# The Passage by Justin Cronin - let's discuss! ** Use Spoiler Tags Please! **



## AlexJouJou (May 16, 2010)

I've been so eagerly waiting for this book to come out and finally, finally it is the eve of its release. I've read it and I absolutely loved it.

I don't want to start with any spoilers but I'm anxiously awaiting others to read it because I can't wait to hear what people think! I'm so curious to know how others react and where they think the next book will go and all that.

I know there's a few folks who have it pre ordered. Jump in!

** Please remember to use Spoiler Tags **



_Added book link - HC_


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## Guest (Jun 8, 2010)

This is one I`ve been dying to read too! I still haven`t read it yet though, so let`s try and keep the spoilers away. But I did appreciate the twist on the vampire thing. I also really like that it started off as something fun with his daughter and then spiraled into this huge thing.

Have you read the article about it in the New York Times?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/books/02cronin.html


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

I was hoping that if I stayed up until 12 it would become available for download at midnight.  I don't see it available.  What time does a new release like this become available for download?  Late into the morning? Tomorrow morning? Anyone know?


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## thesocialfrog (Jul 22, 2009)

I am still waiting for it....I really wanted to read some before bed but it is already after 1am, I was hoping for a 12am release!


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## katbird1 (Dec 10, 2008)

Glad I didn't wait up until midnight since you didn't get yours then.  I checked at 6:45 this morning and there it was.  I will get started on it today!


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

dl'ed it today ..will start it once I finish my current book..
Im concerned though as this seems to be a bit of a departure form this authors normal subject matter ..hope he does it right


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

In my experience, pre-orders automatically download at midnight PACIFIC time -- so if you are on the East Coast, like me, you get them at about 3am.  (My confirmation email from Amazon shows it as being delivered at 3:02 am.  It was definitely on there already when I woke up at 5:30.)

I started reading it this morning, and am at about 3% so far.  It grabbed me from the beginning -- I think this is one that will live up to all the hype!  I brought my Kindle to work with me today so I could read it at lunchtime -- now I'm watching the clock and wishing lunchtime would hurry up and get here!


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Ah, sounds like I crashed right before it was available.  Took my nighttime cough syrup for my bronchitis, so it probably wouldn't have mattered much anyway hah 

Got it this morning and after breakfast, I am gonna get busy reading.  It's a perfect day to read all day too.  I'm sick, the weather is rainy and cloudy, and I'm home alone. So excited!


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## melissaj323 (Dec 29, 2008)

After reading everyone's posts, I am hurrying over to purchase the book! Thanks!! I've been looking for a great book to read.


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

I'm trying to stay spoiler-free so forgive me if this isn't mentioned up-thread - I skipped to the bottom of the page.

I'm reading the Kindle version - can someone who read the print version (if there is anyone) let me know if the email messages that start chapter 2 actually contain any images?  I see that the emails are show attachments which made me wonder if the printed books contained those attachments.  I especially wondered when there was an empty email if, perhaps, it contained only an image.

If there is anyone who has read the print book that can let me know, would you please email me at nelzoe @ gmail.com - I'd truly appreciate knowing if I'm missing something.


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

I just downloaded the sample and am totally hooked! This is going to be my next read.


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

planet_janet said:


> I just downloaded the sample and am totally hooked! This is going to be my next read.


10% in and I'm hooked...lol

As far as the email attachment question, I was wondering the same thing.


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## AlexJouJou (May 16, 2010)

There weren't any images in mine but I had an ARC so not sure they would have been there anyway.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

I just downloaded it on my Kindle and sounds like a cool book.  Outta curiosity I checked the page length of the regular hardcover...wow, +/- 784 pages!  Good thing it's on my Kindle!  Can't wait to read it...but want to finish book or two before starting it.

Tris

P.S.
Are there going to be spoilers in this thread because then I want to avoid.  Thanks!


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

I want to avoid spoilers as well, but maybe we can just ask everyone to use the spoiler tags


Spoiler



these things


 if they want to post spoilers. AlexJouJou, can you go back to the original post and edit the title to say "use spoiler tags"?

I'm at 11% this morning and wishing I could stay home from work to read!!


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

I started this book last night and I love it. This is one that really holds your attention. I don't want to put it down.


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

FYI, for anyone who wants to get further immersed in the book:
Find Subject Zero website and Twitter Feed
Justin Cronin's Twitter Feed


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Ok, 30% in. A bit confused, Alex, maybe you can answer me without giving anything away.

Don't read this guys, if you don't want a spoiler.



Spoiler



Am I supposed to understand how the black nun found them all at the compound, how she knew where they were, how Doyle knew she would be coming, why the nun didn't get eaten the first time when she was in the open, but she got eaten the second time when she got out of the car as it was racing away? I am guessing they all have the virus and that voice is speaking to them? But alot of stuff just doesn't make sense! Am I right that I'm not really supposed to understand what's going on? Or have I missed something



Very good book!! I love books like this. Non-stop action!! Reminds me alot of the first time I read the DaVinici Code...could NOT put it down.


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

I made a special trip to B&N 'cos the JPEG question was driving me crazy - I just had to know if I was missing something.

There are *NO images* in the chapter 2 email messages, even in the DTB.

I feel better now


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## AlexJouJou (May 16, 2010)

Ok Madeline

Spoiler free -- no you won't understand that just yet. Just know that it happened as written and wonder about it and her. 

More would be a spoiler


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

AlexJouJou said:


> Ok Madeline
> 
> Spoiler free -- no you won't understand that just yet. Just know that it happened as written and wonder about it and her.
> 
> More would be a spoiler


Ok awesome, I have been sick so I was wondering if I've missed comprehending something along the way because there is alot of stuff that doesn't make sense!!


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

Madeline, I just finished that part, and I have a theory, but I guess that (per AlexJouJou's post), I'll have to keep reading to figure out if I was right! My theory is that


Spoiler



everyone with the virus, including Amy, has the ability to speak to people telepathically. So I think that Amy "called" Sister Lacey and told her how to get there. But then Sister Lacey knew that she had to get out of the car (sacrificing herself to save Amy) so that they couldn't follow the car by the scent of her blood.



tlrowley, thanks for letting us know about the lack of images from the emails! I have been wondering about that as well!


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Spoiler



Yeah I pretty much got that someone is speaking telepathically, trying to figure who is the problem! Interesting about you thinking they all can...that just may be right because even if they CAN do it, not all them know they can or know how to do it, which ends up being massively confusing for the reader, on purpose. But perhaps I'm OVER evaluating it..haha.

As for the nun finding them, that would explain that, but Im still struggling with why she got eaten getting out of the car but not in all her time being outdoors, not during all the time moving around the compound trying to find Amy, and not even in the parking area where she was standing next to that other guy who got eaten right next to her. Even Doyle got massacred in a split second, but she did not. This makes me think 2 possibilities are afoot. 1) the nun was one of the originators of the virus or 2) she didnt get eaten when getting out of the car, the author just made it look like she did, and we will see her again.

And what the heck is Amy? Lol she is supposed to be some kind of savior I gather, but whew, I can't figure out what they were doing to her in the compound? She obviously had the virus BEFORE getting there cause of the party at the zoo...so um...did the nun give it to her? If not, where did she get it?


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

ROFL about all of the big black SPOILERS! FYI, if you are at least to 29%, you can read the spoilers above and in this post!

Madeline,


Spoiler



I don't think that either Lacey or Amy already had the virus, but that's an interesting idea! Obviously, we'll need to keep reading to find out more, but I didn't think anyone had the virus except the people who "survived" the original expedition (e.g. Fanning) and the people who were purposely infected with it (e.g. the inmates and Amy). I think that Amy was just "special" for some other reason - a random stroke of luck for the rest of humanity because I don't think Sykes knew about it or "picked" her for that reason -- he just picked her because she had no attachments -- but her "specialness" may be what allows her to "save the world."

As for why Lacey didn't get attacked before the scene with the car... hmm, you have me stumped. I may need to go back and re-read that part, because I was thinking that maybe the "vampires" hadn't yet made it off of the "level" where they were being held at the time that Lacey first showed up. But now that you raise the question, I'm not so sure that's how it happened.



I guess if I can tear myself away from the part I'm currently reading, I'll go back and re-read that part to see if I can figure it out, LOL! I'll let you know!


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

LOL...I know it is pretty funny....all the huge black blobs. If you're about 30% or more into the book, you can read the below spoilers and it won't give anything away...

dpinmd,


Spoiler



I think Amy had the virus before she went into the compound. Remember the craziness at the zoo? The polar bears? When she had her fingers against the glass and Lacey asked her what was wrong, she said "They know who I am." She was talking to all of the animals and such, as well. Amy was already weird before she got taken into the compoud.

Also - how did they even know Amy existed? She was just some random kid on the planet, yet they sought her out and found her. There has got to be a reason why .... what about if they figure out a way to time travel, see Amy as the savior, and go back in the past to figure out how she doesn't die to the virus and fail again at it? LOL ... it's been quite some time since I've tried to think through a book like this before..usually I just plow through them. This time, I'm trying to enjoy it!! 

But I seriously think she had the virus already. My gut is that they were trying to figure out why it wasn't killing her in the compound, but again, its pure conjecture. Along those same lines, if Amy had it already when she met the nuns, then perhaps she gave the virus to Lacey? They did, afterall, sleep in the same bed...



LOL...I am going crazy trying to figure it all out. I think I should just shut up and READ!! I am actually at 48% now, quite a bit past all the


Spoiler



compound


 stuff. Don't worry about dragging yourself away...I can't either. I have ZERO desire (LOL ) to backtrack...we can talk about it after the fact. At least Alex has informed us that we aren't supposed to be able to figure all this out yet!!


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

Madeline, I'm at 34%, so you're ahead of me! If things weren't so crazy at work, I would have totally taken a "sick day" to stay home and read! As it is, I brought my Kindle and plan to read over lunch.



Spoiler



As for the Amy thing, I attributed the craziness at the zoo to there being something ELSE "special" about Amy, not the virus. I think they know that she exists because they are a super-secret government program, so they have access to all kinds of information -- so they knew from the original police report (remember, Lacey called the police, and then the police suggested Lacey keep Amy over the weekend before calling social services) that Amy was at the convent, but not yet "in the system." I don't think they were looking for AMY specifically, Sykes was just looking for a (female) child because Lear had told him they needed to test the latest strain of the virus on someone whose thymus gland was younger and therefore more able to fight the virus. Then they found Amy, and it was just a "lucky coincidence" that in addition to being a young female with "zero footprint," she also happened to have something else "special" about her (as evidenced by the zoo events). So then they (Lear) purposely infected her with the virus at the compound, to see if his theory was correct about the way her younger body/thymus would respond to it -- but I don't think the people at the compound ever knew that there was something special about her beyond just her age and gender. (Because if she already had the virus, (a) how did she get it? and (b) why wasn't she sensitive to light until after the events at the compound?)



Of course, this is all just my theory, and I could turn out to be totally wrong -- I'm picturing AlexJouJou reading this and laughing at how off-the-mark I am, LOL! But it's fun to theorize, and even more fun to keep reading and see what really happens!

Ohhh, I am so tempted to just close my office door and read, LOL! Did you folks see/hear that NPR's Book Critic, Alan Cheuse, called this book "a multi-million dollar clunker"? Wow, seriously, I don't know what book HE read, because I (almost) literally can't put this thing down! I've already "sold" at least 4 other copies to people I've recommended it to!


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Spoiler



Interesting about her not being sensitive to light before....I had not thought of that 



Well if he thinks this is a clunker, I think he and I probably disagree on ALOT of things lol...I love it so far. All the twists and turns and action and stuff...its just really an excellent book. Very few books have this kind of page turning pull for me...but this is one of them.

And yes, yesterday, I did close my office door and read for an hour. Doing that whacked my day though and instead of leaving work at 5, I ended up having to stay till 11. LOL...be careful what you wish for........


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## sbaum4853 (May 3, 2010)

Now about 1/3 through the novel.  Was amazed at the beginning, and even more amazed to find it getting even better.  There are scenes in this novel as powerful as anything I've ever read, and they just come one after another.


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

I'm about 80% through now.  Things are starting to make sense


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Finished. And omg I want to run out and get the next book, except it's not out yet.  Heh.  Very good book, prolly one of the best I've read in a long time.  I loved it.

Let me know when you guys are done so we can discuss it.


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## AlexJouJou (May 16, 2010)

Me I'm done!!

But we'll need to wait for a few others I think so we can actually chat freely.

I'm so glad you liked it! I felt like that too at the end!


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

I read your review over on Amazon..pretty much agree with it!  The ending is KILLING me...bah!!! Two years till we find out!! lol


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

I'm not done, yet, but *two years* and it ends


Spoiler



on a cliffhanger




Nooooooo!!!!

Maybe I should put it aside for two years. But then, it's meant to be a trilogy, right, so maybe I should just wait for 4 years, until they're all out. Or, or, or....

I'm starting to see how people never pull the trigger on technology purchases - always waiting for the "next" model to be better. Sadly, that never happens to me.


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## jaspertyler (Feb 13, 2009)

I am about 10% in and enjoying the book.  Has anyone read his other books?  Are they good like this?


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

tlrowley said:


> I'm not done, yet, but *two years* and it ends
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...





Spoiler



Yeeeeeeeees, unfortunately. It's just totally and unbelieveably cruel!! Heh.



I saw an interview with him and he says book 2 will be out in about 2 years. And then he crossed his fingers. Which I took to mean that it could be longer. 

And jasper, I haven't read his two other ones, but I was thinking about trying them. He says they are totally different and they indeed look totally different. Forcing myself to read some of my TBR pile before I go on another spending spree, though.

He teaches Creative Writing at Rice University, which is about 10 minutes from my house here in Houston. I am soooooooo tempted to enroll and sign up for all his classes!! But knowing my luck, since he's rolling in all the dough now, I'm willing to bet that he'll probably quit and focus only on writing!

On a side note, have any of you all read King's The Stand? Many of the reviews are comparing it to The Stand, and its only like 8 bucks on the Kindle. I'm tempted to pick it up, but honestly, I am terrified. Hahah. I tried to read "It" back when I was a kid and it scared the ever loving daylights out of me (to the point where I had to burn the book outside!). Granted, I was like in 5th grade, was sneaking the book because my parents wouldn't let me read it, and probably had no business doing so...I was too young to handle that kind of book. However, as an adult, I'm thinking it's probably not as bad as my childhood memories remember it to be. The Passage creeped me out a bit, but it wasn't too bad. Is The Stand similiar in nature? Creepy but nothing that's going to prevent you from turning your lights out at night? Or is it horribly terrifying? Do you all think its worth facing my King phobia and trying it out? (i.e. if I read The Passage ok, am I going to be terrified by The Stand?)


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## izzy (Jun 12, 2010)

I think i will have to start reading this book today. I might put Shiver down for a little and start on this. It sounds like its going to be amazing!! I really can't wait to start it.


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

I'm not a very analytical reader, I admit, but even I find similarities between Cronin and King, in a good way. It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of his writing - the sentences can be very long, but now that I've found the "beat", I'm really enjoying it.

I don't remember finding The Stand _that_ terrifying, but that was a long time ago. I do remember being scared by the imagery of


Spoiler



the vampires flying outside the windows asking to be let in


 in 'Salem's Lot (I was about 12).

I'm certainly caught up in the book - had no idea we were going to end up


Spoiler



in the Colony in year 92


 when the book began


Spoiler



(I thought it was going to continue in the world in which it started)


, and I'm still at that part and don't really know where we're going next.


Spoiler



I'm guessing Peter and Lish are about to set out for Colorado - Michael has just found the co-ordinates for Telluride.


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## AlexJouJou (May 16, 2010)

Madeline - I found it very similar to The Stand in some ways. However I read that in high school in 1981 or so - I'm finding it hard to remember exactly everything that happened--I picked up The Stand at Barnes and Noble a couple of weeks ago planning to re read it.

I am not a horror fan or a scare the living daylights out of me fan....so I don't know what of King's work does not fall into those categories or what isn't as bad...I know the movies freak the heck out of me and I don't watch them (except Firestarter which I loved..that's his right?)

I'm not sure what else to recommend...I saw that " Under the Dome" and it looked good and is certainly epic by size along.


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## sbaum4853 (May 3, 2010)

RE: The Stand versus The Passage -- yes, the plots and themes are quite similar, so much so that it's a real credit to the power of Cronin's book that King chose to blurb for it rather than call it an imitation.  

And that's really the big difference.  The writing in The Passage is on a different tier than in The Stand, IMO.  The Stand is a great read, one of King's very best, and until The Passage was written, The Stand was my pick for best apocalypse novel.  

Whereas Cronin uses his novel to explore the threads that define humanity, King is trying to scare us silly with his.  The most powerful scenes in The Passage took my breath away.  The most powerful scenes in The Stand made my heart race.  Take your pick.  On my ranking list, The Passage is the better novel.

But both are fun reads.  I read The Stand when I was fourteen years old in a few frenzied summer days when a ridiculous ailment (a horrible, blistering sunburn on the tops of my feet) kept me locked in a chair.  It's a great memory.  When I look back on my first reading of The Passage, I'm going to remember that it was so darned good that I force-fed it into my life even though a million other things wanted my attention.


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

sbaum4853 said:


> Whereas Cronin uses his novel to explore the threads that define humanity, King is trying to scare us silly with his.


Very insightful comment - I totally agree.

Tracey


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Tlrowley, it makes me miss the characters to see you talk about where you are!!    You're almost through the part where Cronin is allowing you to catch your breath -  just about ready to jump off the next cliff.  Enjoy the jump!!  

I'm going to read a book or two first, but I think I'll read it again, myself.  I think things will make alot more sense the second time around and I'll catch alot more of the themes and little details.

As for The Stand, I think I may just bite the bullet and try it out.  LOL...if you can handle it at 14, I think I can hack it as an adult!!  And, as for the ridiculous sunburn...I've been there. Except mine was on the top of my knees after a day of intertubing down a river in the Texas sun.  I couldn't even move for a few days - it was horrible!! Once I could move, I had to crawl to the restroom for about 4 days because I literally couldn't walk.  Total misery.  I think every kid does that at least once.  Never again, though, NEVER AGAIN!!

Anyone know any other end of world novels like this?  I've already read Andromedia Strain (or whatever it's called).  Any other ideas?


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## sbaum4853 (May 3, 2010)

Madeline said:


> Anyone know any other end of world novels like this? I've already read Andromedia Strain (or whatever it's called). Any other ideas?


The Stand is definitely the one to go to next if you liked the sheer magnitude of the world we knew screeching to an end shown for you in a hundred pages or so. Another book that shows all of that is Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, but it's a science fiction book that's heavy on the science and is a totally different sort of read than The Passage.

The Road is one to read if you haven't already. Definitely one I'd recommend to people who liked The Passage (and vice versa).

I'm a fan of Kurt Vonnegut, and he ended the world in Cat's Cradle, although that novel has a different tone than these others we're speaking of.

And the classics of the genre are "On The Beach" which is a great piece of Cold War history now serving as a reminder of how convinced the world was in the 50s that it was soon coming to an end, and Day of the Triffids, which is a nice, spooky horror novel.

When I was in middle school, I also read some great little _hey kids, get ready for nuclear winter_ novels. One was called Alas, Babylon and the other was After the Bomb. I read those the same year the Soviet Union crumbled. It was immensely relieving to watch the "Evil Empire" fall apart and know that I would grow into adulthood after all.


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## jaspertyler (Feb 13, 2009)

Another great one is Swan Song by McCammon


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## PaulGuy (Jul 9, 2009)

I read this all day today, 25% in, I hit a wall where I didn't want to put it down but my brain was becoming saturated for the day. Dark story. I'm horrified and loving it.


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## lostknitter (Feb 5, 2009)

Wow, what a great read! I think this is one of the best books I have read in a long, long time. Along with many of you, I found myself comparing this book with Stephen King's The Stand, which is one of my all time favorite books. I will say that there were so many times in this book where I was surprised at the turns the book took,


Spoiler



Amy and Peter arriving at Telluride blew me away


 I loved the mystical aspect of some of the characters (trying not to be specific here for those not yet finished), and I love that the story will continue after the end of this book. Two years is too long, wish I had a time machine. Jeni


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## tlrowley (Oct 29, 2008)

Okay, I'm finished.

Are you freakin' kiddin' me?


Spoiler



Roswell massacre - it ends with "Roswell masacre....."?



Arrrrrgggggh!!!!!!!!!


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

tlrowley said:


> Okay, I'm finished.
> 
> Are you freakin' kiddin' me?
> 
> ...


Heh, I told you!!


Spoiler



And on top of that, the Colony is empty!!! Where are they all??



How are we all going to make it two years to find out?

It's so sad. I picked up the next book in my TBR pile today...the second book in the In Death series. And it...it..is so slow and simple after 4 days spent in the intensity of The Passage!! sniff sniff


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## Jeff (Oct 28, 2008)

When I started reading _The Passage_ I thought: Oh no - not another rehash of _The Stand_ please. (_The Stand_ was not my favorite book.)

But I kept reading and turning the pages until it finally dawned on me that I was really enjoying it. Cronin has a gift for cliff-hanger chapters with flash-backs that don't kill the excitement. Very well done. If the sequel wasn't so far out I would gladly read it.


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

I am 54% into the book and can't put it down.  Well, what really happens is that I read and then I get anxious, so I get up and do something or make a phone call and then read some more.  I really don't want this book to end, but I want to keep reading......OMG!!!!!


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

I don't know how I'm going to be able to wait two years for the next book.  Especially after the way this one ended.


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## Merlilu (Feb 23, 2010)

Madelaine - Definitely read Swan Song if you like the Passage.  I've read it 3 times and still think it's great.


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

Merlilu said:


> Madelaine - Definitely read Swan Song if you like the Passage. I've read it 3 times and still think it's great.


Swan Song is also one of my favorites. I thought it was much better than The Stand, but it gave me more nightmares.


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

I finished this book last night.  Still thinking about it.....and I so want to read the next one NOW!


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## jaspertyler (Feb 13, 2009)

I wish I had more time to read.  I am still only like 12% in!


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## Vyrl (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm currently reading "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. I'm on page 124 and, so far, it's a fantastic read. Very well done modern vampire, near future, sci-fi. Excellently drawn characters. Wonderful tension. Anyone else enjoying this book as much as I am?

http://www.amazon.com/Passage-Justin-Cronin/dp/0345504968/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277312452&sr=8-1


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

I am at about 30 % in my Kindle. I am loving it and like most I wish I had more time to read. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time and I am going to hate it when I do finish it and then having to wait 2 years for the next book. I have recommended it to everyone I know who loves to read.


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

not too far into it yet but im enjoying it so far


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## YankeeRose1214 (Dec 27, 2009)

dpinmd said:


> FYI, for anyone who wants to get further immersed in the book:
> Find Subject Zero website and Twitter Feed
> Justin Cronin's Twitter Feed


Is there a "best way" to follow along with findsubjectzero website while reading the book?


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## jaspertyler (Feb 13, 2009)

I finished it tonight.  I enjoyed it quite a bit...can't wait for the next one!


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I'd seen so much about this book I ordered a sample.  Started reading it and didn't want to go back to the book I was already half-way through reading.  It's one of those that sucks you in from the very beginning.  Made myself finish the book I was on and immediately went back to the sample, finished it and bought the book.  I'm only about 7% in but I can see it's gonna keep me busy for awhile, and I've already recommended it to friends based on what I've read so far.


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## jaspertyler (Feb 13, 2009)

I was just looking at the website and I am too scared to watch the video with the girl at the computer.  I watch the first few seconds and then have to turn it off haha.  Maybe I will watch it during the daylight when my husband is awake haha


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

Finally, a vampire story that depicts vampires as they actually are - bloodthirsty soulless monsters....


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## sbaum4853 (May 3, 2010)

Finished. Loved it.

My favorite things about it:

1.


Spoiler



Not only do the characters grow and change, but so do the monsters! Choosing to make us sympathetic to the vampires by the end was a great move. Now we doubly want the good guys to succeed, not only to save the human race, but to free all those poor troubled souls trapped inside their hell on earth.



2.


Spoiler



The Noah theme was a clever layer to add on top of an already marvelous construction, and that more than anything is why I expect this book will be huge. When the movie versions start coming out, people are going to go nuts for this story.



3. I was compelled throughout! If I didn't have a house full of small children, a full-time job, and my own writing projects to work on, I probably would have just started reading this book and kept on going non-stop until it was done.

My least favorite things:

1.


Spoiler



The switch to an entirely new set of characters right after the immense drama of Act 1 was hard. I so completely missed everyone I had come to know and love! It was a bold move that worked out, of course, but I wonder if it might have been an easier transition had more threads from the first part of the story carried on into the second somehow.



2.


Spoiler



The thing with Galen Strauss and Theo at the end seemed a bit too tidy for me. Of course, Cronin has shown throughout this book that every idea he has is tightly woven into the whole, so I'm sure that this scene near the end of the book will prove crucial somehow in the future of this story.


----------



## Vyrl (Jun 7, 2010)

jonconnington said:


> Finally, a vampire story that depicts vampires as they actually are - bloodthirsty soulless monsters....


Absolutely.

This story achieves a beautiful darkness -- as it should be with vampires.


----------



## PaulGuy (Jul 9, 2009)

Finished. Really enjoyed it. Cronin is a heck of a writer. At times dark and horrifying. Several parts of this book just left me mumbling to myself 'oh my god, oh my god! Other parts just beautiful. Like Nature itself. As to some of the comments and comparisons to King I have to say I think Cronin is by far the more gifted writer. But on the other hand I really have enjoyed many of Kings books. I enjoy his sense of humor and sardonic wit. He makes me laugh at what seems the most inappropriate times over and over agin in his books. Different styles both enjoyable.


----------



## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

Geez, makes me wonder if I'm reading the same book?  I am on chapter 22 and really thinking about skipping the whole section until the real story starts again.  It's nice story but doesn't seem to go anywhere.  Those of you who finished...can I just skip it and still be good with the rest of the story?  I mean I got all into the whole story with Amy and then...this section (chapters) seem to be a wall and goes on these long chapters...

Tris


----------



## izzy (Jun 12, 2010)

I'm almost at 30% now and just keep reading it. I'm loving it more and more.


Spoiler



I'm up to when Carter snaps and kills the tech in the room. I had a huge moment of shock when Richards shows up and just kills the people in the smalltown sheriff office! I was like WTH is wrong with this guy that he just kills people like that or doesn't see whats wrong with Amy being a test subject.


I love dark vampire stories. I can't wait to see how it evolves as i keep reading. Hopefully i'll finish it this weekend.


----------



## PaulGuy (Jul 9, 2009)

Tris said:


> Geez, makes me wonder if I'm reading the same book? I am on chapter 22 and really thinking about skipping the whole section until the real story starts again. It's nice story but doesn't seem to go anywhere. Those of you who finished...can I just skip it and still be good with the rest of the story? I mean I got all into the whole story with Amy and then...this section (chapters) seem to be a wall and goes on these long chapters...
> 
> Tris


Tris you can't skip here. You're starting a new part of the tale which you'll follow to the end of the book. Yes the change is abrupt but hang in there.


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## sbrown29 (Jun 26, 2010)

Tris said:


> Geez, makes me wonder if I'm reading the same book? I am on chapter 22 and really thinking about skipping the whole section until the real story starts again. It's nice story but doesn't seem to go anywhere. Those of you who finished...can I just skip it and still be good with the rest of the story? I mean I got all into the whole story with Amy and then...this section (chapters) seem to be a wall and goes on these long chapters...
> 
> Tris


I know exactly what you're saying. I have about 80 more pages to go, but I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I am afraid that I had such high expectations and it's just not living up to what I thought. I definitely feel like I'm in the minority because everyone seems to love it. I SO want to love it, but I'm just not feeling it.....


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

I finished the book and had the urge his editor should have had. I wanted to go to the bookstore and scratch out


Spoiler



the last line of narrative, "a gun went off"


 . Really?? Shouldn't that be the one thing they teach in creative writing. Don't end with


Spoiler



cheap, cliche cliffhangers


 ?? I guess not though, being as that is what the author teaches. It would have been a better book if he'd stopped the sentence before, IMO. I liked the book, a good escape summer read, right up until then. No one needed to announce it is a series. He ended it so obviously. I doubt I'll read the others.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I got to a good stopping point (the end of Part I) at just the right time - I want to read "The Surgeon" by Tess Gerritsen before the TV show based on her series starts in July.  So I'm suspending "The Passage" until I get that one read.  I suspect the TV show will change up the plot quite a bit, but still, don't want to read the book with the series in the back of my mind.

Soon as I'm done, I'll get back to The Passage.  I'm still loving it.


----------



## mikek1710 (Jul 2, 2010)

Worst part of this book was finishing.  Had trouble putting it down and from the I was watching the % read every time I clicked the next page button hoping that the percentage would stay the same.  Its going to be a long 2 years to wait for the next one.  I actually think I was depressed for a couple days when it was over .


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

mikek1710 said:


> Worst part of this book was finishing. Had trouble putting it down and from the I was watching the % read every time I clicked the next page button hoping that the percentage would stay the same. Its going to be a long 2 years to wait for the next one. I actually think I was depressed for a couple days when it was over .


Ditto! I was doing the exact same thing as I got toward the end -- my heart sank every time the percentage went up! It's going to be so hard to wait two whole years to find out what happens next!

To Tris, I'd say you should DEFINITELY keep reading. The author took a huge risk in making such an abrupt change after allowing readers to get so invested in the first part of the story, but trust me, if you keep reading, you'll find yourself invested all over again. It's almost like 2 different books, and then when you get toward the end you see more how they fit together. Don't give up -- it's so worth the effort to get over that "hump." (IMO)

I'm actually thinking of reading it again...


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

prairiesky said:


> I finished this book last night. Still thinking about it.....and I so want to read the next one NOW!


Is this book going to be a series?


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Anne said:


> Is this book going to be a series?


WoW it sounds like I need to move this book up on my TBR list. I downloaded a sample and will read it this weekend.


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## prairiesky (Aug 11, 2009)

Anne.....He is well into the writing of the second volume in the series.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

prairiesky said:


> Anne.....He is well into the writing of the second volume in the series.


Thank you once I get into a series. I hate to wait too long for the next book.


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

I am trying my best to keep going...on chapter 25 now.  However I am still scratching my head at what is the author doing with this plot line, and when is it suppose to get better.  Like I said before, still tryingto hack my way in.

Tris


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

I am on Chapter two of the sample. So far I am not into the book. Does it take a while to get into it?


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## Tris (Oct 30, 2008)

Anne, it took me more than the sample to get into the book.  Longer books just tend to start off kind of slow.  It wasn't until chapter 8 or so before the plot kicked in for me.

Tris


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Tris said:


> Anne, it took me more than the sample to get into the book. Longer books just tend to start off kind of slow. It wasn't until chapter 8 or so before the plot kicked in for me.
> 
> Tris


Thanks Tris I was hoping that I was not the only one who thought it was slow in the begining. I will keep reading. I heard so many good things about this book.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

I just realized it will be two years till the next book comes out.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Anne said:


> I am on Chapter two of the sample. So far I am not into the book. Does it take a while to get into it?


Actually it sucked me in from the first few pages. But that's me - some people were hooked on "Dragon Tattoo" from the first couple of pages - I slogged along through the opening chapters until all the exposition was finished. I think we're all different as to what will "hook" us in the opening of a book. Or what will keep us reading, for that matter.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Meemo said:


> Actually it sucked me in from the first few pages. But that's me - some people were hooked on "Dragon Tattoo" from the first couple of pages - I slogged along through the opening chapters until all the exposition was finished. I think we're all different as to what will "hook" us in the opening of a book. Or what will keep us reading, for that matter.


After chapter two it sucked me in. I went from not sure if I would like the book to trying to keep my eyes open to read more.


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## Avril215 (Jul 5, 2010)

Madeleine! I hope I am using the spoiler tags correctly, I'm new at this


Spoiler



I do think that Amy had the virus before she even enters the story. At the beginning, Jeanette talks about Amy's Dad and that he was a salesman. This was the same line that Doyle used to tell any ladies that he met. I think the character Bill was an FBI operative that had wooed her at the beginning BUT then went AWOL and came back to Jeanette on the lam hence his change in clothing, car and luggage. This is a lot like when Wolgast has to leave the nice car and then steal the POS after the fair. She also mentions the change in Bill's character and how the change was not for the better. It may be that the father had been exposed to a latent version or a precursor to the virus that causes the change. When Jeanette tells Bill to leave, he also gives her the parting shot that her life and the world is going to change, just wait. That seems like he was privy to the knowledge about the coming events.





Spoiler



Now, I am wondering who was in the barn and who ended up shooting Galen? I don't think it was Theo and that he just doesn't remember. This person left footprints. What does anyone think happened to Theo and Peter's father, Demo? Also, at the end there is a gun shot and Sara's journal ends with the caption of the Roswell Massacre. Does that mean that the whole place was wiped out and so were all the humans? Did the smokes really want the baby, Caleb and why?


----------



## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Avril--

you're using the spoiler tags perfectly!  (I know 'cause I peeked!)

Congratulations on your first post!  Welcome to KindleBoards.  Be sure to head over to Introductions and tell us a little bit about yourself...

Betsy


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

Ok all you enablers, I couldn't hold out anymore and purchased this book today.  Your discussion makes it sound good, and I love this genre of books.


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## Jasonmh (May 7, 2009)

I really, really enjoyed this book.  The firt 1/4th - ish of the book is really the lead-in to the story (the back story).  I liked the first part of the book, but not enough to really suck me in, for me that happened after the big location/charater change.  By the end of the book I was glad for the lead-in character development at the beginning.  It is an ambitious story, large in scope and time.  It took awhile for it to gel, but the farther I got into it the harder it was to put it down.  I can't wait for the next one.


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

I am having the same problem as some others. I really liked the first few chapters but according to my Kindle I am about 33% in and it changed stories and got a little boring for me. I feel like I am hanging and I hope it picks up again to get me interested like I was when I started it. I guess this at some point will tie it all together.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

I keep going back and forth between liking this book and not liking it. Right now I am loving the book again.


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

I ended up getting this on audible.com, mainly because it was such a bargain (only 1 credit, and it's about 4 volumes); I had no idea it would be so good; I'm not a great listener, though, and love to read much more than be read to, so I'm toying with also purchasing it for Kindle as well. 
It's pretty disturbing so far, though; I usually like happy reading; and the guy who reads it on Kindle reminds me of the woman who did a segment on This American Life one time, called "Paw Paw for Jesus"; she drove me crazy, and he has sort of the same cadence;
And now I see a K'boards discussion on the book; OK, I've just talked myself into getting the Kindle version!


----------



## aynatal2000 (Jul 11, 2010)

Spoiler



Excellent book.I really enjoyed reading it...and those moments of WTH were a delight.
One of the things that I truly believe is that JC has the trilogy outlined and knows how he wants it to end.The title alone has more than one meaning. Literally a corridor or the passage of time; a coming of age? Oh there are so many things that resonate in this book.The tidbits that Greer and his colonel give us... which are the locations of some of the 12 and you don't get that realization until Peter and Amy find Lacey.( Texas /Carter and Martinez,Louisiana/Turrell and Echols,Missouri/Reinhardt) and Peter reads the files and sees their birthplaces

Many complain about the ending - but didn't you get that Lacey was the waters. the flood that washes away the world? Because of the killing of Babcock and his many, some of the 12 may have united and the Roswell massacre may have been the result... but who dies; the smokes or the humans?Peter is Noah and he will stand with Amy who is the ark, who will take him and his family on the journey

By the way look at society and the way it is... how the children were all taken to safe places and left.Is this Fanning's reshaping of society? Is this or was this his way of herding cattle for them all( Brothers we are dying).He most certainly had Babcock come up with an ingenious way of solving the problem... and by the way where were all the male children and the babies of Haven?And why no one realized





Spoiler



The virus has mutated in the last 100 years- that's why Lacey and Alicia's reaction to the Amy virus was so different... and why the change of some of the colony to infected was not caught(Elton and his body odor;Jimmy Molyneaux and his strange behavior.





Spoiler



I cannot wait for the next book...while the Roswell Massacre was a surprise, the realization that Wolgast is a viral dern near broke my heart.


----------



## izzy (Jun 12, 2010)

I'm 35% in now. Pretty lost kind of since all the things have changed.


Spoiler



I'm wondering if Amy will show back up or not now?


Also its interesting how the trains worked out. Kind of curious how its all going to pull together.
I too keep going from loving the book to being unsure with it.


----------



## aynatal2000 (Jul 11, 2010)

Many have criticized Cronin's use of lengthy sentences...but go back and read some of them again.His introduction of Amy and of Peter; Peter's ruminations concerning Alicia


Spoiler



after she is treated with the virus and becomes the new thing. Wolgast dying and his seeing the stars(virals)


.

Amy will come back;


Spoiler



she is the girl who lived a thousand years,Peter is the one who stands with her;Wolgast is the man who floats on a sea of hunger


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I finished this book yesterday, it was one of the best I've read recently.  I really enjoyed it.  I thought it got a little slow when I was about 60% in, but then it picked up toward the end.  I sure look forward to the next one.


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

im about 52 % done and its really starting to drag.......I know since its  the first in the series there is a lot of setting up to do but  honestly its getting a bit boring
also with all the characters and relations to each other it would have been nice to have a listing of who's who at the beginning of the book like Stephen King does on occasion. Im beginning to forget already who is who and how they are related


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## padowd (Jan 14, 2010)

That is the same way I feel. I am about 40% into it and it is getting a little boring. I am also having a hard time keeping everyone straight. I am hoping it will pick up and interest me again. I loved the first part of the book but it has taken a turn down for me. It may be because this is not the kind of books I usually read but it got such high reviews I thought I would try it. I'am trying to hang in there though.


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

padowd said:


> That is the same way I feel. I am about 40% into it and it is getting a little boring. I am also having a hard time keeping everyone straight. I am hoping it will pick up and interest me again. I loved the first part of the book but it has taken a turn down for me. It may be because this is not the kind of books I usually read but it got such high reviews I thought I would try it. I'am trying to hang in there though.


I like a good horror/apocalyptic book but maybe because this is such a departure for this authors its failing for me..King and McCammon have already done similar stories ..and better
I will see it through until the end though


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## Taborcarn (Dec 15, 2009)

The book does pick back up, but it definitely starts to drag once it shifts to the new setting and starts to introduce all the new characters.  That's the main reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Just finished it today and loved it - if book two were available now I'd have jumped right in. Lots of questions answered, but so many remain. Aynatal, you mention things I never thought about, I don't necessarily agree with all of them but it's all food for thought.


Spoiler



And I was hoping Wolgast wasn't a viral, but a ghost. But apparently he was. Wonder who found & infected him - Carter, maybe? Since he was a different type of "criminal" from the other original 12, I'm thinking Carter might be a different type of viral as well...and I was wondering if maybe it was Wolgast who saved Theo at the farm...


----------



## Taborcarn (Dec 15, 2009)

Another idea that the book touches on is that


Spoiler



a vampire could have an undead minion who is bound to serve them, but not really a vampire themselves. Like Dracula's Igor. This explains Babcock's servant Jude at the sanctuary. Not a smoke, appears human, but has been around longer than anyone can remember, and is able to withstand fatal damage on the train.

I had to look it up (thanks Kindle search feature!), and found a single mention of another "sweep" named Jude during the section featuring Gray at the beginning. And Jude shoots Caleb with a gun that very strongly resembles that one that Richards would carry around.

So I have a feeling when we meet Fanning, Gray will be there in a human(-ish) form.

And I also have a feeling that Wolgast could be this kind of servant to Amy. And now Peter may be this to Alicia. Not so much a servant, but a mortal bound to an immortal.



But that's just my crazy theory.


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## ReginaLovesHer Kindle (Nov 30, 2009)

I was enthralled and horrified by the first 50%. The scenarios with the children were very emotional, and I really hate when authors (or directors in movies) use situations with children to pull us in and get us emotionally hooked. But it worked for me. The last 50% dragged for me. I even skimmed or read very quickly the last 25%. I gave it 3.5 stars. I likely will read the next one, but I am not dying for it to happen. I am sure we will see


Spoiler



Theo and Peter's father again. And I can't beleive everyone is dead who was heading to the safe city -- if they are I am going to be ticked b/c we spent so much time getting to know those characters!

Any thoughts as to why the virus did not spread beyond the mountain before the military transported it? It seems like it should have devoured all mountain life and kept moving.

I am interested to see what happened to the rest of the world.

I think all the boy children were fed to Babcock. Girls grow up to carry babies and thus make more food. The "colony" would only need a few men to make more food for the vamps. And boys would pose a threat to the stability -- as they age they could be the force to overthrow the status quo. No boys, no force and the women are invested in protecting their female children.


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

Just finished part 1.  I'll jump back into the discussion when I've finished.  Too many spoiler possibilities.


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## izzy (Jun 12, 2010)

I'm almost done with the book! I am in shock right now though because


Spoiler



sister lacey showed back up! This threw me for a curve actually the whole last half of the book has thrown me for a curve ball.



I just hit over 90% finished so in a short bit i will be done with the book. I have to say this is probably one of my new favorite books though.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

I loved it too, Izzy. My favorite this year.


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## WilliamEsmont (May 3, 2010)

I just posted about this one in another thread... I'm only about 1/3 of the way though, but I am totally hooked. Highly recommended. Seems I lucked out when I was choosing a book for the beach this time


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

"The Strain" is a good read too, William. More graphic and horror-movie-ish, less literate, but another relatively fresh take on beloved tropes.


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## ReadingRevived (Jul 21, 2010)

This is one of the best book I have ever read! Now we shall have to wait 2 more years for the sequel to come out.


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Harry Shannon said:


> "The Strain" is a good read too, William. More graphic and horror-movie-ish, less literate, but another relatively fresh take on beloved tropes.


I loved the Strain. Does anyone know when the second book in the series is coming out?


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

izzy said:


> I'm almost done with the book! I am in shock right now though because
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Really? Because when she


Spoiler



got snatched (without a death description) I thought that she was going to be back. Why else would she be a nun with special sight to for no real purpose up to that point?


 , so when it happened that is when I started actively disliking the book. I found that, among other things, so predictable.


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

Anne said:


> I loved the Strain. Does anyone know when the second book in the series is coming out?


September ..its up for pre-order on Amazon..although why I would pre-order a Kindle book is beyond me..its not like they will run out of stock and its not priced and lower than any other new release

http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Book-Strain-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003VIWNKI/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1282224747&sr=8-2


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Fuzzy Dunlop said:


> September ..its up for pre-order on Amazon..although why I would pre-order a Kindle book is beyond me..its not like they will run out of stock and its not priced and lower than any other new release
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Book-Strain-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B003VIWNKI/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=1282224747&sr=8-2


Thanks LoL that is true about hem not running out of stock. A lot of people what to have it on the day is comes out.


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

Anne said:


> Thanks LoL that is true about hem not running out of stock. A lot of people what to have it on the day is comes out.


kind of meant for knidle users..easy enough to dl the day it comes out..


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## dpinmd (Dec 30, 2009)

Fuzzy Dunlop said:


> kind of meant for knidle users..easy enough to dl the day it comes out..


I think what Anne meant (or at least the reason that _I_ preorder Kindle books) is that if you pre-order, it automatically downloads to your Kindle at about 12:01am Pacific time on the date of release. So if it's something you're anxious for, you can either stay up late or start reading the second you wake up. Now granted, it wouldn't take that much longer to just "one click" it that morning, but there's something really excited (IMO) about going to sleep knowing that when I wake up, a long-awaited book will be waiting for me!


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

dpinmd said:


> I think what Anne meant (or at least the reason that _I_ preorder Kindle books) is that if you pre-order, it automatically downloads to your Kindle at about 12:01am Pacific time on the date of release. So if it's something you're anxious for, you can either stay up late or start reading the second you wake up. Now granted, it wouldn't take that much longer to just "one click" it that morning, but there's something really excited (IMO) about going to sleep knowing that when I wake up, a long-awaited book will be waiting for me!


Thank you Dpinmd that is what I ment. That is why I also pre order.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

re: pre-order. . . .sometimes the pre-order price _is_ significantly less than most new release prices. . . . .so it's good to jump on it then 'cause otherwise you might end up spending more when it's actually released.


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> re: pre-order. . . .sometimes the pre-order price _is_ significantly less than most new release prices. . . . .so it's good to jump on it then 'cause otherwise you might end up spending more when it's actually released.


i did allude to that in my post that in this case the price isnt any lower..I believe the only time I saw a good low price on a Kindle pre-order was for Under The Dome but there could have been many more ..nonetheless i will most likely purchase the second book in The Strain Trilogy on day one no matter what the price
As much as I liked the apocalyptic setting of The Passage I think I enjoyed The Strain a bit more


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## Anne (Oct 29, 2008)

Fuzzy Dunlop said:


> i did allude to that in my post that in this case the price isnt any lower..I believe the only time I saw a good low price on a Kindle pre-order was for Under The Dome but there could have been many more ..nonetheless i will most likely purchase the second book in The Strain Trilogy on day one no matter what the price
> As much as I liked the apocalyptic setting of The Passage I think I enjoyed The Strain a bit more


I also liked the Strain better also.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

I finished this book over the weekend and really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to the 2nd and am interested in seeing what Ridley Scott does with the film version. I thought it would be interesting to see who you all had in mind for casting... but first I have a few questions about the book...



Spoiler



One thing that kind of bugged me is why did Amy age at all? In the cabin, Wolgast noted her nails and hair did not grow... I guess we are to assume she is aging but at an extremely slow rate but this still does not really fit the story. I do understand that since she was at the most 6 years old in the beginning that it might be impractical for her character but then why not just start her older... or did I miss some aging somewhere. I was confused toward the end when a mention of more time passing than seemed right between the time they were picked up by the helicopter and the escape of the virals... was she already 12 then?

Was anyone else more than a little dissappointed that Amy destroyed the virus? I was kind of excited at the idea of this potential pack of super viral-heros... and though I admire her selflessness. I still am not sure she was doing anyone any real favors... ah especially me! 



My Casting IdeasI included links only for the more obscure choices)

Amy: and unknown (on imdb a lot of peeps want Chole Moetz but she would be too old by the time this is made.
Wolgast: Aaron Eckhart (good but safe choice)
Rainn Wilson (quirky yes but I think he is more the character I pictured...Doyle is the hunk not Wolgast.)

Peter: Nicolas Holt
Alisha: Amanda Seyfried 
Theo: James McAvoy
Sara: Teresa Palmer
Michael: Jamie Bell

I am not really sure of the rest... you can check out the thread on the imdb board here for more ideas...


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Bumping cause I am hoping someone has the answer to my question about Amy's age... (above under spoiler tag)

Threads sure get buried quick around here!


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## drenfrow (Jan 27, 2010)

I read the book last year and loved it.  I considered it one of the best books I read all year.  Unfortunately, it's been long enough, that I don't remember enough to help you.  Sorry, but at least it's another bump...


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks. I am also really curious about what y'all think about casting? I read another thread where a few people thought Peter was black. I think he defiantly has that in his background cause he compares


Spoiler



his Auntie's skin color to Sister Lacy's when he first sees her


. Still it did not really register with me, I had been picturing him differently and I think they were all so mixed by then that no actual normal race characteristics are that defined.

I still like Nick Holt (About a Boy, Skins, A Single Man) for Peter and am now thinking Russell Crowe would make a perfect Wolgast... and may very well play him, since he is a fav of Sir Scott's.


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## Daniel Pyle (Aug 13, 2010)

Cuechick said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Spoiler



Yeah, I think we're supposed to assume that the virals age, but very slowly. I actually really liked that about the story; it made the virus seem more realistic, something manmade, rather than supernatural.

I was also disappointed that Amy destroyed the vials. I was really hoping for a super-Peter. All I can say is that Alicia better do some freaking awesome stuff in book two.



I just finished the book about a week ago, and I loved it, although my reaction was the opposite of some of yours. I liked the first half well enough but didn't _really_ get into it until halfway (or maybe even two-thirds of the way) through. I thought the last chunk of the book was extremely suspenseful. I couldn't put my Kindle down.


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## eldereno (Dec 27, 2009)

Cuechick said:


> ... but first I have a few questions about the book...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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