Everything I want in an Audiobook.

This is my perfect Audiobook, superb long story, very well narrated and produced, one of those that you really dont want to end. From the first 10 minutes I knew I was going to really get into this one and I did, could not get enough excuses to listen to this in my days and evenings. The best post apocolypse audiobook I have listened to since Oryx and Crake. 5 Star rating no question.

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11 people found this helpful

A strong book with pacing, narration and editing problems

Warning: Contains spoilers

Positives
The book starts well and keeps a fast pace with interesting characters I started to like immediately. The author writes not unlike Stephen King and the feel of the book is definitely ‘ ready for the screen’. Like other reviewers I felt the book had a similar feel to The Stand. I actually think this book starts better than Kings masterpiece, and I really like The Stand!
Continuing this comparison The Passage’s story and characters stayed more consistently gritty and down to earth compared with Kings cast. I felt this was a good thing but then i guess it depends on your preference for more real or symbolic characters. What I like about King is that his characters are distilled by the progression of the story. What is refreshing in this book is that this happens less and so they keep their humanity- if that makes sense.

Overall the story itself is interesting and full of moments of tension, action and affection between characters.

However !

Downsides
The book changes pace part way through and like many other reviewers I felt this was a problem on several fronts. Firstly the author spends time building empathy with several strong, relatable and contemporary characters (I liked them all in fact) to then (spoiler alert) kill them off and start again.

Now I get the criticisms I’ve read of this from other reviewers, but I also get the authors idea behind this and so I can forgive this twist. The author wants to shock the reader after they start to connect to the characters.

The problem for me is that the author then shifts forward in time to a different time and context, introduces us to a larger cast of characters in a vastly changed world that is too distant from our own to connect to the characters in the same way we did with the first wave.

Where the author set a good thing going in the first ten hours balancing action and detail, he then changes to a level of detail and explanation that slowed the pace considerably and il be honest, almost lost me.

There was enough in this book to keep me invested but it was a close call. It’s a big time investment and although I am in lockdown with less to do than usual, I did find this a slog in places.

I think the main narrator is good and his voice was in keeping with the bleak tone of the books subject matter. What I do not understand is the use of other voice actors for very short sections of the book. In fact I do get it, I just didn’t like it. It might work for other listeners but it felt unnecessary and jarring to me.

Overall it’s a well imagined and entertaining book and one who’s sequels I will consider. It has some pacing and editing issues but for me it’s strengths outweigh it weaknesses

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Immersive

This was my first audiobook, so I was a bit apprehensive - not having a physical copy made me wonder what I *do* while listening- however I need not have worried. Both the story and the narrator gripped me, if not quite from the get-go, then not long after, and I could not stop listening.
The characters, plot and timeline can confuse initially; there are three books in all, and they flit between people and places and points in history before they converge, but the narrator was so convincing that I knew who I was listening to and when.
There is quite a lot of detail, but I think this is what helps you become so invested in the story, and consequently, what happens to the characters. This is a book I will listen to again and again, as small details make themselves evident to add to a story which in current climates, seems all too believable.

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Read this!

These books are so awesome! I absolutely loved this trilogy. Recommend strongly. V exciting. Hugely entertaining

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Very, very good if slightly too long a book

The world within this novel is a detailed one, with Cronin sometimes providing much more detail about tiny elements than necessary, meaning I occasionally got frustrated and just wanted the narrative to progress. That said, it does paint a very vivid picture and I’m hooked on the story itself. I’m sure I’ve listened to other titles read by this narrator too, who has a great voice for these kind of gritty stories. I do recommend it, just make sure you’ve got the patience to get through it!

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A really great storyline exceptionally well read

Scot Brick at his very best. I wasn't sure if I would like this story or not at first. A bit of a "walking dead" storyline. To be honest I only choose it because of the narration. I am an avid fan of Scott, and feel that anything he chose to read must be worth listening to. Oh how I was right to believe. An exceptional storyline from start to finish. Danger, exciting, a little romance thrown in and lots and lost of "killing vamps". The storyline did follow a bit of the usual line of virus wipes out most of mankind, but a few brave heroes go out to save humanity. I won't tell you how it ends, but a really good audiobook, and really worth the listen. Happy Audiobooking........

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Female voice

Female voice very annoying but she isn't in it much. Story is amazing! Really enjoyable, and the main narrators voice is lovely

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Entertaining story, well read

I very much enjoyed this book, the story felt very Steven King-esk, and was very well narrated, with good emphasis, tempo, and voices. My only gripe would be that some of the gun based action scenes seemed a little out of place on occasion, and we seemed to drift into Tom Clancy territory. Overall, recommended and I am looking forward to the continuation of the story in The Twelve.

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Absorbing story. Very enjoyable.

This is a story which starts quite slowly - even the narration seems a little slow to start with. But the story draws you in and it becomes increasingly absorbing. The change in the chronology is a necessary part of the narrative. You might be tempted to give up here, but if stay with it, you will find the book pays you back. Really enjoyed it.

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great read

great read couldn't out it down fill of twists and turns and surprises. loved the characters who you learn to love amd care for. Bring on the next book!!

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