The Passage Trilogy
*Potential Spoilers Ahead*
Genre/Trope: Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Vampires, Dystopia, Thriller
How does the book compare with other books in the genre? How does it match up to your expectations of that genre?
These books are something else. They have horror, vampires and post apocalyptic, dystopian lands. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this series, all of the books are on the larger side and jump around time wise quite drastically.
I loved The Passage series and found it very easy to fall into the pages once I began reading.
The Passage
The Summary
IT HAPPENED FAST.
THIRTY-TWO MINUTES FOR ONE WORLD TO DIE, ANOTHER TO BE BORN.
First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment. Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered. All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear—of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.
As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary. FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he’s done in the line of duty. Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse. Wolgast is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors, but for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey—spanning miles and decades—toward the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.
The Analysis
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Plot and theme
Plot and theme
The Passage begins in the near future with government experimentation on 12 death row inmates. With super speed, strength, a hard exoskeleton, rows of sharp fang like teeth and photophobia, the 12 inmates infected with the ‘vampire’ virus soon break out of maximum security. Soon the entire population of America is either killed or infected, causing 40 million ravenous monsters in the process.
The novel is initially set roughly 8 years into the future with a young ‘Girl From Nowhere’ called Amy. She was chosen specifically to be test subject 13 as she is suspected to hold the key to controlling the virus, and is present when the compound went down.
The second part of the book jumps forward 90 years after the viral event.
Small pockets of humanity still remain scattered across the world. The main characters change, living inside great walled in communities. The evil Virals are monitored around the outside of the village, but as time goes on, they are noted as acting strangely.
Then one day, a young girl is found wandering outside of the walls. She is not undead but there is something not quite right about her.
Pacing, emotion, ending and plot holes?
Throughout the book there are small snippets of text which are presented as historical artefacts from the year 1003 A.V. (after virus). These texts start off a bit confusing but as you progress through the series, they begin to make more and more sense.
As quite a large book, I was expecting to find myself getting bored. But although there were occasional slow sections, I found myself unable to put the book down.
The emotions I felt while reading were a jumble of intrigue, mortification, suspense and eagerness to read more. The action scenes were amazing and the characters and world building were some of the best I have come across.
Ending on a cliffhanger hinting at what was to come, I eagerly jumped straight into the second of the trilogy.
The Twelve
The Summary
In the present day, as the man-made apocalypse unfolds, three strangers navigate the chaos. Lila, a doctor and an expectant mother, is so shattered by the spread of violence and infection that she continues to plan for her child’s arrival even as society dissolves around her. Kittridge, known to the world as “Last Stand in Denver,” has been forced to flee his stronghold and is now on the road, dodging the infected, armed but alone and well aware that a tank of gas will get him only so far. April is a teenager fighting to guide her little brother safely through a landscape of death and ruin. These three will learn that they have not been fully abandoned—and that in connection lies hope, even on the darkest of nights.
One hundred years in the future, Amy and the others fight on for humankind’s salvation…unaware that the rules have changed. The enemy has evolved, and a dark new order has arisen with a vision of the future infinitely more horrifying than man’s extinction. If the Twelve are to fall, one of those united to vanquish them will have to pay the ultimate price.
The Analysis
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Plot and theme
The beginning of The Twelve is presented as a lengthy prologue written in a numbered pseudo-biblical fashion. The book is then separated into 12 parts, each containing their own chapters and timelines.
Book I – 97 A.V. This is immediately after the events at the end of The Passage.
In Book II we go back to when the virus was first released into the world, Year Zero. We are introduced to 4 new characters, a dying bureaucrat, a heroic disabled soldier, a delusional ex-nurse and a sex-offending janitor that works at the laboratory where the Twelve were created.
Then in Book III, the narrative jumps to 79 A.V. where a group of survivors decide to take the children of the colony outside of the walls for a summer picnic… a massacre soon commences.
It isn’t until we reach Book IV that we are taken back to 97 A.V. and the familiar characters we grew to know in The Passage.
That is not the end of the jumps though. We are later introduced to an entirely new city and its inhabitants. We see how they are surviving and what they do to keep the Viral’s at bay.
Pacing, emotion, ending and plot holes?
Once again, this book can be a bit confusing when you start it. But as you progress through, everything falls into place.
The emotions are high, characters are lost and new stories are shared to enhance the overall feel of the world as it is.
We see Amy come out of her shell and help those around her, revealing to those that she may not be completely human after all.
And along with the original infected, we are introduced to another ‘big bad’ who has figured out a way to use the virus to his advantage.
The City of Mirrors
The Summary
The world we knew is gone. What world will rise in its place?
The Twelve have been destroyed and the terrifying hundred-year reign of darkness that descended upon the world has ended. The survivors are stepping outside their walls, determined to build society anew—and daring to dream of a hopeful future.
But far from them, in a dead metropolis, he waits: Zero. The First. Father of the Twelve. The anguish that shattered his human life haunts him, and the hatred spawned by his transformation burns bright. His fury will be quenched only when he destroys Amy—humanity’s only hope, the Girl from Nowhere who grew up to rise against him.
One last time light and dark will clash, and at last Amy and her friends will know their fate.
The Analysis
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Plot and theme
As with the first 2 books in the series, Cronin dances about in time. He also does something amazing in the second chapter by showing us where two of the characters end up. This only worked to keep me reading to see how this ending came about.
Next we are transported into the life of Fanning, known as Zero. This encompasses the characters entire life and how he was instrumental in the creation of the virus.
The rest of the book works to build up the tension for the epic climax. Although rather drawn out, it doesn’t lose the anticipation you feel as you go through pages.
Pacing, emotion, ending and plot holes?
After an amazing conclusion to the 3 book build up, the story is not yet over.
1000 A.V. we are introduced to a Professor Logan, a historian investigating the events of the millennium before. We are shown a church dedicated to Amy along with a book like The Bible detailing the events of the series and her role in it all.
At the very end, we are introduced to an old woman who has been living alone for a very long time. At first she does not remember her name but after some probing Logan discovers who she is.
The book ends with an extremely old and weathered Amy telling her story.
The Recommendation
I absolutely LOVE this trilogy. It was so different from anything I had read before. It had constantly changing timelines, many new and passing characters and a deadly virus that evolved over time.
When I was first shown the book, I didn’t think it would appeal to me. The summary on the back gave nothing away, containing only a few lines about a girl, a cop and a criminal.
After getting convinced by a college to give it a try, I could not stop thanking her and recommending this series to others.
It is a must read.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
An amazing series that is engaging the whole way through. With many characters, timelines and bad guys to become absorbed in.