The Passage: A Novel (Book One of The Passage Trilogy)

Written by:
Justin Cronin
Narrated by:
Edward Herrmann

Abridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
177
Narrator
61
Release Date
June 2010
Duration
14 hours 53 minutes
Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This thrilling novel kicks off what Stephen King calls “a trilogy that will stand as one of the great achievements in American fantasy fiction.”

NOW A FOX TV SERIES!

NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST HORROR BOOKS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE YEAR BY TIME AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Esquire • U.S. News & World Report • NPR/On Point • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • BookPage • Library Journal 

“It happened fast. Thirty-two minutes for one world to die, another to be born.” 

An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy—abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

Look for the entire Passage trilogy:
THE PASSAGE | THE TWELVE | THE CITY OF MIRRORS

Praise for The Passage

“[A] blockbuster.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Mythic storytelling.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Magnificent . . . Cronin has taken his literary gifts, and he has weaponized them. . . . The Passage can stand proudly next to Stephen King’s apocalyptic masterpiece The Stand, but a closer match would be Cormac McCarthy’s The Road: a story about human beings trying to generate new hope in a world from which all hope has long since been burnt.”—Time

“The type of big, engrossing read that will have you leaving the lights on late into the night.”—The Dallas Morning News

“Addictive.”—Men’s Journal

“Cronin’s unguessable plot and appealing characters will seize your heart and mind.”—Parade
Reviews
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Randel Scharf

I believe this is one of the finest, most original books I have read in my lifetime of reading. Good Work JC.

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Anonymous

Some good story-telling/characters, but the writing is nothing special, and the scope is too wide, leading to some disjointed themes, glossed-over elements

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Anonymous

Cronin is clearly an exceptional writer - when he focuses on a particular plot line, it's fascinating to follow the journeys of each character. The only problem with The Passage is that he skips around a bit and the sequence or connection between events isn't always clear. That said, the series of disconnected vignettes in the first half of the book give way in the 2nd half to a great storyline. The book missed out on the 5th star for me only because of the meandering first half. Be aware that this is supposed to be the first book of a trilogy, otherwise the brilliant ending could be upsetting, as it was to me.

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Joseph P.

I tried to like it. I did. It’s slow. Painstaking (Unserving) details. Tangent after tangent. Stopped 1/100 of the way thru as this is what a 40 hour listen? Did not care for the content. Narrator is good, engaging.

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Tom Yocum

Very good I'm gonna have to go listen to it again because I have forgotten it

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Anonymous

I enjoyed listening, it filled my commute time. Sometimes the story jumping around was a bit undesirable but otherwise a good story.

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Michelle M.

Book and TV doesn’t match as usual but not a bad series. Long and kept my mind wondering sometimes but not bad.

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Aaron W.

Character development did take awhile but this being the first book in a trilogy, makes sense. Otherwise, I took a gamble on the book and wasn't disappointed. On to book 2!

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Yossi K.

I think the book has ups and down. some times its a thriller and then it becomes a historic novel. Fast and slow. i like it but also got a bit tired of it.

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Russell M.

Decent story, painstaking run on details though

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Dawn B.

Love this book!!!!

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Anonymous

Couldn't get into it. Sent it back after listening to the first disk. Maybe it gets better later, but I couldn't take any more of it!

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Beverly K.

super great ....loved it very very much cant wait for the next book.. I can not say in words how great this is.. ,YOU will not be unsatisfied.

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richard s

I thought it was a very good book but also longer than it needed to be. Too much time developing the characters which appear in the book. Aside from this, I was completely hooked into the story and looked forward to hearing everyday. I thought the narration was excellent and enjoyed every step of the story. A good listen if you are into the Thriller/Horror genre.

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Craig C

Takes awhile to get to the good stuff. I kept thinking, how's all of this connected. Keep listening and of course it does all come together. I have to say I was upset when the book ended because I didn't know there was a second book at that time. Couldn't wait to start the second book. I am really enjoying the series.

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Aaron Prideaux

I enjoyed the book overall. A little slow in the beginning but it picked up towards the end. I found it annoying when the narrator changed from the main narrator (who did an excellent job) to the person who narrates Sarah's diary entries (who was terrible). It got to the point were I almost wanted to skip over the diary parts because it was so bad. Can't wait to listen to the next book.

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Kyle Johnson

A laborious read / listen. We listened on a cross country family road trip. The genre was right for us, but the prose is painstakingly detailed and just too slow. Could be edited by a good 20%. We made it thru eight hours and ten chapters. Are giving up. Great narrator though.

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Alicia Jurgensen

Loved this book. It has almost everything a scifi lover could ask for. Super suspenseful and lots of twists. I was looking for a thriller and got just that.

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Alysia Thomas

Great read and would recommend to all Cronin fans!!

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Joy Allison

Little confused in the beginning, this is a good book but you must active listen or you will miss a plot or two which can be hard to follow.but I enjoy the story line enough to stay forced.

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Tadi Deanda

I was a little confused about where the story was going at first, but once it picked up, it became a really great one! I'm very excited to read the other books!

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Gail Butters

Dry unsatisfying book. Defiantly not worth the money. Long winded. Horrible reader. No

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Ricardo Perdomo

I think the story starts out slow but being the first book of three it was expected, Now the way the stories come together is amazing. Overall I did enjoy it.

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andy h

I actually really enjoyed this, as sort of the beginning of a poor man's The Stand. Cronin doesn't have Stephen King's talent for character, but his story and setting is gripping, and I look forward to the other books in the trilogy.

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