The Passage by Justin Cronin = AMAZINGNESS

Yeah, okay so amazingness is not a recognized word in the dictionary, but it should be! 

I finished reading The Passage by Justin Cronin last week and I'm still thinking about it. I love reading a book that makes you think and keeps you enthralled throughout the whole book. It's long, over 700 pages, but it's worth it (I could not skip a word, it was that engrossing). I really don't want to say it's a book about vampires, but rather a concept similar to vampires. Cronin decides to freak out the reader with an apocalyptic virus that attacks humans. How does this virus get out? By mistakes made by the military. Why else? Don't you know that the American army is the cause of so much harm? Just kidding.  But really, that is what happens in the book. It is extremely well written with awesome dialogue. He really is an amazing writer with such an amazing imagination. Really, just amazing. Can I use amazing more? ☺

At the beginning we meet Amy, one of the main characters, and it's easy to assume that the story will be all about her, but alas, it is not. Cronin decides to hook the reader first, and then present us with many other characters that one will like just as much. It's neat how the focus is Amy, but we read about the thoughts of the other characters as well. My favorite persona is Peter. Cronin makes him out to seem weak but ends up being the strongest of the pack. His character shows how one can allow themselves to live in the shadow of someone else, and not do anything about it until something big or tragic happens. Such is the case with Peter, and it is nice to see how Cronin makes him grow from a "boy" to a man. 

I also enjoyed the strong female characters, like Alicia. She is one tough girl and it's awesome how he twists her outcome in the end. The book spooked me a bit, and I think the reason it did was because any virus can spread fast and wreak havoc at any time. I mean, all we have to do is think back to the H1N1 epidemic. So what if nobody started mutating, it was still serious. I find that the freakiest stories are the ones that are the most plausible to occur in real life. Don't you think?

The end of this book... well, the end made me crave for more. The last chapters are full of action and then it ends with a lot of questions. The book finishes with an obvious leeway for a sequel. I CANNOT WAIT FOR A SEQUEL! He really needs to get cracking with a follow up. Really. I will start a facebook group if he doesn't. Maybe I'll even become a stalker. 

The reason I picked this book was because it was listed as one of the Top Ten Books for 2010 in Times magazine. I then saw it in the library, resting on a shelf, beckoning me to read it. I think even Stephen King had it as one of top reads. If you like thrillers, and just plain good writing, please check it out from the library or buy it. Then when you are done, comment and let's discuss. ☺

Check out the link to the book as well:

http://enterthepassage.com