Has Anyone Read Justin Cronin's The Passage?

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#1

I was recommended Justin Cronin’s The Passage by Audible a few weeks ago, so I thought I would give it a spin. This book is INSANE!!! Think of Stephen King’s The Stand with a Vampire Apocalypse. But that does no justice to this brilliant story. It’s a HUGE book and I’m about halfway through it. And it’s said that this is just the beginning of a trilogy!

Anyways, I was just curious if anybody has read it yet or if anybody would be interested in having a discussion about it in say about a month’s time?

#2

I hadn’t heard of it… to be honest, it doesn’t sound like my kind of book, but awesome that you found something that you’re enjoying so much! :slight_smile:

#3

I’m like a fifth in, craps just now hitting the fan

#4

I understand, Casildra. My meager little explaination does no justice for what this book is really about. I’m just glad that this novel takes out all the romanticism and gothic attraction and makes Vampires creatures of the night once more. In a way, you could say this novel is heir successor to Matheson’s I Am Legend more than King’s The Stand.

#5

I’m not happy. I’m not happy at all. Frak Justin Cronin

#6

Pray tell why Mr. Cronin deserves a frakking?

#7

No response. Hmmm.

I couldn’t put it down, as they say - and not simply for fear of it breaking whatever foot it landed on. With all the Gothic/Vampire/bodice ripper stuff out there - I thought it was wonderful (notice, not great, but wonderful). Ugly, glowing, fierce, hungry mutants. What’s not to like?

The age old premise (scientists hankering for really long, if not eternal life, but wait, then the military gets into the act) gone haywire and now we have very pissed off, powerful vampires/apocalypse - good summer stuff. (Didn’t know that little gland behind your breast bone was so important, did you?)

And you have to love what has become of my home town, New Orleans - even before the “vampires” come on the scene. I wonder where I moved to, if I survived Hurricane Vanessa?)

This probably is old news, but in tracking down the remaining 11 (or is it 12? super duper vampires, look at all the cool places the good guys get to go (the home towns of the really bad guys - and they all appear to be males, given that all, save one, was a mass murderer - or the equivalent of).

And Justin Cronin - a $3,500,000 advance on the trilogy and a $1,500,000 payment for the movie rights - to be directed by Ridley Scott no less. Way to go. (Where’s my writing tablet?)

#8

Because of the ending and what happened like a chapter before the ending

[spoiler]Destroying the super soldier serum. Amy is literally the reason why half the group dies which leads directly to the ending the book with “This journal was recovered from the site of the New Mexico Massacre” made me rage hard.[/spoiler]

#9

Well … there is that. But for the sake of drama (if not realism) I guess death needs to remain on the table.

#10

I loved the book for about the first 3/4 of it - the characterizations were great. Then it started to really drag for me. And I agree about the ending - I would have been happier if the groups had been reversed! I couldn’t stand Alicia, at all, and was getting really tired of Peter by the end …

I really did like the first part though - so much suspense, impending doom … The sequence in the cabin really worked for me.

Ultimately I’m glad I listened to the Audible version, but probably won’t be tuning into the sequels.

#11

Alicia is my favorite because she is such a complicated character. And I love what happens to her at the end of the book because she is going to have to deal with the fact that she is, for a lack of a better term, what she hates. I can’t wait to follow these characters and to see what happens to them. I especially want to see Kerrville and an apocalyptic Texas. And I really can’t wait to see how Parker-Vampire is going affect the events going further.

I get the feeling that this saga is going to be like Foundation where it will be multi-generational. Remember the Austrailian Conference in 1000 A.V. We’re in for a very long war.

#12

What she hates lol she’s a [spoiler]gods damned super hero[/spoiler]

#13

I think I know what bothered me about the decision. It’s that it’s wholly for sake of it being a trilogy and not for the sake of the plot.

#14

I disagree. You can’t tell me that you could wrap up all the threads of this story by the end of this book and who would want to? It would be the same as saying that Frodo leaving the others behind at the end of Fellowship was doing it for the same reason. I like to think that what Cronin did was turn off the beaten path and tell his audience that we’re going to go deeper than you think. That’s also why I loved the end of The Matrix Reloaded (and so deeply disappointed in Revolutions).

If Cronin doesn’t deliever on the promises in the next installment, then I will most likely agree with you and admit that I was wrong. But until then, Cronin’s story was compelling enough to allow me to give him the benefit of a doubt.

#15

I’m not saying you should wrap it up at the end of book 1. I’m saying given the events of book 1 there’s no way that would actually happen. It DID happen because it would have turned the sequel into something completely different than book 1.

#16

There was a little interview bit with Justin Cronin posted on io9 today: http://io9.com/5605835/justin-cronin-explains-his-vampires-in-the-passage-and-drops-spoilers-for-the-next-book
They say it has spoilers, but they were pretty vague. The next book is scheduled for 2012. Its premise sounds intriguing - perhaps I’ll give it a try after all. We’ll see how I feel in two years. :stuck_out_tongue:

#17

Thanks for that tidbit. So the next book is called The Twelve? I’m frakking stoked!!!

#18

Sounds Intereating i’ll give it a shot l, I do love when authors actually make vampires monsters

Cue my love for 30 days of night.

I’ll let you know in a few hundred pages what I Think.

#19

I just finished this book a few days ago. I stayed up late several nights in a row reading this book, and actually got a little creeped out when it was time to turn out the lights! It was a great read, and I look forward to book # 2.

I think Alicia should have died. Bringing her back as some sort of new mutant was a cheap trick. It would have been much more tragic for her to die, and for Peter to have to carry on without her. It would have kept him focused more, and on what he and Amy will have to do to get rid of the 12.

Theon is a whiner. Probably my least favorite character.

Wolgast is still alive?! What is he?

#20

Did you think bringing Gandolf back from the dead was cheap? I like being thrown a curve ball and I think Alicia is going to evolve more as the story progresses.