Book Review | The Passage by Justin Cronin

Source: Personal purchase. This is a review of my personal reading experience.

The Passage was my favorite read of 2010.

“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.”

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. He is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors. But for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.

Cronin's monsters are labeled "Vampires" much in the way the "Zombies" are labeled in 28 Days Later. It's a rational label, but not quite right.

These monsters are the result of a successful failed military experiment. Let it be a lesson to you - if you create something more powerful than you, well, it's going to wind up more powerful than you.

The Passage gives us a glimpse into the original monsters - perhaps even makes us like them - before leading us into a journey that spans more than 100 years.

Cronin's voice changes throughout The Passage, and as a result the pacing changes as well. It starts out at a very fast pace - so much so I turned the light back on twice after going to bed in order to pick it back up! I simply didn't want to put it down.

It did slow down a bit throughout the novel, but my interest never waned.

I was able to completely suspend disbelief and become part of Cronin's dystopian world. Thank the heavens it is part of a trilogy because I did not want to leave. I am anxiously awaiting the next release (along with any film adaptations I may get to enjoy!).

Despite the 4.5 (almost perfect) rating I am giving The Passage, it makes it into my all time list of favorite novels.

I'd love to hear your thoughts regarding The Passage!

9/10: Highly Recommended

Additional topics of interest:
Dystopian Book Reviews
Horror Book Reviews