Summary: The Passage is a sweeping story that takes place over a 100 years, chronicling the beginning of a vampire-esque plague that mostly wipes out humanity. It begins with the scientific origins of the plague, the outbreaks of plague throughout the US, and introduces the main post-apocalyptic characters and how they have survived through the years. When these characters meet a strange girl with a signal embedded under her skin telling them to bring her to Colorado, the real adventure begins.
My thoughts: I have mixed feelings about this first book in the trilogy. I felt that it was a little longer than it had to be. The characters that it first introduced were given a lot of personality, and then they ended up not to be as important as you’d expect, given that most of the book took place post-apocalypse. On the other hand, the characterization did lead to a lot of personality for the book, which is part of why people love this book so much. (I am must a fan of brevity, I guess.) Overall, though, this book was fantastic. Though it had some slow points, I was mostly engrossed in the action the whole time, and very much want to read the second and third books to see how everything turns out.
Post apocalyptic vampire stories seem strangely popular these days. Following a mysterious figure to Colorado after a plague also sounds a little like Stephen King’s The Stand. I guess that I would be afraid that the book lacks originality. Despite this, in the of the hands of the right author a story like this can be very engaging. I guess the consensus is that this book works well.
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You are totally correct. This book reminded me a lot of The Stand. I’m not a huge fan of Stephen King’s writing style, though, so I actually enjoyed this book more.
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This is one I’ve been meaning to read for ages, but whenever I’ve seen a nice new paperback in the library, it’s always been for a later book in the series. Oh, well, one of these days! 🙂
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It is well-worth reading, though it does remind me of The Stand, by Stephen King. Some huge differences, of course, but a lot of the elements are the same.
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Awww glad it was fantastic despite your mixed feelings! I love post apocalyptic but not vampires much so I’m conflicted too… 😆
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I’m a fan of most post-apocalyptic literature. At least, I think I am. I certainly read a lot of it. lol
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