The Passage by Justin Cronin

The Passage by Justin Cronin is the zombie virus model applied to vampires. The book has two parts: the first part set around 2015 and the second set 93 years later.
 
The first part of the book revolves around the discovery and refining of the virus on 12 death row inmates and one 6-year-old girl named Amy in a hidden Army Base is Colorado.  
 
The second part takes place nearly a century after the inevitable outbreak. In a government-created enclave, life is now an odd mix of high and low tech. One day Amy inexplicably shows up causing chaos in the colony. Soon after a few of the survivors discover a tracking chip in her neck and abandon the failing colony to follow the signal back to its origins in Colorado.
 
The Passage is written well for most of the book. But there are a few areas that fall flat; and when it falls flat it’s really bad. The transition between the two sections was so disjointed I almost put the book down. There is also the feel of an epic trek (Lord of the Rings style) but the neither you or the characters really know why they are going. 
 
The ending was also disappointing. After 35 hours of listening, I was hoping for more.
 
As for the narration, it is done by Scott Brick, Adenrele Ojo, and Abby Craden. Even though there are three narrators, Scott Brick is really the main course with the other two serving as side dishes. Love him or hate him, Mr. Brick is one of the kings of book narration and his reading of this book is another gem in his crown. Adenrele Ojo, Abby Craden did a great job as well.
 
Story gets 6.5 out of 10
Narration gets 9 out of 10
 
This book is available from Amazon and Audible.  
 
My next book will be A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.

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