Book Review: The Passage (The Passage #1) by Justin Cronin

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SPOILERS FREE!

Year Published: 2011
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages: 784
Rating: 

In case, you don't know.. I read this book because of Joseph Morgan.. If you guys don't know him, google him.. It's been a long time since I really like an actor and considering myself as a fan. haha.. I like many actors and actresses, but never really thought myself as a fan.. but this time, I make an exception ;)

4.5 stars! - SPOILER FREE!

This is one of those books that could catch me off my guard.. I just can't seem to formulate coherent thoughts of what I felt after finishing this book. It was just a mix of anxieties.

It took me a while to finish this book, other than the monstrosity of how thick this book is, there is also a busy life to live.. work and everything, mostly the limited time.. but what a journey and experience reading this book.

I don't think people who can not bear a really slow and long development of a story-line can enjoy this book. But if you are patient enough and up for the long, intricate, and complexed details of a story, this book probably is for you. Because there were so much of it. I think it was from the start till well most of the stories anw.. xp There were actions here and there, but mostly the story was about a journey.. a very long one and a-very-not-smooth one. There were just so many things happened, and most of them were unexpected. Surprises and puzzles of why things happened the way it was happening were kinda overwhelming.

Okay so let's talk about the book.

This book is a sci-fi/post-apocalyptic/dystopian/adult fiction.

So basically, this was a story about a journey of the-descended-survivors in the post-apocalyptic world.. The world in the state of apocalypse because of things human-made during the Time Before. Humans created through experiment monsters (or twelve of them) that were becoming disaster when all of them broke free from their containment-facility. And their escape has created pandemic that crossing all over the states (in the USA) and created more monsters or virals. And for sure, it put down the history of human. These monsters were like vampires. So it was really interesting to read. Instead of as supernatural/paranormal creatures, vampires in this book were human-worst-made-creation. and speaking about the Twelve, there were more about them than what it seemed. They were like the originals (hah, I can't think straight when I said that.. ) and the kings of the virals (Volturi to the Twilight world) xp

The story line. I can divide the book into two parts. First, the pre-apocalyptic story. It was the intro story of how these things happened. In this book, they called it "The Time Before". and the second part, the post-apocalyptic one, where the journey and everything began. When people were starting to find answers and actually do something about it. At this point, it was like I was watching "The Walking Dead" tv series. and I love TWD, so I really enjoyed the process of the reading and the development of the story. The story was detailed and complexed. But it was amazing to see how the story developed and gave so many surprises. I like how the world setting and everything were able to shape the story itself. It was like the story was alive and forced everyone to live in such a state. Although, in the Time Before, we learned that everything happened because of humans.

It told the story from the 3rd person perspective of multi-characters in the book.. It was confusing at first, especially at the middle of the book or at the time when the story was set in the colony. There were quite many characters in the book, so sometime it was difficult to keep track on who was who.. haha.. but I got the hang of it after some pages (thou sometimes I had to get back to previous chapter to read about which characters was who). Other than the main casts (whether it was in pre- or post- apocalyptic world) were really amazing characters. I could actually feel their personal and emotional growth. So that was one of the great things about the book.

As many good story went on, it has a crazy ending. And it was told in the way that made me stunned. Okay, crazy! CRAZY!

oh and one more thing, it was like the sense of time in this book stopped. and somehow it also influenced the story (well, that was how I felt ;) )

And am actually pretty excited to read the sequel (thou I don't know when will I read it.. ) xp

Alright then... up to the next read.. :)