The Passage by Justin Cronin

This book is: a creative, well-written story that just did not float my boat.
Other elements: viruses, vampires, apocalypses, government cover-ups, doomedness of the future.
Read it: if you like adventure, sci fi, and battling monsters created by humankind’s folly.
Overall rating: 6/10

The first thing I have to say is that as a written work, The Passage is better than a 6/10. It’s an excellent book. The concept is creative, the characters are well-rounded and memorable, the writing is solid. I just didn’t like it.

I picked up this book blindly after a friend recommended it, without even reading the back of a book jacket. Man-made viruses that escape and lead to the ruin of the world as we know it are not my cup of tea. Why? Maybe because I find it really plausible. Secret military facilities, mutant strains of rare tropical diseases…I totally buy it. And I don’t really want to think about it. Perhaps this is the root of my preference for fantasy over science fiction. Give me dragons over a government conspiracy any day.

When I rate a book, there are many factors. Was it well written?  Did it make me happy? Did it awake my feminist rage? Did I enjoy the experience if reading it? Would anyone enjoy the experience of reading it?

This is a good book that I did not like. It’s like if I bit into an excellent oatmeal raisin cookie: I would notice that it was a good cookie, but I would still not want to eat it myself. (Raisins are foul zombie grapes and they ruin any baked good that they touch.)

I am going to give you a better chance than I gave myself. Here is Goodreads’ summary of The Passage:

“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. He 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—towards the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun.

With The Passage, award-winning author Justin Cronin has written both a relentlessly suspenseful adventure and an epic chronicle of human endurance in the face of unprecedented catastrophe and unimaginable danger. Its inventive storytelling, masterful prose, and depth of human insight mark it as a crucial and transcendent work of modern fiction.”

Does that sound like a book you’d like? If yes, you should definitely read it. If it’s not your kind of thing either, I recommend you read one of these books instead.

This post contains affiliate links. 

This book is: an bright, engaging, character-driven novel.
Other elements: friendship, philosophy, being middle-aged.
Read it: if you are fascinated by excellent characters.
Overall rating: 7.75/10

I don’t remember how I found this book. I think maybe Goodreads recommended it? Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.

This book is what I think of textbook literary fiction. The action takes place in the form of character development. If it were a movie, it wouldn’t seem like a whole lot was happening. But for the main character, the events are life-changing.

This book takes part in two times: when the narrator is 18-25, and when the narrator is middle-aged. The precipitating event is that the narrator suddenly learns there may be more to the suicide of one of his childhood friends than he’d originally thought. The new information leads him to open a lot of closed doors and brings about some significant changes in his perspective.

This is actually a great book to post on New Year’s Day. There’s a lot in it about beginnings and endings, and about how the passing of time changes people. It’s not my favorite book of all time, but I enjoyed reading it and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who enjoys literary fiction.

This post contains affiliate links. 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

This book is: beautiful.
Other elements: fate, destiny, following your dreams, love.
Read it: if you enjoy a healthy dose of magical realism.
Overall rating: 9/10

Goodreads’ summary:

“This story, dazzling in its powerful simplicity and inspiring wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom points Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a discovery of the treasure found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is an eternal testament to the transformation power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.”

This book is like a mandala. I know right away when I look at it that it’s beautiful and I like how it makes me feel, but I can’t see all of the details and patterns at first. The more time I spend gazing at it and letting it show me its secrets, the more I understand. I may never understand all of it, but I find it really fascinating and soothing.

There’s a lot in this book about listening to the language of the world and following your Personal Legend. I found this part to be subtly inspiring, and it prompted some introspection.

More than anything, I just enjoyed this book. I love how it’s written, I love the gentle story it tells and the rhythm of its syntax. It’s not a page turner. It didn’t keep me up at night. I also am not sure if I fully understood it. But every time I read some of it, it relaxed me and I felt peaceful and happy. I look forward to reading it again someday.

This post contains affiliate links.