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 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.
(back cover)
I. Love. This. Book. I went on a 20-minute, out-loud rant when one character did something I would have strangled her for. That's when I knew this book had me. I love this book. I love it. If you start it, and you get comfy with the present-day crime story feel of it, don't get too comfortable, but PLEASE take my word for it, the abrupt shift from that to something else works so completely and masterfully it will make you giggle. I love this book. Give me the sequal NOW, or the puppy gets it.
Easily the best book I've read this year and one of my all time favourites. It was like me first reading of Lord of the Rings - I just know this is going to be more than just a book - it'll be a companion down the years, being read and re-read. Just awesome.
A post-apocalyptic thriller where a military virus escapes and turns everyone into vampire-like monsters. The future of the world rests in the hands of a few holdout colonies of humans and one mysterious little girl.
A fast-paced page-turner of a thriller, this was a great book to read on a boring rainy weekend. As big a book as it was I could not put it down and ripped through it in no time at all. Despite its very strong thematic similarities to "The Stand", "The Road," and other similar dark post-apocalyptic fiction, there were still enough original ideas here to draw me in and keep me reading.
Parts of it are very well written. Many of the characters are well drawn. The pacing and tension is nicely done much of the time.
But.
On a whole it is a huge, sloppy, mess. The core set of good characters are swamped …
A post-apocalyptic thriller where a military virus escapes and turns everyone into vampire-like monsters. The future of the world rests in the hands of a few holdout colonies of humans and one mysterious little girl.
A fast-paced page-turner of a thriller, this was a great book to read on a boring rainy weekend. As big a book as it was I could not put it down and ripped through it in no time at all. Despite its very strong thematic similarities to "The Stand", "The Road," and other similar dark post-apocalyptic fiction, there were still enough original ideas here to draw me in and keep me reading.
Parts of it are very well written. Many of the characters are well drawn. The pacing and tension is nicely done much of the time.
But.
On a whole it is a huge, sloppy, mess. The core set of good characters are swamped by large numbers of confusing, similarly named, one-dimensional characters whose subplots trail off or are irrelevant to the main plot. As quickly as the book moves when it peaks in the big action scenes the writing gets so choppy and jarring that I could not figure out what was actually going on. Some key action scenes happen off-camera, and we're left with long first-person expository diary entries explaining what happened. Argh. Slowing the pacing does not mean bringing the action completely to a halt.
The ending is particularly unsatisfying, not just because it became apparent that this is a setup for a trilogy (something I didn't know going in), but also because many of the characters' personalities and motivations suddenly changed, randomly, as if to force the threads of the plot to come together. I feels forced and manipulative on the part of the author. And even then some of the plot resolutions aren't resolutions at all, they pose more questions than they resolve.
At the least I think this book could have benefited from some much tighter editing, it could have been at least a third shorter, with many fewer characters and plots. Since it is a trilogy any of the major plots in this book would have served as a core plot, but there's just too much here.
I feel kind of like I just ate a dozen donuts all on my own. I enjoyed it while it was happening but the more I reflect on it I feel kind of queasy and unsatisfied.
Holy crap this is a good book. It's got action, adventure, romance, vampires, creepy little girls with telepathic powers, Jenna Bush as governor, and even a dog eating vomit. If you read one book this summer, it should be The Passage. If you go through the Summer of 2010 without at least starting The Passage, well then you've wasted your entire summer. Awesome, awesome book. I can't wait to see how Ridley Scott fudges up the movie version.
The perfect beach reading book. It's difficult to put down and weaves a variety of topics together - FBI mystery, kidnapping, Army/Government genetic manipulations and the supernatural with vampire things. Sounds confusing and at times it was, but it reads well, is entertaining, if depressing and as I said great to read while laying on the beach soaking up the sun.
