The Passage

The Passage by Justin Cronin
published by Ballantine Books, 2010

784 pages

approximate age range: 15+

Technically this book contains vampires. Technically. But none of them are named Edward, none of them sparkle, and no one is falling in love with them. Not even a little bit. Spanning almost a hundred years, The Passage is a prodigious epic that takes us through America as it descends into a devastating cataclysm and then follows survivors trying to build lives in a horrifying post-apocalyptic world. At the beginning we meet Amy, a normal 6 year old who is living an impoverished life with her mother who loves her, but does not have the means to care for her. We also meet Wolgast, an FBI agent with nothing to lose since the death of his daughter and his divorce. These two are thrown together when Wolgast is assigned to bring Amy to a secret facility in Colorado where military scientists are working on Project Noah, a series of experiments involving infecting death row inmates with a virus from the jungles of South America in the hopes of making them into the ultimate weapons -- soldiers that have super strength and live forever. Not surprisingly this research does not go according to plan and the unstoppable vampire-like creatures that the scientists have created escape, killing or infecting everyone in their path and bringing forth the demise of an entire nation, and possibly, the entire world.

For teens that like being completely immersed in a world, getting to know a handful of characters, and following them on their journeys, The Passage will be a satisfying and engaging read. While the novel starts off with a lot of action, the pace slows throughout the middle of the work, becoming more of a character study than a thriller. At over 750 pages, this is a long book, and as Cronin has noted, The Passage is the first in a trilogy, so there is much more to come. Consequently, readers who love engrossing themselves in books and have hearty attention spans will enjoy this saga and appreciate Cronin's detailed timeline and attention to creating very realistic and relatable characters.

However, many readers may feel that The Passage is simply too long and would benefit from having a few hundred pages edited out. The middle of the book moves slowly, turning immediately from an adventure tale that takes place during the heart of an apocalypse to a slow story about a town of survivors 90 years later, their thoughts and feelings, and how they formed a society in a drastically different world. It is not until the last third of the work that the action picks up again and re-energizes readers, by which time it may be too late for many teens. Another post-apocalyptic book like Jonathan Maberry's Rot and Ruin would be a better bet for most teens as it contains many of the same scenarios and themes (a town of people alone in a desolate world overrun by monsters, the struggles survivors face daily, how they have formed a new society when the world was destroyed), yet the pacing is much quicker, the action is more frequent, and the dedication needed to finish it is much smaller (Rot and Ruin is only 480 pages).

Still, don't be daunted in recommending this book to interested teens. While the action in The Passage does get a bit bloody at times, not surprising when murderous vampires are on the loose, it never becomes overly graphic. In addition, while sexual relationships are discussed, they also remain more hinted at than explicitly described and though mature themes are brought forth through secondary characters who, for instance, have pasts laced with murder, pedophilia, and rape, for the most part the particulars of these events are not discussed in detail.

Cronin has mentioned in interviews that a sequel is on its way, though his most hopeful estimate of its release date is 2013, so fans who want to learn what happens after The Passage's cliffhanger ending will have a long wait ahead of them.

The Passage has an official website with news, video, and even an I-Phone app: http://enterthepassage.com/

There is also a book trailer:

Read-alike suggestions:

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

The Enemy by Charlie Higson

The Walking Dead graphic novel series by Robert Kirkman

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

American Gods

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
published by William Morrow, 2001
480 pages
approximate age level: 16+
Hugo, Nebula, and Bram Stoker award winner

Shadow is a guy down-on-his luck, but as he nears the end of his 3 year prison sentence, he is hoping things will turn around. He's got a job lined up, a beautiful wife to go back to, and a best friend who's throwing him a party. Yet, before he's even out of the big house, Shadow learns his wife's dead, she was having an affair with his friend who was going to hire him, and he's dead too. Then, on a plane caught in a sudden violent storm tearing across the United States, Shadow meets Mr. Wednesday, a mysterious gentleman who has one eye, knows more about Shadow than a stranger possibly could, and wants him to be his bodyguard. When Shadow eventually accepts, one unplanned rental-car road trip later, he learns that Mr. Wednesday is a neglected god, fading from the consciousness of modern America – but not quietly. Mr. Wednesday is preparing for a great battle between the old gods and new ones, those born of humanity's love of technology -- a showdown that will probably result in complete annihilation of both. A storm is definitely brewing, and Shadow is standing right in its path.

American Gods, companion novel to Anansi Boys (Mr. Nancy being the connecting character), is a fantastical road trip and compelling mystery. Sure to appeal to older teenagers, especially boys, American Gods is a darker and more mature read than Anansi Boys and, unlike the latter, does include some rather explicit sex scenes and violence, so recommend to younger readers or groups with caution. Despite the many mythological and folklore aspects, readers don't need to know all the references to enjoy the book (for those that are curious, the American Gods Wikipedia page helps make many of the connections between characters and myths). While enjoyable overall, some readers may feel that sometimes that the plot gets a little dull as it meanders through all the road trip stops when the main mystery is sidelined since Shadow's character isn't nuanced enough to maintain reader interest alone. However, Gaiman's use of real-life attractions to play host to marvelous events is pretty neat and sure to make you want to take a road trip of your own. Shadow reappears in Gaiman's short story "The Monarch of the Glen," found in his collection Fragile Things.

Read-alike suggestions:

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

Sandman graphic novel series by Neil Gaiman

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me edited by Kate Bernheimer

Anansi Boys

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
published by HarperTouch, 2005
416 pages
approximate age level: 14+
Alex Award recipient

Charlie Nancy is a rather banal young man. He has a mundane job, a passionless relationship with his fiance, and has no desire or ambition to improve his circumstances. Then his crazy, flamboyant father suddenly dies, with his hands on a buxom blonde while singing karaoke, and Charlie discovers his life isn't quite what he thought. First, his father was not just a strange eccentric, but was Anansi, the African trickster god. Second, he has a brother, Spider, who is everything Charlie is not – outgoing, lucky, charismatic, and in possession of god-like powers. When Spider decides to meet Charlie, and, unasked, takes over the spare room in his apartment, as well as a few other things, Charlie finds that his uninteresting life is over and he must come to terms with everything wild and mysterious he has been trying so hard to avoid, or face devastating consequences.

Companion novel to American Gods, Anansi Boys is a fun and original adventure that never takes itself too seriously. In this tall tale that expertly weaves African folklore into a modern plot, Gaiman is at the top of his game creating likeable, well-rounded characters, crazy scenes, and propelling the story forward with a fast moving, page-turning plot. This is an adult novel, but doesn't contain any content that should dissuade you from recommending it to teens. Gaiman is a big name in both adult and YA/children's lit (known by many as the "rockstar writer") and I think it would be easy to get teens interested in his works if they aren't already. Anansi Boys is also a recipient of the 2006 Alex Award.

Read-alike suggestions:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Alex Award recipient)

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman

Sandman graphic novel series by Neil Gaiman

The Gates by John Connelly

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Going Bovine by Libba Bray (Printz Award winner)

The Gates

The Gates by John Connolly
published by Washington Square Press, 2009
304 pages
approximate age level: 12+

Three days before Halloween, 11 year old Samuel Johnson and his faithful sidekick, a dachshund named Boswell, decide to show some initiative and start trick-or-treating early. However, instead of ending up with a bag full of sweets, Samuel instead witnesses his neighbors, the Abernathys, performing a strange ritual that opens a portal to hell and releases a group of demons with one goal – to bring the ultimate evil, The Great Malevolence, onto earth. Helped by a rag-tag team including his two best friends, a confused CERN scientist, and a surprisingly sweet, but incompetent, demon named Nurd, Samuel must, against all odds, save the world.

The Gates is full of quirky characters, hilarious asides, and a bunch of fast-paced, slapstick action that makes for an amusing and engaging read. Though this book is cataloged as Adult Fiction in my library, neither the content nor the language make it inappropriate for recommending to teens and it would be great for booktalking to school classes and reluctant readers as it's a fun roller coaster ride that's easy to sell. John Connolly is also the author of The Book of Lost Things, recipient of the 2007 Alex Award.

Read-alike suggestions:

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (Alex Award recipient)

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (Alex Award recipient)

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (Alex Award recipient)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Newbery Award winner)

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Going Bovine by Libba Bray (Printz Award winner)

The Princess Bride by William Goldman