Dominica 2010 - Escape Bar and Grill

The Passage - Justin Cronin

If you have enjoyed the "Twilight" books this is probably NOT the book for you, yes it has "Vampires" in it, but these are the blood-thirsty rip a human to shreds "Vampires" not the sparkly angst filled teenager variety. Make no mistake, Mr. Cronin does a great job of describing the violent situations in this not so distant dystopian future, but his prose really shines when describing his characters.

My original intention was to purchase the highly regarded "Mary and O'Neill" by Mr. Cronin (which I still plan to do), but when I saw that "The Passage" had been recently released I purchased that instead. I made a very wise decision, since I have not been able to put the book down.

The book opens a few years into the future, and global terrorism has gripped the planet so completely that the government is funding research into creating a group of Super Soldiers. The scientist in charge of the program is rationalizing his involvement in this program by focusing on the immortality/indestructibility aspects. His obsession with his failure to save one of his loved ones from cancer makes him blind to the danger.

Of course, as they say: "Things go horribly wrong" (I don't feel like I'm giving anything away, by saying that), and we jump 100 years into the future. We meet a group of survivors struggling to stay alive, and trying to figure out what is the best thing to do for their own future and the future of mankind. This is where Mr. Cronin really shines. He has the amazing ability to bring these complex, and sometimes conflicted characters, to life in a way that is almost poetic. You feel yourself cheering for all of them! Even the people that you know are going to succumb to the influence of evil.

It's a great story. I recently heard that it is going to be part one in a trilogy, and Ridley Scott has optioned the movie rights. I say good for Mr. Cronin, and good for Hollywood!