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The Passage #3
The City of Mirrors
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Horror (2016)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 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.
602 pages, Hardcover
First published May 24, 2016
About the author
Justin Cronin
16 books10.6k followersIn 2010, Justin Cronin’s The Passage was a phenomenon. The unforgettable tale that critics and readers compared to the novels of Cormac McCarthy, Michael Crichton, Stephen King, and Margaret Atwood became a runaway bestseller and enchanted readers around the globe. It spent 3 months on The New York Times bestseller list. It was featured on more than a dozen “Best of the Year” lists, including Time’s “Top 10 Fiction of 2010,” NPR’s “Year’s Most Transporting Books,” and Esquire’s “Best & Brightest of 2010.” It was a #1 Indie Next Selection. It sold in over 40 countries and became a bestseller in many of them. Stephen King called The Passage “enthralling… read this book and the ordinary world disappears.” Now, PEN/Hemingway Award-winner Justin Cronin bring us the conclusion to his epic trilogy with The City of Mirrors. For the last time, Amy—the Girl from Nowhere, who lived a thousand years—will join her friends and face down the demons that threaten the last of humanity. Justin Cronin is also the author of Mary and O’Neil (which won the PEN/Hemingway Award and the Stephen Crane Prize), and The Summer Guest. Other honors for his writing include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Whiting Writer’s Award. A Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Rice University, he divides his time between Houston, Texas, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,505 reviews
July 10, 2016
I love Cronin’s epic story about a world destroyed by a virus that creates vampires. This is the third and final volume of his trilogy, so I won’t say much except that it is a worthy conclusion that still leaves possible room for further adventures in this universe. Spanning over a thousand years, the novel takes us back to the origins of the viral outbreak and the man who will become Patient Zero, the first vampire, then zooms forward centuries to the human settlements that have formed after the apparent disappearance of the viral threat. But, of course, the vampires are not gone . . . simply waiting. When the final battle arrives, humanity faces permanent extinction unless our band of heroes can unite and defeat the first vampire in his lair . . . a crumbling, viral-infested Manhattan. This is sounds interesting to you, definitely start at the first book: The Passage. Fantastic stuff!
July 8, 2016
How can it be rated?!? Seriously? Simmer down folks.
After waiting for years, I can say this was a fitting end and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
After waiting for years, I can say this was a fitting end and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
June 26, 2022
The slow, kind of peaceful end of a big trilogy, giving the main antagonist much more space than in any other work I´ve read
Integration of parts of the author
A few hundred pages, especially the very long backstory of the antagonist and the short story in the far future of the universe, may be Cronin playing around with alternative autobiographical fiction. The whole university part could be mixed with his nostalgic memories and the, a bit dirty, old man final might be his alternative future.
Less action, much characterization
It´s mostly about the people, first alone, then forming the stereotypical teams for the big showdown. Cronin kind of had to do this, because the story already had been told in the first 2 parts and this is kind of just a repetition of the „We´re all gonna die. Again.“ motive. The stereotypical zombie apocalypse and horror dilemma of telling the always same story in fresh, exciting ways.
The first, 2 mentioned elements make it something unusual for the genre
It thereby kind of breaks with genre conventions, investing more in people than in plot, and leading to a conclusion not all readers might find satisfying in the end. Added to this is Cronin flexing his rhetorical muscles as hard as he can, adding flowery language and metaphors wherever possible, all mostly driven by characters' introspections and less flying spaghetti monster all knowing mode.
What is evil?
Making the antagonist sympathetic is a fascinating thought experiment, because one is permanently mentally switching between what he was and what he has become and if it couldn´t happen to everyone. Damn ethic basic class, now I don´t know anymore what´s right and not.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
Integration of parts of the author
A few hundred pages, especially the very long backstory of the antagonist and the short story in the far future of the universe, may be Cronin playing around with alternative autobiographical fiction. The whole university part could be mixed with his nostalgic memories and the, a bit dirty, old man final might be his alternative future.
Less action, much characterization
It´s mostly about the people, first alone, then forming the stereotypical teams for the big showdown. Cronin kind of had to do this, because the story already had been told in the first 2 parts and this is kind of just a repetition of the „We´re all gonna die. Again.“ motive. The stereotypical zombie apocalypse and horror dilemma of telling the always same story in fresh, exciting ways.
The first, 2 mentioned elements make it something unusual for the genre
It thereby kind of breaks with genre conventions, investing more in people than in plot, and leading to a conclusion not all readers might find satisfying in the end. Added to this is Cronin flexing his rhetorical muscles as hard as he can, adding flowery language and metaphors wherever possible, all mostly driven by characters' introspections and less flying spaghetti monster all knowing mode.
What is evil?
Making the antagonist sympathetic is a fascinating thought experiment, because one is permanently mentally switching between what he was and what he has become and if it couldn´t happen to everyone. Damn ethic basic class, now I don´t know anymore what´s right and not.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
March 9, 2018
Great ending 💕
December 30, 2023
Oh man, The City of Mirrors left me feeling completely humbled and awed. I was a complete blubbering mess while reading the last section. Bittersweet doesn’t even begin to describe it.
I would have never guessed how huge of an impact this trilogy would have on me when I started reading The Passage. I’m extremely glad I reread the first two books before jumping into The City of Mirrors, though. It had been years between them, and I don’t know if this ending would of had as big of an impact as it did if I hadn’t reread them.
Cronin does a phenomenal job weaving past and present in this transgenerational tale. It all comes together in this book, and the way everything is connected is mind blowing! It’s like watching history in the making and getting to see the outcome. It truly is an epic journey from beginning to end.
The City of Mirrors is utterly breathtaking, and the characters and their fight for humanity are the heart of this compelling story. Amy, Peter, Alicia, Michael, and all the others are such amazing characters. They’re all so wonderfully fleshed out and complex. They have been through hell and back, but they never give up.
I seriously can’t believe it’s over. I remember threatening Justin Cronin in my review of The Twelve that I would haunt him if I died before this book was released. Happy to say that I’m still alive 3.5 years later, and Cronin is safe from my cold spots.
The previous books in this trilogy were actually the first ones I've ever truly reread. I will say, I appreciated The Passage even more after having all the info from The Twelve. I was able to catch so much more, especially all the little threads that connected them. It also wasn't as laborious. Believe me, getting through The Passage the first time was almost torturous at times, but it was a totally different experience the 2nd time around. So, if it's been years between books for you, I suggest rereading. You'll be glad you did.
I would have never guessed how huge of an impact this trilogy would have on me when I started reading The Passage. I’m extremely glad I reread the first two books before jumping into The City of Mirrors, though. It had been years between them, and I don’t know if this ending would of had as big of an impact as it did if I hadn’t reread them.
Cronin does a phenomenal job weaving past and present in this transgenerational tale. It all comes together in this book, and the way everything is connected is mind blowing! It’s like watching history in the making and getting to see the outcome. It truly is an epic journey from beginning to end.
The City of Mirrors is utterly breathtaking, and the characters and their fight for humanity are the heart of this compelling story. Amy, Peter, Alicia, Michael, and all the others are such amazing characters. They’re all so wonderfully fleshed out and complex. They have been through hell and back, but they never give up.
I seriously can’t believe it’s over. I remember threatening Justin Cronin in my review of The Twelve that I would haunt him if I died before this book was released. Happy to say that I’m still alive 3.5 years later, and Cronin is safe from my cold spots.
The previous books in this trilogy were actually the first ones I've ever truly reread. I will say, I appreciated The Passage even more after having all the info from The Twelve. I was able to catch so much more, especially all the little threads that connected them. It also wasn't as laborious. Believe me, getting through The Passage the first time was almost torturous at times, but it was a totally different experience the 2nd time around. So, if it's been years between books for you, I suggest rereading. You'll be glad you did.
July 17, 2023
★★☆☆☆½
I should probably preface this review with an apology. I’m sure that I did this book a grave disservice by jumping straight back into the story without rereading, or at least skimming, the first two books in the series to refresh my memory of all the events that have led up to this point. Especially considering that it’s been more than three years since I finished the second book. But, in my defense, their combined page count is a staggering 1,300 some-odd pages, and I feared my feeble arms and mind just weren’t up to the challenge!
Now for my review, I’ll attempt to pull off an anti-Cronin and keep it concise with only minor spoilers.
Book three picks up a few years after the killing of The Twelve with hope on the rise. No one has seen hide nor hair of a viral since that defining event, so, as the population increases, they begin to let their guard down. They branch out from the safety and security of the city walls and bright lights in order to establish new colonies and trade routes.
The Human Race is once again atop the food chain, and everything is slowly returning to normal.
☠ Alicia knows better. As part viral, her mind is tethered to her maker, and she’s recently been hearing his voice calling her home. So she forges a weapon and prepares for battle. She’ll make the long journey in a foolish attempt to put an end to him once and for all.
☠ Lucius and Michael know better. Although everyone believes that Amy died along with The Twelve, Lucius has secretly been in touch with her all along. After she warned him of the approaching danger, he shares that warning with Michael, in the desperate hope that Michael can once again MacGyver a solution.
Zero is the atop the food chain, and look who’s playing the long game.
☠ The Twelve were merely pawns in his master plan, everything is still on track, and the endgame is nearly upon us. Humanity doesn’t stand a chance—they haven’t yet grasped the gravity of the situation; they haven’t yet realized they’re on the brink of extinction.
☠ Does Peter really believe that he can play the hero one last time? The odds are stacked against it because, much like Detective Murtaugh, he’s too old for this shit.
Now if I’ve perhaps piqued your interest, you may be confused by my low rating and wondering, “Where’s the beef?” Ah, thanks for asking! I was starting to feel a bit peckish, however, this steak has . . .
– Too much gristle – While we were waiting for the ax to fall, Zero decided to lay out his motivation for ending the world. This meant we had to chew through a massive wedge of a backstory that ran the gamut from adolescence to high school to college, from friendships to romances to lost loves, from parties to funerals to graduation, from grad school to professorship to research to expeditions, from becoming patient zero to escaping his jailors to manipulating The Twelve to everything coming full circle, from yada, yada, yada to
I was initially interested in some of that backstory, but there were far too many details.
– Mmm, Fried Bologna – Far too many dream sequences, as well. Nearly all of Amy’s scenes took place in an otherworldly dreamscape. I know this was also done in the other books, but it felt overused.
– Pass the Soylent Green – Cronin seemed overly concerned with trying to humanize all of his characters. He tried his best to rationalize away even the most unforgivable sins, with a heavy-handed preachy message, when I was dying for him to get back into the action.
– Burnt Ends are tasty, but I’m stuffed – A three-chapter, 50-page epilogue to introduce all new characters and backstories, with more parties and drama. Wow, you really don’t know when to stop, do you, Justin?
– Party Foul – However, his most egregious sin was
☠ Last word – Look, I’m happy to finally put a bow on the series and it was nice to see all the loose ends tied off, but, even though I do enjoy the occasional charcuterie board, I’m no Joey Chestnut!
2.5 Stars: Pass the tums
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
What the? Holy Shit, approved! Sweet! I think my day just took a Jack Black turn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWdnt...
I should probably preface this review with an apology. I’m sure that I did this book a grave disservice by jumping straight back into the story without rereading, or at least skimming, the first two books in the series to refresh my memory of all the events that have led up to this point. Especially considering that it’s been more than three years since I finished the second book. But, in my defense, their combined page count is a staggering 1,300 some-odd pages, and I feared my feeble arms and mind just weren’t up to the challenge!
Now for my review, I’ll attempt to pull off an anti-Cronin and keep it concise with only minor spoilers.
Book three picks up a few years after the killing of The Twelve with hope on the rise. No one has seen hide nor hair of a viral since that defining event, so, as the population increases, they begin to let their guard down. They branch out from the safety and security of the city walls and bright lights in order to establish new colonies and trade routes.
The Human Race is once again atop the food chain, and everything is slowly returning to normal.
☠ Alicia knows better. As part viral, her mind is tethered to her maker, and she’s recently been hearing his voice calling her home. So she forges a weapon and prepares for battle. She’ll make the long journey in a foolish attempt to put an end to him once and for all.
☠ Lucius and Michael know better. Although everyone believes that Amy died along with The Twelve, Lucius has secretly been in touch with her all along. After she warned him of the approaching danger, he shares that warning with Michael, in the desperate hope that Michael can once again MacGyver a solution.
Zero is the atop the food chain, and look who’s playing the long game.
☠ The Twelve were merely pawns in his master plan, everything is still on track, and the endgame is nearly upon us. Humanity doesn’t stand a chance—they haven’t yet grasped the gravity of the situation; they haven’t yet realized they’re on the brink of extinction.
☠ Does Peter really believe that he can play the hero one last time? The odds are stacked against it because, much like Detective Murtaugh, he’s too old for this shit.
Now if I’ve perhaps piqued your interest, you may be confused by my low rating and wondering, “Where’s the beef?” Ah, thanks for asking! I was starting to feel a bit peckish, however, this steak has . . .
– Too much gristle – While we were waiting for the ax to fall, Zero decided to lay out his motivation for ending the world. This meant we had to chew through a massive wedge of a backstory that ran the gamut from adolescence to high school to college, from friendships to romances to lost loves, from parties to funerals to graduation, from grad school to professorship to research to expeditions, from becoming patient zero to escaping his jailors to manipulating The Twelve to everything coming full circle, from yada, yada, yada to
I was initially interested in some of that backstory, but there were far too many details.
– Mmm, Fried Bologna – Far too many dream sequences, as well. Nearly all of Amy’s scenes took place in an otherworldly dreamscape. I know this was also done in the other books, but it felt overused.
– Pass the Soylent Green – Cronin seemed overly concerned with trying to humanize all of his characters. He tried his best to rationalize away even the most unforgivable sins, with a heavy-handed preachy message, when I was dying for him to get back into the action.
– Burnt Ends are tasty, but I’m stuffed – A three-chapter, 50-page epilogue to introduce all new characters and backstories, with more parties and drama. Wow, you really don’t know when to stop, do you, Justin?
– Party Foul – However, his most egregious sin was
☠ Last word – Look, I’m happy to finally put a bow on the series and it was nice to see all the loose ends tied off, but, even though I do enjoy the occasional charcuterie board, I’m no Joey Chestnut!
2.5 Stars: Pass the tums
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
-------Pre-review Nonsense-------
What the? Holy Shit, approved! Sweet! I think my day just took a Jack Black turn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWdnt...
September 2, 2017
2014!!!!! What, you are kidding, right?! Forget about movie making and give us what we want... The feel of a book in our hands. You already have the outline, so sit down and write,write,write.
May 16, 2016
I have no clue why I read these over-long dang books. Yes, I do. I'm totally blaming Edward Lorn..he started these chunky books and started posting status updates. I had them sitting on my bookshelf and then he kept making me want to know what was going on. So I dived in. I sorta liked the first book even though Justin Cronin is the writingnest muttha ever. The man loves to make some words. Once I started this series, I liked it. I didn't love it, but there was something about the whole thing that drew me in and I couldn't stop reading. The second book was the best in my opinion..but look what happened to my buddy reader. here.
(It's okay though, he totally made up for it with another buddy read of some horror-porn that had me rolling-you can see that here and here -you are welcome)
Now for this final chapter (Hallelujah) of this series. It's been years since they kicked the "Twelve's" booty and life is good. Baby Caleb is all grown up and married. Peter has moved up politically. Michael is off being obsessed with a big old boat. Amy hasn't been seen but she is still appearing in people's dreams.
I remember wondering about the guy that started this whole hot mess in the last book. Timothy Fanning aka Zero. I even posted in my review that I wanted to know what he was up too..I wanted more about him.
Yes, we find out. Justin Cronin style. I'm filing Zero on my taxes this year just because I know so much about him.
That's one thing about this series. You do know the characters. You do get attached to them. It feels like you are right in the mist of the drama with them. That part I love. I just hate that it takes so much filler to get you there. I shouldn't bitch though, because if I ever get stuck on a desert island this whole series would definitely keep me entertained.
Cronin also wrapped up loose ends, which I greatly appreciate.
I'm glad that I read them. Ed Lorn, this is for you!
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review
I'm picking Kathleen's review to put here for this one. Kathleen's review is actually about the book instead of a ramble-fest like mine. Her reviews are so good and she clues me in to books I've never considered. I heart her.
(It's okay though, he totally made up for it with another buddy read of some horror-porn that had me rolling-you can see that here and here -you are welcome)
Now for this final chapter (Hallelujah) of this series. It's been years since they kicked the "Twelve's" booty and life is good. Baby Caleb is all grown up and married. Peter has moved up politically. Michael is off being obsessed with a big old boat. Amy hasn't been seen but she is still appearing in people's dreams.
I remember wondering about the guy that started this whole hot mess in the last book. Timothy Fanning aka Zero. I even posted in my review that I wanted to know what he was up too..I wanted more about him.
Yes, we find out. Justin Cronin style. I'm filing Zero on my taxes this year just because I know so much about him.
That's one thing about this series. You do know the characters. You do get attached to them. It feels like you are right in the mist of the drama with them. That part I love. I just hate that it takes so much filler to get you there. I shouldn't bitch though, because if I ever get stuck on a desert island this whole series would definitely keep me entertained.
Cronin also wrapped up loose ends, which I greatly appreciate.
I'm glad that I read them. Ed Lorn, this is for you!
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review
I'm picking Kathleen's review to put here for this one. Kathleen's review is actually about the book instead of a ramble-fest like mine. Her reviews are so good and she clues me in to books I've never considered. I heart her.
Want to read
January 28, 201611/17/15 We have a cover!!!! I can see light at the end of the tunnel!!!
Update 9/1/15 From the author's facebook page.
"To those of you wondering when that ENORMOUS pile of paper called The City of Mirrors will become a hard rectangular object for sale on the shelves of America and elsewhere: spring '16, or so they tell me. Bless you for your patience and "I think it will be worth the wait," said Justin modestly.
Yay!!!! Spring 2016!!! That's much better than December.
Update Aug 2015: This is a little bit old new but just in case you don't know. From the author's facebook page.
"A number of y'all are reporting that Amazon is saying The City of Mirrors will be published in December 2016. That's not correct; it will be sooner than that. All the Amazon date means is that the book will be published sometime in that year. I'll be back with more specific information when I have it."
At least it's not December.
Update 7/23/15: Why does this say December 2016?!?!!?!?
Update 2/19/15: From The Passage FB page:
People of the Passage: After a long hiatus from FB, I'm back. I love y'all still and apologize for the silence, which was simply necessary to get the work done. Volume 3 is circling the airfield, waiting for permission to land. I don't know when it will be out; there's a long process between the end of a manuscript and publication, and it's a very lengthy book. I thank you all for your patience and will do my best in the coming days and weeks to get to your many messages.
What the ever loving fuck?!?! When did this move to 2015? CRONIN!!!! GAHHH!!!!
Update 9/1/15 From the author's facebook page.
"To those of you wondering when that ENORMOUS pile of paper called The City of Mirrors will become a hard rectangular object for sale on the shelves of America and elsewhere: spring '16, or so they tell me. Bless you for your patience and "I think it will be worth the wait," said Justin modestly.
Yay!!!! Spring 2016!!! That's much better than December.
Update Aug 2015: This is a little bit old new but just in case you don't know. From the author's facebook page.
"A number of y'all are reporting that Amazon is saying The City of Mirrors will be published in December 2016. That's not correct; it will be sooner than that. All the Amazon date means is that the book will be published sometime in that year. I'll be back with more specific information when I have it."
At least it's not December.
Update 7/23/15: Why does this say December 2016?!?!!?!?
Update 2/19/15: From The Passage FB page:
People of the Passage: After a long hiatus from FB, I'm back. I love y'all still and apologize for the silence, which was simply necessary to get the work done. Volume 3 is circling the airfield, waiting for permission to land. I don't know when it will be out; there's a long process between the end of a manuscript and publication, and it's a very lengthy book. I thank you all for your patience and will do my best in the coming days and weeks to get to your many messages.
What the ever loving fuck?!?! When did this move to 2015? CRONIN!!!! GAHHH!!!!
December 6, 2017
4.5! I think this is the first time I've really wanted a .5 option.
Cronin's concluding volume in his post-apocalyptic vampire saga is a lovely novel. Lovely! Such an odd word to use for a book describing the slaughter of hundreds of thousands and the death of billions more by airborne plague. But this is indeed an often lovely book because Cronin is at this point almost completely disinterested in horror. Or terror, or the darkness in human souls, or the abyss that we look into that looks right back 'atcha. He wants to write about families and the light within souls and the way that people can come together when things fall apart. He wants to write about a bright and shining future that is still a human future - and therefore fallible, uncertain. He wants to understand and humanize and empathize with darkness so that it is no longer so dark, but rather something relatable and knowable. He wants to write about hope. And so he did.
The prior books each included a lengthy, more than novella-sized portion set before the Fall of Man. Each of those prior parts were full of action, blood, and danger. Not so much with the sequence set pre-Fall in this book; this flashback is all about the life of a smart, often disaffected young man with a distant father, going away to college, learning to love, learning the pain of a lost love, and all the while trying to forge his own unique identity. It could have been written by John Updike. This part is all about the man who became Zero - the ultimate villain of the series. And yet it is not about a villain, it is just about a man, and the choices and mistakes he makes in his life. A man who later becomes an undead killer and who purposely brings about the apocalypse in order to somehow fill the gaping hole where his heart used to be. A monstrous horror, but still a man.
Cronin fumbles a bit in his portrait of series protagonist Peter Jaxon, and a bit with the series' heart Sarah. I doubt he wanted to turn either of them into mulishly stubborn assholes who refuse to empathize with their childhood friend's trauma, how their friend sacrificed who she was for the greater good, how she was exploited and abused physically, mentally, emotionally... but that's what happened and that's how they reacted. I really came to dislike the often selfish, stupid person Peter became and was disappointed in Sarah too. Did Cronin want me to dislike them? I just don't think so. Ah well. Humans often fail when it comes to empathy and they amply illustrated that failing.
The book has one genuine horror set piece: an extended attack on humanity's last haven (in Texas, of course). When Cronin wants to bring the terror, he can bring it. That was a hair-raising handful of chapters.
Also worth noting is the lengthy epilogue. Despite being set a thousand years from now, it is basically the story of an older man trying to understand himself, trying to understand his son, perhaps falling in love again, and trying to figure out who he is anyway, after all his years of living. A moving story but perhaps not a unique one. But uniquely positioned. What a surprising epilogue! It has nothing to do with horror and everything to do with being human.
The poetic flourishes that were a key part of the first book but were somewhat lacking (or hackneyed) in the second book return in full force for the third book. Cronin is a beautifully lyrical writer, whether he is writing about the love between mother and daughter or the way a homestead looks and feels or the sadness buried within his undead monsters. The City of Mirrors is beautifully written, with many passages worthy of a happy sigh simply because of the gorgeous artistry of the prose.
Beyond the beauty of the writing is the innate soulfulness of this novel - of the entire trilogy. This may not be my favorite (that would be the 5 star The Passage), but it is still a very impressive achievement. And the impressiveness lies within the novel's delicacy and the way his characters resonated with me, in their longing for community and family and a way of living that feels true and natural and good.
It's funny, I was thinking about this novel over the Thanksgiving weekend, which is an odd time to think about a post-apocalyptic vampire novel. I'm a singleton (and hopefully always will be) but during this holiday, I like to get together with a few families and rent a big place to enjoy each other's company and watch the kids run amok and eat lots of food together. This past Thanksgiving was no different. One night after everyone had retired, I sat on a balcony in a contemplative mood, looking out at the treetops moving in the wind and the stars gleaming above them, the sound of the hot tub bubbling away in the background, a soft chilly wind blowing leaves around the various kid toys and clothes and shoes strewn here and there. I thought of the beasts of this trilogy, dropping from the trees to hunt, their souls still trapped within and longing for relief and release. I thought about how Cronin somehow humanized them, made them symbolic of how all humans have a melancholy longing for understanding and connection, sometimes buried deep within, but always there. I thought of his brave, imperfect human characters, always wanting to be together, always hoping and loving and longing, making bad decisions and making good ones, but mainly acting from a need for connection and from a need to make a life with others, and for others. Cronin sees the best in people, even at their worst. I thought that was an excellent way to look at people: always with empathy, no matter how monstrous or fallible or weak a person may be. Look at people, see them; draw them into your life, go into theirs; be together. It was a good Thanksgiving thought.
Cronin's concluding volume in his post-apocalyptic vampire saga is a lovely novel. Lovely! Such an odd word to use for a book describing the slaughter of hundreds of thousands and the death of billions more by airborne plague. But this is indeed an often lovely book because Cronin is at this point almost completely disinterested in horror. Or terror, or the darkness in human souls, or the abyss that we look into that looks right back 'atcha. He wants to write about families and the light within souls and the way that people can come together when things fall apart. He wants to write about a bright and shining future that is still a human future - and therefore fallible, uncertain. He wants to understand and humanize and empathize with darkness so that it is no longer so dark, but rather something relatable and knowable. He wants to write about hope. And so he did.
The prior books each included a lengthy, more than novella-sized portion set before the Fall of Man. Each of those prior parts were full of action, blood, and danger. Not so much with the sequence set pre-Fall in this book; this flashback is all about the life of a smart, often disaffected young man with a distant father, going away to college, learning to love, learning the pain of a lost love, and all the while trying to forge his own unique identity. It could have been written by John Updike. This part is all about the man who became Zero - the ultimate villain of the series. And yet it is not about a villain, it is just about a man, and the choices and mistakes he makes in his life. A man who later becomes an undead killer and who purposely brings about the apocalypse in order to somehow fill the gaping hole where his heart used to be. A monstrous horror, but still a man.
Cronin fumbles a bit in his portrait of series protagonist Peter Jaxon, and a bit with the series' heart Sarah. I doubt he wanted to turn either of them into mulishly stubborn assholes who refuse to empathize with their childhood friend's trauma, how their friend sacrificed who she was for the greater good, how she was exploited and abused physically, mentally, emotionally... but that's what happened and that's how they reacted. I really came to dislike the often selfish, stupid person Peter became and was disappointed in Sarah too. Did Cronin want me to dislike them? I just don't think so. Ah well. Humans often fail when it comes to empathy and they amply illustrated that failing.
The book has one genuine horror set piece: an extended attack on humanity's last haven (in Texas, of course). When Cronin wants to bring the terror, he can bring it. That was a hair-raising handful of chapters.
Also worth noting is the lengthy epilogue. Despite being set a thousand years from now, it is basically the story of an older man trying to understand himself, trying to understand his son, perhaps falling in love again, and trying to figure out who he is anyway, after all his years of living. A moving story but perhaps not a unique one. But uniquely positioned. What a surprising epilogue! It has nothing to do with horror and everything to do with being human.
The poetic flourishes that were a key part of the first book but were somewhat lacking (or hackneyed) in the second book return in full force for the third book. Cronin is a beautifully lyrical writer, whether he is writing about the love between mother and daughter or the way a homestead looks and feels or the sadness buried within his undead monsters. The City of Mirrors is beautifully written, with many passages worthy of a happy sigh simply because of the gorgeous artistry of the prose.
Beyond the beauty of the writing is the innate soulfulness of this novel - of the entire trilogy. This may not be my favorite (that would be the 5 star The Passage), but it is still a very impressive achievement. And the impressiveness lies within the novel's delicacy and the way his characters resonated with me, in their longing for community and family and a way of living that feels true and natural and good.
It's funny, I was thinking about this novel over the Thanksgiving weekend, which is an odd time to think about a post-apocalyptic vampire novel. I'm a singleton (and hopefully always will be) but during this holiday, I like to get together with a few families and rent a big place to enjoy each other's company and watch the kids run amok and eat lots of food together. This past Thanksgiving was no different. One night after everyone had retired, I sat on a balcony in a contemplative mood, looking out at the treetops moving in the wind and the stars gleaming above them, the sound of the hot tub bubbling away in the background, a soft chilly wind blowing leaves around the various kid toys and clothes and shoes strewn here and there. I thought of the beasts of this trilogy, dropping from the trees to hunt, their souls still trapped within and longing for relief and release. I thought about how Cronin somehow humanized them, made them symbolic of how all humans have a melancholy longing for understanding and connection, sometimes buried deep within, but always there. I thought of his brave, imperfect human characters, always wanting to be together, always hoping and loving and longing, making bad decisions and making good ones, but mainly acting from a need for connection and from a need to make a life with others, and for others. Cronin sees the best in people, even at their worst. I thought that was an excellent way to look at people: always with empathy, no matter how monstrous or fallible or weak a person may be. Look at people, see them; draw them into your life, go into theirs; be together. It was a good Thanksgiving thought.
May 3, 2016
Justin Cronin's "The Passage" trilogy reminds me of DC's comic book movies: the premise is great, but each new installment is grittier, darker and makes less sense than the one before it.
I'll start with a warning: if you have any sort of trauma-related emotional triggers, the first 60 pages of "The city of mirrors" will pull them, seemingly just for the fun of it. In the very first chapters of the book, we encounter (in no particular order) a stillbirth, a series of rape-related flashbacks, a man telepathically cheating on his girlfriend, a sexually abused little girl, and a religious hermit who goes to wander in the desert and then either gets extremely lucky by finding a bona fide treasure or loots an emergency supply station while presumably leaving the next stranded traveler to die.
I honestly can't tell why Cronin chose to assault his readers like this. It's possible that he tried to shove as much potential shock value as possible to make the book more memorable (though not in a good way) - at one point in the book, there's a fairly detailed description of live birth. (Not quite what one expects in what's supposed to be a vampire book.) On the other hand, it's possible he was just trying to pad the page count. "The city of mirrors" appears to be the shortest book in the trilogy, and that's after all the shameless padding and all the hundreds of pages spent describing nothing in general.
In the middle of the book, there's a 200-page novel in which Zero, the original viral, corners one of our plucky heroes and shares his origin story in a very unexpected, out-of-context way. Is it possible that Cronin always wanted to write a "coming of age" story and decided to force-feed it to his readers? Or was it just something gathering dust in his desk drawer that seemed good enough to turn a 400-page book into a heavy 600-pager?
Regardless, the notion of a 150-year-old vampire moaning about his lost college girlfriend is ridiculous, especially considering that his audience consists of a single person who grew up with only the most basic education and who wouldn't be able to grasp even the most basic concepts - things like tenure or airplanes or upper-class socioeconomic class. The story would have been much more realistic and fun if Zero would have to stop every 5 minutes and explain what things meant, but nope, we're all subjected to a ridiculously out-of-place stream of consciousness. (Can you imagine tracking down a rural bumpkin from the year 1900 and telling them about your computer problems? Yeah, it's *that* ridiculous.)
I might have been able to overlook all of the above and give the book a weak 4-star rating, but there are far too many plot holes and, dare I say, poor writing for a book that's been in the works for 4 years. Just a handful of examples off the top of my head... A 35-year-old horse can run as fast as a group of virals. A character goes for a long swim and produces a perfectly dry book of matches from their pocket. A deaf person devises their own sign language - so advanced that even "War and peace" can be translated into it. Automatic rifles last just fine for 120 years before suddenly starting to break down due to advanced age. Two people that discover potentially world-ending piece of news choose not to tell everyone but instead launch a sociopathic murderous cult that involves dozens of people over the course of 21 years, none of whom say a word to anybody. (Every spy agency's dream!) A person that's never been on a boat learns how to operate a cruise ship in less than a month. People of the future can't tell the difference between 870 and 1,000 years. After restarting civilization, 870 years later the pinnacle of their technological achievement is dirigibles and flashbulb cameras. (Must have been all the inbreeding.) Virals discover brand new powers that can't be explained by any virus and turn into shapeshifters. Half the characters in the book develop superpowers - either telepathic abilities that are ever so convenient, or the ability to run for 30 minutes while bleeding from an artery without any lasting damage.
If I sound just a little bit upset, it's because I've spent 2 weeks of my life struggling to finish this book, waiting for a payoff at the end, but it never came. I downgrade the book to 2 stars for the most ridiculously stretched-out ending I have ever had the displeasure to read. It's yet another novella about people we don't know, doing things we don't care about, who end up lecturing us about the things we already know and, in the end, do something so extremely stupid (but pretty and sentimental - yay!) that the entire struggle appears to have been for naught.
On the upside, the language of the book is occasionally moving and often beautiful. That is, of course, when it's not talking about child rape, stillbirths, murderous cults, shapeshifting vampires, shapeshifting humans, shapeshifting vampires that become humans or shapeshifting humans that become vampires but then change their minds and switch back to being humans.
I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.
Full disclosure: I've received the advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I'll start with a warning: if you have any sort of trauma-related emotional triggers, the first 60 pages of "The city of mirrors" will pull them, seemingly just for the fun of it. In the very first chapters of the book, we encounter (in no particular order) a stillbirth, a series of rape-related flashbacks, a man telepathically cheating on his girlfriend, a sexually abused little girl, and a religious hermit who goes to wander in the desert and then either gets extremely lucky by finding a bona fide treasure or loots an emergency supply station while presumably leaving the next stranded traveler to die.
I honestly can't tell why Cronin chose to assault his readers like this. It's possible that he tried to shove as much potential shock value as possible to make the book more memorable (though not in a good way) - at one point in the book, there's a fairly detailed description of live birth. (Not quite what one expects in what's supposed to be a vampire book.) On the other hand, it's possible he was just trying to pad the page count. "The city of mirrors" appears to be the shortest book in the trilogy, and that's after all the shameless padding and all the hundreds of pages spent describing nothing in general.
In the middle of the book, there's a 200-page novel in which Zero, the original viral, corners one of our plucky heroes and shares his origin story in a very unexpected, out-of-context way. Is it possible that Cronin always wanted to write a "coming of age" story and decided to force-feed it to his readers? Or was it just something gathering dust in his desk drawer that seemed good enough to turn a 400-page book into a heavy 600-pager?
Regardless, the notion of a 150-year-old vampire moaning about his lost college girlfriend is ridiculous, especially considering that his audience consists of a single person who grew up with only the most basic education and who wouldn't be able to grasp even the most basic concepts - things like tenure or airplanes or upper-class socioeconomic class. The story would have been much more realistic and fun if Zero would have to stop every 5 minutes and explain what things meant, but nope, we're all subjected to a ridiculously out-of-place stream of consciousness. (Can you imagine tracking down a rural bumpkin from the year 1900 and telling them about your computer problems? Yeah, it's *that* ridiculous.)
I might have been able to overlook all of the above and give the book a weak 4-star rating, but there are far too many plot holes and, dare I say, poor writing for a book that's been in the works for 4 years. Just a handful of examples off the top of my head... A 35-year-old horse can run as fast as a group of virals. A character goes for a long swim and produces a perfectly dry book of matches from their pocket. A deaf person devises their own sign language - so advanced that even "War and peace" can be translated into it. Automatic rifles last just fine for 120 years before suddenly starting to break down due to advanced age. Two people that discover potentially world-ending piece of news choose not to tell everyone but instead launch a sociopathic murderous cult that involves dozens of people over the course of 21 years, none of whom say a word to anybody. (Every spy agency's dream!) A person that's never been on a boat learns how to operate a cruise ship in less than a month. People of the future can't tell the difference between 870 and 1,000 years. After restarting civilization, 870 years later the pinnacle of their technological achievement is dirigibles and flashbulb cameras. (Must have been all the inbreeding.) Virals discover brand new powers that can't be explained by any virus and turn into shapeshifters. Half the characters in the book develop superpowers - either telepathic abilities that are ever so convenient, or the ability to run for 30 minutes while bleeding from an artery without any lasting damage.
If I sound just a little bit upset, it's because I've spent 2 weeks of my life struggling to finish this book, waiting for a payoff at the end, but it never came. I downgrade the book to 2 stars for the most ridiculously stretched-out ending I have ever had the displeasure to read. It's yet another novella about people we don't know, doing things we don't care about, who end up lecturing us about the things we already know and, in the end, do something so extremely stupid (but pretty and sentimental - yay!) that the entire struggle appears to have been for naught.
On the upside, the language of the book is occasionally moving and often beautiful. That is, of course, when it's not talking about child rape, stillbirths, murderous cults, shapeshifting vampires, shapeshifting humans, shapeshifting vampires that become humans or shapeshifting humans that become vampires but then change their minds and switch back to being humans.
I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.
Full disclosure: I've received the advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Read
October 21, 2014Give the guy a break, he's writing a huge book no doubt, and I'd rather he got it right than finished it early. Patience, children, patience.
March 1, 2017
I devoured The Passage, soon after I inhaled The Twelve and held my breath till the end of The City of Mirrors. 2000 pages of dark joy, and expanding over 1000 years this trilogy has come to a rewarding end for me. I loved every moment of tension in this compelling and terrifying plot. What made this such a great trilogy for me was how Cronin was able to draw me into the story with such a large cast of characters, and had me emotionally engaged, caring for them and rooting for their survival.
In The City of Mirrors we see how our characters and the next generation of characters have dealt and found their place after the events of The Twelve. It started off a bit slow for me, and we see our characters have found some peace before all hell breaks loose and the virals are back. That's when it got exciting and really good for me. From then on I was on the edge of my seat till the roaring, grisly, big event with a big payoff.
I would recommend reading all three books close together to really bond and see how these well developed characters grow and change in their fight to survive in such a terrifying world.
All of Norma's and my reviews can be found on our sister blog.
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
In The City of Mirrors we see how our characters and the next generation of characters have dealt and found their place after the events of The Twelve. It started off a bit slow for me, and we see our characters have found some peace before all hell breaks loose and the virals are back. That's when it got exciting and really good for me. From then on I was on the edge of my seat till the roaring, grisly, big event with a big payoff.
I would recommend reading all three books close together to really bond and see how these well developed characters grow and change in their fight to survive in such a terrifying world.
All of Norma's and my reviews can be found on our sister blog.
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
June 5, 2016
Nine and one. Nine are yours but one is mine, as you are mine. Into the tenth shall be planted the seed so that we will be Many, millions-fold.
The Twelve have been destroyed and humanity is tentatively setting out from behind their walls to build their lives anew. But one still remains, Zero, the first one infected, from whom the Twelve came and he is biding his time until people least expect it so he can unleash his fury on the world and bring an end to the one called Amy once and for all.
I had been made for a purpose. I was not the author of destruction: I was its instrument, forged in heaven's workshop by a god of horrors.
I don't think I've flip flopped between three and four stars for a rating this much before. I wanted so badly to love this book, but had a few issues with how Cronin dealt with some of his characters.
Like what Michael became, and his dealings with the shadier side of the community. It seemed a bit out of character for him. The other major issues I had were to the ending of the book.
The issues I had with the ending of his characters' stories are spoilers. So be warned.
Other than this, the writing was good, but it didn't have the same number of heartbreakingly beautiful or sad moments as some of his previous books, which disappointed me a little. Or perhaps it did but my inability to connect with Zero ruined them for me.
While Zero's story was sad, I couldn't quite bring myself to feel sorry for him as Cronin was trying so hard to do. It would have made later scenes more powerful if I had been able to. I also couldn't quite believe that it made him into the monster he became either.
And for those reasons I must give this final installment 3 stars, but it is still a worthwhile read so far (if you aren't daunted by the sheer number of pages in this series).
The Twelve have been destroyed and humanity is tentatively setting out from behind their walls to build their lives anew. But one still remains, Zero, the first one infected, from whom the Twelve came and he is biding his time until people least expect it so he can unleash his fury on the world and bring an end to the one called Amy once and for all.
I had been made for a purpose. I was not the author of destruction: I was its instrument, forged in heaven's workshop by a god of horrors.
I don't think I've flip flopped between three and four stars for a rating this much before. I wanted so badly to love this book, but had a few issues with how Cronin dealt with some of his characters.
Like what Michael became, and his dealings with the shadier side of the community. It seemed a bit out of character for him. The other major issues I had were to the ending of the book.
The issues I had with the ending of his characters' stories are spoilers. So be warned.
Other than this, the writing was good, but it didn't have the same number of heartbreakingly beautiful or sad moments as some of his previous books, which disappointed me a little. Or perhaps it did but my inability to connect with Zero ruined them for me.
While Zero's story was sad, I couldn't quite bring myself to feel sorry for him as Cronin was trying so hard to do. It would have made later scenes more powerful if I had been able to. I also couldn't quite believe that it made him into the monster he became either.
And for those reasons I must give this final installment 3 stars, but it is still a worthwhile read so far (if you aren't daunted by the sheer number of pages in this series).
May 26, 2016
This review is probably the hardest one I've ever written. Ever had to contemplate, compose, and try to convey just how great the story was and not just this book, this book of genius, but the whole trilogy as a whole.
Cronin is truly talented. I know I've said it before but the man is brilliant, hand downs a master at his craft.
Words, my words, my simple non masterful words, can not do this series, this book justice.
Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. So much was woven together, carefully plotted, planned, and executed and it showed in every single sentence, paragraph, and page.
This book was like a magical journey to another time and place that you get so immersed in, so caught up in that you lose time while in it. The real world around you disappears and there is nothing but the world that he has created for you and thrown you into.
It isn't like other books in its genre. It stands out. It's unique, creative, imaginative, and well designed and I couldn't of been happier with the way it all came together and came about. The way information, facts, and details slowly all came together, made sense, and most of all, was brilliantly laid out.
It was both bittersweet and satisfying to have this trilogy end and one I soon won't be forgetting or recover from.
*ARC copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
Cronin is truly talented. I know I've said it before but the man is brilliant, hand downs a master at his craft.
Words, my words, my simple non masterful words, can not do this series, this book justice.
Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. So much was woven together, carefully plotted, planned, and executed and it showed in every single sentence, paragraph, and page.
This book was like a magical journey to another time and place that you get so immersed in, so caught up in that you lose time while in it. The real world around you disappears and there is nothing but the world that he has created for you and thrown you into.
It isn't like other books in its genre. It stands out. It's unique, creative, imaginative, and well designed and I couldn't of been happier with the way it all came together and came about. The way information, facts, and details slowly all came together, made sense, and most of all, was brilliantly laid out.
It was both bittersweet and satisfying to have this trilogy end and one I soon won't be forgetting or recover from.
*ARC copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
January 26, 2018
Received from Netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
“SIXTY-NINE She was Amy, and she was forever. She was one of Twelve and also the other, the one above and behind, the Zero. She was the Girl from Nowhere, the One Who Walked In, who lived a thousand years; Amy of Multitudes, the Girl with the Souls Inside Her. She was Amy. She was Amy. She was Amy. She”
― Justin Cronin, The Passage
I wish I had to re-read The Passage and The Twelve prior to reading this one. A lot of time has passed, and so it was with this book too - a lot of time has passed. I believe 20 years for the characters. They have aged, their children have aged and so the story begins with them at this stage of their lives.
Virals have not been seen for a long time but that does not mean they have been forgotten. Survivors have gotten on with their lives. Some content to go one with their lives believing the worst was behind them and some moving on but always watching for signs of a return. A return, that once it came, would come full force.
“Sorry, we made vampires; it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
― Justin Cronin, The Twelve
To get to the ending, let's start with the beginning. The Passage grabbed me from the get go. It was an emotional page turner for me. I LOVED that book. I could not read it fast enough. Once finished, as usual, I was angry I read it so fast. I waited and waited and waited for the next in the series to come out. Then The Twelve came out. I didn't love it as much as The Passage, but I still thought it was very good. As I read it, I was drawn back into the world of Peter, Amy, Sara, Hollis, Michael, Alicia, etc. We learned more about The Twelve (fitting since that was the title) and although not a page turner for me, it drew me in and kept me wanting more.
Then the waiting began for the last in the series to come out. When I got the confirmation email from Netgalley that I was chosen, I am not ashamed to say I got very, very excited. I may have ever yelled out "Yes!" and "I got it!!" I could not wait to read this. I really appreciated the beginning with the notes on who was who. It was a nice refresher as some time had gone by between books.
But then I found myself reading other books while reading this in the beginning. Why? Because this book starts off SLOW. Very Slow for me. Finally when I started getting into this book, the background on Fanning began. I know some readers feel this part would have been better told as a novella. Maybe... maybe not but it did slow things down and disrupted the story. I wish Fanning's story would have been told at the beginning of this book, before we are re-introduced to all of the characters I have grown to love. Fanning's story is necessary. It shows him as a person, a young man who feels he is given the shaft by his father as he goes away to Harvard where he meets Jonas Lear and Liz. All characters are likable. I liked young Fanning. His story is tragic and one can't help but feel sorry for him. His back story is important. How does a normal guy turn into a monster? I just wish it was better placed in the book.
After Fanning's background story, the "Story" of the characters began. This is where the story picked up for me and I put the other books away, Cronin had grasped my attention once again.
How to rate without re-telling the entire story?? That is always the question for me. I will say I loved the farmstead story of Peter and Amy. I love that Peter went there every night. I loved their connection. I loved seeing the characters again. I liked seeing Michael and Alicia interacting again, Sara and Hollis, Peter and Amy. Then there is Caleb and Pim. They have a great story line as well. I also liked the Amy/Cater story line. All nice touches. Cronin was very true to his characters and saw them through to the end.
“All stories end when they have returned to their beginnings.”
― Justin Cronin, The City of Mirrors
The ending became a page turner. Four people to face fanning and his Virals. What would happen? This was a great way to end - heart pounding action. Who would live who would die? and of course there would be beautiful passages, declarations of love, such humanity intertwined with such horror.
“All his life he had wanted to be known by just one person. That’s what love was, he decided. Love was being known.”
― Justin Cronin, The City of Mirrors
What would I have wished would have happened? In the end, Amy and Peter on the farmstead yet again. We see Carter get his "ever after", hell even Fanning is reunited with Liz. I would have loved for the last lines of the book to be Amy playing piano with Peter standing behind her, hands on her shoulders. Fan-fiction on my behalf I am sure.
I think Cronin did a great job ending his series. A great dystopian series that is also a love story. Cronin stayed true to his characters and gave his readers a great ending. I shed some tears along the way. We see characters we know die, some live, some change, but the story is always good. Slow in the beginning but stay with this book. See it through, Keep reading,it is well worth it. Cronin has never disappointed and he does not disappoint here. He is a gifted and beautiful writer. His talent shines as a city of mirrors would shine - brightly.
Having finished this series, I want to go back and re-read it all over again. I can't say that for many series or books, but this one's a keeper.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
“SIXTY-NINE She was Amy, and she was forever. She was one of Twelve and also the other, the one above and behind, the Zero. She was the Girl from Nowhere, the One Who Walked In, who lived a thousand years; Amy of Multitudes, the Girl with the Souls Inside Her. She was Amy. She was Amy. She was Amy. She”
― Justin Cronin, The Passage
I wish I had to re-read The Passage and The Twelve prior to reading this one. A lot of time has passed, and so it was with this book too - a lot of time has passed. I believe 20 years for the characters. They have aged, their children have aged and so the story begins with them at this stage of their lives.
Virals have not been seen for a long time but that does not mean they have been forgotten. Survivors have gotten on with their lives. Some content to go one with their lives believing the worst was behind them and some moving on but always watching for signs of a return. A return, that once it came, would come full force.
“Sorry, we made vampires; it seemed like a good idea at the time.”
― Justin Cronin, The Twelve
To get to the ending, let's start with the beginning. The Passage grabbed me from the get go. It was an emotional page turner for me. I LOVED that book. I could not read it fast enough. Once finished, as usual, I was angry I read it so fast. I waited and waited and waited for the next in the series to come out. Then The Twelve came out. I didn't love it as much as The Passage, but I still thought it was very good. As I read it, I was drawn back into the world of Peter, Amy, Sara, Hollis, Michael, Alicia, etc. We learned more about The Twelve (fitting since that was the title) and although not a page turner for me, it drew me in and kept me wanting more.
Then the waiting began for the last in the series to come out. When I got the confirmation email from Netgalley that I was chosen, I am not ashamed to say I got very, very excited. I may have ever yelled out "Yes!" and "I got it!!" I could not wait to read this. I really appreciated the beginning with the notes on who was who. It was a nice refresher as some time had gone by between books.
But then I found myself reading other books while reading this in the beginning. Why? Because this book starts off SLOW. Very Slow for me. Finally when I started getting into this book, the background on Fanning began. I know some readers feel this part would have been better told as a novella. Maybe... maybe not but it did slow things down and disrupted the story. I wish Fanning's story would have been told at the beginning of this book, before we are re-introduced to all of the characters I have grown to love. Fanning's story is necessary. It shows him as a person, a young man who feels he is given the shaft by his father as he goes away to Harvard where he meets Jonas Lear and Liz. All characters are likable. I liked young Fanning. His story is tragic and one can't help but feel sorry for him. His back story is important. How does a normal guy turn into a monster? I just wish it was better placed in the book.
After Fanning's background story, the "Story" of the characters began. This is where the story picked up for me and I put the other books away, Cronin had grasped my attention once again.
How to rate without re-telling the entire story?? That is always the question for me. I will say I loved the farmstead story of Peter and Amy. I love that Peter went there every night. I loved their connection. I loved seeing the characters again. I liked seeing Michael and Alicia interacting again, Sara and Hollis, Peter and Amy. Then there is Caleb and Pim. They have a great story line as well. I also liked the Amy/Cater story line. All nice touches. Cronin was very true to his characters and saw them through to the end.
“All stories end when they have returned to their beginnings.”
― Justin Cronin, The City of Mirrors
The ending became a page turner. Four people to face fanning and his Virals. What would happen? This was a great way to end - heart pounding action. Who would live who would die? and of course there would be beautiful passages, declarations of love, such humanity intertwined with such horror.
“All his life he had wanted to be known by just one person. That’s what love was, he decided. Love was being known.”
― Justin Cronin, The City of Mirrors
What would I have wished would have happened? In the end, Amy and Peter on the farmstead yet again. We see Carter get his "ever after", hell even Fanning is reunited with Liz. I would have loved for the last lines of the book to be Amy playing piano with Peter standing behind her, hands on her shoulders. Fan-fiction on my behalf I am sure.
I think Cronin did a great job ending his series. A great dystopian series that is also a love story. Cronin stayed true to his characters and gave his readers a great ending. I shed some tears along the way. We see characters we know die, some live, some change, but the story is always good. Slow in the beginning but stay with this book. See it through, Keep reading,it is well worth it. Cronin has never disappointed and he does not disappoint here. He is a gifted and beautiful writer. His talent shines as a city of mirrors would shine - brightly.
Having finished this series, I want to go back and re-read it all over again. I can't say that for many series or books, but this one's a keeper.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
February 6, 2016
It is fitting that Justin Cronin calls it The City of Mirrors, for the concluding volume of The Passage trilogy is very much an act of smoke and mirrors. This is because the story essentially culminated at the end of the last one, with the destruction of The Twelve and the disappearance of Amy.
Therefore I was quite curious to see what type of rabbit Cronin would pull out of the hat with the conclusion. Some of it is predictable, such as revisiting earlier events – a particular standout set-piece in this regard is the back story of Zero and the discovery of the virus.
A lot of Cronin’s achievement here is far more subtle though, fleshing out characters and bits and pieces of the story from before, adding unexpected weight and meaning to events perceived quite differently previously. Now that is a true sequel.
What I particularly liked is how Cronin broadens both his vision and story here, to answer two particular questions nagging readers since book one: what happened to the rest of America, and indeed the rest of the world?
The answers are unexpected and thrilling, culminating in both a nail-biting ending and an elegiac coda that provides an extraordinary meditation on the meaning of love and history.
Therefore I was quite curious to see what type of rabbit Cronin would pull out of the hat with the conclusion. Some of it is predictable, such as revisiting earlier events – a particular standout set-piece in this regard is the back story of Zero and the discovery of the virus.
A lot of Cronin’s achievement here is far more subtle though, fleshing out characters and bits and pieces of the story from before, adding unexpected weight and meaning to events perceived quite differently previously. Now that is a true sequel.
What I particularly liked is how Cronin broadens both his vision and story here, to answer two particular questions nagging readers since book one: what happened to the rest of America, and indeed the rest of the world?
The answers are unexpected and thrilling, culminating in both a nail-biting ending and an elegiac coda that provides an extraordinary meditation on the meaning of love and history.
June 17, 2016
A brilliant ending to a thoroughly enjoyable trilogy. All of the loose ends were tied up, every character's story was concluded (some not as happily as others) and this reader was left with a feeling of total satisfaction.
I was completely engaged throughout by the constant bouncing between timelines and between points of view within these timelines. The author handled it so well and there was no chance of letting my mind wander as I read. One second of concentration lost and I had to go back and read a paragraph again.
Maybe I would have liked better endings for some of my favourite characters but given the situation that would have been impossible. I was very happy with the epilogue and the explanations it contained.
I cannot really say more without spoilers so if you have not read the series yet then do! I know it has vampires in it but I promise these vampires are very different and the story is about so much more.
I was completely engaged throughout by the constant bouncing between timelines and between points of view within these timelines. The author handled it so well and there was no chance of letting my mind wander as I read. One second of concentration lost and I had to go back and read a paragraph again.
Maybe I would have liked better endings for some of my favourite characters but given the situation that would have been impossible. I was very happy with the epilogue and the explanations it contained.
I cannot really say more without spoilers so if you have not read the series yet then do! I know it has vampires in it but I promise these vampires are very different and the story is about so much more.
June 7, 2018
As I neared the end of The City of Mirrors, which is also the end of the trilogy, I started thinking about the point of this big story. If there was a theme, or a message, then what was it? (not being flippant here. Cronin's writing really did make me think about it). I knew exactly what it was in this final book: Love. More specifically, love is a necessary thing for us humans. It is needed. Without it, who are we, and what was the purpose of our life? I saw it with each main character here, most especially in their last moments, even the bad guy. Isn't that a totally unexpected thing to see in an apocalyptic trilogy about vampire-like beings (The term used here is Virals, and a much better one because this really is not a vampire story) bringing mankind to the brink of extinction? I thought so, and am grateful for it. The other affecting message words I found throughout the series were Survival and Family. We humans are survivalists, but if we're going to go on, we need those most important of reasons to do so.
Without these inherent story themes, I would have cried boredom after 500 pages (and actually did during the middle of this one, at least in part). Cronin does a good job of avoiding too much of the fighting virals, but it's still there, and after three books this can become repetitive.
Trilogy wrap-up:
Best part(s) of Book 1 (The Passage) for me: The early outbreak and spread of the contagion. I remember being on the edge of my seat. Also, the getting to know Amy and her plight during childhood. A girl alone in the world is some strong stuff to read about.
Best of Book 2 (The Twelve): Sadly, I don't have something specific. Possibly, it was the going back to the beginning of the plague here. It was a good book, but I'll probably remember it least of the three.
Best of The City of Mirrors: No doubt it's Zero's (Tim Fanning) back-story. Following Fanning through college, which leads to this personal and heart-breaking love story is a fine piece of writing. I could not have guessed a portion which begins so simply, and is almost separate from the rest of the book, could grab hold like it did. More of that any day.
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working hard on that review... Sure made a lot of mistakes typing this way:
Without these inherent story themes, I would have cried boredom after 500 pages (and actually did during the middle of this one, at least in part). Cronin does a good job of avoiding too much of the fighting virals, but it's still there, and after three books this can become repetitive.
Trilogy wrap-up:
Best part(s) of Book 1 (The Passage) for me: The early outbreak and spread of the contagion. I remember being on the edge of my seat. Also, the getting to know Amy and her plight during childhood. A girl alone in the world is some strong stuff to read about.
Best of Book 2 (The Twelve): Sadly, I don't have something specific. Possibly, it was the going back to the beginning of the plague here. It was a good book, but I'll probably remember it least of the three.
Best of The City of Mirrors: No doubt it's Zero's (Tim Fanning) back-story. Following Fanning through college, which leads to this personal and heart-breaking love story is a fine piece of writing. I could not have guessed a portion which begins so simply, and is almost separate from the rest of the book, could grab hold like it did. More of that any day.
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April 1, 2021
My thoughts when reading this book: 1.5 stars.
Seriously, stupid humans need to die!
(LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/maudit-attack-...)
(LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/zombie-horror-...)
(LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/creepy-zombie-...)
I'm seriously, they are so stupid, they deserve it.
Plus, all the religion BS and Bible BS and God BS are still as insufferable as the first two books. That's why I hate these crazy Christian manic pro-life idiots so much.
Plus, even when some of the MCs knew the vampires will come back one day, but for 21 long years they did nothing to warn the general public. Nap
I'm seriously, they didn't even try.
I'm so done.
Justin Cronin supposedly wrote this series for his daughter because said daughter wants a story 'about a girl saving the world', but.......sadly most of the female MCs in this series got trashed and humiliated all the time; plus Amy, the girl who supposedly saved the world is so fucking useless--she spent most of 100+ years throughout the series (she actually lives a total 1000+ years) doing nothing, taking care of orphans, gardening with Carter in some Dreamland and then...more gardening by the end of the story!
I guess Cronin's daughter should have written a story about a girl saving the world herself instead of relying on her old man!
Motto: Like most things in life, womenfolks should depend on themselves to get the job done instead of waiting for the menfolks to do the hard labor for them.
Last but not least, Zero/Fanning is the worst villain in the entire history of vampire novels, and I can't believe Cronin would choose to reveal his backstory by letting him talk at great length about hissob story past with Alicia. Mind you, he talks at great length about a bunch of city life details (e.g. internet, college, trains, airplanes, etc) which Alicia should have no idea about!
And I worked up to a real rage fit when I read to the part that Zero decided every single human on Earth should die just because his sort-of girlfriend winded up dead due to illness! Fuck off you bastard! Countless people lost the love of their lives one way or the other but none of them become so selfish and fucked up that he would doom the entire human race!
The ending...the ending............I was again speechless when I found Amy . *sighs* Sorry to be so harsh, but she is just so useless.
Not to mention, people from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and South America just aren't special or smart enough to have their own survivors.
Final words: I don't mean to say this book is all-bad, at the very least it is entirely readable and entertaining as long as you can swallow all your disbelief.
Review for book 2: Review for book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Seriously, stupid humans need to die!
(LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/maudit-attack-...)
(LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/zombie-horror-...)
(LINK: https://giphy.com/gifs/creepy-zombie-...)
I'm seriously, they are so stupid, they deserve it.
Plus, all the religion BS and Bible BS and God BS are still as insufferable as the first two books. That's why I hate these crazy Christian manic pro-life idiots so much.
Plus, even when some of the MCs knew the vampires will come back one day, but for 21 long years they did nothing to warn the general public. Nap
I'm seriously, they didn't even try.
I'm so done.
Justin Cronin supposedly wrote this series for his daughter because said daughter wants a story 'about a girl saving the world', but.......sadly most of the female MCs in this series got trashed and humiliated all the time; plus Amy, the girl who supposedly saved the world is so fucking useless--she spent most of 100+ years throughout the series (she actually lives a total 1000+ years) doing nothing, taking care of orphans, gardening with Carter in some Dreamland and then...more gardening by the end of the story!
I guess Cronin's daughter should have written a story about a girl saving the world herself instead of relying on her old man!
Motto: Like most things in life, womenfolks should depend on themselves to get the job done instead of waiting for the menfolks to do the hard labor for them.
Last but not least, Zero/Fanning is the worst villain in the entire history of vampire novels, and I can't believe Cronin would choose to reveal his backstory by letting him talk at great length about his
And I worked up to a real rage fit when I read to the part that Zero decided every single human on Earth should die just because his sort-of girlfriend winded up dead due to illness! Fuck off you bastard! Countless people lost the love of their lives one way or the other but none of them become so selfish and fucked up that he would doom the entire human race!
The ending...the ending............I was again speechless when I found Amy . *sighs* Sorry to be so harsh, but she is just so useless.
Not to mention, people from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and South America just aren't special or smart enough to have their own survivors.
Final words: I don't mean to say this book is all-bad, at the very least it is entirely readable and entertaining as long as you can swallow all your disbelief.
Review for book 2: Review for book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June 8, 2016
City of Mirrors is going to be an incredibly hard book to review with any sense of professionalism, such was its impact and indeed the impact of this entire trilogy on me as a reader. I have loved every moment of it, the writing is truly sublime, the epic and sprawling story utterly convincing and completely addictive every step of the way and probably the most important thing to say is that if you are a fan and have been worried that Justin Cronin could not POSSIBLY pull off a perfect and killer ending then fear not. The man is a genius.
And he made me cry. I was traumatised at the end of this novel, some of it because of what happens which I’m not going to tell you a THING about – sorry, no spoilers here, nothing even close to it. Some of it because now its all over what the HECK am I going to do without those characters in my life and some of it just because I’d been in a little bubble of elsewhere during the entire read and coming up for air was something of a shell shock. Trauma I tell you! Book trauma of the best kind. These are the reads we live for.
Lets go back a little…because Something is coming...
Ok so maybe on a slightly more practical note we’ll see how we go – The Passage was my read of the year in its year – echoes of King when he plots to perfection, a pre apocalyptic post apocalyptic magnum opus in the making, with characters that take up residence inside your head and linger there and a truly magnificent piece of storytelling that was fascinating, horrifying, so strangely possible in a lot of ways that it was scary as all hell. But also beautiful, intriguing, extraordinarily clever and a book that rewarded readers in surprising and unexpected ways. The Passage on its own was epic. A truly remarkable achievement.
Then….Fear the dark…
We moved onto “The Twelve”. Now I think its fair to say that some readers who loved The Passage had issues with The Twelve. Not everyone loved it. Some didn’t think it was as good. I had endless discussions with other readers of this trilogy about how The Twelve took us away from the Passage rather than moving it on, changed things too much – but for me it worked on every level. I could kind of see what the author was up to, the middle novel, the one that is often the “lesser” for me in this case was more than. Much more than.To my mind The Twelve had a gorgeous sense of anticipation to it. That is the best way I can put it. Again, no real detail. You must, simply MUST read these for yourself. Also in defence of The Twelve, to those who were not sure of it, I think that if you reread it in its place, after The Passage, before City of Mirrors it will take on an entirely different sense and an entirely different vibe. I refer you back to Justin Cronin being a genius.
Now…Its time.
And here we are now then. Its time. The City of Mirrors completes this story, we will have to say goodbye to Amy and Sarah and Peter and Alicia and oh all of them too many to mention, including every one of The Twelve,those stunningly layered and well drawn characters who have captured our imagination, made us root for them, had us holding our breath, or hiding under the duvet or upon reading a particuarly thrilling moment clutching our heads in dismay and concern. The relationships created and lost, the world they live in an ever changing landscape, so intimately imagined you live there with them, time lost, time gained, the whole wonderful, creative, genuinely absorbing, intensely insane reading MADNESS of it, it is done.
And done in such a way that you will absolutely never forget it. This trilogy I will read again, start to finish, many times. Many many times. Justin Cronin has taken hold of my reading soul and won’t let go easily. And at the end of City of Mirrors I realised that even if I read it all 20 times I’m still going to find little nuances, little bits of foreshadowing little moments that I missed in the sheer joy of reading it, this is a trilogy that itself will be an ever changing landscape upon revisiting it.
Be prepared. Expect the unexpected. It will still surprise you. Everything you have read before within this story you will look at very differently when you have finished City of Mirrors. I cannot imagine that it could be better. We had to wait for this and trust me trust me it was worth every MOMENT of that wait. Every chronically impatient moment of it. Ok so I havent been that practical. I can’t tell you about the technical stuff, I CERTAINLY can’t break down the plot and tell you what works and what doesnt and why it should do this and where it falters because for ME it never faltered. Not for one moment. I LIVED it. And Died in it. Then lived in it once more. Every page. Every word.
That is what reading is about. Isnt it?
Do I need to say Highly Recommended? Pfft. You know the score. Justin Cronin I thank you.
And as for Amy, the Girl from Nowhere – I have no words.
And he made me cry. I was traumatised at the end of this novel, some of it because of what happens which I’m not going to tell you a THING about – sorry, no spoilers here, nothing even close to it. Some of it because now its all over what the HECK am I going to do without those characters in my life and some of it just because I’d been in a little bubble of elsewhere during the entire read and coming up for air was something of a shell shock. Trauma I tell you! Book trauma of the best kind. These are the reads we live for.
Lets go back a little…because Something is coming...
Ok so maybe on a slightly more practical note we’ll see how we go – The Passage was my read of the year in its year – echoes of King when he plots to perfection, a pre apocalyptic post apocalyptic magnum opus in the making, with characters that take up residence inside your head and linger there and a truly magnificent piece of storytelling that was fascinating, horrifying, so strangely possible in a lot of ways that it was scary as all hell. But also beautiful, intriguing, extraordinarily clever and a book that rewarded readers in surprising and unexpected ways. The Passage on its own was epic. A truly remarkable achievement.
Then….Fear the dark…
We moved onto “The Twelve”. Now I think its fair to say that some readers who loved The Passage had issues with The Twelve. Not everyone loved it. Some didn’t think it was as good. I had endless discussions with other readers of this trilogy about how The Twelve took us away from the Passage rather than moving it on, changed things too much – but for me it worked on every level. I could kind of see what the author was up to, the middle novel, the one that is often the “lesser” for me in this case was more than. Much more than.To my mind The Twelve had a gorgeous sense of anticipation to it. That is the best way I can put it. Again, no real detail. You must, simply MUST read these for yourself. Also in defence of The Twelve, to those who were not sure of it, I think that if you reread it in its place, after The Passage, before City of Mirrors it will take on an entirely different sense and an entirely different vibe. I refer you back to Justin Cronin being a genius.
Now…Its time.
And here we are now then. Its time. The City of Mirrors completes this story, we will have to say goodbye to Amy and Sarah and Peter and Alicia and oh all of them too many to mention, including every one of The Twelve,those stunningly layered and well drawn characters who have captured our imagination, made us root for them, had us holding our breath, or hiding under the duvet or upon reading a particuarly thrilling moment clutching our heads in dismay and concern. The relationships created and lost, the world they live in an ever changing landscape, so intimately imagined you live there with them, time lost, time gained, the whole wonderful, creative, genuinely absorbing, intensely insane reading MADNESS of it, it is done.
And done in such a way that you will absolutely never forget it. This trilogy I will read again, start to finish, many times. Many many times. Justin Cronin has taken hold of my reading soul and won’t let go easily. And at the end of City of Mirrors I realised that even if I read it all 20 times I’m still going to find little nuances, little bits of foreshadowing little moments that I missed in the sheer joy of reading it, this is a trilogy that itself will be an ever changing landscape upon revisiting it.
Be prepared. Expect the unexpected. It will still surprise you. Everything you have read before within this story you will look at very differently when you have finished City of Mirrors. I cannot imagine that it could be better. We had to wait for this and trust me trust me it was worth every MOMENT of that wait. Every chronically impatient moment of it. Ok so I havent been that practical. I can’t tell you about the technical stuff, I CERTAINLY can’t break down the plot and tell you what works and what doesnt and why it should do this and where it falters because for ME it never faltered. Not for one moment. I LIVED it. And Died in it. Then lived in it once more. Every page. Every word.
That is what reading is about. Isnt it?
Do I need to say Highly Recommended? Pfft. You know the score. Justin Cronin I thank you.
And as for Amy, the Girl from Nowhere – I have no words.
February 11, 2017
1.5 stars
Amy, the supposed hero of the story, was a waste of space who was unable to do anything. So much for the author saying he wanted to write a story about a girl saving the world because he completely missed the mark with Amy. The other female characters weren't much better, they were all useless or insufferable.
What happened to Alicia's character? Her only purpose was to give birth and listen to the bad guy's back story and that was it. Even when she had loads of information about Fanning/Zero/the bad guy she didn't manage to do anything useful with it, all she did was listen to some boring guy and get crapped on by her old friends. What a waste of a decent character.
Fanning/Zero's back story was mind-numbingly boring, did the author seriously think a middle-aged entitled guy who was a successful professor that slept with his students, and was respected by everyone in his field and who was intermittently sad about some past college girlfriend would make an interesting character? Or a villain who had a convincing enough reason/motive behind destroying the world? Really? Not being able to be with his kind of girlfriend wasn't a good enough excuse to commit genocide, even worse than that after committing genocide he acted like he was hard done by. WTF. His backstory wasn't tragic (as much as the author wanted us to believe it was), it was pathetic, and compared to most people's tragedies his was nothing, he lived a charmed life in comparison. Even Alicia who went through real trauma felt sorry for him and his silly problems. So yea, I wasn't buying into his oh so tragic life or the utterly lame reason for his maniacal ways. Also, Fanning's 'love' for his college girlfriend of sorts couldn't have been all that epic when he was happily shagging around with students half his age. Pathetic.
Why didn't Michael or Greer warn everyone about the virals not being gone from the world? They had twenty years to do it. If they had warned people they could have been more careful and prepared, way more people could have survived if they'd been given warning.
Why in the bloody fuck did Fanning getting a happy ending? He was responsible for destroying the world and killing billions all because he couldn't handle his moronic love life. Him getting to be all loving and happy at the end with his girlfriend was ridiculous.
Peter was the ultimate Gary Stu, literally every character loved him, no matter what he did. Even when he came up with the stupid, suicidal plan at the end that resulted in most of the population dying he was still beloved by all. Most annoying was how holier than thou and self righteous he was, especially with Alicia, she should have told him how terrible he was but instead she like everyone else just sucked up to him.
I still wasn't buying the crappy love story with Peter and Amy. Peter's constant whining about how much he missed and loved Amy was as dumb as Fanning's whining about his true love, as Peter was also happily shagging around and developing feelings for other women. For so much of the story to be based upon the two supposedly poignant epic love stories they could have at least had the male characters be faithful, maybe then the so called huge feelings they had would be that little bit more convincing.
How convenient that Peter's crappy decision making led to about 700 or so people surviving when Michael's life saving boat could only hold about 700 people. Worked out perfectly.
What was with the mystical powers that random characters got? Pim and Greer with their visions of the future, and Peter transporting to another place in his dreams? I can't recall any of the human characters before being able to do things like that.
As if only a few Americans survived the end of world, the rest of the world apparently wasn't clever enough or special enough or lucky enough to have their own survivors. Ugh.
Had to roll my eyes at the long, pointless epilogue where everything happened to be the same as the world before the near extinction of the human race, there was the same technology, language/expressions, education, gender roles, society. Yea, right.
Amy, the supposed hero of the story, was a waste of space who was unable to do anything. So much for the author saying he wanted to write a story about a girl saving the world because he completely missed the mark with Amy. The other female characters weren't much better, they were all useless or insufferable.
What happened to Alicia's character? Her only purpose was to give birth and listen to the bad guy's back story and that was it. Even when she had loads of information about Fanning/Zero/the bad guy she didn't manage to do anything useful with it, all she did was listen to some boring guy and get crapped on by her old friends. What a waste of a decent character.
Fanning/Zero's back story was mind-numbingly boring, did the author seriously think a middle-aged entitled guy who was a successful professor that slept with his students, and was respected by everyone in his field and who was intermittently sad about some past college girlfriend would make an interesting character? Or a villain who had a convincing enough reason/motive behind destroying the world? Really? Not being able to be with his kind of girlfriend wasn't a good enough excuse to commit genocide, even worse than that after committing genocide he acted like he was hard done by. WTF. His backstory wasn't tragic (as much as the author wanted us to believe it was), it was pathetic, and compared to most people's tragedies his was nothing, he lived a charmed life in comparison. Even Alicia who went through real trauma felt sorry for him and his silly problems. So yea, I wasn't buying into his oh so tragic life or the utterly lame reason for his maniacal ways. Also, Fanning's 'love' for his college girlfriend of sorts couldn't have been all that epic when he was happily shagging around with students half his age. Pathetic.
Why didn't Michael or Greer warn everyone about the virals not being gone from the world? They had twenty years to do it. If they had warned people they could have been more careful and prepared, way more people could have survived if they'd been given warning.
Why in the bloody fuck did Fanning getting a happy ending? He was responsible for destroying the world and killing billions all because he couldn't handle his moronic love life. Him getting to be all loving and happy at the end with his girlfriend was ridiculous.
Peter was the ultimate Gary Stu, literally every character loved him, no matter what he did. Even when he came up with the stupid, suicidal plan at the end that resulted in most of the population dying he was still beloved by all. Most annoying was how holier than thou and self righteous he was, especially with Alicia, she should have told him how terrible he was but instead she like everyone else just sucked up to him.
I still wasn't buying the crappy love story with Peter and Amy. Peter's constant whining about how much he missed and loved Amy was as dumb as Fanning's whining about his true love, as Peter was also happily shagging around and developing feelings for other women. For so much of the story to be based upon the two supposedly poignant epic love stories they could have at least had the male characters be faithful, maybe then the so called huge feelings they had would be that little bit more convincing.
How convenient that Peter's crappy decision making led to about 700 or so people surviving when Michael's life saving boat could only hold about 700 people. Worked out perfectly.
What was with the mystical powers that random characters got? Pim and Greer with their visions of the future, and Peter transporting to another place in his dreams? I can't recall any of the human characters before being able to do things like that.
As if only a few Americans survived the end of world, the rest of the world apparently wasn't clever enough or special enough or lucky enough to have their own survivors. Ugh.
Had to roll my eyes at the long, pointless epilogue where everything happened to be the same as the world before the near extinction of the human race, there was the same technology, language/expressions, education, gender roles, society. Yea, right.
September 23, 2019
The City of Mirrors (The Passage #3), Justin Cronin
The City of Mirrors is a 2016 horror novel by Justin Cronin and is the final novel in The Passage trilogy, following the novel The Twelve. The City of Mirrors was released for publication on May 24, 2016 by Ballantine Books. Alicia Donadio’s child, the result of her rape in The Twelve, is stillborn. She forces herself out of her stupor and decides to hunt down Zero. Michael Fisher sails around the continent looking for the storied mines that were placed to keep the viral contamination at bay. He learns the virus has spread to the rest of the world, and realizes that the mines do not exist, and neither does the rest of the world; human civilization was completely wiped out by a mutated version of the virus. He finds an ocean liner beached in the Gulf of Mexico, and determines to fix it and sail to a safe island to save some portion of humanity. Lucius Greer has been keeping Amy and Carter alive in the cargo hold of their own ship by bringing them blood to feed on. Amy has no control over herself as a viral while Carter seems to be able to control his impulses. Peter Jaxon is raising his nephew Caleb in Kerrvile, the capital of the Republic of Texas. In his dreams, he lives with a human Amy, though he has not actually seen her in years. He accepts a request from the newly elected president of the Republic of Texas to join her administration, leading an initiative to open the town’s security gates, since the virals have not been seen for years, allowing humanity to branch out. Alicia finds Zero in New York City, but learns he is her infector, thus she can not kill him. He befriends her and reveals he was originally Tim Fanning, who had a crush on Jonas Lear's girlfriend Liz during college. Later in life, when Jonas' science pulled him away from home in search of a cure for Liz's cancer, Liz and Tim had a brief tryst, though she turned down his request to stay with him. After Liz died, Tim eventually joined Jonas in his research to find a solution to humanity’s challenge (resulting in Amy). The rest of his story is chronicled in the beginning of The Passage where Tim becomes the only one to survive infection, and thus becomes the first viral; Subject Zero. He reveals how almost drowning was what reverted him to human form, but retains everything else bestowed on him by the virus. Michael has worked for twenty years to rebuild the ship. Peter is now President of Texas, but finds that the human colonies have been able to spread so far that his may be the last presidency. Alicia, having lived with Zero for a few years, learns of his plan to kill the remaining humans in his quest to destroy Amy. Alicia leaves to warn her friends, while Zero sends his Many (infected virals) towards Texas in a plan to draw Amy out of hiding. The Many kill/convert the outer colonies, finally converging on Kerrville. Amy is restored to human form by Peter with the help of Alicia's knowledge of water. Carter transfers his Many over to Amy to assist in defending Kerrville. Zero's army prevails, leaving only 700 human survivors when the morning sun drives the virals off. Peter and Michael lead the people to the ship, arriving on the coast at dusk. Zero’s Many attack, but Carter sacrifices his life to help Amy and the rest achieve the safety of the ship. Virals Alicia and Amy are joined by Peter and Michael, leaving the ship to find and kill Zero in order to end the plague. Peter is bitten by Zero, but his love for Amy prevents him from killing her at Zero's command. Zero is killed by Amy, who saves Peter with her own blood before he is destroyed along with the rest of Zero's Many. A near drowning has removed all traces of the virus from Alicia, who then decides to jump to her death. Michael takes a ship to England. Virals Amy and Peter live together, until he dies of old age after a couple hundred years.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و سوم ماه سپتامبر سال 2017 میلادی
عنوان: شهر آینه ها؛ نویسنده: جاستین کرونین؛ مترجم: محمد جوادی؛ تهران: کتابسرای تندیس، 1395؛ در 1070 ص؛ شابک: 9786001822414؛ موضوع: داستنهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21 م
رمان «شهر آینه ها» اثر: «جاستین کرونین»، آخرین بخش از سه گانه ی «گذرگاه» است. این مجموعه، پر فروشترین سه گانه ی نیویورک تایمز شده است. رمانهای: «گذرگاه» و «دوازده» عنوانهای کتابهای پیشین این سه گانه هستند، که انتشارات کتابسرای تندیس به چاپ رسانده است. خانواده هایی که همگی در تختهایشان به قتل رسیده بودند، شهرهایی که هیچ زن و مردی در آنها باقی نمانده بود، رستوران بین راهی که کارکنانش مثل ماهی قزل آلا تکه تکه شده بودند. در این کتاب پایانی سه گانه، نویسنده به سراغ داستان ناتمام مانده از بخشهای اول و دوم میروند و به گذشته ی شخصیتهای پیشین، بازمیگردند. این کار ایشان قابلیت سینمایی بسیاری به داستان داده، و جذابیتهایی میکند؛ که بر خلاف بسیاری از رمانهای بلند، که خسته کننده و تکراری میشوند،خوانشگر را با خود همراه میکند. ا. شربیانی
The City of Mirrors is a 2016 horror novel by Justin Cronin and is the final novel in The Passage trilogy, following the novel The Twelve. The City of Mirrors was released for publication on May 24, 2016 by Ballantine Books. Alicia Donadio’s child, the result of her rape in The Twelve, is stillborn. She forces herself out of her stupor and decides to hunt down Zero. Michael Fisher sails around the continent looking for the storied mines that were placed to keep the viral contamination at bay. He learns the virus has spread to the rest of the world, and realizes that the mines do not exist, and neither does the rest of the world; human civilization was completely wiped out by a mutated version of the virus. He finds an ocean liner beached in the Gulf of Mexico, and determines to fix it and sail to a safe island to save some portion of humanity. Lucius Greer has been keeping Amy and Carter alive in the cargo hold of their own ship by bringing them blood to feed on. Amy has no control over herself as a viral while Carter seems to be able to control his impulses. Peter Jaxon is raising his nephew Caleb in Kerrvile, the capital of the Republic of Texas. In his dreams, he lives with a human Amy, though he has not actually seen her in years. He accepts a request from the newly elected president of the Republic of Texas to join her administration, leading an initiative to open the town’s security gates, since the virals have not been seen for years, allowing humanity to branch out. Alicia finds Zero in New York City, but learns he is her infector, thus she can not kill him. He befriends her and reveals he was originally Tim Fanning, who had a crush on Jonas Lear's girlfriend Liz during college. Later in life, when Jonas' science pulled him away from home in search of a cure for Liz's cancer, Liz and Tim had a brief tryst, though she turned down his request to stay with him. After Liz died, Tim eventually joined Jonas in his research to find a solution to humanity’s challenge (resulting in Amy). The rest of his story is chronicled in the beginning of The Passage where Tim becomes the only one to survive infection, and thus becomes the first viral; Subject Zero. He reveals how almost drowning was what reverted him to human form, but retains everything else bestowed on him by the virus. Michael has worked for twenty years to rebuild the ship. Peter is now President of Texas, but finds that the human colonies have been able to spread so far that his may be the last presidency. Alicia, having lived with Zero for a few years, learns of his plan to kill the remaining humans in his quest to destroy Amy. Alicia leaves to warn her friends, while Zero sends his Many (infected virals) towards Texas in a plan to draw Amy out of hiding. The Many kill/convert the outer colonies, finally converging on Kerrville. Amy is restored to human form by Peter with the help of Alicia's knowledge of water. Carter transfers his Many over to Amy to assist in defending Kerrville. Zero's army prevails, leaving only 700 human survivors when the morning sun drives the virals off. Peter and Michael lead the people to the ship, arriving on the coast at dusk. Zero’s Many attack, but Carter sacrifices his life to help Amy and the rest achieve the safety of the ship. Virals Alicia and Amy are joined by Peter and Michael, leaving the ship to find and kill Zero in order to end the plague. Peter is bitten by Zero, but his love for Amy prevents him from killing her at Zero's command. Zero is killed by Amy, who saves Peter with her own blood before he is destroyed along with the rest of Zero's Many. A near drowning has removed all traces of the virus from Alicia, who then decides to jump to her death. Michael takes a ship to England. Virals Amy and Peter live together, until he dies of old age after a couple hundred years.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و سوم ماه سپتامبر سال 2017 میلادی
عنوان: شهر آینه ها؛ نویسنده: جاستین کرونین؛ مترجم: محمد جوادی؛ تهران: کتابسرای تندیس، 1395؛ در 1070 ص؛ شابک: 9786001822414؛ موضوع: داستنهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21 م
رمان «شهر آینه ها» اثر: «جاستین کرونین»، آخرین بخش از سه گانه ی «گذرگاه» است. این مجموعه، پر فروشترین سه گانه ی نیویورک تایمز شده است. رمانهای: «گذرگاه» و «دوازده» عنوانهای کتابهای پیشین این سه گانه هستند، که انتشارات کتابسرای تندیس به چاپ رسانده است. خانواده هایی که همگی در تختهایشان به قتل رسیده بودند، شهرهایی که هیچ زن و مردی در آنها باقی نمانده بود، رستوران بین راهی که کارکنانش مثل ماهی قزل آلا تکه تکه شده بودند. در این کتاب پایانی سه گانه، نویسنده به سراغ داستان ناتمام مانده از بخشهای اول و دوم میروند و به گذشته ی شخصیتهای پیشین، بازمیگردند. این کار ایشان قابلیت سینمایی بسیاری به داستان داده، و جذابیتهایی میکند؛ که بر خلاف بسیاری از رمانهای بلند، که خسته کننده و تکراری میشوند،خوانشگر را با خود همراه میکند. ا. شربیانی
December 27, 2017
Prošli ste Prolazom. Suočili ste se sa Dvanaestoricom. Sad stupite u Grad ogledala gde ćete prisustvovati konačnom obračunu.
Zavrsnica je koliko toliko zadovoljavajuca, ali ono sto je napravio sa Prolazom jednostavno nije bilo moguce ponoviti. Valjda.
Dvanaestorica su uništena, preživeli izlaze van svojih zidina, odlučni da iznova sagrade društvo – i smeli da sanjaju budućnost ispunjenu nadom.
Ali su zaboravili na Nultog, oca Dvanaestorice koji je strpljivo cekao da se ljudi ususkaju u svojoj nadi, a zatim krenuo svim silama da dokrajci ono sto je ostalo od ljudske civilizacije.
Tada na trecini knjige imamo jedan poveliki flashback, ko je bio Nulti, pocev od ranog detinjstva pa do samog razloga njegove zelje da unisti covecanstvo.
I to je ustvari bio deo gde sam najvise uzivao, bez vampira/virusnih, bez akcije, obicna prica ali prilicno zanimljiva i jako dobro napisana.
Zatim se vracamo u sadasnjost i krecemo u boj za spas covecanstva. The End.
Cronin je dobar pisac zaista, uglavnom je bilo uzivanje citati ovu trilogiju, ali najvecu gresku je
napravio zato sto je beskrajno oduzio pricu i zato sto je kako prici tako i likovima dao preuvelicanu epsku vrednost.
Jeste to bila prica o prezivljavanju ljudske civilizacije ali je Cronin ovde bas preterao.
Glavni likovi su se prosto utrkivali ko ce biti najvise zapamcen na kraju ove sage, i pred sam kraj sam postao umoran od tog silnog dokazivanja.
Da je malo smanjio "dozivljaj" kao i broj stranica mislim da bi mi ova zavrsnica ostala u boljem secanju.
Ali najvise sto je upropastilo ceo dozivljaj je epilog, kada sam shvatio da nakon kraja imam jos stotinu stranica da procitam. Bukvalno.
Ali dobro, kad se podvuce crta daleko od toga da je bilo lose. Ali je moglo biti mnogo bolje.
Voleo bih da Cronin napise roman/serijal koji bi bio u skladu sa Prolazom, bez ulagivanja citaocima, izdavackoj kuci ili kome vec.
Mracan, a opet realan a ne mlak i komercijalan kao sto su bila Dvanaestorica.
Ili Grad ogledala, koji je bio ni tamo ni vamo.
Videcemo.
3.5/5
Zavrsnica je koliko toliko zadovoljavajuca, ali ono sto je napravio sa Prolazom jednostavno nije bilo moguce ponoviti. Valjda.
Dvanaestorica su uništena, preživeli izlaze van svojih zidina, odlučni da iznova sagrade društvo – i smeli da sanjaju budućnost ispunjenu nadom.
Ali su zaboravili na Nultog, oca Dvanaestorice koji je strpljivo cekao da se ljudi ususkaju u svojoj nadi, a zatim krenuo svim silama da dokrajci ono sto je ostalo od ljudske civilizacije.
Tada na trecini knjige imamo jedan poveliki flashback, ko je bio Nulti, pocev od ranog detinjstva pa do samog razloga njegove zelje da unisti covecanstvo.
I to je ustvari bio deo gde sam najvise uzivao, bez vampira/virusnih, bez akcije, obicna prica ali prilicno zanimljiva i jako dobro napisana.
Zatim se vracamo u sadasnjost i krecemo u boj za spas covecanstva. The End.
Cronin je dobar pisac zaista, uglavnom je bilo uzivanje citati ovu trilogiju, ali najvecu gresku je
napravio zato sto je beskrajno oduzio pricu i zato sto je kako prici tako i likovima dao preuvelicanu epsku vrednost.
Jeste to bila prica o prezivljavanju ljudske civilizacije ali je Cronin ovde bas preterao.
Glavni likovi su se prosto utrkivali ko ce biti najvise zapamcen na kraju ove sage, i pred sam kraj sam postao umoran od tog silnog dokazivanja.
Da je malo smanjio "dozivljaj" kao i broj stranica mislim da bi mi ova zavrsnica ostala u boljem secanju.
Ali najvise sto je upropastilo ceo dozivljaj je epilog, kada sam shvatio da nakon kraja imam jos stotinu stranica da procitam. Bukvalno.
Ali dobro, kad se podvuce crta daleko od toga da je bilo lose. Ali je moglo biti mnogo bolje.
Voleo bih da Cronin napise roman/serijal koji bi bio u skladu sa Prolazom, bez ulagivanja citaocima, izdavackoj kuci ili kome vec.
Mracan, a opet realan a ne mlak i komercijalan kao sto su bila Dvanaestorica.
Ili Grad ogledala, koji je bio ni tamo ni vamo.
Videcemo.
3.5/5
Want to read
April 6, 20154/6/2015
Guys. I think Cronin lost my interest. I forgot a lot of what happened in the first two and they are MONSTERS. I don't really want to go back and reread.
It's just been way too long.
------------------------------------------------------
EDIT AGAIN: 2015? 2015? Just... what? I can't even. It's LATE 2015 too.
That is just cruel
---------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT:
THANK YOU JESUS.A RELEASE DATE HAS BEEN SET! It's only 233 days away!!!
Ready to see some Vamps eat it
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It's 2014 and a date should be set for release, like, now!
Guys. I think Cronin lost my interest. I forgot a lot of what happened in the first two and they are MONSTERS. I don't really want to go back and reread.
It's just been way too long.
------------------------------------------------------
EDIT AGAIN: 2015? 2015? Just... what? I can't even. It's LATE 2015 too.
That is just cruel
---------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT:
THANK YOU JESUS.A RELEASE DATE HAS BEEN SET! It's only 233 days away!!!
Ready to see some Vamps eat it
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It's 2014 and a date should be set for release, like, now!
April 16, 2018
My rating 4.5
The book The City of Mirrors (The Passage, #3) is very well written and you can identify with the characters and stories we follow through the series. He honestly blurted me out of the null figure because so much of description that it seemed to me too exaggerated at times. By me the writer could shorten the book for at least one hundred pages, but who am I to touch his writing style. But the story is still very well elaborated; the story takes us back and leads through the Viral world where people are powerless to resist this mighty force. All in all a solid ending of the series, all fans of the series will not be disappointed, because this is a very good book. It would recommend a whole series to horror lovers, the post-apocalyptic world, and the vampire. Frankly, the whole series is a complex story and you must love characters who survive in a world where life does not mean anything. Throughout the whole series, the question of survival is in the impossible conditions.
The book The City of Mirrors (The Passage, #3) is very well written and you can identify with the characters and stories we follow through the series. He honestly blurted me out of the null figure because so much of description that it seemed to me too exaggerated at times. By me the writer could shorten the book for at least one hundred pages, but who am I to touch his writing style. But the story is still very well elaborated; the story takes us back and leads through the Viral world where people are powerless to resist this mighty force. All in all a solid ending of the series, all fans of the series will not be disappointed, because this is a very good book. It would recommend a whole series to horror lovers, the post-apocalyptic world, and the vampire. Frankly, the whole series is a complex story and you must love characters who survive in a world where life does not mean anything. Throughout the whole series, the question of survival is in the impossible conditions.
Shelved as 'dreaded-dnf'
January 18, 2018I am throwing in the towel around 15%.
I was so excited when I was approved for the ARC of this book! But now some time has gone by and the long and short of it is I just don't care anymore.
My apologies to NetGalley and to the publisher.
I was so excited when I was approved for the ARC of this book! But now some time has gone by and the long and short of it is I just don't care anymore.
My apologies to NetGalley and to the publisher.
April 29, 2023
This is the final book of a trilogy which must be read in order. In this one the war with the virals is over. Humankind can get back to living and moving on from the war. A few select believe it isn't over. Are they correct or are they just being worrisome?
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this as much as many reviewers on this site. I liked it but was not enthralled with it like most people seem to be. There were parts that I did love and some not so much. We open with the daily activities of humans as they move on from the fight to survive. This first act of the book was really lengthy and I believe was a big part of why I did not enjoy this book as much. My theory was the author was trying to show us how our characters were lulled in their way of thinking about their current situation. The problem was the author lulled me at the same time. This is ironic too because I knew what I was getting into after reading the first two novels. I know these books are a slow burn. For some reason this affected me this time as I thought it was too long. I will say I loved the flashback which really could have been a prequel for the whole series. Finally we get to the drama of this book and that is when this book picked up for me and I enjoyed it. Then we get to the final chapters which sort of read as an epilogue. I thought this was offbeat and not needed. After many, many pages from all three books and we are heading to the actual end we are introduced to new characters. They are not essential as they are a device to look into a major character. I didn't care for this. I really wish the author left it open ended and let the reader imagine what happens to this character.
Like the previous novels in this series this is a commitment to read. For some reason it affected me more than the other two. I think the reason is that this book suffered from massive fluctuations in the story telling while the other two were more consistent. It was a satisfying conclusion to this series. I just wish it hit the nail on the head instead of just striking it on its side. Overall this was a very good trilogy that puts a epic spin on vampires.
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this as much as many reviewers on this site. I liked it but was not enthralled with it like most people seem to be. There were parts that I did love and some not so much. We open with the daily activities of humans as they move on from the fight to survive. This first act of the book was really lengthy and I believe was a big part of why I did not enjoy this book as much. My theory was the author was trying to show us how our characters were lulled in their way of thinking about their current situation. The problem was the author lulled me at the same time. This is ironic too because I knew what I was getting into after reading the first two novels. I know these books are a slow burn. For some reason this affected me this time as I thought it was too long. I will say I loved the flashback which really could have been a prequel for the whole series. Finally we get to the drama of this book and that is when this book picked up for me and I enjoyed it. Then we get to the final chapters which sort of read as an epilogue. I thought this was offbeat and not needed. After many, many pages from all three books and we are heading to the actual end we are introduced to new characters. They are not essential as they are a device to look into a major character. I didn't care for this. I really wish the author left it open ended and let the reader imagine what happens to this character.
Like the previous novels in this series this is a commitment to read. For some reason it affected me more than the other two. I think the reason is that this book suffered from massive fluctuations in the story telling while the other two were more consistent. It was a satisfying conclusion to this series. I just wish it hit the nail on the head instead of just striking it on its side. Overall this was a very good trilogy that puts a epic spin on vampires.
June 19, 2019
When I finished The City of Mirrors, The Passage Trilogy instantly took its place as one of my favourites. I have made all three books last as long as I possibly could (almost five months), while still actually reading them!
Last night our power was out for routine maintenance, so from 10 pm I sat with a tiny torch and committed to reading the final 200 pages -- for all my intentions of making it last, I just needed to know what happened! After about an hour I switched to the torch that is built into my phone. Candlelight would been more aesthetically pleasing, but I worked with what I had. At 1am the power returned and I was closing in on the end. I read at a slower pace than usual because so much was happening- sometimes I had to take breaks and have a little cry before carrying on! Actually not sometimes - frequently!
And then I was done. And I miss the books already. I think the entire trilogy was perfect. I won't detail plot, since it's the third book and I wouldn't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the first two. All I feel comfortable saying is that I love Amy so much! And Alicia. And Peter. I truly love them all. I could list everyone but I won't!
This was such an epic story that I absolutely adored. I look forward to rereading it in the future.
Last night our power was out for routine maintenance, so from 10 pm I sat with a tiny torch and committed to reading the final 200 pages -- for all my intentions of making it last, I just needed to know what happened! After about an hour I switched to the torch that is built into my phone. Candlelight would been more aesthetically pleasing, but I worked with what I had. At 1am the power returned and I was closing in on the end. I read at a slower pace than usual because so much was happening- sometimes I had to take breaks and have a little cry before carrying on! Actually not sometimes - frequently!
And then I was done. And I miss the books already. I think the entire trilogy was perfect. I won't detail plot, since it's the third book and I wouldn't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the first two. All I feel comfortable saying is that I love Amy so much! And Alicia. And Peter. I truly love them all. I could list everyone but I won't!
This was such an epic story that I absolutely adored. I look forward to rereading it in the future.
July 1, 2016
A bittersweet ending to a remarkable trilogy. The descriptions for the books in this series don’t begin to describe the emotional journey you’ll experience. Sure, there’s tense, thrilling moments of post-apocalyptic mayhem; but they’re interspersed with heartwarming moments of poetic beauty. That applies in particular to the last two books in the series. The trilogy is an epic saga, on the scale of books like “The Stand,” which chronicles the fall and near-extinction of humanity, and its eventual rebirth over a span of centuries; but told in a way that maintains its primary focus on its core group of survivors. Their stories grip you. Not just the physical challenges they’re encountering, but also their inner yearnings, as the author masterfully exposes all the layers of their longings and humanity. And that’s really what this series is at its heart – it’s about humanity.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,505 reviews