The Passage
The Passage, by Justin Cronin, is a beast of a book. It's a
sprawling, epic story told in 766 pages. And when I was halfway through
it, I learned that it's only the first novel in a planned trilogy.
Which...I can see where the story is going in the next book. I
definitely think there's enough plot left to keep things interesting for
two more books. But the last thing I need right now is another epic
series.
So, The Passage. The only thing I knew when I started it was that it was about vampires. I mentioned this to my boyfriend's mom when she loaned it to me, and she was quick to say that they aren't really vampires. They don't have a lot of the classic "vampire" characteristics. But the thing is, every vampire legend picks and chooses the bits of the legend they want to use. Bram Stoker's vampires couldn't cross running water and had to sleep in the soil of their homeland. Anne Rice's vampires absolutely could not change their appearance from the moment they died, but they weren't soulless monsters. Joss Whedon's vampires don't cast a reflection and can be killed with wooden stakes, but garlic doesn't really seem to bother them. Charlainne Harris' vampire are susceptible to silver.
The vampires in this book have a virus that extends their life, rendering them effectively immortal. That virus is passed on when they bite someone. They can't go out in sunlight, and really don't like any light at all. They drink blood. They can read and control minds. They prefer to sleep in the soil of their home. Cronin breaks tradition by having them be attracted to garlic rather than repelled by it, and allowing them to cast a reflection. He also plays with the old religious symbolism by shortening the word "crossbow" to "cross" in the future slang. Unlike classic vampires, they have reflections and aren't repelled by garlic. In the scheme of things, this seems like a fairly minor deviation from legend.
I actually had a hard time putting this book down, which is something I haven't experienced for a while. That probably sounds a bit weird, given how often I read. But I'm usually in the middle of a few books at once and I cycle through them. In this case I completely stopped reading two other books so I'd have more time to devote to The Passage. Even though it weighs over 2 lbs I was carrying it with me everywhere I went, just in case I could grab 5 minutes to read another page. And I'm more excited for the sequel than I expected to be.
If you're looking for a good, sprawling epic about vampires, I'd definitely recommend this. The story is interesting with several twists and turns. The characters are well-rounded and realistic. And the journey through a post-apocalyptic south-western US was fittingly surreal. I would warn you that the pacing is a bit odd (jumping decades ahead at times and then focusing in on a single night at others). The pacing works for the story, even if it can be a tad disorienting. I'm also not sure I'd file this as horror, as it didn't really scare me. But I could just be desensitized to this sort of story. I found the whole book more tragic than terrifying.
So, The Passage. The only thing I knew when I started it was that it was about vampires. I mentioned this to my boyfriend's mom when she loaned it to me, and she was quick to say that they aren't really vampires. They don't have a lot of the classic "vampire" characteristics. But the thing is, every vampire legend picks and chooses the bits of the legend they want to use. Bram Stoker's vampires couldn't cross running water and had to sleep in the soil of their homeland. Anne Rice's vampires absolutely could not change their appearance from the moment they died, but they weren't soulless monsters. Joss Whedon's vampires don't cast a reflection and can be killed with wooden stakes, but garlic doesn't really seem to bother them. Charlainne Harris' vampire are susceptible to silver.
The vampires in this book have a virus that extends their life, rendering them effectively immortal. That virus is passed on when they bite someone. They can't go out in sunlight, and really don't like any light at all. They drink blood. They can read and control minds. They prefer to sleep in the soil of their home. Cronin breaks tradition by having them be attracted to garlic rather than repelled by it, and allowing them to cast a reflection. He also plays with the old religious symbolism by shortening the word "crossbow" to "cross" in the future slang. Unlike classic vampires, they have reflections and aren't repelled by garlic. In the scheme of things, this seems like a fairly minor deviation from legend.
I actually had a hard time putting this book down, which is something I haven't experienced for a while. That probably sounds a bit weird, given how often I read. But I'm usually in the middle of a few books at once and I cycle through them. In this case I completely stopped reading two other books so I'd have more time to devote to The Passage. Even though it weighs over 2 lbs I was carrying it with me everywhere I went, just in case I could grab 5 minutes to read another page. And I'm more excited for the sequel than I expected to be.
If you're looking for a good, sprawling epic about vampires, I'd definitely recommend this. The story is interesting with several twists and turns. The characters are well-rounded and realistic. And the journey through a post-apocalyptic south-western US was fittingly surreal. I would warn you that the pacing is a bit odd (jumping decades ahead at times and then focusing in on a single night at others). The pacing works for the story, even if it can be a tad disorienting. I'm also not sure I'd file this as horror, as it didn't really scare me. But I could just be desensitized to this sort of story. I found the whole book more tragic than terrifying.
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