Every so often a novel-reader's novel comes along:

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Dec 11, 2017
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an enthralling, entertaining story wedded to simple, supple prose, both informed by tremendous imagination......and this year readers can enjoy the gift of Justin Cronin's "The Passage". Read fifteen pages and you will find yourself captivated; read thirty and you will find yourself taken prisoner and reading late into the night. It has the vividness that only epic works of fantasy and imagination can achieve. What else can I say? This: Read this book and the ordinary world disappears." - Stephen King
Yeah, I'm only 7 years late on this novel, I've been busy with other things so I haven't been reading any novels for quite some time. Now that I have the time to read novels again I went to SK for a recommendation, after all this was the man who turned me into a fanatical reader of novels in the first place and he knows a bit about what makes a great novel. PLEASE NO SPOILERS, I'm only 170 pages into this novel but I can tell it's gonna be one of my favorites. Would like to hear from those who love it (again no spoilers please) and those who weren't so taken with it as well.
 
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Dec 11, 2017
16
66
I really enjoyed The Passage. I didn't like The Twelve as much. I have The City of Mirrors, but haven't read it yet.
Thanks for the reply, that looks like Bob Gibson as your avatar....if so, he was definitely one of the greatest, up there with Koufax, Seaver, Carlton, ect. Still holds the record for best ERA in a season I believe.
 

danie

I am whatever you say I am.
Feb 26, 2008
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I loved part one of the book—the characters, the tension, the pace. Then part two
I think it was like 100 years later? SLOW and BORING. I couldn’t finish it.
Dmitri, you can read my spoiler when you’re finished. : )
 

Grant87

Well-Known Member
Jan 3, 2015
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Thanks for the reply, that looks like Bob Gibson as your avatar....if so, he was definitely one of the greatest, up there with Koufax, Seaver, Carlton, ect. Still holds the record for best ERA in a season I believe.
Sure is. Nice catch! He posted a 1.12 ERA in 1968, which is still the record. After that season, Major League Baseball lowered the pitcher's mound to help out the hitters.
 
Dec 11, 2017
16
66
I loved part one of the book—the characters, the tension, the pace. Then part two
I think it was like 100 years later? SLOW and BORING. I couldn’t finish it.
Dmitri, you can read my spoiler when you’re finished. : )
I think I jumped the gun on this or I'm just not in a "horror" mood. I finished Part I and put it aside as I lost interest and went on to another author King recommended "The Hot Kid" by Elmore Leonard. It seems very good but I won't make any judgments till I'm finished. The last 2 novels I've picked up (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl on the Train) both had great beginnings and middle but left me not so thrilled at the end, I get the feeling "The Passage" might be in that category too. I haven't read any King in a long time ( read everything from Carrie to Dark Half) but he never left me feeling unsatisfied with the ending, in fact you never wanted his novels to end. Thanks for your reply!!
 

Moderator

Ms. Mod
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Jul 10, 2006
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I think I jumped the gun on this or I'm just not in a "horror" mood. I finished Part I and put it aside as I lost interest and went on to another author King recommended "The Hot Kid" by Elmore Leonard. It seems very good but I won't make any judgments till I'm finished. The last 2 novels I've picked up (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl on the Train) both had great beginnings and middle but left me not so thrilled at the end, I get the feeling "The Passage" might be in that category too. I haven't read any King in a long time ( read everything from Carrie to Dark Half) but he never left me feeling unsatisfied with the ending, in fact you never wanted his novels to end. Thanks for your reply!!
You may already be aware that The Passage is the first book of a trilogy so the story doesn't really end with that book. The second one was a total slog for me because of the way the story was told going back/forth in time and was confusing but the third one did a nice job of wrapping it up. You at least have the benefit of all three books now being published so you can read it one after the other and not have to wait years between books. :smile2:
 

not_nadine

Comfortably Roont
Nov 19, 2011
29,655
139,785
Behind you
...Strange Weather by Joe, Watchers by Koontz and Double Feature by Owen.....

'Watchers' by Koontz was fun! But I would go with this.

twilighteyes.jpg
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
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The only Dean Koontz book I ever read was Mr. Murder, many years ago.
At the time it seemed like a cheap imitation of The Dark Half and that could be the main reason why I never picked up another of his books
...they interestingly enough, have paralleled on a couple of ideas-but check out his Odd Thomas or Frankenstein series for a neat bit of entertainment.....
 
Dec 11, 2017
16
66
...Strange Weather by Joe, Watchers by Koontz and Double Feature by Owen.....
Wow, Koontz had a book published as early as 1968, I had no idea till just now when I went to this site: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/dean-r-koontz/. I had never heard of him till the 80's when I was trying to get someone to read "The Stand" and they told me that Koontz was a better writer, which didn't set well with me as I was a total King fanatic at the time. Have you read any of Peter Straub's books? I loved the Talisman but never read any of his books, someone I knew had Shadowlands laying around and I tried reading it but just couldn't get into it.
 
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