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Review: The Passage (The Passage #1), by Justin Cronin (Audiobook)

1/10/2014

4 Comments

 
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Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: First published January 1, 2010/ Audio unabridged edition released June 8, 2010 by Random House Audio
Format: MP3
Pages: 784 (Hardcover) / Audio Length: Approx 37 hours
Narrator: Scott Brick
Source: Library Borrow
Genre: Fantasy/Post Apocalyptic/Dystopia/Horror
Review Date: January 10, 2014
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis:An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy—abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.


Dare I say this was an epic tale?  Yep, I do. There was soooo much to this story. So multifaceted, so much detail, so many characters. It's actually hard to even address everything properly without writing a mini-book of my own. So I'll try my best without giving away major plot points.

What's this book about? In a nutshell it's a vampire fantasy novel set in a dystopia/post apocalyptic world about a girl who saves the world.   I've also included a video from the author where he talks about the book. pretty interesting stuff.

The book may seen daunting at first, but the payoff is worth it.  My advice is to just roll with it. What I mean by that is; in the beginning there is a lot of information and it's not clear how it all relates. But trust me, it will all come together and you'll remember things that earlier occurred and it'll be like "Wow!".  My second bit of advice is to listen on audio.   I'm so very glad that I chose to listen to this on audio. With 700+ pages, this was the way to go. The main narrator, Scott Brick, was amazing. He has such a captivating voice. The other narrators, Adenrele Ojo and Abby Craden were awesome as well and really added a whole new dimension to the telling of the story.

It took me very long to actually listen to the whole thing only because it's so much going on, that you really need to pay attention, Thus I found myself re-listening to several segments.  Not to mention I couldn't renew it from the library because there were other holds on it, so I had to place a hold and wait my turn again until I was able to finish it up.

How Cronin explains the existence of vampires is very interesting. It started as something supernatural and unexplained and then once the government gets involved all hell breaks loose.  I'm sure you can guess what happens. The end of the world happens because of them. Almost 100 years later one girl aided by her friends are charged to save the world. What does that mean? I can't tell you exactly without spoiling it, but it's an amazing story.

I've got to give credit when credit is due. Cronin did an excellent job world building and plot progression. While long, the story still managed to be well paced.  I have no idea how authors come up with these insane story lines. It's a gift. Really.

With the huge cast of characters, I found a Wikipedia page that served as a great reference. It will help you keep them all straight!  

This is a trilogy, and with the long novels that Cronin likes to write, I'm almost happy it'll be wrapped up in the third book.  I've already started on book two, The Twelve.  Looking for an unique take on vampires? Or looking for an good audio book? I recommend The Passage.  Have you already read The Passage? If so, what did you think?

Happy Reading, 
~Tamara
Get the Kindle version here:
4 Comments
lectus link
1/10/2014 11:31:03 am

The cover caught my attention. I would have never thought of vampires! I'm going to check if the kindle version is on sale to buy it.

Reply
Tamara @ Shelf Addiction
1/12/2014 12:58:54 am

Yay, I hope you get to read it. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

Reply
Lekeisha Thomas
1/10/2014 12:17:39 pm

By the cover, I probably wouldn't have stopped to read the synopsis if I were in a bookstore. Vampires you say? This is definitely on my "to buy" list. Kinda apprehensive about the 700+ pages but I'll get over it. Great review!

Reply
Tamara @ Shelf Addiction
1/12/2014 01:10:30 am

Thanks Lekeisha! I know what you mean, the cover art does through you off, but that's also sort of what I like about it. It's not obvious. I hope you get the chance to read it!

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