The Passage - Justin Cronin

Sometimes the people at Waterstones are just so nice that you can't resist their recommendations. One day I got talking with a member of staff about how the whole vampire craze is a bit tired, and how I wished there were more new horror books that were actually horror and not necrophilic romances. She recommended a new release, The Passage, saying she didn't want to spoil it, but if I liked vampires and modern horror like 28 Days Later, I would enjoy it. When I saw it on special offer at the counter, I picked it up with confidence. Justin Cronin's work was new to me; he's written before, but ... more

When The Passage appeared on my Amazon Vine list I didn't even really know what it was about, as it was a bit vague. I know you should never judge a book by it's cover but it's short mysterious blurb and menacing cover did intrigue me, after reassuring myself it wasn't one of those 'misery novels.' The Passage is a huge tome of a book. I own an uncorrected proof copy of the book and it's 790 pages thick making for an arm aching read and meant no chance of reading this in the bath. I dread to think how heavy the hardback version of this book is! Plot Amy is six years old and her mother thinks ... more

The Passage by Justin Cronin is a heavy tome. Which is the reason why it had sat on my bookshelf for quite some time before I got around to reading it recently. Indeed at 784 pages and my copy being in large paperback format, I found myself selecting more comfortable reading matter time and time again over this one, despite a lot of nagging from the person who gave me the book to read that I really SHOULD read it. Comfortable reading matter for me, is not the subject of the book, but the thoughts of lazing about on the sofa, in bed, or in the bath with a good book and the Passage, despite its ... more