The Passage (The Passage, #1) in Bookworm Buddies

Jun 26, 2010 Chris Haught rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, scifi-fan-group, read-owned-hardcover

This was an awesome book. I don't know that I can properly review it in a way that will give it any justice. I probably need to let it absorb, but often if I don't write a review right away, I don't at all.

So that said, wow. Just wow.

I don't want to spoil anything for someone that might want to read this book. So there isn't much I can say. I do think that the more you don't know about it going in, the most effect the little surprises will have when you find them. I even avoided reading the blur ...more

16 likes · Like · see review

Sep 13, 2011 Damali rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopian-pa-zombies

The Passage opens with scientists discovering a potential weapon in a jungle, and bringing it back to the U.S. for testing in a government facility, experimenting on members of society that won't be missed. The second part of the book jumps 100 years to one of the last cities still standing, and then follows the survivors as they try to find a safe place, and figure out how to battle the virals.

Amy's a central figure in both parts of the book, but she's not really the main character, or ever say ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jul 06, 2010 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror

Great book. It was a little confusing in parts and the tense changed ... went from the future to the future's future. Characters changed and I found it hard to remember who some of them were at some times. The Passage reminded me some what of Stephen King's The Stand for it's post apocalyptic atmosphere and Stephen King's Dark Tower series with it's gunslinger feel ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

May 25, 2011 Ms. Nikki rated it liked it

Shelves: own-it-pb-or-hc, horror-extreme-horror, zombies-undead

This book has Parts, like a play, with a different cast of characters and THAT is what took some of the steam out of this read for me. Just when you were caring about Wolgast (FBI Agent) and Amy (The key to the whole outbreak) they were put to the side and the new characters came along. This read could have easily been cut down a third with the removal of back story from some of the characters and what they went through before this viral outbreak. Still it was a good read.

6 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2017 Paula rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I have read 'The Passage' twice (this is my second time reading it). I enjoyed it this time as much as I did the first time. 'The Passage' is the start of an epic story, the characters are well written and memorable. I found myself enthralled in the story very quickly and could not wait to find out what happened next.

Now on to 'The Twelve'.

Highly recommended. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Dec 04, 2012 Chris rated it liked it · review of another edition

So since the book feels like two books mashed into one I will try to review this as such. The first half was a very slow starter. If I hadn't known this fact, and been listening to it in audio I would have stopped and not continued with this book. Still a part of me wondered why I was continuing when there are so many other books I really want to read. I had to press on to see what everyone is talking about. The main point about this whole section is to get to know the little girl named Amy. As So since the book feels like two books mashed into one I will try to review this as such. The first half was a very slow starter. If I hadn't known this fact, and been listening to it in audio I would have stopped and not continued with this book. Still a part of me wondered why I was continuing when there are so many other books I really want to read. I had to press on to see what everyone is talking about. The main point about this whole section is to get to know the little girl named Amy. As far as the reader knows at this point there is nothing special about her, but the government is risking everything to kidnap this girl so she can be part of a secret medical research project that has only tested on convicted felons. This is all build up to the rest of the book and in my opinion was just way to long.

It does pick up when the setting is in the compound that they do the testing, but other than that it was a struggle to get through, and we still don’t know why Amy is so important to the progression of this research. The virus begins to take over the country slowly and the government is quickly destroying cities and moving, giving up territories to the vampires.

Once you get to Part 4 in the book the second half of the story starts. This is why I say this felt like two different books in one collection. We start over, a century after the events of the earlier parts. We now have to get to know all new characters, and where the setting has evolved to all this time after the outbreak. It really is like picking up a different book and starting at the beginning. I just felt the story was starting to pick up and then nothing. Getting to know the colony wasn't as drawn out as the characters in the first half, and there is more action in part four alone so I kept going.

Clearly after reading this much of the review you can tell I was not a big fan of this book so you might be asking why did I give it three stars? Well, I gave it three stars because no matter how bored I was at times or how drawn out the book felt; by the end I wanted to go on. It took three fourths of the book but by the last few chapters I liked the characters that were left, and as frustrating as it was to admit, I want to know what happens. Initially I didn't want to continue this trilogy, all I wanted was to finish this book. Well now I need to find out what happens, I think I will take some time before I continue but I will continue.

The only advice I can give you is if you can last through just over half of this book you might just come to enjoy it somewhat. If you can’t struggle through and get to the points that were interesting then don’t bother. I should have given up and moved on, but I didn't and I am glad I finished.
...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 19, 2020 Adeeb rated it liked it · review of another edition

Somewhere between 3 and 4. I really liked the beginning part, where they show how the virus outbreaks, but then there was a very random change in tone that I could not wrap my head around.

And also it could’ve easily been 200 or so pages shorter. But still, Cronin has great ideas.

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2011 Kit★ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: horror, keep-forever, post-apocalyptic-or-dystopian, series-trilogy, hardcover

This book fits in as one for my Blind Author Challenge over in the Bookworm Buddies, plus was a buddy read over there too, though I'm a lil late to the party. Oh well, better late than never. Finished now, and right now I can just say 'wow'. Like just wow. What a way to end it! Cliffhanger extraordinaire. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the beginning. First off, from the first page I was hooked, didn't want to put it down. I've even hardly gotten online much this week because I just cou This book fits in as one for my Blind Author Challenge over in the Bookworm Buddies, plus was a buddy read over there too, though I'm a lil late to the party. Oh well, better late than never. Finished now, and right now I can just say 'wow'. Like just wow. What a way to end it! Cliffhanger extraordinaire. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Back to the beginning. First off, from the first page I was hooked, didn't want to put it down. I've even hardly gotten online much this week because I just couldn't bring myself to stop. I was drawn into the characters, little Amy and her mom and their sad story, Wolgast and his sad past, Lacey and everyone. I was intrigued by the goings on at the Chalet, the testing being done on the inmates, the people involved. I'm super curious to see what the differences in all the twelve subjects are. They said each one got a different variant of the virus, so I'm curious to see how the differences play out with the virals. I liked all the action in the beginning parts, finding out everything that led up to the end of the world as it was known, a little bit of the aftermath. But then the story took a jump to nearly a hundred years in the future, all or most of the characters I had grown to care about gone. A whole new cast is introduced, as well as the life in the Colony. I liked how it was started off with excerpts of Auntie's writings, telling how the Colony came to be. At first I was a little overwhelmed by the number of people to try and keep straight in my mind, but I quickly got used to it, and grew just as attached to the new cast. Peter and Lish and Michael and Maus and Theo, and Hollis and Hightop too. I liked how it was mysterious what was going on, who was trying to sabotage the Colony and why. There was plenty of action, too in the form of viral attacks and escapes and adventures. Amy's return had me excited, I couldn't wait to see what she was, what she could do. When the group sets out on their trek, that's when things got even better. I loved the idea of journeying out of the safety of home to explore the wide world. I liked how everyone grew stronger too. Peter became more of a leader, Michael got tougher. When they came across the Haven, I was dying to find out what was going on, why was everyone acting so odd, living with no protection, strange society. When the truth came out, I was horrified that in a world where people are not very populous, they could so willingly sacrifice their own. Then the 'rebels' with the train, I was hopeful. Maybe some of the good people would be able to escape, start fresh. The happenings in the ring, seeing Babcock, getting Theo back, it was all a rush. The mad flight away on the train, the viral horde, destruction. Man, I was running headlong, felt like I couldn't live without knowing what was going to happen next. I was saddened by the losses, but the main group was intact, and that made me happy. Then finding the farmstead, the mystery of what had happened there before, the people who'd been there before and had left everything so neat. Then the obvious problem of Maus being unable to continue the journey in her pregnant state, and her and Theo's decision to stay behind. I was sad of course, but understood, though I feared for their safety. Then more trekking, and finding the Expeditionary, seemingly by accident. I was psyched to find other people, who weren't all weird, who were organized and well-supplied and armed to the teeth, and there was a lot of them. I thought things were going to be all good, but of course you can't go feeling too secure, and the first problem was Lish's surprise reveal. I was taken aback, didn't want the dynamics of the group to change again. I was intrigued by the idea of all the people though. Kerrville, thirty-thousand people, plus all the expeditionary soldiers. I liked the idea of how they took an organized approach and managed to set up a well-supplied society. I hope in the next book we can get to see Kerrville. I was worried for awhile though that they were going to go there instead of continuing on to find where the signal calling for Amy was. But I was afraid for nothing, because Peter stayed strong, and though he and Amy set off alone and unarmed, I figured she could keep any baddies from killing him. When they got there though, I was hugely surprised by who they found. Someone I had not been expecting to ever see again. I was amazed, and pleased. Everything that happened up there on the mountain, all the explanations were just what I needed. Of course they weren't completely safe, and it was time for the showdown with Babcock. I was excited, but a little afraid to lose more characters too. Everything goes well though for the most part, many of the virals are released to finally die, Amy's role in freeing them almost bringing a mistiness to my eye. And Lish in her new form, had to love that, her warrior skills only enhanced, I was hopeful for winning the fight against the remaining twelve and their Many. At long last, making it back to the farmstead where they'd left Maus and Theo, I was worried for awhile for them, last I'd seen them they'd been under attack, so I was glad to see them alive and well, though I was sad about the dog. When Peter gets the idea to use one of the vials to make himself like Lish, and Hollis volunteers too, I got ultra-major-super excited. I was thrilled! I was like, 'Yes!!'. I was like, woot! Now they can stand a chance in this war, this hunt for the twelve. They would become even stronger, faster, better, safer. But then what Amy does, oh my freakin' gosh I wanted to scream, howl 'noooooo!!'. No. I was aghast! Couldn't believe it. All my hopes were dashed like throwing an egg down on some big rocks. Splat. My vision for how the future would go just crumbled. I didn't know how to go on. Then the group split again, and for a time I thought it was going to end happily despite them not getting to be like Lish and Amy (which only makes me mad that it's unfair to Peter. He'll age and have to worry about getting wounded or killed, but Lish who loves him doesn't. Not fair.) but the way it ended, oh my. I don't have words. I mean, I figured the Haven people would have found the Colony or something, so it wasn't that. It was Sara's journal. The journal, and the way it ended, just stopped, leaving me dangling by fingertips from the edge of the cliff. I'm desperate to get The Twelve now. I will find it today, and it will be mine!! I need it. Now. ...more

Like · see review