his role among his virals (hide spoiler)]

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.
In hospitals you can get supervirus, my late grandma got it. It can sleep in your body until you activate it by low immune sistem or something.

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.

From the begining of this book there are so many characters and we habe to pay attention because we got 2 more books to go with same and many more characters. All who agree to this secret project with Army knows the rules and jobs. Grey has a vital role in this story whatever his characters is.

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*

I think only Fanning survived Bolivian jungle and get back and Fanning is Zero, I'm suro of it.

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.

Me too, he is tipical army soldier who follow the rules to the
letter and don't care about people at all.

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?
Dreams are influenced with virals mind games. Zero is key of that dreams and behavior of everyone in the base.

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?

Oh, he jumps around from one character from another but chapters are long and interesting

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.

Yes, Amy NLN, Zero footprints. She won't be missed by anyone but what about sister Lacey and Wolgast and even Doyle. She leave mark everywhere she goes.

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?

I just didn't notice but always wonder why they don't write about normal human needs like urinateing and periods.

[Turtlecollector Dennis]

I could do questions for Jun 17th if you need help, but I am little confused as to which chapter to start with since Jun 16 ends with 21 and Jun 17 starts with 21? I have the large print version so I am going by chapters and not page numbers.

Also today I read all of chapter 7, but it says tomorrow starts with chapter 7 so I hope when I answer the questions I don't spoil anything for others.

[Lisarenee]

Turtlecollector wrote: "I could do questions for Jun 17th if you need help, but I am little confused as to which chapter to start with since Jun 16 ends with 21 and Jun 17 starts with 21? I have the large print version s..."

Oops! I'll fix that and yes, that would be great.

[Moderators of NBRC, Challenger-in-Chief]

Turtlecollector wrote: "I could do questions for Jun 17th if you need help, but I am little confused as to which chapter to start with since Jun 16 ends with 21 and Jun 17 starts with 21? I have the large print version s..."

You know I think Sonia had pointed that out to me before and I'd thought I'd fixed it.

[Stefani]

I am really enjoying reading everyone's comments. I love this book, I've read it 3 times now. I am looking forward to lurking here for the rest :)

[Jex]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 1 - 3

1) From the very first chapter we know there's something about Amy--"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy." Do you think all the background information on Amy's beginnings will play a part later in the story or is the author just trying to paint the picture she started out life as a normal child with humble beginnings?
I wonder if this ties into the Noah project, with him living 950 years...maybe she gets tied up in that somehow? I have a feeling all the characters we met will play a bigger role later, but it's hard to say with so little plot so far.

2) Was there anything in Amy's background that struck you as odd or different besides her being left by her mother at a convent? Did her mother do the right thing by leaving her?
Nothing seemed odd. Bad, but not odd. Her mom kept saying she seemed really smart, but I don't know if that means anything or was just a mom being a mom. I think it was horrible how she did it, but leaving Amy at the convent was probably the best thing for Amy. Her mom obviously wasn't taking care of her very well leaving her alone at night and selling herself on the streets for cash.

3) What did you make of the bats attacking the people in the jungles of Bolivia? I don't think I've ever heard of them swarming on people.
They must be some weird viral strain that attack on sight. Either that or the people were doing something to tick them off.

4) What were your thoughts about the creepy statue and the Chuchote legend about destroying the demons of man to save the world? Are you feeling yourself being pulled into the story?
I wonder if the statue will come into play more. A foreshadowing of how humans will be with this new virus they are testing.

5) Do you think Jonas survived? Why do you think the soldiers were there?
For some reason I'm not remembering who Jonas was.

6) What did you think of Anthony Lloyd Carter? Seems like they're looking for disposable people whom they can experiment on. Do you think what they're doing is legal? If they can cure everything and increase a person's longevity, are criminals on death row the right people to be potentially be giving an extended life to?
I've heard of this type of thing being done before. It's legal if the person signs themselves over. Just like for any scientific experiment. I'm sure there are some ethical issues that come into play, but then again, putting people on death row has just as many ethical problems/debates that go with it.

7) So Walgast had a daughter who died and is now divorced from his wife. What's your first impression of him? Do you like him?
I don't know if I like him per se. He seems interesting I guess.

[Sheila]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 4 - 7

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 did not make the connection between the glowing like a coal and the vampire like things. Maybe...but I thought she would become unique after the experiment. Maybe not. Maybe she was special to begin with. But I don't think Sykes knows right now. Amy is just disposable. Nobody wants her and she is not in the system yet. At least that is my impression right now.

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.

Yep, definitely illegal. I thought that maybe the future was just really messed up. But this is different. What they are doing is way illegal.

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?

I think at most it was an accident. Carter certainly did not try to kill her. I feel really bad for Carter right now. It seems like nobody cared enough about him to try to help him.

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.

This disease/virus thing is really weird; giving everyone bad dreams, causing people to be like animals. I want more information. It just sounds too outrageous right now.

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 think that Grey, like Carter, is disposable and forgettable. Do you have friends? Do you have family? Then there is the fact that he is on drugs that make him more docile. The people in charge just wanted disposable, controllable people.

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*

I think Zero is Fanning. Lear is Jonas. Zero's condition is amazing and the fact that Lear is using a friend as a test subject is unimaginable. To be doing these experiments in the first place is completely inhumane, but on a friend! Wow! I am curious about Lear's journey. Though Lear did say that he had nothing to come back for and nothing to live for. Also, I would imagine that the military told him to run the experiment and that he saw no reason or way to fight it.

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.

Yeah, Richards sounds pretty gross. But there are few people in this story that I would ever want to meet in real life.

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?

I have no idea what the dreams are about. But I don't think I could handle it. Scary dreams every night. That would drive anyone nuts.

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 am nervous, because I know horrible things are about to happen and I think this author is going to explain them in painstaking detail.

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.

That makes sense. I don't think they did say anything about what NLN means.

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?

Well, I am female. I have never noticed this before. I thought the urinating was relevant because of the almost killing the guy for having to pee. Also that all of them were shy about peeing in front of other people because of the meds they were on.

[Jex]

@Steven Post 50:
1. Ooo! I didn't think of that! I wonder if it will be her?

@Lisarenee Post 52:
The trailer is creepy with the little girl running around. I love how Cronin got the inspiration from his daughter and her wanting a girl to save the world. I hadn't read the blurb in a long time so I didn't realize Amy was going to be the main character, but it makes sense based on the description of her and her living so long. I couldn't imagine living 1000 years and looking like a child at age 97. Crazy!

[Turtlecollector Dennis]

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?

It did remind me a little bit of Harry Potter. Amy is very confusing because she is not a normal candidate for this experiment. Even the people running it are surprised that she is on the list. Her glow is kind of creepy after reading further about the 'creatures' in the experiment. I have no idea how Amy was found out about unless maybe her father was an escapee of the compound. He did come back acting very crazy.

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.

It has to be illegal somehow because there is way too much secrecy going on and no one is allowed to leave.

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?

Yes, there were hints in the last section that Agent Wolgast has doubts as well.

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.

Whenever experiments are done with viruses, I don't think there is a way to make sure you are 100% safe from catching it. Even they aren't sure exactly what the virus is or how to combat it or make it work for them(hence the experiment)

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 am getting a little frustrated with all the character being introduced right now. And sometimes confused as to which one I am reading about. I hope it gets more streamlined as the book progresses. The trips to the facilities are not friendly and I haven't seen any reason for them to be treated so badly in transport.

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*

Not much else for me to say about this right now.

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.

I do not want to be friends with him and I hope he disappears from the story soon. However, bad guys are usually around until the end catches up to them.

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?

So far several people have creepy dreams or hear voices, so I am interested to see how that will play out in the rest of the book. And what it has to do with the experiment.

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?

Too much jumping around for me as well right now, but I think it might get better once all these backgrounds for the main characters have been told. There are a lot characters to be introduced with some kind of back story needed to make the novel progress logically.

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.

I think that is what the initials mean as well.

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?

I am female and I don't think have noticed this before, although lately I have found myself reading more books by female authors.

[Steven]

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?


Totally didn’t think of Harry Potter and the snake... but probably because we didn’t get to hear the animals’ words, but instead saw the chaos that Amy’s presence caused. I have no idea what to make of it, but it appears she might be what the book mentioned before when it said that humanity was holding certain abilities in itself until they were needed again... maybe she is that naturally born one to counteract the crazy experimental ones being created in Denver.


I think Sykes knew about Amy because Lacey had called the police that first morning and he had people monitoring the wires to see when someone who fit his criteria hit the “grid.”


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.


Well, yeah. The first section made it seem that way too, since they were having to keep it such a secret, it clearly couldn’t be made public knowledge that the government was secretly funding and condoning such work while publicly decrying it!



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?


I don’t know quite what to make of this yet... but I tend to agree with you. The Carter section had him thinking about “it wasn’t his fault that she had fallen in...” but then he talks about trying to get her to stop screaming, so I dunno if that means he “shut her up”... but he seems gentle. I like his character so far, and I am sad to think that he might change or become a villain if the experiments are done on him.


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.


Looks like it. Not surprised, really. Part of me thinks that the things being held are not the only experiment... that these people they’re paying to WATCH the “things” are also being observed and monitored and exposed to whatever this virus thing is.


That’s so sad about your friend. If I was her, I would have quit and then sued. I had a pregnant friend who was a nurse also, and the owner of the practice she worked at didn’t tell her a patient had shingles (which is BAD for preggers women) and she walked into the room, read the chart, and walked right back out. She was PISSED that the doctor, who knew the consequences of exposure, didn’t even TELL her because she was too lazy to handle ONE patient by herself. Of course, this doctor had a lot of other issues that ended with my friend leaving the practice. She was actually a royal bitch all around. X)


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.


Seriously, these guys, especially Richards, are HARDCORE. Clearly this is NOT going to end well for ANYONE involved.


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*


That’s what I took from it, I think. The lead scientist is definitely Jonas (Lear) because he talked about Elizabeth in his emails and then Richards thought about her in this section. Looks like I was wrong about Jonas!


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.


I think he completely lacks a moral compass, resorts to violence quickly, and doesn’t have a single ounce of sympathy or feeling. He’s a DANGEROUS man... but I also feel like his “hardcore” nature is going to help bring about the fall of the facility. Seriously... that extremity is like the old saying “Bigger they are, the harder they fall”... he may be hard to break, but once he does, it’s chaos. Hope that makes sense.


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?


I think these creatures, as mentioned twice now, are vampire-like, and telepathic/glamouring/mind control has always been a classic vampire quality. I think these guys are getting vampire-things pushing thoughts in their 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?


He jumps some, sure... but I like the variety. I feel like it’s a lot of different stories that are going to converge soon into one giant BOOM BANG POW explosive event, and then we’ll focus more on Amy and/or Wolgast.


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.


That’s what I assumed as well, because when Lacey called the police, she only knew Amy’s first name from the short note, and they knew nothing else about her.


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?

I think that’s kind of a gross generalization, don’t you think? I read books mostly by males, and haven’t noticed any trend of most of their books talking about urinating. I think the author was trying to make us associate with these people... long journeys, no idea where they are being taken, sitting in a vehicle for hours... Heck, I can’t sit in a car for an hour without having to go to the bathroom... makes road trips annoying... I think it’s just a way to bring these cons to an associate-able level?

[Steven]

Sheila, you said:

"I thought she would become unique after the experiment. Maybe not. Maybe she was special to begin with. But I don't think Sykes knows right now. Amy is just disposable. Nobody wants her and she is not in the system yet. At least that is my impression right now."

Totally agree with this. I thought she would become special because of the experiment, but it seems she was special already. I think Wolgast has started to wonder about that (as had Sister Lacey), but to the people at the facility, she will just be disposable... until they discover her specialness.

[Lisarenee]

Steven said, "I think that’s kind of a gross generalization, don’t you think? I read books mostly by males, and haven’t noticed any trend of most of their books talking about urinating. I think the author was trying to make us associate with these people... long journeys, no idea where they are being taken, sitting in a vehicle for hours... Heck, I can’t sit in a car for an hour without having to go to the bathroom... makes road trips annoying... I think it’s just a way to bring these cons to an associate-able level? "

I knew I might be opening a can of worms with this one and hopefully didn't offend anyone by it, but I was very curious if it was me or if others found this to be true. I read Game of Thrones and it was talked about it a lot. I read Breed and again it went a little crazy, but the book was a little crazy in general. I read The Ediburgh Dead and yep, it's in there. Plus, a couple of other books whose titles are escaping my thoughts at the moment. At first I thought the whole scene was to make a point, which it did, but later on it was mentioned again. My daughter and I were listening in the car and we started a conversation about it and as we were listening, she was the one who said "There, it's mentioned again." Maybe its just an odd coincidence or because I'm not used to reading about it it just stands out more? I don't know.

[Steven]

I wasn't offended at all. :) Just wanted to point out that it's definitely not an "all-male authors do this" kinda thing.

Most of the male authors I've read haven't put that in there, and the only times they do, it's usually for a purpose... for example, one of my favorite authors write about a team of people in the jungle on a dangerous mission, and the stupid guy wanders off on his own to "take a leak" and ends up dead in the jungle!

I'd say it's standing out more because you're not used to it AND because it is kind of an oddity.

I feel like the first one was necessary to the story... but he could have said Carter's team took a pitstop for a bathroom break and a drink without being so specific yet again. Twice in a 3 chapter period is a little much!

Made me think of All Quiet on the Western Front... supposedly classic literature (which I HATED) and it's a book about a group of people sitting around peeing and pooping in a pot in front of others... or maybe that's all I remember because I hated it so much reading it in school!


Honestly, I feel like he's trying to remind us of this human function and necessity... as the humanity in these people might soon be gone if the book turns out like I think it's going to.

[Steven]

Oh, I just read a few pages into the next section...

Lisarenee, they're peeing again! X)

[SandyC]

Lisarenee wrote: "Steven said, "I think that’s kind of a gross generalization, don’t you think? I read books mostly by males, and haven’t noticed any trend of most of their books talking about urinating. I think the..."

Lisarenee, I never really thought about it, but now I am going to notice it with every book I read! LOL

[Steven]

Sandy wrote: "Lisarenee, I never really thought about it, but now I am going to notice it with every book I read! LOL "

ME TOO!

[Lisarenee]

Steven wrote: "Oh, I just read a few pages into the next section...

Lisarenee, they're peeing again! X)"

lol I have a feeling there will be a lot of that happening in this book.

[SandyC]

There's a lot of urination in Diana Gabaldon's books, come to think of it.

[Lisarenee]

Sandy wrote: "Lisarenee wrote: "Steven said, "I think that’s kind of a gross generalization, don’t you think? I read books mostly by males, and haven’t noticed any trend of most of their books talking about urin..."

Sorry. *smiles sheepishly*

[Steven]

I really don't want to be at work... I want to read the next section of this book!

Are there going to be discussion questions for this part? I'd volunteer to write some but will have NO time to do so today (I'm not even sure if I'll finish the section for the day!).

[JoLene]

I'm already behind because I'm also reading A Discovery of Witches and working 2 jobs Wed -Sat --- not a lot of reading time :-(

Questions and Comments for Chapters 1 - 3
1) From the very first chapter we know there's something about Amy--"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy." Do you think all the background information on Amy's beginnings will play a part later in the story or is the author just trying to paint the picture she started out life as a normal child with humble beginnings?
With that opening line, it seemed to establish her as a major character. I was a bit surprise when the subsequent chapters changed to completely different people. I'm not really sure that her background specifically will play into the story. I think in the 1st three chapters, you have Amy and Walgast that could likely be disenfranchised given their backgrounds --- which is related to finding the death row inmates who also have very little ties to their past.

2) Was there anything in Amy's background that struck you as odd or different besides her being left by her mother at a convent? Did her mother do the right thing by leaving her?
Her mother was very young and having a difficult time taking care of her and Amy so I think that trying to find a better place for Amy was a good thing. However, the way she went about it was hard. I'm interested to see how it plays into the story.

3) What did you make of the bats attacking the people in the jungles of Bolivia? I don't think I've ever heard of them swarming on people.
Especially not when people are outdoors. I think of swarming bats if you disturb their cave resting places --- but this seemed like an all out attack. Yikes --- I will be sure to wear my bat repellant next time I'm hiking through the jungle.

4) What were your thoughts about the creepy statue and the Chuchote legend about destroying the demons of man to save the world? Are you feeling yourself being pulled into the story?
I was pulled into the story with the emails. Unfortunately, all the jumping between stories with each chapter is something that is a bit jarring (for me at least)

5) Do you think Jonas survived? Why do you think the soldiers were there?
I don't think he survived -- as a human at least. Obviously the government thinks that there is something that could be useful to have/know for military purposes so they are sticking their nose into the research.

6) What did you think of Anthony Lloyd Carter? Seems like they're looking for disposable people whom they can experiment on. Do you think what they're doing is legal? If they can cure everything and increase a person's longevity, are criminals on death row the right people to be potentially be giving an extended life to?
All very interesting ethical questions. It seems that Carter may be developmentally slow and doesn't have the faculties to understand everything that is going on.....and Walgast and Doyle played on that. If people give their permission to be part of studies, then it is legal, if they have an understanding of what is happening.
The question of extended the life of someone on death row is really a quandary --- because they are still being taken care of by the state for life. Is it something that is life threatening that they may die from, who knows.

7) So Walgast had a daughter who died and is now divorced from his wife. What's your first impression of him? Do you like him?
He appears to be a bit of a sad-sack, but filling in the back-story made me feel some sympathy. I'm on fence as I don't like what he is doing as a profession

[Steven]

JoLene,

"Especially not when people are outdoors. I think of swarming bats if you disturb their cave resting places --- but this seemed like an all out attack. Yikes --- I will be sure to wear my bat repellant next time I'm hiking through the jungle."

Do you take hikes through the jungle often? :D

I'd like to go on a hike in the mountains... but the jungles... I think I'll stick to where the tourism industry has made sure it's safe. No snakes, giant bugs, or evil attacking bats for me!

[Debbie]

Read these books a couple of months back. I loved them. Thanks for letting me longneck your questions and answers. It's like reading the book all over again. And it's so also very interesting to hear everyone's comments!!!

[Clare]

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?
It did remind me of the snake scene in Harry Potter. I wasn’t really expecting this slant to the story – it all seemed quite political up til then and now it feels like it might get a bit fantastical. Didn’t notice the ‘glowing like coal’ bit. I think they must know that Amy is special – perhaps she has special powers that they want to use in their experiments.

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.
Definitely – I finally felt that Amy had got a home with the nuns but it is not to be…

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?
I think Carter was innocent – I have always thought he was actually. I think it was just a misunderstanding that got out of hand.

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.
Awful personal story. Yes makes me wonder what on earth this virus is.

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 never thought about the caretakers being experimented on…but now you’ve got me thinking. Felt sorry for him as he only needed a wee! Can’t remember much about the back story – such a lot happened in those chapters I am still whirling…and can’t wait to carry on reading!

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*
Oh I didn’t link Zero and Fanning. I thought Zero might be one of the bats but didn’t get that he was one of the people turned into a bat – now I’m starting to understand it – that chapter flummoxed me a bit!

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.
Don’t like Richards at all.

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 dreams are really creepy. They all seem to have them don’t they – perhaps it is a side effect?

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 am getting a bit lost now and again and there are an awful lot of characters that I need to get my head round but I guess as it is a long book I’ll get used to them all. I like the way he writes but he is very descriptive.

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.
Well, you’re a step ahead of me – I wondered what the NLN stood for

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?
Haven’t read that many books where it talks about men weeing – or maybe I just haven’t noticed. I’m going to take more notice from now on!!

[Jex]

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 wondered if she is already infected with the disease, or was born with it. She is definitely not a normal child and the fact that she is the only person (I'm guessing based on what I've seen) that is able to survive the disease makes her even more special. Maybe she has weird dna or something?

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.
I don't think the experiment is illegal per se, it's just frowned upon. It's obviously backed by the government, but I'm sure if the public found out about it they would be screaming about how wrong it is to test on people and all that stuff. I'm sure it hasn't been approved through the normal channels. Taking Amy was illegal because she didn't sign anything and she's too young to sign anything, unlike the prisoners that sign their life away. But if you can cover it up, why not right? (yay government!)

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?
Definitely. It seems like he was trying to be nice to the kid and it was taken wrong. He also seems like he has some social problems and may not have understood what was happening. Maybe he was really trying to help the lady out of the pool but because she was struggling so much she ended up drowning? It's hard to say. There weren't really any witnesses and he was definitely shocked afterwards.

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.
It sounds like the virus can be passed on pretty easily, hence the bio suits and everything they use as precaution. I wonder if they are secretly drugging some of the staff too with small doses to see the effects. It doesn't sound like they really plan on letting anyone leave, even if they say they are going to after a year. It doesn't seem like anyone makes it to that year mark.

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 think the getting shot thing was more thinking that Grey was going to run. I think at that moment he realized how serious all of this stuff was and what they would do to keep it secret. I can guess that if anyone ran away and starting flapping their mouth about it all the experiment would be in serious trouble, even if the guy didn't know all the details. The gun was a precaution both for the safety of the experiment and to scare the guy into staying. (It's amazing how easily you can justify all this stuff when it's under the prospect of "saving the world".)

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*
It sounds like you're right about zero and Lear. Lear probably wanted to explain what happened in the jungle. He wanted to make sense of it and hopefully save his colleagues from whatever ailed them. It probably doesn't hurt that he feels like it will cure everything for always and who wouldn't want that kind of notoriety?

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.
I think he's just stuck doing all the dirty work that goes with keeping the experiment under wraps. He has to not only get people to be tested, but he has to get employees that will keep quiet and make sure the world doesn't find out what they're all doing. After awhile that type of job weighs down on a person. I wonder what he was like before he got this job?

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?
I think the dreams are a symptom of the virus. It's like something is taking over their brains and turning them into something weird and deranged. It's like it brings out all of the bad in a person.

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 don't know how I feel about the writing. It's definitely wordy and I sometimes find myself fading in and out while I'm reading. I don't mind the jumping around as I feel we're getting a broader picture of everything, but I hope it doesn't last the whole book.

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.
That's a good guess. I didn't have a clue what it stood for.

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?
I read a lot of books by guys and haven't picked up on this. I think it's more the fact that it's a military type book. I notice urinating is a big theme with anything centered around prison or military, which this book has both.

[Rachel]

Yikes! For some reason I had it in my head that this group read started on June 16th! Thankfully I was able to grab the book at the library and make my way through the first three chapters this evening. It was really easy to get sucked into the story. I think this is going to be a fun one!

I'll wait to answer questions until I'm all caught up, hopefully after tomorrow. Looking forward to your questions Sheila!

[Lisarenee]

Sorry for being so late with these. It's been one of those days.

Questions and Comments for Chapters 8 - 11

19) 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?

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.

21) The carnival scene reinforced my like of Walgast. I think he definitely wants to substitute Amy for Eva.

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.

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?

[Kaleen]

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 had been wondering how Sykes knew about Amy, but my only guess is that he was really just looking for a child no one knew about and who wouldn't be missed. I think he found out about her when the police filed a report about her when she first arrived at the convent. I am really hoping she will completely surprise Sykes and do something awesome.

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.
What is happening is very illegal and raises that whole "I was just following orders" question.

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?
I've been wondering this too. I was thinking it had to be an accident. The way this book is headed I think something even crazier happened.

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.
Shame. So many instances of employers not caring about their employees.

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 would not be surprised if the caretakers were part of some psych experiment, but I think the author used Grey as another example of how this whole big compound is using the people that society doesn't like, want, or need.

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*
Wow! I totally did not catch the Fanning connection! It could be that Jonas Lear started the experiments to try and cure Fanning, but somehow it got twisted.

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.
Hate him.

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?
It's freaky, and I am sure has something to do with the creatures. They are creeping me out. They remind me of the chupacabra. Scared me so much. when I was a kid!

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 like it. Just as I start to get bored with one character he moves on to a new one.

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.
No last name is what I came up with as well.

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?
This made me laugh. I have never noticed that as I think most of the books I read are by female authors. I know I am always going to be noticing this now :)

[Turtlecollector Dennis]

Short answers to this set because it is way past my bedtime and I about to fall asleep on top of my laptop. But I did not want to get behind on this long book.

Questions and Comments for Chapters 8 - 11

19) 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 was only a little bit surprised at him killing all those people. He is evil and I think he is a loose cannon and not following orders anymore.

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.

That is a very interesting idea. I like it.

21) The carnival scene reinforced my like of Walgast. I think he definitely wants to substitute Amy for Eva.

Yes, he really wants a family and the news from his ex-wife was not happy for him even though he said he was happy for her.

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?

I think the dreams may be the first stage of whatever happens to these people.

23) So now we know for sure, Carter was innocent and he'd rather die than tell anyone that Rachel killed herself.

I am wondering if this is going to affect the way he responds to the experiment.

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 was surprised she left, but I figured she was going to try to get Amy back somehow. I think she sees in Amy what happened to her as a child.

[Clare]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 8 - 11

19) 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?

Oh my goodness – I was so surprised to see Richards at the police station. I was hopeful that they would escape at least for a little while longer. Richards definitely seems to want to ‘clear the decks’ of anyone who has seen them. Not sure about whether he is acting on orders – he seems to quite enjoy the killing.

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.

Never thought of that – I’d forgotten him. I guess it could be that. I mean, there’s got to be a way that Amy has got some different genes or something….hmm we’ll have to wait and see.

21) The carnival scene reinforced my like of Walgast. I think he definitely wants to substitute Amy for Eva.

Yes, I was rooting for him and hoped he would escape with Amy. I thought at one point he would get Lila involved in the escape too.

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?

A lot of them seem to be getting these dreams. I’m losing track of all the different people at the facility – I guess Cronin keeps adding new people and they are all described a lot and so I am losing track.

23) So now we know for sure, Carter was innocent and he'd rather die than tell anyone that Rachel killed herself.
I didn’t expect her to want to kill herself. I thought it would have been a struggle that went wrong. I feel really sorry for him now, I hope something good happens to him in the book.

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 am, I thought when they broke through the door they would have found that she had killed herself, not that she had run away. Perhaps she is aiming on trying to find Amy? She seems very perceptive and it was interesting that she realised how Walgast felt but I don’t think I felt surprised or not. We always judge people by something – if we know what has gone on in their past we can’t help but bring it to play when we make judgements. It is often an easy thing to blame for current actions. I think it explains a lot about Lacey and her attachment to Amy.

By the way, I'm loving this book. Can't wait to read the next bit.

[Ozana]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 8 - 11

19) 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?

Amy is crucial part of experiment. For evry action have to be counter action, or for every virus there's have to be antidote. Amy is Begining and Amy is the End...as I understand it.
Richards is going over the top he went to far in my opinion. But if you look suroundings where all of them are, strange experiment with transformations, makeing ultimate himan weapon, all that has influence on him. So he takes actions that he normaly wouldn't.

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.

I don't think so, not even the mother is special nd her father. Cronin has very detail descriptions but nothing points to Bill Raynolds.

21) The carnival scene reinforced my like of Walgast. I think he definitely wants to substitute Amy for Eva.

During the ride in the car we already see that Wolgast is connecting with Amy a d because of it he didn't accept mission to anduct girl, so death of Eva made him sensitive to Amy and it was so touching scene of him and Amy on the carusel and his escape plan even thou he knew he won't make it.

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?

I think all of personel in the facility are there because of their character, maybe all of them in the facility have some flaw in the character like brutality, ruthlesness ect. I think that all of them are effected, their dreams and behavior, by virals. Sme sort of telepathics.

23) So now we know for sure, Carter was innocent and he'd rather die than tell anyone that Rachel killed herself.

Only difference between Carter and other are that he is only one who is innocent and Fanning is Zero, so I think that this fact will have some other development with Carter. Carter had special relationship with Mis. Rachell because she was only person who treated him as equal and helped him.

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?

I think that every person who have contact with Amy was deeply i fluenced by her. Lacey is also special, her path and what happened to her also make her sensitive and vunerable and voice, God, in her head leads her.

[Lisarenee]

@Sheila

1) From the very first chapter we know there's something about Amy--"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy." Do you think all the background information on Amy's beginnings will play a part later in the story or is the author just trying to paint the picture she started out life as a normal child with humble beginnings?

I think the author is explaining how Amy ended up in the situation she will end up it. That she was loved, but her mom was in over her head and that this left her vulnerable to becoming what ever it is she becomes. I am very curious. Especially since the whole story of Amy so far is about her mom and Amy doesn't really have personality yet.

You may be right. My thoughts ran along the same lines.

2) Was there anything in Amy's background that struck you as odd or different besides her being left by her mother at a convent? Did her mother do the right thing by leaving her?

I don't know if her mom did the right thing. I think she just did the best she could think of. Jeanette just seemed so alone in the world. I don't know what else she could do. It just seems like no one would help her and she did not know where to go to find help.

I don't either. She didn't have a lot of options so maybe it was better then taking a chance of her being in the middle of a potentially life threatening situation.

3) What did you make of the bats attacking the people in the jungles of Bolivia? I don't think I've ever heard of them swarming on people.

The bats was weird. I am very curious where they are going with that. I have never heard of bats swarming and attacking people. I have heard of bats flying out of caves at the same time. But not attacking people- just flying past them.

You know they have to have something major to do with the story. I look forward to finding out how the pieces fit together.

4) What were your thoughts about the creepy statue and the Chuchote legend about destroying the demons of man to save the world? Are you feeling yourself being pulled into the story?

My curiosity is piked. I have no guesses about where this is all going though. I need to read more.

:)

5) Do you think Jonas survived? Why do you think the soldiers were there?

I have so many questions now. I think Jonas survived. I expect we will hear about Jonas again. I have no idea why the soldiers are there. Maybe because that statue is representing something that still exists???? But that is just a wild guess. :)

I wasn't sure. It seemed like a 50/50 chance on death and survival.

6) What did you think of Anthony Lloyd Carter? Seems like they're looking for disposable people whom they can experiment on. Do you think what they're doing is legal? If they can cure everything and increase a person's longevity, are criminals on death row the right people to be potentially be giving an extended life to?

It might be legal. I highly doubt it is ethical. Human testing is really dicing. It is very difficult to get a study approved for human testing, as it should be. And there are a bunch of rules about testing on prisoners now. This is based in the future, so maybe laws have changed so that it is legal to do the testing. But they obviously think that the population at large would be horrified to know what was going on or they would not be using death row inmates who have no first degree relatives. I think it is all rather sketchy.

Me too!


7) So Wolgast had a daughter who died and is now divorced from his wife. What's your first impression of him? Do you like him?

Right now I find Wolgast intriguing. He seems to be the sort of person who use to have a strong moral compass but life has beaten him down and now he is just going through the motions. I am interested to watch his character develop.

I didn't know what to think about him, but he seemed nice, but in a sad place in his life.

[Lisarenee]

@Sandy

1) From the very first chapter we know there's something about Amy--"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy." Do you think all the background information on Amy's beginnings will play a part later in the story or is the author just trying to paint the picture she started out life as a normal child with humble beginnings?

I think it's just to set the stage. I didn't think this would come up again.

I wonder...

2) Was there anything in Amy's background that struck you as odd or different besides her being left by her mother at a convent? Did her mother do the right thing by leaving her?

I'm re-reading this by listening to it, and for some odd reason the narrator doesn't say "chapter 1" etc. so I don't know how far Ch. 3 goes, so I will refrain from certain comments. As for did her mother do the right thing, I'm not sure if it was the "right" thing but it was probably best under the circumstances. She had killed a guy and was on the run. She could barely support Amy. Her mother believes the nuns will care for her. However, I would be worried about her being put in an orphanage or an abusive foster home.

Very true

3) What did you make of the bats attacking the people in the jungles of Bolivia? I don't think I've ever heard of them swarming on people.

Very creepy. I like how we get the first-hand accounts via emails.

Me too.

4) What were your thoughts about the creepy statue and the Chuchote legend about destroying the demons of man to save the world? Are you feeling yourself being pulled into the story?


Very pulled into the story. It's mesmerizing.

I'm glad it's pulling me in because it's such a big book.

5) Do you think Jonas survived? Why do you think the soldiers were there?

My impression was he didn't survive. I thought the soldiers were there to fight the bats.

I wasn't sure.

6) What did you think of Anthony Lloyd Carter? Seems like they're looking for disposable people whom they can experiment on. Do you think what they're doing is legal? If they can cure everything and increase a person's longevity, are criminals on death row the right people to be potentially be giving an extended life to?

Seems very illegal to me. Even if they're condemned to death, I would think they would have the right to know exactly what was being done to them. Anthony is a man who has accepted his fate.

True

7) So Walgast had a daughter who died and is now divorced from his wife. What's your first impression of him? Do you like him?

My first impression is he's dedicated to his job. I wasn't sure at first if I liked him or not.

True. I kind of liked him at this point.

[Lisarenee]

@Turtlecollector

1) From the very first chapter we know there's something about Amy--"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy." Do you think all the background information on Amy's beginnings will play a part later in the story or is the author just trying to paint the picture she started out life as a normal child with humble beginnings?

I don't think Amy's beginnings will play a part later, it was just to show how Amy got to the point where she could be part of the experiment.

True

2) Was there anything in Amy's background that struck you as odd or different besides her being left by her mother at a convent? Did her mother do the right thing by leaving her?

Nothing in the background seemed odd to me except that after the father hit the mother, I did not expect him to leave so easily. I thought he would go after the mother again and she would she would have to run away from him. I don't think we will ever know if her mother did the right thing, but she was trying to do the best she could. At least she left her where she thought she would be cared for and not in the motel room.

I worried about him hitting her more at one point too.

Maybe not.

True

3) What did you make of the bats attacking the people in the jungles of Bolivia? I don't think I've ever heard of them swarming on people.

I do not like bats ever since one got into my dorm room one summer and kept flying around. It took a long time to get it out the window. I think they are creepy looking but I haven't heard of them attacking people. I was wondering about the point to that story until later when Wolgast was getting the explanation for his job. I think they are going to have something to do with the virus and the cure.

Oh no! That sounds awful. *shudder* Good thought. :)

4) What were your thoughts about the creepy statue and the Chuchote legend about destroying the demons of man to save the world? Are you feeling yourself being pulled into the story?

I have not been pulled completely into the story yet. I still feel as if it is mostly background information and I am waiting for the main action to begin. I am curious to find out what happens next, though.

Considering how long this book is, I think we'll get plenty of details and background. lol

5) Do you think Jonas survived? Why do you think the soldiers were there?

I think Jonas does survive and the soldiers are there to make sure nothing is made public that they think is harmful. They do not want some sort of secret coming to light.

True

6) What did you think of Anthony Lloyd Carter? Seems like they're looking for disposable people whom they can experiment on. Do you think what they're doing is legal? If they can cure everything and increase a person's longevity, are criminals on death row the right people to be potentially be giving an extended life to?

I think Carter has been railroaded into his death sentence somehow. He just does not seem smart enough to do something like that and even he can't remember exactly what happened.

The part of him not knowing what happened bothered me too.

7) So Wolgast had a daughter who died and is now divorced from his wife. What's your first impression of him? Do you like him?

My first impression is that he is a hard worker and tries to do the right thing. Right now I like him and feel sorry for what happened to his family. I hope I continue to like him as the book progresses.

Me too.

[Lisarenee]

@Pamela

1) From the very first chapter we know there's something about Amy--"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy." Do you think all the background information on Amy's beginnings will play a part later in the story or is the author just trying to paint the picture she started out life as a normal child with humble beginnings?

I think her beginnings might play a small part later in the story.

We'll see.

2) Was there anything in Amy's background that struck you as odd or different besides her being left by her mother at a convent? Did her mother do the right thing by leaving her?

Yes, I found it odd that Jeanette never enrolled Amy in school.

I noticed that but thought nothing of it, but maybe there is more to it than meets the eye.

3) What did you make of the bats attacking the people in the jungles of Bolivia? I don't think I've ever heard of them swarming on people.

Strange! As they neared the site bats began to attack them. I’m not sure what to make of this.

Maybe protection or warning, but definitely scary. Sounds like a scene from Hitchcock's The Birds.



4) What were your thoughts about the creepy statue and the Chuchote legend about destroying the demons of man to save the world? Are you feeling yourself being pulled into the story?

No, I can’t say that I’m being pulled in just yet. I hope things pick up a bit in the next few chapters.

I hope it does for you.

5) Do you think Jonas survived? Why do you think the soldiers were there?

I think Jonas will live to tell his story. I think the soldiers were there to protect them and keep a lid on the situation.

Could be.

6) What did you think of Anthony Lloyd Carter? Seems like they're looking for disposable people whom they can experiment on. Do you think what they're doing is legal? If they can cure everything and increase a person's longevity, are criminals on death row the right people to be potentially be giving an extended life to?

I’m not sure if what they are doing is legal or not – prisoners do not have full Constitutional rights. The possibility of extending the life of a death row inmate is disturbing.

I agree.

7) So Walgast had a daughter who died and is now divorced from his wife. What's your first impression of him? Do you like him?

He seems like an average guy dealing with life’s challenges. I hope I learn more about him as the story unfolds.

Me too.

[Lisarenee]

@Steven

1) From the very first chapter we know there's something about Amy--"Before she became the Girl from Nowhere--the One Who Walked In, the First and Last and Only, who lived a thousand years--she was just a little girl in Iowa, named Amy." Do you think all the background information on Amy's beginnings will play a part later in the story or is the author just trying to paint the picture she started out life as a normal child with humble beginnings?

I think that the author is making sure we know her backstory. A well-developed character always has motivations, history, events and memories that PUSH how they behave. I also think it sets up nicely considering in Chapter 3, we see Wolgast collecting people with no families, and then the chapter ends with “we have to go get a civilian, not a prisoner” so you start to think... “OH, I bet it’s AMY!”

True. Everything has to connect. Although with some new authors it doesn't.

2) Was there anything in Amy's background that struck you as odd or different besides her being left by her mother at a convent? Did her mother do the right thing by leaving her?

I think her mother did the best thing she knew how to do -- and that was hard for her. The life she was having to live wasn’t going to be the life she wanted her child to have, so she did it. Granted, it’s a little selfish as well, as she was going on the run and wanted it to be easier... but I think it was mostly for Amy’s sake.

True.

3) What did you make of the bats attacking the people in the jungles of Bolivia? I don't think I've ever heard of them swarming on people.

I have a feeling that the guy writing the emails and the vampire references are going to make this novel REALLY creepy in the overall story. I think those bats definitely “caused” something.

I know I can't wait. lol

4) What were your thoughts about the creepy statue and the Chuchote legend about destroying the demons of man to save the world? Are you feeling yourself being pulled into the story?

Definitely got sucked in right away. It’s a REALLY long book, but those first 3 chapters really flew by. I had to make myself stop so I wouldn’t read past the sections and be unable to answer these without knowledge I’m not supposed to have yet!

I thought so too.

5) Do you think Jonas survived? Why do you think the soldiers were there?

I don’t think so. I think it implies that the soldiers were there for a “this doesn’t get out if it goes bad” scenario... aka the soldiers didn’t let the “situation” leave the jungle. If he did survive, he won't be "Jonas" anymore but perhaps changed into a vampire-type creature?

Interesting thought at this point.

6) What did you think of Anthony Lloyd Carter? Seems like they're looking for disposable people whom they can experiment on. Do you think what they're doing is legal? If they can cure everything and increase a person's longevity, are criminals on death row the right people to be potentially be giving an extended life to?

I hate that phrase “disposable people” but that’s just what they think of them. Wolgast, I don’t believe he really thinks that... but the higher ups certainly do. I also believe that they will run these tests on these people, and kill them if they perfect it to use on others.

I don't know what to think about this, but I don't like it.

I like Anthony Lloyd Carter. He seems to be a simple man, and I hope we find out what he did and more importantly, I hope he makes peace and gets answers within himself.

That would be nice. I felt if he did it he truly didn't understand what he did.

7) So Walgast had a daughter who died and is now divorced from his wife. What's your first impression of him? Do you like him?

I felt so bad for them. I have friends who went through multiple miscarriages before having their children, and they made it through... but seeing the changes in them as people now is STILL heartbreaking. They are very different people than they were before. So I understand how they ended up apart.

Having a miscarriage is awful, but losing a child who was born would, I think, be much worse.


I like Wolgast. I feel like, right now at least, he’s not as morally ambiguous as the rest of the people he works with... and I feel like he’ll start to think it’s wrong the more time and events move forward.

:)

[Lisarenee]

@ Parvathy

I have seen the same thing in the movie "Bats" but that is fictional though I kept picturing the scene the same way. May be the Bats were infected by some herb or fruit in the deep jungle just like the movie "Out break"

Hadn't seen that one--"Bats".

[Steven]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 8 - 11

19) 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 am NOT surprised in the least. I think he’s acting within what he sees as the scope of his position. And I think he’ll go way past appropriate levels and do some worse things than now, but I’m not quite sure he’s the main villain of the story.

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.

I really think that they were watching the authority’s “wires” for children that fit the profile -- no families, no ties, etc. I’m not sure they know she’s really special. But I could be wrong! That’d be a cool twist if you’re right.

21) The carnival scene reinforced my like of Walgast. I think he definitely wants to substitute Amy for Eva.

I don’t know if he necessarily wants to substitute Amy for Eva, but I think she is filling the void he felt after Eva passed. I think he felt a connection with this girl that needed him, and realizes that he needs her too.

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?

So far, most of the people in that place are unlikeable... even though I feel some pity for Grey (but also feel ambivalent about that as I don’t like what he’s done) and I do like Carter... everyone else is ICK.

23) So now we know for sure, Carter was innocent and he'd rather die than tell anyone that Rachel killed herself.

I knew I liked him. I feel bad that he took the fall for her desire to die.

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 am not. She felt a bond with Amy, and she saw the importance of the girl and the terrible future that’s coming. She definitely saw the connection “He loves her”... I think they love her, but I think they also let pity and superiority cloud how they treat her. I’m hoping she plays a good part in this story, as I like the genuine and loving nature the writer showed in her.

[Steven]

I'll look for the next set of questions later... and hopefully I catch up on the today's section tonight! :)

[Ozana]

There are so many questions and long ones. Book is also long so there is no much discusion about the characters, story or else, if at all. I never buddy read so I didn't imagine it like this, just answering, sorry to say this.

[Sheila]

I am so sorry. I am not going to be able to post questions today. There was a sick call and work and so I picked it up. I just have not had any reading time. Sorry Lisarenee :(

[Parvathy]

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?

Too many questions which I hope will be answered in the coming chapters. At the time I did not think about Harry potter but now that you mentioned it all I can think about is the similarity between the scenes. Thanks for bringing my attention to the part about Amy glowing like that which is a trait she shares with the other test subjects. Maybe the whole background story was there to show us there was nothing unnatural about Amy's birth but still she is an unusual kid. I am mixing up books now because of too group reads I kept thinking she is a daimon and then realized that was in "Discovery of Witches and not this one

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.

Yes, now they have done something which is akin to kidnapping. I kept wondering the whole time why it was necessary to get the signature of the death row inmates and not Amy. Why get their signature in the first place when nothing was reveled to them. They could simply transfer the person and be done with it. Why get their permission

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?

Yeah, Carter's story seem tragic. He was trying to show the little girl a frog and ended up killing her mother. Makes you wonder how fast life can change

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.

That is sad. I hope she sued the hospital and not let them get away with it.

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.

Exactly, I was thinking the same thing. Why his back story was important? No wonder the book is this long. I get Amy and Wolfgast because they are the main characters but why the caretakers. That was just unnecessary and made that chapter overly long

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*

I checked the second chapter again to make sure. Jonas wrote the emails through the mail id lear@ something. His friends full name is Tim Fanning so I am convinced that Lear and Fanning are Jonas and Tim. I also think Tim became infected from the bats and he was recovering in to what ever it is zero is my best guess at the moment is Vampire/Zombie. Next stage of evolution. Telepathic Predators. Jonas is the confusing one here. I thought after all he had seen he would have put a stop to this but now I think the military is forcing him. Is it me or does Zero bear a resemblance to the statue they came across in the jungle

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.

A story does need a ruthless killer who believe in the cause no matter what and Richard seems to be fitting the bill

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?

I think the creatures are getting telepathic as well as dream walking powers.

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 think his chapters are too long. He just fills them with pages and pages if description. At first it was good but now it just seem to distract you from the story

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.

That is a good guess. I never would have thought it.

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?

The truth is I never found much difference.

[Lisarenee]

Sheila wrote: "I am so sorry. I am not going to be able to post questions today. There was a sick call and work and so I picked it up. I just have not had any reading time. Sorry Lisarenee :("

I'll get them up soon.

[Lisarenee]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 12 - 17

Please 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?

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.

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.

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?

29) Were you surprised that Wolgast refused the suit? After all they said the virus might still be viable.

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?

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?

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.

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?

36) How'd you like the spin the government put on the virus? That it was terrorist related?

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?

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?

[Sheila]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 8 - 11

19) 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 don't know if anyone told Richards specifically to kill everyone, but I also think that the people in charge of the experiment know what he is doing. It is so incredibly hush hush. And these are not the first people that Richards has killed to protect the experiments.

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.

Interesting thought. I don't think it is right, but who knows. That would be interesting, for sure!

21) The carnival scene reinforced my like of Walgast. I think he definitely wants to substitute Amy for Eva.

I agree that he wants to substitute Amy for Eva. I feel for Wolgast. But he is also way to far in to get out that easily.

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?

I think they all get weird dreams. Richards talked about the dreams, now Paulson. I think the vampire things can manipulate dreams.

23) So now we know for sure, Carter was innocent and he'd rather die than tell anyone that Rachel killed herself.

Man that sucks. I wish there was someone who could have stopped Rachel. Depression is so hard, but there are ways out of it. Also it sounds like her husband was a real jerk. But yeah I totally feel for Carter.

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 was surprised and not surprised. Since Lacey never left the house on her own before I was surprised. But it seems like Amy has ignited something in her as well. I think she went after Amy. I am not surprised that she realize Wolgast cared for Amy. Lacey definitely has a 6th sense thing going on. I don't think people were judging Lacey, just understanding that a trauma like that never really leaves you. And she still does not acknowledge what really happened that day and doesn't leave the house. All of that sound like PTSD to me.

[Clare]

Questions and Comments for Chapters 12 - 17

Please 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 didn't connect it with religion actually. I thought it was something to do with the virus and that they could communicate with each other via people's thoughts - perhaps I should focus on the religious aspect!!

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.

Hmm I can't believe he killed the nuns - he's ruthless isn't he - horrible man!

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.

Yes, whose stupid idea was it to move them? It's obvious to me that they were far too dangerous to move, although I often think that the people who created these things mistakenly feel they have control over the outcome...

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?

That was quite spooky when Grey said that he didn't know how he did his work. They are very powerful if they can influence someone's thoughts like that.

29) Were you surprised that Wolgast refused the suit? After all they said the virus might still be viable.

I was sort of surprised although I think he really cares for Amy and didn't want to scare her. I don't think I would be so thoughtful in that situation though.

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, not sure what part Lear played really apart from helping Amy and Wolgast.

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?

Ooohh, not thought about that at all. But now you mention it...

32) Doyle was a surprise. I didn't see that coming.

Me neither

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.

Yes, I would like some details about the vampires - we don't have any yet apart from the newspaper article - perhaps that will come later in the novel. It reminds me a bit of the film '28 Days Later' - anyone else think the same?

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 we don't know all there is to know about Amy. Is she special in some way? They all seemed to think that Wolgast could protect her and seemed quite certain of that...

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?

Yes I thought they killed their victims, not converted them to vampires. Perhaps the virus is mutating? They still sound as if they leave the 10th one like they left the 10th rabbit - that is how I presume Fanning lived

36) How'd you like the spin the government put on the virus? That it was terrorist related?

That was really interesting - how they linked it to a Muslim threat. As I am in the UK I may have a different perspective but in the UK the government are quite paranoid about the 'Muslim threat' and it is all we hear on the news if anything happens. I presume it is the same in the US...or worse?

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?

I'm not sure about that - got a bit puzzled by that.

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?

Yes, I was really puzzled. If she is really so knowledgeable she must have known he wasn't dead so why did she leave him? Perhaps she was taken?

By the way, very exciting book - loving every minute