It opens in Texas, where we meet Amy doing the rounds in an orphanage, then later we see an insight into her ability to relate to, and somehow soothe and control, the “virals”, as vampires are known. He is haunted by that day in the fields, and by promises made that were never kept. Tifty Lamont: A survivor of the “Massacre of the Fields”, he has turned to a life of crime, becoming the local Mr Big. Lawrence Grey: A chemically-castrated sex-offender, working as a janitor in the original Lab.īernard Kittridge: Ex-soldier making a Last Stand somewhere in Denver, and broadcasting it to the world.ĭanny Chayes: Autistic driver of bus number 12, who doesn’t quite understand how the world has changed, but is determined to be as dependable as ever. Lila Kyle: Brad Wolgast’s ex-wife, who has vampiric powers of her own, but lives mainly in a fantasy world. Horace Guilder: Dying bureaucrat, who becomes the puppet of the Twelve in return for immortality (of a kind).ĭr. In addition to the characters we met in The Passage, we have minor characters who now take centre-stage in this novel: It is not chronological, with time-jumps between the storylines, but culminates in an excellent battle scene. It shows the beginning of the fightback by humanity. This book covers the same one hundred years or so from the outbreak, and gives more detail behind some of the major characters. Agent: Ellen Levine, Trident Media Group. A dramatis personae at the back listing more than 80 names is scarcely more helpful. A prologue surveys the events of The Passage in biblical prose (%E2%80%9CAnd a decree shall go forth from the highest offices that twelve criminals shall be chosen to share of the Zero%E2%80%99s blood, becoming%C2%A0demons also%E2%80%9D), but fails to bring readers adequately up to speed. The action shifts from the %E2%80%9Cpresent%E2%80%9D%E2%80%94five years after the First Colony, a refuge, has fallen to the virals%E2%80%94to Year Zero, when the virus that caused the catastrophe was unleashed, but the value added by the flashbacks isn%E2%80%99t obvious. The struggle for survival between humanity%E2%80%99s last hope, personified by Amy Harper Bellafonte, and vampire-like virals comes across as watered-down Stephen King, short on three-dimensional characters as well as genuine scares. Bestseller Cronin%E2%80%99s bloated apocalyptic thriller, like many a trilogy%E2%80%99s middle book, falls short of the high standard set by its predecessor, 2010%E2%80%99s The Passage.

The Twelve by Justin Cronin