Agree, I think they’re all fantastic and I’ve turned a few people onto them, including *3 non-readers.
I started the first one again not so long ago and I did find the pacing a little slower than I remembered. But I love horror tomes so that’s not necessarily a big issue for me. The series overall does have some of my favorite storylines ever and I always list the series in my top 5 books (yes, I cheat with series lol).
Edit: forgot one non-reader I got to read the series
There’s a major change that happens - >!a huge time jump!< - right around where you are. If you’ve already hit that point, you’ll know what I mean without clicking the spoiler. You may like the book better once you’ve hit it, if you haven’t yet. (I wound up losing interest and DNFed it not long after the spoiler event, but I really enjoyed the first part. You may be the opposite.)
For a different vampire apocalypse, try The Strain. I enjoyed it more.
The World building in the Anno Dracula series is so enjoyable....I love the use of historical and fictional characters to populate it. I heard some Find it distracting but I enjoy spotting them all or learning of new ones.
I did get to that part, and that’s actually the part where I totally lost interest! I enjoyed the first part, too. I was bummed it took this direction.
Also, thanks for The Strain recommendation! I think it was also a TV show? Meant to check it out when I saw them filming on my campus (University of Toronto) during undergrad, many years ago lol
The show wasn't great sadly. In fact it sucked (and not even in a pun intended way). Definitely recommend the books though.
Should read Necroscope though, The Strain borrows heavily from it and it's a much better product.
I stopped reading it for like a week at that point. I was so invested in Amy and Wolgast this felt like a rug-pull. It's not. I went back and fell in love with the new characters and I'm so, so goddamn glad I did.
Everything eventually comes full circle and pays off, but it takes a while and I don't blame anyone for bailing.
On the one hand, I think you should stick with it because it gets really great. Unfortunately the next two books in the series aren't great and are a really disappointing conclusion to the series.
I did see some reviews about the next book that had me set on only reading this one (I started before I knew there was more, doh!). I’m giving myself to the halfway mark; it’s a beast so I want to give it a decent chance! Thanks for the inspiration!
More of a disappointment versus actually being bad. I thought that The Passage was an epic story of horror, adventure, love, loss...everything. The Twelve just didn't measure up to it and I didn't finish the finale. I just lost interest. Cronin made some choices in The Twelve and City of Mirrors that I really didn't understand.
💯 agree with you on this. I remember tons of stuff about The Passage, but really nothing about the second book and didn't really bother picking up the 3rd book because of how little I enjoyed the second.
i really really liked the start. then you get >!BLASTED a bazillion years into the future!< and i could not make myself care anymore.
if you finish it, come back and tell me and i'll finish it too. 😭
That’s exactly the point where I lost interest and am now struggling. 😭 I’m gonna stick it out to at least 50% of the novel — if I finish, I’ll come back to this post and let you know, haha.
I have tried THREE times to read this book. I am fine now with just not trying anymore. It’s too long and drawn out. I can’t get into it. The writing style doesn’t grab me. That’s fine.
I haven't read it, but my philosophy is always "too many books to read, too little time", so if by 50-100 pages I'm not fully in, I don't insist, whether it's a "must-read", book 5 in a series I liked, or whatever. Sometimes I'll go back and give a book a second chance later, cause mood can matter for appreciation, but I refuse to force myself and turn my greatest joy into a chore.
“Chore” being the operative word here! I did two English degrees so kinda got used to that mentality — that it’s a chore because you have to read it — and it’s hard to snap out of sometimes 😭 You’re right; reading is for enjoyment!!
I DNFed the second book because it had one of the most obnoxious characters I’ve ever read in it. I was legitimately hoping this character would die just so they’d GTFO of the story
I loved the entire trilogy, but not all books are for everyone. There are plenty of books that are horror community faves that I have DNF’d. If it hasn’t grabbed you yet, it won’t get any better for you.
It only gets more bloated, verbose, and full of heinous amounts of literally inconsequential filler.
If you're already struggling. Quit.
I did stick it out to the end, and I did enjoy it, but I read it years ago and the reader I have evolved into since then would have DNF'd. I can't handle irrelevant bloat in books anymore.
I really loved the concept of The Passage but hated the execution. The writing style just wasn't for me and yeah there's a lot of nothing happening until suddenly everything happens. Definitely some pacing issues and build up that I found more boring than suspenseful. Maybe try to power through until you can judge if part two vibes better with you but there's nothing wrong with dropping it either
I got maybe 3/4 through. The way Part One comes together drew me back in and I held out hope it would get better because I really liked their take on vampires. Unfortunately it didn't and I dropped it, so no I can't say I enjoyed it overall lol.
I liked all three of the books. The time gap in the first book had me so confused though; I was very frustrated, couldn’t make sense of all the new characters and such (found out after I finished it that there was a list of the characters in the back of the book - should’ve noticed that way earlier, it would have helped me).
But I was too curious as to how everything turned out so I stuck with it and ultimately ended up enjoying all three books. I especially liked how the second book answered a bunch of my questions from book 1.
I finished it and the second book and it doesn’t get better really. That series is bloated beyond belief and eventually gets really confusing imo. I couldn’t understand half of what was happening by the second book lol
Stop if you don't like it,I liked it and think the first book is the best,so if the first one isn't for you the other two will be a struggle.
Try the strain it's a 3 book series it pretty good... Guillermos del Toro and Chuck hogan
I am definitely not committing to books two and three, but I’m going to give this until about the halfway mark before I do or don’t continue it. It’s such a beast — I want to give it a chance even though I think it kinda sucks. And I will look into The Strain!
I did finish this book, but mainly because I kept expecting...something better? I didn't realize it was a series until I was quite a way through it. But I feel like this was two different novels in one already? I absolutely loved the first part. The rest slowed down the pace to a point where I felt like it was a chore to get through it. I decided to spoil myself on the rest of the series instead of reading it.
Someone else mentioned The Strain. I read it just a few books after the Passage since I'm on such a vampire kick right now. I think The Strain is much more up my alley, I read it in almost one sitting! (Also a novel I didn't realize was the first in a series).
I feel the same. I’m very much in “book two” (time jump) and am struggling to get into it like I did the first 200+ pages. I was so invested in Wolgast, lol.
I generally stay away from vampire stuff because (maybe this is weird), I loved Buffy as a teen, read Dracula in undergrad, then tried Interview with a Vampire during COVID. That, plus all the vampire movies of the 2000s/2010s… I just feel tapped out?
Also, my vampire experience culminated with Midnight Mass (Netflix show), that IMO cannot be topped.
But, having said that, maybe I need to give The Strain a go!
Fair enough, it lost me too at that point and it was a long slog of reading before I got back into it. I really liked the first novel and quite enjoyed the second. Didn't read the third lol.
Ooo yeah I kinda hate it. There’s so much more out there! I’m assuming you’ve read King’s The Stand? Felt like this one was shipping him a bit hard with the Colorado setting to start. I’d rather just reread the Stand tbh 😂
Yes, I read the unabridged version of The Stand in the mid 90s. I’m old and have read a ton of books in my time on Earth. I just love The Passage 🤷🏻♀️
Agree. I was actually thinking recently that I should re-read the whole series because it’s been a long time. I was so horrified by the TV adaptation. Not surprised it was summarily cancelled.
I DNFed it too. Don't waste your one precious life reading books that don't capture your attention.
I loved all three books. Best series I ever read
Agree, I think they’re all fantastic and I’ve turned a few people onto them, including *3 non-readers. I started the first one again not so long ago and I did find the pacing a little slower than I remembered. But I love horror tomes so that’s not necessarily a big issue for me. The series overall does have some of my favorite storylines ever and I always list the series in my top 5 books (yes, I cheat with series lol). Edit: forgot one non-reader I got to read the series
There’s a major change that happens - >!a huge time jump!< - right around where you are. If you’ve already hit that point, you’ll know what I mean without clicking the spoiler. You may like the book better once you’ve hit it, if you haven’t yet. (I wound up losing interest and DNFed it not long after the spoiler event, but I really enjoyed the first part. You may be the opposite.) For a different vampire apocalypse, try The Strain. I enjoyed it more.
For a very different "vampires take over the world" story, try *Anno Dracula*.
That series takes some turns!! It's bananas.
I’ll add to my list! Ty!
The World building in the Anno Dracula series is so enjoyable....I love the use of historical and fictional characters to populate it. I heard some Find it distracting but I enjoy spotting them all or learning of new ones.
I did get to that part, and that’s actually the part where I totally lost interest! I enjoyed the first part, too. I was bummed it took this direction. Also, thanks for The Strain recommendation! I think it was also a TV show? Meant to check it out when I saw them filming on my campus (University of Toronto) during undergrad, many years ago lol
The show wasn't great sadly. In fact it sucked (and not even in a pun intended way). Definitely recommend the books though. Should read Necroscope though, The Strain borrows heavily from it and it's a much better product.
I abandoned the book after the time jump. Couldn't get into it.
It’s comforting to know I’m not the only one who felt this way!
I stopped reading it for like a week at that point. I was so invested in Amy and Wolgast this felt like a rug-pull. It's not. I went back and fell in love with the new characters and I'm so, so goddamn glad I did. Everything eventually comes full circle and pays off, but it takes a while and I don't blame anyone for bailing.
Wolgast was the guy! I was so sad at the sudden lurch in the narrative. But your comment gives me hope! I’ll keep going!
Same (about the time / character jump). If you don't like it, it doesn't get any better. I was super disappointed and wanted about 600 pages back.
Oh no! I had a bad feeling 😭
On the one hand, I think you should stick with it because it gets really great. Unfortunately the next two books in the series aren't great and are a really disappointing conclusion to the series.
I did see some reviews about the next book that had me set on only reading this one (I started before I knew there was more, doh!). I’m giving myself to the halfway mark; it’s a beast so I want to give it a decent chance! Thanks for the inspiration!
I actually really liked the second book. So many of my questions from the first book were answered.
It gets weird, eh? Like religious weird
would you consider them to be objectively bad? i bought the whole series and now i feel burnt lmao
I liked all three books. They had good parts and “less good” parts, but overall I enjoyed reading all of them. It got me hooked.
It's my favorite series of the past few years
More of a disappointment versus actually being bad. I thought that The Passage was an epic story of horror, adventure, love, loss...everything. The Twelve just didn't measure up to it and I didn't finish the finale. I just lost interest. Cronin made some choices in The Twelve and City of Mirrors that I really didn't understand.
💯 agree with you on this. I remember tons of stuff about The Passage, but really nothing about the second book and didn't really bother picking up the 3rd book because of how little I enjoyed the second.
i really really liked the start. then you get >!BLASTED a bazillion years into the future!< and i could not make myself care anymore. if you finish it, come back and tell me and i'll finish it too. 😭
That’s exactly the point where I lost interest and am now struggling. 😭 I’m gonna stick it out to at least 50% of the novel — if I finish, I’ll come back to this post and let you know, haha.
All the characters at that point felt the same. DNF for me.
Had the same problem.
I liked the first one, second one was kinda meh and the third one was absolute garbage.
I have tried THREE times to read this book. I am fine now with just not trying anymore. It’s too long and drawn out. I can’t get into it. The writing style doesn’t grab me. That’s fine.
I haven't read it, but my philosophy is always "too many books to read, too little time", so if by 50-100 pages I'm not fully in, I don't insist, whether it's a "must-read", book 5 in a series I liked, or whatever. Sometimes I'll go back and give a book a second chance later, cause mood can matter for appreciation, but I refuse to force myself and turn my greatest joy into a chore.
“Chore” being the operative word here! I did two English degrees so kinda got used to that mentality — that it’s a chore because you have to read it — and it’s hard to snap out of sometimes 😭 You’re right; reading is for enjoyment!!
Hard to say. I finished it. The second part of the book was better in my opinion BUT I gave up about a third of the way through the sequel
I DNFed the second book because it had one of the most obnoxious characters I’ve ever read in it. I was legitimately hoping this character would die just so they’d GTFO of the story
Hahahahaha oh no!
I loved the entire trilogy, but not all books are for everyone. There are plenty of books that are horror community faves that I have DNF’d. If it hasn’t grabbed you yet, it won’t get any better for you.
Thank you! I rarely DNF a book but this might be one of them 😂
It only gets more bloated, verbose, and full of heinous amounts of literally inconsequential filler. If you're already struggling. Quit. I did stick it out to the end, and I did enjoy it, but I read it years ago and the reader I have evolved into since then would have DNF'd. I can't handle irrelevant bloat in books anymore.
Don’t bother. It doesn’t get any better. And the second and third book are awful, so there’s no reason to get invested in the story in my opinion
I really loved the concept of The Passage but hated the execution. The writing style just wasn't for me and yeah there's a lot of nothing happening until suddenly everything happens. Definitely some pacing issues and build up that I found more boring than suspenseful. Maybe try to power through until you can judge if part two vibes better with you but there's nothing wrong with dropping it either
I really wanted to love this but I totally agree with the pacing issues! Did you finish it? And did you enjoy it overall despite the flaws?
I got maybe 3/4 through. The way Part One comes together drew me back in and I held out hope it would get better because I really liked their take on vampires. Unfortunately it didn't and I dropped it, so no I can't say I enjoyed it overall lol.
I liked all three of the books. The time gap in the first book had me so confused though; I was very frustrated, couldn’t make sense of all the new characters and such (found out after I finished it that there was a list of the characters in the back of the book - should’ve noticed that way earlier, it would have helped me). But I was too curious as to how everything turned out so I stuck with it and ultimately ended up enjoying all three books. I especially liked how the second book answered a bunch of my questions from book 1.
I finished it and the second book and it doesn’t get better really. That series is bloated beyond belief and eventually gets really confusing imo. I couldn’t understand half of what was happening by the second book lol
Stop if you don't like it,I liked it and think the first book is the best,so if the first one isn't for you the other two will be a struggle. Try the strain it's a 3 book series it pretty good... Guillermos del Toro and Chuck hogan
I am definitely not committing to books two and three, but I’m going to give this until about the halfway mark before I do or don’t continue it. It’s such a beast — I want to give it a chance even though I think it kinda sucks. And I will look into The Strain!
I did finish this book, but mainly because I kept expecting...something better? I didn't realize it was a series until I was quite a way through it. But I feel like this was two different novels in one already? I absolutely loved the first part. The rest slowed down the pace to a point where I felt like it was a chore to get through it. I decided to spoil myself on the rest of the series instead of reading it. Someone else mentioned The Strain. I read it just a few books after the Passage since I'm on such a vampire kick right now. I think The Strain is much more up my alley, I read it in almost one sitting! (Also a novel I didn't realize was the first in a series).
I feel the same. I’m very much in “book two” (time jump) and am struggling to get into it like I did the first 200+ pages. I was so invested in Wolgast, lol. I generally stay away from vampire stuff because (maybe this is weird), I loved Buffy as a teen, read Dracula in undergrad, then tried Interview with a Vampire during COVID. That, plus all the vampire movies of the 2000s/2010s… I just feel tapped out? Also, my vampire experience culminated with Midnight Mass (Netflix show), that IMO cannot be topped. But, having said that, maybe I need to give The Strain a go!
I've started it three times but just can't get into it. Felt like I was just reading words but there was nothing gripping or engaging me.
Yes I definitely feel that way as well!!
It changes gear significantly. I'd keep going until you reach that point and if you like it finish it. If not bin it.
I believe the gear change you’re referring to is where it lost me!
Fair enough, it lost me too at that point and it was a long slog of reading before I got back into it. I really liked the first novel and quite enjoyed the second. Didn't read the third lol.
No. It is garbage.
Wow, I guess I have low standards because this is one of my favorite books 😂
Ooo yeah I kinda hate it. There’s so much more out there! I’m assuming you’ve read King’s The Stand? Felt like this one was shipping him a bit hard with the Colorado setting to start. I’d rather just reread the Stand tbh 😂
Yes, I read the unabridged version of The Stand in the mid 90s. I’m old and have read a ton of books in my time on Earth. I just love The Passage 🤷🏻♀️
Same lol loved all three books and can’t stop thinking about the world, the characters, all of it.
Agree. I was actually thinking recently that I should re-read the whole series because it’s been a long time. I was so horrified by the TV adaptation. Not surprised it was summarily cancelled.