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The Passage

‘Will stand as one of the great achievements in American fantasy fiction’ Stephen King

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The Passage

By: Justin Cronin
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Amy Harper Bellafonte is six years old and her mother thinks she's the most important person in the whole world.

She is.

Anthony Carter doesn't think he could ever be in a worse place than Death Row.

He's wrong.

FBI agent Brad Wolgast thinks something beyond imagination is coming.

It is.

THE PASSAGE.

(p) 2010 Penguin Random House LLC©2010 Justin Cronin Fantasy Horror Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense Fiction Scary Exciting
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Critic reviews

Enthralling ... Read 15 pages, and you will find yourself captivated; read 30 and you will find yourself taken prisoner and reading late into the night. It had the vividness that only epic works of fantasy and imagination can achieve. What else can I say? This: read this book and the ordinary world disappears (Stephen King)
Cronin's massive novel transcends its clichés and delivers a feverishly readable post-apocalyptic-cum-vampire chiller. It's not only a brilliantly told story, with thrilling plot twists and graphic action sequences, but a moving psychological portrait of survivors facing up to the poignant fact of a lost past and a horrifically uncertain future
Enthralling ... richly imagined. Above all, Amy is a superb creation, believably human yet beguilingly enigmatic
If you only take one book away with you this summer, make it The Passage. It's an absorbing, nightmarish dream of a book, a terrifying apocalyptic thriller, populated by believable, sympathetic characters. Once you start reading it, you won't want it to end
Epic, apocalyptic, heart-wrenching, catastrophic, mesmerisizing...
An exhilarating epic ... the breathtaking plot eventually circles back around, and the conclusion will leave you gasping. A modern classic in the making
Dense stuff with intriguing characters, Cronin's story of a supernatural government experiment that gets out of hand is surprisingly gripping. Full of plot twists, action and vampires. It's a dark epic that matches the best of Stephen King
An epic thriller, the story hinges around Amy, a six-year-old girl used as a test case by the government for a covert mission involving a deadly virus. And yes, she manages to escape... We loved it
Cronin is a skilled writer. Most of the characters are well drawn and he tackles the philosophical issue of gaining eternal life at the cost of your soul in between the throat-ripping battle scenes. I turned The Passage's pages feverishly to find out what happened next
A gripping story and a richly drawn cast. This is an epic that often bears comparison with Stephen King
Read 30 pages and you will find yourself taken prisoner and reading late into the night
Magnificent
Magnificently unnerving . . . The Stand meets The Road
Cronin has given us what could be the best book of the summer. Don't wait to dive into The Passage
Justin Cronin has written a wild, headlong, sweeping extravaganza of a novel. The Passage is the literary equivalent of a unicorn: a bona fide thriller that is sharply written, deeply humane, ablaze with big ideas, and absolutely impossible to put down (Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad)
Addictive, terrifying, and deeply satisfying. Not only is this one of the year's best thrillers; it's one of the best of the past decade-maybe one of the best ever
All stars
Most relevant
This is a very fine and well written book though it is difficult to classify - part horror, part science fiction, post-apocalypse tale, part quest. It bears a resemblance to Stephen King's 'The Stand', but much better plotted with a far more convincing backdrop - indeed the vision that the author paints is truly mind blowing in its scope, timescale and detail - frighteningly plausible in its way. And although the book is very long, it is never less than absorbing - and clearly part of a trilogy - but if I say more as it might ruin the ending! The only ting it lacks, arguably, is a bit more humour to lighten the atmosphere occasionally.

The only slight negative point is the narration. I do like Scott Brick as a narrator, but on this book he is a tad slow for my taste, and he adopts a somewhat doom-laden tone. A brisker ore deadpan delivery would I think have been better, but that said, he holds the attention easily, with good characterisation. Sound quality is first class. Still if you are thinking of buying the book, do listen to the sample before you commit yourself as it's a LONG book!

A five star listen for me, and I think anyone who likes Science Fiction/Fantasy post-apocalypse/quest type tales will enjoy this book too.

long and absorbing

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Not normally my type of book. I don't do horror and I don't do vampires...but this blew me away. I didn't think I would read anything better than the Stig Larson books for a very long time, but this topped them. It was Stephrn King's 'The Stand' on steroids. I did a complete extra lap of the M25 at 2am to listen to this. Currently my fave book of all time.

Stunning, stunning and thrice stunning

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I absolutely love both the audio book and the paper copy! The story telling is amazing and you really do get the feel for all of the characters. This book is easily one of the best I have ever come across! As is its sequel...

Epic!

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If you like your audiobooks to transport you to another world, and keep you there, then this (yes, hugely long) novel will provide the perfect escapism. I have been captivated and shocked, thrilled and amazed, horrified and giggling aloud with this story. The pace of the reading is superb, for me, and I have often discovered that I have stopped doing what I was doing and am standing staring into space, lost in a world accompanied by these characters - willing them on, desperately crossing my fingers praying for what is to come.

I am not a sci-fi fan, nor a futuristic fantasy person at all. But this? Like a previous reviewer said - unclassifiable and unmatchable.

Please...Do not be put off by the hours of audio. I'm delighted at every second I get to spend tracing the tracks of this journey.

Astounding work of magical, transfixing writing.

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this book was a brilliant listen, my favourite yet on audible.buying the second instalment straight away!

amazing

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