Title: The Passage
Author: Justin Cronin
ISBN: 9780345504968
No. of Pages: 766
Genre: Horror
Origins: Mine. All mine.
Release Date: 8 June 2010

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.”

Thoughts on the Novel: The Passage is one of those novels that seemingly everyone read and loved when it was first published. Finally having read it five years after its initial publication date, this reader finally understands the fuss. With its sweeping story of vampires, military experiments gone wrong, and survival of the most basic kind, it is no wonder that it swept the book world.

To categorize the novel or even describe it without giving away chunks of the plot is a feat of impossibility. More importantly, to give away even one section of the story is to give away key elements that make the novel so powerful. There is action and adventure, fear and suspense. However, there is also love, family, and the types of relationships that surpass those bonds. The story covers every aspect of the human condition, magnified by the real danger that exists in this new world. Mr. Cronin’s lyrical prose paints a vivid picture that haunts readers and captivates them as they explore the United States from coast to coast and back again and the survivors who still inhabit the land.

Every once in a while, a book comes along that shakes up an entire genre. In 2010, Justin Cronin’s novel was just such a novel. Epic in scope, it becomes more than just another horror novel but a sweeping multi-generational story of apocalyptic proportions.

BOTTOM LINE: Fantastic read.