The City of Mirrors

Muy buen final, lastima que la editorial no lo traducirá al español. Muy buen libro para el costo y el envío excelente.

Is it over? Is this masterpiece of modern day fiction truly and thoroughly over? But first, a brief summary of events that led us to this eagerly anticipated, yet still emotional conclusion… Like a lot of people probably did back in 2010, I picked up The Passage on a whim, only knowing about it from a small Facebook ad and a quote by Stephen King, encouraging people to read it. I knew next to nothing about the plot, and even less about Justin Cronin so call it fate or just one of those rare moments of pure randomness, but whatever the reason, giving The Passage a chance was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. I instantly fell in love with the book. The plot was amazing. The writing even more so. I can still remember the excitement and sheer enjoyment of that fateful summer, staying up into the wee hours of the morning, totally engrossed in the story, even going as far as bringing the book into work, sneaking glances at its pages when there were far more pressing matters at hand. The Passage was so awesome and such a damned perfect novel in every single facet and I made it well known, loaning out (GASP!) my beloved copy to multiple family and friends. Yes, my first edition is now worn, pages creased and corners bent in, but it was totally worth it in my eyes since nearly everyone who borrowed it felt exactly the same as I did. When The Twelve was announced, I was like a kid being told he’s going to Disneyland for his birthday; I could hardly contain my excitement. I might not have been the very first person to pre-order it, but I’m pretty sure I was somewhere up there on that list. It had been a long 2 years and now for 3 months I eagerly awaited its release, counting down the 100+ days until the novel was finally in my hands. Now to say that The Twelve had a lot, and I mean a lot, riding on it, pretty much goes without saying. Maybe that’s why, the first time through, I was somewhat disappointed. The book was great, don’t get me wrong, but having to follow up The Passage was no easy feat, plus I had squandered those 2 long years, not going back to read the previous novel. It would make sense, then, that I was lost, a little confused, and hardly able to remember any of the basic structure. In going back to re-read The Twelve in anticipation for Mirrors, however, it became pretty apparent that Twelve was, in fact, a fantastic follow up. Questions were answered, new ones were posed, the story of Amy and Peter and Michael was continued practically flawlessly and brought even more depth and originality to Cronin’s post-apocalyptic universe. Plus, and probably best of all, it left the reader in suspense and wanting more. Well, we wanted more for FOUR FREAKING YEARS. That’s a year longer than your average auto lease. Or like reaching into George R.R. Martin status! I know that doesn’t equate to a long time for some people, but for book lovers, and lovers of this series, it might as well have been an eternity, particularly when you consider the release date continuing to be pushed back, or being simply, wrong all together. Cronin’s own cryptic red herrings and purposefully teasing announcements didn’t help much either, only leading to more impatience and constant fear that the final book in the trilogy would continued to be delayed, or, horror of all horrors, never be published altogether. So I guess the question is: was the frustratingly long wait of nearly 1,460 days really worth it? The answer? Hell Yes! And a resounding “Hell Yes” at that! The City of Mirrors holds that rare distinction of a near perfect conclusion to an already near perfect trilogy, joining the ranks of other distinguished series like Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter (and even Harry Potter had 2 clunkers in it’s canon (Order of the Phoenix and Half Blood Prince just in case you wanted to know). Seriously though, the final book in The Passage trilogy exceeded even my highest expectations…and I set the bar pretty stinking high. [image error] It’s just that Cronin does a freaking fantastic job of tying everything together, bringing to a close, the story he started so many years ago. It never once feels like so much time passed between books because he is seriously that good of an writer. Much as he did in his previous works, Cronin pens a depressing story, one with little hope or joy, yet still manages to be beautifully descriptive, bringing forth truly vivid scenes and details, as well as a bunch of different emotions, and you can’t help but to root for humanity’s survival and applaud their constant tenacity against the Virals and Zero. Speaking of Zero, the backstory really knocked my socks off. Sure, Fanning moaning about love like a 7th grade emo kid got a little old, and his descriptions of cars and technology that Alicia and anyone listening wouldn’t understand were a little out of place (though I think this was more for the readers themselves), but for 100+ pages, I was 100% hooked. Giving humanity to the most lethal viral of all, and showing the reasons for who he is/was, made for a compelling section, and someone readers could identify with, much as we had already done with Carter. And my God, what an ending! I gotta admit, while it wasn’t exactly how i would have chosen to finish this story had I written it, I must say, damn, was it good. Somehow, in the sure genius that is Justin Cronin’s mind, he made me actually feel something, some form of emotion beyond just enjoyment. Both happiness and heartache, as well as this weird bittersweet response of completion. And there it is, The Passage has been completed. 6 years, 2,000 pages or so, and countless hours of sleep and now my literary journey is finished. Like I said, it’s such a weird feeling, being both happy with the outcome, but still kind of bummed out that the ride is over. I feel like I’m losing friends and family, since, afterall, we readers followed them for years (both literally and fictionally). And knowing that we won’t (most likely) see them again is definitely a melancholy feeling. Then again, to know Cronin was able to write 3 fantastic novels that kept me on the edge of my seat and will remain, all of them, some of my all time favorite books, is an accomplishment many hope to achieve but few actually do. Bravo Mr. Cronin. Bravo

Muy buen libreo, para los seguidores de la trilogía es un gran final. Fantástico como hace que empaticemos con Zero

A fitting conclusion to this fantastic trilogy... if you’ve only watched the TV series, read the books! They are so much better.

The book came out before I realized it. Ended up reading it in June after re-reading the earlier two novels, an essential to the lag after "The Twelve". I don't imagine anyone reading this hasn't read the first two books, anyway. If you haven't, do so! It's a remarkable series, both for the writing and the depth. Cronin is a highly stylistic author. And prolific, although it's interesting that the author of this series started out with "Mary and O'Neill" and "The Summer Guest". One can imagine him before his keyboard, literally unable to stop. Each book has major digressive portions, often to the point of frustration. I remember, starting "Passage", being all engrossed in the Amy adventure and then falling into the First Colony episodes. Nothing like what happens with the Fanning soliloquy in this book, however. It is basically another book stuck into this one. I believe the author went to Harvard. It's like he went back there, although the first person narrative is nothing at all as if he were speaking this tale to Alicia, which is supposed to be what he was doing. The stilted, self-focussed tone of the monologue, coupled with his voicings later in the book as he confronts Peter and Amy, have a good deal of Draculesque in them. Still, Cronin is such a good storyteller, I was actually drawn into this sub-tale and a bit sorry when it ended. Still, Fanning was just basically a jerk, not an evil genius. It's somehow sad, to see someone like that with the power to kill so many people. Some personal conflict, some guilt, would have helped. Poor Liz was lucky to have expired en route. If you haven't read the book, ignore that (it doesn't matter, you'll see it coming). The Kerrville attack and boat preparations get it all moving again. The other routine digressions are the heavenly train-of-thought episodes that seem to happen whenever someone passes, even the head bad guy. But I'm complaining too much. The book is a great read, full of characters who will not let you go. Even if some of it can be skimmed, I don't imagine anyone putting it down. Actually, I thought it an improvement on "The Twelve", and a just conclusion to the trilogy. I'm kind of sad to be done with it, and that's the measure of a good book. I'm waiting for JC's next opus, no question. I do have a question though, and it's really about "The Passage", but why did Amy get picked for all this in the first place, and why did the animals at the zoo react to her? They knew "what I am", but this is pre-virus. Maybe I missed something.....