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The Passage by Justin Cronin
I've had an ARC of this for over a month but I keep reading library books over things I own. Anticipation!
Joel, I do the same thing. Why do you think that is? Of course, I am pushed to finish the library books because of the due date. But then I go and check out four more, instead of reading the books I own. I do get a secure feeling from looking at the stacks of books I own. Much like a homesteader gazing at a full pantry before the onset of winter. Nevertheless, those library books keep cutting to the front of the line.
Mod
That's exactly what happens to me. I thought I was smart when I figured out you can suspend requests, so I got myself on the list for all the new books but suspended, so I could hang at the top of the waiting list until I was ready. Then I discovered "suspend" transfers to "active" after a month unless you tell it not to and wound up with three new books and three weeks to read them (I made it through two and have until Monday for number three!).Of course, the books will still be there if I read stuff I own first, and probably available without a wait within six months. But that's not how my brain works. What I should do is request The Passage from the library and pretend I'm first on the list!
A colleague of mine just finished the ARC of The Passage and was shrieking over the ending. She began to read it again immediately so that she could marshall her thoughts enough to write either the author or the publishers about it--heads up, Ann and Michael! It usually takes her forever to choose and finish a book, but she read this in record time and insists she has been mightily manipulated. I can't wait to read it myself and see what she is talking about...
Was she mad because it's a cliffhanger? It's the first in a trilogy after all. I guess if you didn't know that going in...
She said, and I quote, "If they'd only changed one word, or two, in the final paragraph, I wouldn't be so frantic...but I am furious that they left me like this..."
I have my copy of The Passage on my coffee table, waiting for it to be read. I manage to get a great deal on the book and therefore couldn't resist getting it (I had to grab my calculator on my cell phone to see how much it was and with another book purchase I paid for the cost of The Passage; it was a much better deal than if I had purchased it from the same retailer online). The retailer had it for a 50% discount and then an additional 10% for members.
It's my first e-book on my new Nook. I'm on page 339. So far, I love it.
I started The Passage earlier this week. Really enjoying it so far. Ready to spend my weekend reading.
Just finished The Passage today. Whew! What a ride!I'm invested, I'm confused, I'm sad, I can't wait for the next one.
I'm really interested in hearing what other people think.
I have been telling people it's like the books Stephen King used to write, when he wrote good (as in fun, engaging, scary) books. *ducking*. (but really.)
I'm reading this. I'm about 50 pages in so far. I was drawn in immediately.
A lot of people who went into it not knowing it was a trilogy seem annoyed at the ending, judging by Amazon reviews (some are surprised to learn there is a sequel coming even after finishing, preferring to think Cronin "ran out of ideas").I can't say how I would have felt as I DID know going in, but I thought this volume provided a good stopping point, akin to a Harry Potter book, ending one set of story lines while setting things up for the next year at Hogwarts. Um, except for the epilogue, which was just mean.
Hi there! I'm listening to the book, downloaded from Audible after hearing so many recommendations from BOTNS. And I have a concern -- the way this book is narrated so far, everything seems tragic. So I'd like to ask those of you who have read this book if it "sounded" that way when you read it? Did the rhythm of the passages seem the same from chapter to chapter? What's your impression of the tone of the book overall?////Hello again. Wanted to add/edit my comment from when I started the book. It was a tough start for me, only because I don't usually listen to post-apocalyptic fiction on audiobook, I now realize. It was a learning experience! But after the first few chapters, I found that the book was quite balanced after all. In fact, its pace increased to such a degree that I was often reminded of the movie, Aliens. I'm impressed with how well the narrator carried the voices of so many characters. Thanks for a great recommendation, BOTNS!
I read it and I loved it. I will say that it becomes a completely different book about 1/3 of the way through. It is post-apocalyptic, so it can be a bit depressing.
I read it last weekend and loved it. It was exactly what I was looking for this summer. A big story, a little bit scary, a lot of world-building. I'm also surprised that people didn't know this was a trilogy. The ending is exactly that of a series - putting people in different places and with different purposes, knowing they'll all make it back together in the next book. Having already read this and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, the last book I'm anxiously looking forward to this summer is Mockingjay.
I liked it. I didn't LOVE it, but I really did like it. It got kind of exhausting. The book reminded me of "The Stand" meets "The Giver" meets "The Road."Heather in KS
It's a TRILOGY?!?! How did I miss this? :) A. I hate series books, or I hate reading them until they are all written. I hate the waiting!
B. I would have been SO much more satisfied with the ending!
Heather in KS
Mod
Wow, interesting. I didn't have that experience in reading the book, but I can certainly see how the narrator in an audio production could shape the tone of the book. Anyone else listen to it on audio?
So, I am having issues with The Passage. I am 300 pages in and I've actually been really drawn in and I like it. BUT it is seriously disturbing my sleep. I keep having disturbing whacked out dreams. I am not upset or scared when I'm actually in the moment of reading it, but turn out the lights and close my eyes and all hell breaks loose. I am in no means a scaredy-cat. 28 Days Later is one of my favorite movies which has some similarities. So, what I'm asking of the group is should I keep going? Is it really worth it? Or cut my losses and regain peaceful sleep...
Mod
I've heard others having those same type of dream issues. It's really interesting. I didn't have them myself, but I've truly heard from at least 4 or 5 other people with the same thing. Would be a great psychological study.
I'm sorry I can't advise you!
It must be those darn telepathic virals getting inside your head.
Mod
this made me laugh out loud! (and look over my shoulder)
I had many dreams about Babcock while reading. Don't let it deter you!
I really LOVED this book. Not normally a genre I read, but then again I'm not sure what I would classify it as - fantasy, dystopic, YA, horror? Not only was the plot captivating, but the writing was outstanding. I'm actually sad that I've finished and I have to wait a very long time for the next installment. In fact, I haven't been able to pick up a book since I put down The Passage - nothing else holding my interest at the moment. I need to get it out of my head and move on to something else!
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Carol wrote: "I'm 300 pages in. Enjoyed the first section but find myself wandering now. Should I continue?"The first third was the best bit! It kind of comes a bit adrift after that, but it's fun, if you have time to stick with it.
Mod
I just finished The Passage a week ago. I got really hooked in the beginning, but I thought the ending could have been better. I'm glad I read this book and wouldn't have done so without hearing about it on BOTNS, it's really different from what I normally read.
So, I finished The Passage a couple days ago now. I am still processing how I feel about it. I couldn't put it down, but I can't say I enjoyed it. But I liked it...I don't know. I will probably read the other books, but that is more because I'm curious what the last paragraph was eluding to about Peter. I will say I think some of it could have been trimmed - some of the fighting/chasing stuff became a little redundant.But on the plus side, no more bad dreams, no more Babcock!
I enjoyed it, but felt that it wasn't consistent. Some sections were truly amazing, while others seemed to drag on. I'm glad I read it, and look forward to reading the rest of the series, but I wish it had been edited better. Don't get me wrong, I love tomes, but I wish I was hooked from the first page to the last. There were even a few parts I wanted to skim, and I never do that. Intriguing story, but could have been better executed.
Im about 150 pages in and enjoying it so far although my concentration is drifting a little ... but Im really getting the sense of tension and darkness building up - So, Ill keep going with it - many more pages to go!
I'm about 250 pages into the book. I still miss the characters from the first third. I find this section to be seriously dragging. I am also reading Wolf Hall and Jim Butcher's Blood Rites (both excellect so far!). Maybe I should just concentrate on reading The Passage until I get through this section, or it picks up a bit.
I felt a real dropoff after the first section of the book but eventually I did get invested in the characters in the second part of the novel.It's really an abrupt shift in the whole feel of the book and I found it jarring and somewhat annoying but after a few chapters I felt like I was immersed in a whole new novel and then I was happy again.
Helen wrote: "It's really an abrupt shift in the whole feel of the book and I found it jarring and somewhat annoying but after a few chapters I felt like I was immersed in a whole new novel and then I was happy again."It's like two books for the price of one. ;)
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I agree that I had a hard time adjusting to the shift in the second part of the book and was really upset at the change of characters but once I got used to it, I really liked the characters and enjoyed the rest of the book.
To be honest, I think the part that bugs me most about the shift in the book is that it's really, really hard to expalin it to others or to determine if they'd like it or not.My sister, for example, I know would love the first half of the novel but I'm not sure how she'd feel about the next part.
I've just been telling people that it's good and that they should persist.
My 17 year old son read 'The Passage' immediately after I did. He loved the first section and when he got into the second said something like "it was all exciting and then suddenly, WHAM- they're waiting, and going here and going there and waiting and a pregnant lady was sad." Pretty good synopsis really, made me laugh anyway. (He did finish the book too and enjoyed it, more or less).
I'm about 400 pages in and I just started to really adjust to the shift in the novel, as everyone has said. I wasn't a big fan at first - I really enjoyed the characters, setting and events of the first half but it's becoming just as interesting again. It did take a little longer than I would have liked but, at least it's there.Hopefully the ending isn't too massive of a cliffhanger that I'll be wanting the 2nd book right away - I believe we still have two years to wait!
I have mixed feeling about this book too. I think if it had been less hyped there wouldn't have been as much of a letdown. As it was, I was expecting more.
After reading the posts of this discussion, I am quite relieved. I too was having curious dreams whilst reading the novel and hearing a lot of other folks were too makes me feel much better! I adored the novel from the first page but the abrupt change initially made me furious. As the Colony was introduced I missed the characters from the start of the novel and was jarred but the fast-forward nature of the plot. However, as I continued to read I fell into the rhythm of the text once again and all was fine.
I really enjoyed the varied formats of the novel. The emails, journals, etc were a great way to keep the story moving along. I would definitely recommend it to others, but warn them in advance of their sleeping troubles!
I am reading the book now. More when I finish. It may take a while since I don't have much time to read.
I just finished this one and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with sleeping issues and bad dreams. Maybe since its finished I will sleep better.I must say I liked the book, but I did find alot of inconsistencies. Why was Zero not listed in the information that Dr. Lear left? Wouldn't that make 13 hives total, 12 after Babcock was dead? Or did I miss something?
Hi there. I am well into the book now and I am still not sure how I feel about it. I think I like it ok and yet I can't put it down. There this magic pull, so who knows maybe the virals do get into your head. No weird or scary dreams though. Thank you for preparing me for the ending. It is good to know there will be more.
Flora wrote: "Wouldn't that make 13 hives total, 12 after Babcock was dead? Or did I miss something? ."I read it a while ago so I have forgotten but I remember being confused about something to do with that too. I gave the author the benefit of the doubt that it was one shoe (as in dropped) and the other will come later.
Or I can't count! One of those.
It seemed like Zero was always kept seperate from the 12 and I don't really know why that was. Zero was originally called Fanning, was he also a convict or was he one of the group that went into the jungle?
I am done, I can go back to my studies. Great book. I am not usually a fan of this kind of prose, but I found myself rooting for the characters. Amy, what are you up to?
I know the information will, if it isn't now, be on http://www.bookpage.com/