Oh, hello! This is Sue from Book by Book. Sheila asked me to help blog-sit while she is enjoying her vacation in Australia, so I just stopped by to water her plants and feed her cat errr…. dogs.
While I’m here, I might as well check out her books – don’t you just love looking at other people’s 
bookshelves? Oooh…Sheila has an amazing collection, with so much variety! Let’s see…read it, read it, read it, oh, want it!
Ah, here’s one that’s a favorite at our house: The Passage by Justin Cronin. My husband and I both read
it a few years ago, but I just gave it to my father for Christmas and my 20-year old son finally took our advice and started reading it this week – I know they will both love it. Despite its big splash when first published, this is a book that stands up over time.
I just re-read Sheila’s review (one of many that made me want to read the book), and I agree with everything she’s said here.
If you are one of the few – like my son – who hasn’t read it yet, here’s a quick overview. The Passage is an epic post-apocalyptic thriller, covering over 100 years and several generations of people. You may have heard that it’s about vampires, but I’m not normally a fan of vampire books, and I loved it. The creatures in the novel are not traditional vampires of fictional lore but more a government experiment to create super-soldiers with a virus that went terribly wrong. Here’s my review, from 2011.
I see that Sheila also read and reviewed The Twelve, the sequel to The Passage. I agree with her review – that The Twelve is a good follow-up but is a lot more complicated and well, more everything. Here’s my review, too (no spoilers in any of our reviews).
So, if you are looking for some high-octane post-apocalyptic action, check out this unique and thrilling trilogy. Book 3, The City of Mirrors, is due out sometime this year – can’t wait! And word is that there is a movie adaptation of The Passage in the works – wow, that will be something to see.
I just know that my son and father will both love this book. Thanks to Sheila for reigniting my interest in it!
Well, I better let myself out now and lock up. See you soon!
Book Journey 
Love it! Great job filling in for Sheila! I’ve read both books already, and actually own both in hardcover (very unusual for me!). Looking forward to reading the third, too!
Same here, Laurie – we rarely buy hardcovers, but we have both, too. My son finished both of them last week, so I think he liked them!
Sue
Great post Sue. These are new books to me that I will keep in mind.
Pat, it is a really great trilogy – very, very unique. They cross many genres – sci fi, fantasy, thriller – but are also very well-written and in-depth characters. My son finished both of them last week, and my dad says he loved The Passage and just passed it along to his wife to read next!
Sue
What a terrific post, Sue. Love the lockup sentence and graphic….very clever.
I haven’t read either book. I really don’t like that genre.
Have a wonderful Sunday.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Blog
Elizabeth – Actually, this series defies characterization in any single genre – it really crosses the lines and combines many unique elements. It’s a very engrossing story.
Sue
Sue, just like you, I love snooping around a person’s bookshelf when I visit their home. It tells me so much about them. Haven’t read these books, though.
Laura – Ah, a kindred spirit! I also like snooping to see what other people are reading on planes and in other public places (creepy or fun?). E-books have bitten into my book-snooping fun!
Sue
I enjoyed your post, Sue. I haven’t read these books by Cronin but I think I have another of his on my shelf – one of those books I hope to read one of these days 😉
I do, too, Mary – some sort of a novel set in Maine during the summer. I bought it when we were in Maine one summer! This trilogy is just so well-written and engrossing that I wanted to try another of his novels. I hope to finally get to it this summer.
Sue
I like how you took us into her home while you fed the dogs….LOL.
I haven’t read anything by Justin Cronin, and have only enjoyed a handful of post-apocalyptic books…they usually depress me. But I will keep these in mind.
Great post!
These are really unique, Laurel – they defy characterization because they combine so many different elements. From the plot description, I never would have tried them, but all the rave reviews finally swayed me – so glad they did! He’s a good writer and really takes you in-depth into the characters.
Sue
Sue, I love your “writing voice”! I’ll definitely be checking out your blog 🙂
I’ve actually never heard of this trilogy, and thinking of the whole “vampire” thing, I always think of the Twilight Series and how I was ultimately VERY disappointed by it : / This sounds like there’s much more to it with much better plotting than that though, and obviously, the two of YOU really love it! If they’re making a movie out of it, I’d have to believe there’s something to it 🙂 I hope for fans’ sake, they don’t butcher the books!
Nice blog post, Sue 😀
Thanks! I never read the Twilight books because I’d heard they were so poorly written. I am NOT a fan of vampire books at all! But when I read The Passage, I really didn’t think the creatures that come from this virus were vampires…until I heard the author use the word in an interview. Definitely not typical in any way! He really crosses genre lines and pulls so many unique and different elements into these books – I can;t wait for the movie!
Sue
Thanks, Sue (and Sheila) for good reviews. I read The Passage when it first came out. I knew nothing about it, but was instantly taken with this huge chunkster, the cover and the blurb. I don’t enjoy UF vampire stories, and this is not one of those! It’s really a refreshing change and well worth the read. However, I downloaded The Twelve and because of the time gone by between them (I can commiserate with the author taking a long time– he’s a teacher and he writes long, complicated plots. I just can’t get into it nor understand what it’s about. I don’t know if I could reread The Passage again, but maybe if I can find some “cheat sheet” somewhere for folks who have this same problem.
Thanks again!
I had the exact same problem with The Twelve! I talked about that in my review. Definitely better to do as my son did last week and read them in quick succession while The Passage is still fresh in your mind. I did exactly what you’re suggesting – I looked online for a detailed plot summary of The Passage, read that, and then went back to The Twelve. It helped a lot. There is also a character summary at the back that I wished I’d known about when I started it!
Sue
I love both your review and Sheila’s. I’ve been reading a lot of good reviews for Justin Cronin’s books. I’m definitely reading these books this year. Thanks for the share 🙂
Glad we inspired you, Claire! They are hard to put down once you start. And just forget any preconceived notions you may have – they really defy categorization! Hope you enjoy them – best to read The Twelve soon after The Passage because it’s easier to remember all the characters and plot lines. Enjoy!
Sue
thank you! 🙂
I think like everyone, I love The Passage. I just read The Twelve this month, it was my first posted review of the year. I agree it was more complicated, especially the time jumping, and while I didn’t love it as much as the first book, I still really enjoyed it.
Same here, Ryan. I wish I’d read The Twelve sooner after finishing The Passage – definitely would have helped me keep things straight. Very complicated! Can;t wait to see what he does with book 3 this year!
Sue
Nice to meet you Sue.
http://idahobluebird50.wordpress.com
You, too, Betty Louise!
Pop in of the day. I just spent a lovely day out in Akaroa New Zealand. We rented a car and went exploring. Lots of fun and sun. Now back on the ship and plan to read a little and maybe catch some dinner later. Sue, I love that you mention The Passage as I did really enjoy this book – in fact, it was the “big book” of the expo the first year I went to BEA and that is how I came to read it. Love that your family loves it too and thank you for checking in on my pups!
Hope you are having an amazing time, Sheila – it sounds like such an incredible trip! My son ended up finishing both books last week, and I called my dad last night, and he loved The Passage and immediately passed it onto his wife to read! So, they are making their way through the whole family! Enjoy the end of your trip!
Sue