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The City of Mirrors (The Passage #3)

by Justin Cronin (Goodreads Author)

4.2 · Rating Details · 21,044 Ratings · 3,042 Reviews

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

You followed The Passage. You faced The Twelve. Now enter The City of Mirrors for the final reckoning. As the bestselling epic races to its breathtaking finale, Justin Cronin’s band of hardened survivors await the second coming of unspeakable darkness.

The world we knew is gone. What world will rise in its place?

The Twelve have been destroyed an ...more

Hardcover, 602 pages

Published May 24th 2016 by Ballantine Books

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Community Reviews

(showing 1-30)

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Jul 10, 2016 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing

I love Cronin’s epic story about a world destroyed by a virus that creates vampires. This is the third and final volume of his trilogy, so I won’t say much except that it is a worthy conclusion that still leaves possible room for further adventures in this universe. Spanning over a thousand years, the novel takes us back to the origins of the viral outbreak and the man who will become Patient Zero, the first vampire, then zooms forward centuries to the human settlements that have formed after th ...more

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Jul 08, 2016 Michele May rated it really liked it · review of another edition

How can it be rated?!? Seriously? Simmer down folks.

After waiting for years, I can say this was a fitting end and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

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Dec 04, 2013 Lynne Thomas is currently reading it · review of another edition

2014!!!!! What, you are kidding, right?! Forget about movie making and give us what we want... The feel of a book in our hands. You already have the outline, so sit down and write,write,write.

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Jan 28, 2016 Cathryn marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: high-priority-must-reads

11/17/15 We have a cover!!!! I can see light at the end of the tunnel!!!

photo CITY OF MIRRORS - cover_zpsgjroo4po.jpg

Update 9/1/15 From the author's facebook page.

"To those of you wondering when that ENORMOUS pile of paper called The City of Mirrors will become a hard rectangular object for sale on the shelves of America and elsewhere: spring '16, or so they tell me. Bless you for your patience and "I think it will be worth the wait," said Justin modestly.

Yay!!!! Spring 2016!!! That's much better than December.

Update Aug 2015: This is a l ...more

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May 16, 2016 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, blood-suckers, read-2016, puppysquisher

I have no clue why I read these over-long dang books. Yes, I do. I'm totally blaming Edward Lorn..he started these chunky books and started posting status updates. I had them sitting on my bookshelf and then he kept making me want to know what was going on. So I dived in. I sorta liked the first book even though Justin Cronin is the writingnest muttha ever. The man loves to make some words. Once I started this series, I liked it. I didn't love it, but there was something about the whole thing th ...more

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Jul 21, 2016 Christy LoveOfBooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, e-book, arc-galley, favorites-of-2016, read-in-2016

Oh man, The City of Mirrors left me feeling completely humbled and awed. I was a complete blubbering mess while reading the last section; it was like this overload of emotions. Bittersweet doesn’t even begin to describe it.

I would have never guessed how huge of an impact this trilogy would have on me when I started reading The Passage. I’m extremely glad I re-read the first two books before jumping into The City of Mirrors, though. It had been so many years, and I don’t know if this ending would

Oh man, The City of Mirrors left me feeling completely humbled and awed. I was a complete blubbering mess while reading the last section; it was like this overload of emotions. Bittersweet doesn’t even begin to describe it.

I would have never guessed how huge of an impact this trilogy would have on me when I started reading The Passage. I’m extremely glad I re-read the first two books before jumping into The City of Mirrors, though. It had been so many years, and I don’t know if this ending would have impacted me as much as it did if I hadn’t re-read them.

Cronin does a phenomenal job weaving past and present in this transgenerational tale. It all comes together in this book, and the way everything is connected is mind blowing! It’s like watching history in the making and getting to see the outcome. It truly is an epic journey from beginning to end.

The City of Mirrors is utterly breathtaking, and the characters and their fight for humanity are the heart of this compelling story. Amy, Peter, Alicia, Michael, and all the others are such amazing characters. They’re all so wonderfully fleshed out and complex. They have been through hell and back, but they never give up.

The City of Mirrors is an absolutely stunning finale to the trilogy. There’s just no way my words can come close to expressing its brilliance. This trilogy will without a doubt always stay with me.

I seriously can’t believe it’s over. I remember threatening Justin Cronin in my review of The Twelve that I was going to haunt him if I died before this book was released. Happy to say that I’m still alive 3.5 years later, and Cronin is safe from my cold spots.

Btw, I'm not a rereader. The previous books in this trilogy were actually the first ones I've ever truly reread. I will say, I appreciated The Passage even more after having all the info from The Twelve. I was able to catch so much more, especially all the little threads that connected them. It also wasn't as laborious. Believe me, getting through The Passage the first time was almost torturous at times, but it was a totally different experience the 2nd time around. So, if it's been years between books for you, I suggest rereading. You'll be glad you did. ...more

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Jun 06, 2016 Cody rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-fiction, 2016-top-ten, post-apocalyptic

Justin Cronin deserves a big congratulations for this fantastic conclusion of "The Passage" trilogy. I've been waiting so long for this book that I was worried that the anticipation would only lead to disappointment once I finally got my hands on it. Thankfully this is not the case.

Cronin starts us off gingerly, catching us up with the primary characters from "The Twelve". We then get a deep (and I do mean deep) dive into the backstory of Zero; the man who caused the almost-total annihilation o ...more

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May 26, 2016 Ɗắɳ 2.❄ rated it it was ok

Shelves: horror, urban-fantasy, apocalyptic

★★☆☆☆

Alright, before I get to it, I should probably preface this review with a couple of apologizes. I’ll start with the caveat that I’m sure to have done this book a grave injustice by failing to reread the first two books, considering it’s been more than three years since I last visited this series. But in my defense, the combined page count of said books is a staggering 1,300 plus pages. O.O I fear my feeble arms (not to mention my feeble mind) just weren’t up for the challenge. And hey, if I ...more

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Oct 21, 2014 Margaret Small added it · review of another edition

Give the guy a break, he's writing a huge book no doubt, and I'd rather he got it right than finished it early. Patience, children, patience.

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Jun 17, 2016 Phrynne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: phrynne2

A brilliant ending to a thoroughly enjoyable trilogy. All of the loose ends were tied up, every character's story was concluded (some not as happily as others) and this reader was left with a feeling of total satisfaction.
I was completely engaged throughout by the constant bouncing between timelines and between points of view within these timelines. The author handled it so well and there was no chance of letting my mind wander as I read. One second of concentration lost and I had to go back and ...more

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Jun 05, 2016 Kaora rated it liked it

Shelves: good-horror

Nine and one. Nine are yours but one is mine, as you are mine. Into the tenth shall be planted the seed so that we will be Many, millions-fold.

The Twelve have been destroyed and humanity is tentatively setting out from behind their walls to build their lives anew. But one still remains, Zero, the first one infected, from whom the Twelve came and he is biding his time until people least expect it so he can unleash his fury on the world and bring an end to the one called Amy once and for all.

I had Nine and one. Nine are yours but one is mine, as you are mine. Into the tenth shall be planted the seed so that we will be Many, millions-fold.

The Twelve have been destroyed and humanity is tentatively setting out from behind their walls to build their lives anew. But one still remains, Zero, the first one infected, from whom the Twelve came and he is biding his time until people least expect it so he can unleash his fury on the world and bring an end to the one called Amy once and for all.

I had been made for a purpose. I was not the author of destruction: I was its instrument, forged in heaven's workshop by a god of horrors.

I don't think I've flip flopped between three and four stars for a rating this much before. I wanted so badly to love this book, but had a few issues with how Cronin dealt with some of his characters.

Like what Michael became, and his dealings with the shadier side of the community. It seemed a bit out of character for him. The other major issues I had were to the ending of the book.

The issues I had with the ending of his characters' stories are spoilers. So be warned.

(view spoiler)

Other than this, the writing was good, but it didn't have the same number of heartbreakingly beautiful or sad moments as some of his previous books, which disappointed me a little. Or perhaps it did but my inability to connect with Zero ruined them for me.

While Zero's story was sad, I couldn't quite bring myself to feel sorry for him as Cronin was trying so hard to do. It would have made later scenes more powerful if I had been able to. I also couldn't quite believe that it made him into the monster he became either.

And for those reasons I must give this final installment 3 stars, but it is still a worthwhile read so far (if you aren't daunted by the sheer number of pages in this series). ...more

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Jeremy Darnell I had a few issues with this long anticipated book. But let me preface by saying that I couldn't put the book down, and that is credit to Cronin's abi I had a few issues with this long anticipated book. But let me preface by saying that I couldn't put the book down, and that is credit to Cronin's ability to tell a story. Thus, the storytelling was not an issue; it was the story.
Spoilers coming:

Let's look at each individual main character.

Peter: figurehead of the colony survivors, and the main one really. His post-death was absolutely a terrible way to conclude his character. Since he was brave with high integrity, why not go out this way? Why make him a vampire. This transformation is basically turning him into a pitiful little dog who has lost his memory and is wondering aimlessly around, except he finds his way each night at Amy's place. Just an incomplete way to finish him off. And then all of a sudden his vampire life undramatically concludes. Peter gone. I felt like I received a baby-spoon full of completeness when I was looking for a medium-rare steak atopped with grilled mushrooms and a loaded baked potato (with hickory smoked bacon bits).

Alicia: Without being melodramatic this time, let's just face it. Alicia Donadio wouldn't have killed herself in a million years. She was the strongest character in the book!! It seemed like a copout to conclude her character in that manner. There were places for her to go. Cronin must have meant to show a message that she truly did not love Michael. If she did, she would have given him closure. How could anyone just watch someone grieving over one's death and not say, "Oh, hey, I'm alive and all."

Michael: Umm, where did he end up? Did he get to see the island? Did he ever find out if they reached an island or got stuck at sea? Why sail North? Incomplete.

Amy: I'll ask this question, and I want you to answer it. What kind of personality did Amy have in the 3rd book? Was she funny, smart, kind, soft spoken?
She didn't have one. She was a floater. She offered no real perspective. During the real battle, what did she do? Nothing! She had no powers, she didn't learn the nifty trick of shape-shifting into a viral as Fanning did. So, her purpose in the 3rd book was perplexing. Like, they waited to let her out of the Chevron Mariner, and when they finally did, I was ready for her to take that 20 year build-up and start kicking ass and taking names. This didn't happen. She was just a tag along for the rest of the book. She didn't even have mad skills to shoot a machine gun.
She let Peter get his neck masticated into without doing anything! And we really never even know why Fanning wanted her so bad.
I was just waiting for her to shape-shift and rip everyone to shreds because her love was being tampered with. Nope, she just let it happen.
Amy's reappearance 1000 years later was fine, except I would really like to know a few things. Like, why would Amy haunt a descendant until she kills herself? Also, why make her a bit senile. It was unfulfilling that she never got to know that Logan was a descendant of her. It was actually very sad to see that she spent 1000 years alone with no one to talk to. That would make anyone crazy. I didn't hate her ending, but it was tainted a bit.

The ending of Peter and the great battle had me feeling physically sick that things transpired the way they did, and I guess that's why this comment turned into somewhat of a rant. If you're still reading this, let me know what you think.

Thanks, ...more
Jun 30, 2016 09:24AM

Kaora We have the same thoughts on pretty much all the characters! Good to know I'm not alone.

In regards to Amy vs Fanning. I think Fanning wanted Amy so ba ...more
Jun 30, 2016 05:21PM

Jun 08, 2016 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: highly-recommended, received-via-netgalley, books-for-my-soul, not-enough-stars-in-the-world, bought-in-a-book-shop, insanity-in-a-good-way, leave-me-alone-now-i-may-never-reco, favourite-series, bloody-marvellous

City of Mirrors is going to be an incredibly hard book to review with any sense of professionalism, such was its impact and indeed the impact of this entire trilogy on me as a reader. I have loved every moment of it, the writing is truly sublime, the epic and sprawling story utterly convincing and completely addictive every step of the way and probably the most important thing to say is that if you are a fan and have been worried that Justin Cronin could not POSSIBLY pull off a perfect and kille ...more

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May 25, 2016 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle-books, arc-book-read

This review is probably the hardest one I've ever written. Ever had to contemplate, compose, and try to convey just how great the story was and not just this book, this book of genius, but the whole trilogy as a whole.

Cronin is truly talented. I know I've said it before but the man is brilliant, hand downs a master at his craft.

Words, my words, my simple non masterful words, can not do this series, this book justice.

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. So much was woven together, caref ...more

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Apr 06, 2015 Leeann Meyer marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: come-out-now

4/6/2015
Guys. I think Cronin lost my interest. I forgot a lot of what happened in the first two and they are MONSTERS. I don't really want to go back and reread.

It's just been way too long.
------------------------------------------------------

EDIT AGAIN: 2015? 2015? Just... what? I can't even. It's LATE 2015 too.

That is just cruel
---------------------------------------------------------------------

EDIT:
THANK YOU JESUS.A RELEASE DATE HAS BEEN SET! It's only 233 days away!!!

Ready to see some Vam ...more

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Nov 22, 2016 Caroline rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, he-wrote-it, memorable-characters, page-turner, post-apocalyptic, horror

***NO SPOILERS***

(Part I reviews The City of Mirrors. Part II reviews the trilogy as a whole.)

Part I
Series authors take note: this is how you write a finale. The City of Mirrors not only ties up the trilogy well but brings it beautifully full circle. Cronin connected the third book to the other two with enough references and familiar characters but made it distinct enough that nothing feels repetitious. Twists and surprises abound; leaps in time work well, never feeling jarring; no new character ...more

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Apr 19, 2016 Kathleen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: made-me-cry, yessssssss, dystopia, beautiful-prose, mutants, horror, sad-to-see-it-come-to-an-end, dark-dark-dark, pre-ordered, got-an-arc, treeware, emotional-experience, more-twists-than-your-intestines, kickass-male-author

The last in an incredible trilogy, The City of Mirrors reads like the complex and beautifully written novel that it is—only it is about a mutant virus gone horribly wrong that leaves the world almost bereft of humans. Who would think a novel with such gorgeous imagery and fully developed characters was about mankind trying to survive a world full of homicidal vampire-like creatures.

Because the second book, The Twelve, came out four years ago, the author has included a clever prologue that bring The last in an incredible trilogy, The City of Mirrors reads like the complex and beautifully written novel that it is—only it is about a mutant virus gone horribly wrong that leaves the world almost bereft of humans. Who would think a novel with such gorgeous imagery and fully developed characters was about mankind trying to survive a world full of homicidal vampire-like creatures.

Because the second book, The Twelve, came out four years ago, the author has included a clever prologue that brings the reader up to speed. Under the guise of a presentation given at a global conference 1003 years AV (after virus), the writing from “The Book of Twelves” is almost biblical in its disposition. And it isn’t until the end of the novel that the reader understands the source of the Book of Twelves.

The book then begins close to twenty years after the death of the Twelve. No virals have been sighted since. But, the Republic of Texas has remained within the enclosed town of Kerrville and, after so many years, it’s bursting at the seams with citizens. The president makes a decision: it’s time to allow people to move beyond the gates that have remained open for the last two decades. It’s time for Manifest Destiny.

We learn what has become of Alicia of Blades, Michael, Peter, Lucius, Sara and Caleb as they live scattered throughout North America. But since the death of the Twelve, no one has seen Amy. Many see her in their dreams. Some have visions that are attributed to Amy. Most assume she died that day in the arena.

Then the book takes an unusual turn in its narrative. One of the characters hears the voice of Zero, the first patient who contracted the virus that destroyed the world, and finds he lives in Grand Central Station. We are then brought back in time and find out how biochemical genius, Tim Fanning, became patient Zero. It’s an interesting backstory that takes time to complete, but it gives the reader a better understanding of how a scientist with a rather sad personal life became a megalomaniacal monster.

As the pages turn and time goes by, the reader will keep wondering, “where are the virals?” Do not worry. About halfway through the book, you will learn what happened to them and why it took forty years for them to come back. Ingenious planning on Zero’s part, by the way.

The solution to save the remaining humans, using a story straight from the bible, is also ingenious. By the end of the book, we know what becomes of Alicia, Peter, Michael, Lucius, Sara and Caleb, and Zero. And Amy. Each ends their story in a way that makes sense for their character, as it should. Some are sad, some are peaceful, but Amy’s is perfect. Her story comes full circle and is beautiful. And, the epilogue reminded me so much of epilogue for The Handmaid’s Tale, a similarity that many readers have noted.

While I loved this book, the last chapter of the epilogue is long and drawn-out and, to me, not necessary. Introducing a totally new character and giving the reader the extraneous lowdown on the guy’s life annoyed me. Yes, he plays a part in wrapping up the story, but I really don’t care about his love life or his gracious ex-wife, etc. I’m also not totally clear on why Zero was so obsessed with Amy. I have some ideas, but I’m not completely connecting the dots on that part.

A beautiful piece of literary fiction, The City of Mirrors is amazing, complex, well written, and the characters will stick with the reader for days. I even found myself rereading parts of it just for the writing. Justin Cronin has a gift and I will wait for his next book, horror story or not, because I know it will be a masterpiece.

...more

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Feb 06, 2016 Gerhard rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, 2016

It is fitting that Justin Cronin calls it The City of Mirrors, for the concluding volume of The Passage trilogy is very much an act of smoke and mirrors. This is because the story essentially culminated at the end of the last one, with the destruction of The Twelve and the disappearance of Amy.

Therefore I was quite curious to see what type of rabbit Cronin would pull out of the hat with the conclusion. Some of it is predictable, such as revisiting earlier events – a particular standout set-piece ...more

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Jun 30, 2014 Smeg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: must-read-sequels, blood-suckers, awesome-series, female-characters-i-love

My anticipation deserves five stars!

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Nov 26, 2016 Susie DelMa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Ich liebe die Story einfach ❤...Aber der schreibstil ist immer noch krass

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May 02, 2016 Grigory Lukin rated it it was ok

Justin Cronin's "The Passage" trilogy reminds me of DC's comic book movies: the premise is great, but each new installment is grittier, darker and makes less sense than the one before it.

I'll start with a warning: if you have any sort of trauma-related emotional triggers, the first 60 pages of "The city of mirrors" will pull them, seemingly just for the fun of it. In the very first chapters of the book, we encounter (in no particular order) a stillbirth, a series of rape-related flashbacks, a ma Justin Cronin's "The Passage" trilogy reminds me of DC's comic book movies: the premise is great, but each new installment is grittier, darker and makes less sense than the one before it.

I'll start with a warning: if you have any sort of trauma-related emotional triggers, the first 60 pages of "The city of mirrors" will pull them, seemingly just for the fun of it. In the very first chapters of the book, we encounter (in no particular order) a stillbirth, a series of rape-related flashbacks, a man telepathically cheating on his girlfriend, a sexually abused little girl, and a religious hermit who goes to wander in the desert and then either gets extremely lucky by finding a bona fide treasure or loots an emergency supply station while presumably leaving the next stranded traveler to die.

I honestly can't tell why Cronin chose to assault his readers like this. It's possible that he tried to shove as much potential shock value as possible to make the book more memorable (though not in a good way) - at one point in the book, there's a fairly detailed description of live birth. (Not quite what one expects in what's supposed to be a vampire book.) On the other hand, it's possible he was just trying to pad the page count. "The city of mirrors" appears to be the shortest book in the trilogy, and that's after all the shameless padding and all the hundreds of pages spent describing nothing in general.

In the middle of the book, there's a 200-page novel in which Zero, the original viral, corners one of our plucky heroes and shares his origin story in a very unexpected, out-of-context way. Is it possible that Cronin always wanted to write a "coming of age" story and decided to force-feed it to his readers? Or was it just something gathering dust in his desk drawer that seemed good enough to turn a 400-page book into a heavy 600-pager?

Regardless, the notion of a 150-year-old vampire moaning about his lost college girlfriend is ridiculous, especially considering that his audience consists of a single person who grew up with only the most basic education and who wouldn't be able to grasp even the most basic concepts - things like tenure or airplanes or upper-class socioeconomic class. The story would have been much more realistic and fun if Zero would have to stop every 5 minutes and explain what things meant, but nope, we're all subjected to a ridiculously out-of-place stream of consciousness. (Can you imagine tracking down a rural bumpkin from the year 1900 and telling them about your computer problems? Yeah, it's *that* ridiculous.)

I might have been able to overlook all of the above and give the book a weak 4-star rating, but there are far too many plot holes and, dare I say, poor writing for a book that's been in the works for 4 years. Just a handful of examples off the top of my head... A 35-year-old horse can run as fast as a group of virals. A character goes for a long swim and produces a perfectly dry book of matches from their pocket. A deaf person devises their own sign language - so advanced that even "War and peace" can be translated into it. Automatic rifles last just fine for 120 years before suddenly starting to break down due to advanced age. Two people that discover potentially world-ending piece of news choose not to tell everyone but instead launch a sociopathic murderous cult that involves dozens of people over the course of 21 years, none of whom say a word to anybody. (Every spy agency's dream!) A person that's never been on a boat learns how to operate a cruise ship in less than a month. People of the future can't tell the difference between 870 and 1,000 years. After restarting civilization, 870 years later the pinnacle of their technological achievement is dirigibles and flashbulb cameras. (Must have been all the inbreeding.) Virals discover brand new powers that can't be explained by any virus and turn into shapeshifters. Half the characters in the book develop superpowers - either telepathic abilities that are ever so convenient, or the ability to run for 30 minutes while bleeding from an artery without any lasting damage.

If I sound just a little bit upset, it's because I've spent 2 weeks of my life struggling to finish this book, waiting for a payoff at the end, but it never came. I downgrade the book to 2 stars for the most ridiculously stretched-out ending I have ever had the displeasure to read. It's yet another novella about people we don't know, doing things we don't care about, who end up lecturing us about the things we already know and, in the end, do something so extremely stupid (but pretty and sentimental - yay!) that the entire struggle appears to have been for naught.

On the upside, the language of the book is occasionally moving and often beautiful. That is, of course, when it's not talking about child rape, stillbirths, murderous cults, shapeshifting vampires, shapeshifting humans, shapeshifting vampires that become humans or shapeshifting humans that become vampires but then change their minds and switch back to being humans.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.

Full disclosure: I've received the advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Jun 09, 2016 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: literaryfiction, werewolvesnvampires, science-fiction

So.
The grand finale.
The End.

And a very satisfactory ending it was, too. An exciting adventure, with plenty of romance and explosions and tragedy. And it was certainly better than the last one. I have this memory of The Twelve being kind of a slog. I remember being frustrated with the format, where every chapter seemed to be the backstory of a different character, leading up to a quick scene of action before heading into the next backstory. That format is gone here, and the backstory that we d So.
The grand finale.
The End.

And a very satisfactory ending it was, too. An exciting adventure, with plenty of romance and explosions and tragedy. And it was certainly better than the last one. I have this memory of The Twelve being kind of a slog. I remember being frustrated with the format, where every chapter seemed to be the backstory of a different character, leading up to a quick scene of action before heading into the next backstory. That format is gone here, and the backstory that we do get is just as interesting as the action, if not more so. And I say more so because . . . Well, to be honest, these books are problematic.

I love the story. I love the premise. But basically, thanks to what I will go ahead and call Cronin's "fancy pants writing" (hat tip to my sister for that), I feel like he's convinced us that these books are better than they actually are. They're written in a very literary style, which is (let's face it) unusual for both post apocalyptic and vampire novels. And since these books are so classy, and written so fancy, he lulls us into thinking that there's no way that there could be a plot hole. Or that a character might be two-dimensional. I honestly started to think it was my fault that the science didn't make sense, and that I just couldn't empathize with the one character at all. And then I thought, Wait, isn't it the writer's job to make me care about the characters? Isn't it the writer's (or possibly the editor's) to make sure that the science doesn't take hugely illogical leaps? The book has a winning combination of science and magic going on, which is great until he breaks his own rules. Which is . . . frustrating as a reader and a writer.

I loved the characters. (Except for Alicia, I know she's supposed to be this amazing heroine but . . . nope. Never liked her. Cronin's in love with her, but I see no reason to be.) I was anxious about what was going to happen. Would our heroes save the day? Would mankind survive? After three books and probably around 1,500 pages I was ready for the payoff. And I got it. I got the ending I wanted, though it came about in delightfully unexpected ways. But again, frustration, because at times there were leaps over years and sudden bursts of magic that left the characters themselves shrugging over what had happened, in order to get to that great ending. Now, with three books and so many pages to work with, I would imagine that Cronin could have laid more groundwork so that this ending could have come about more organically. I guess I was supposed to be so dazzled by his prose that I didn't notice, but I did.

So overall I loved the series, and I think it's going to up there with the best of Stephen King and the like. But I guess I just need to point out that this is not a perfect book.

On a side note, this book contained something that I'm becoming increasingly aware of in futuristic fiction that I find amusing. That is: the few salvaged books that have survived the apocalypse are 19th century classics by white male authors. Why is it, when the world falls apart, all that is left is Tolstoy? Melville? Dickens? Shakespeare? I swear, if people aren't finding comparisons between their own lives and Moby-Dick, then it's Hamlet. (And the Shakespeare reference is ALWAYS Hamlet! How about a zombie outbreak comparison to Much Ado?!)

Do you know what books will actually be so ubiquitous that they'll be in every Postapocalyptic Library? Harry Potter. Twilight. The Fault in Our Stars. The Hunger Games. But if we must throw in a classic, how come nobody ever finds a copy of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and compares their life to it? Or One Hundred Years of Solitude? And how come nobody in the future ever thinks that Narnia is real, or that Percy Jackson is scripture? And what's happened to all the James Patterson books? I mean, seriously: he puts out roughly twenty books a year! Some of them must have survived! Or Agatha Christie? How about some Michael Crichton, for heaven's sake! John Grisham, maybe?Nobody ever finds a copy of Dracula, which would be a better comparison than War and Peace. Or Interview with the Vampire. Maybe we're all hoping to rebuild society on a solid foundation of British Literature, but let's face it: we're far more likely to be teaching our future generations to read using Diary of a Wimpy Kid than A Tale of Two Cities. ...more

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Jun 10, 2016 Bonnie rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopian-post-apocalyptic, eek-the-creepies, adult, buddy-reads-mom, z-2016

“City of memories, city of mirrors. Am I alone? Yes and no. I am a man of many descendants.”

The year is 101 A.V. and three years have passed since the elimination of the Twelve, three years since any viral has been sighted and 100 thousand people are living comfortably behind the secure walls of Kerrville, Texas. But after three years it’s easy to start thinking that they’re finally safe, that they don’t have to remain behind this wall because there’s nothing left to fear. And that’s exactly w ...more

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Apr 01, 2016 switterbug (Betsey) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

“You might ask yourself the same thing. What it means, to be human.”

If Cronin’s trilogy were merely genre fiction, one could say that these books were 2000 pages of “good versus evil” or a post-apocalyptic story of survival. And that would be partially correct. But the author, a literary writer from before THE PASSAGE trilogy, probes far beneath the surface of the battle between humans and virals. THE CITY OF MIRRORS is also the exploration of what it means to be human, literally and figurativel “You might ask yourself the same thing. What it means, to be human.”

If Cronin’s trilogy were merely genre fiction, one could say that these books were 2000 pages of “good versus evil” or a post-apocalyptic story of survival. And that would be partially correct. But the author, a literary writer from before THE PASSAGE trilogy, probes far beneath the surface of the battle between humans and virals. THE CITY OF MIRRORS is also the exploration of what it means to be human, literally and figuratively, and how our memories shape who we are now. “We are, each of us, a character in our own story; that is how we make sense of our lives.” The final battle will be waged; however, it is not just a battle of virals and humans. It is the war, also, which we wage within ourselves. “Was I the final proof that humanity dwelled in an unwatched cosmos of no purpose, or was I something more?”

I can’t imagine reading this book without first reading THE PASSAGE and THE TWELVE. The first two novels create a context and set a stage necessary for readers to comprehend what is at stake and what has happened to humanity since a virus was contracted (animal to human) in Bolivia and brought to North America by a scientist, Jonas Lear. The first infected human, Timothy Fanning, also known as “Zero” in the trilogy, will become known to readers in COM. Lear’s goal in chasing down the virus was to save lives, but the outcome was sheer destruction. Humans that were infected became virals--monstrous creatures who had one purpose, in the words of Zero:

“To make the world a wasteland; to bring upon it the mirrored image of my wretched self; to punish…my friend, my enemy, who believed he could save a world that was not savable, that never deserved saving in the first place.”

In his third book, the apogee and finale of the towering trilogy, Cronin ushers the reader to the present, eight months after the liberation of the Homeland in Iowa, which was both the geographical place of battle between Amy and the Twelve, and the climax of the second book. The prologue begins with a document of 1003 A.V., at the third Global Conference of the North American Quarantine Period (documents of this period have been braided into the previous two books, also). Thus, we know that there is a future, one century subsequent to the onslaught of the virals.

As the narrative progresses, we are given backstories that are new to us, such as the pre-viral (and post-viral) life of Fanning/Zero, which is narrated by Fanning as a drama of love and friendship that dates back to the late 1980s, and takes up about 150 pages. If it seems a digression at first, it is eventually pertinent to the weight of his suffering and his inner conflicts. Fanning’s nihilistic philosophy stems from the tragedies in his family, his lifelong friendship with Jonas Lear, and his star-crossed, decades-long love of a woman. The impact of our past and our relationship with love is a notable feature of Cronin’s themes. “It is possible for the same circumstances that draw two souls together to keep them forever at arm’s length. Herein lies the truth of love, and the essence of all tragedy.”

Current events have their roots in the early survivors, several who are known to us now--Amy, Alicia, Peter, Michael, Sara, Greer, Lucius, and others. After establishing the characters that we know, (and a few that we don’t), the novel proceeds forward two decades, which has been a peaceful, viral-free period. Civilization remains primitive, compared to today’s standards, but overall knowledge is advancing, certainly enough for people to enjoy a quality but hard-working life. The Expeditionary Force is dormant, and in Kerrville, Texas, the Republic is growing. However, it isn’t only the Army that is dormant, yet there are only a few people who anticipate fate’s inexorable destiny.

As for Amy, she is, as we know, both viral and human, and her narrative is complex; her humanity is what we hope will prevail over darkness and hate. Amy’s powerful status as an original recipient of the virus stirs humans and virals alike, and her voice is powerful and ubiquitous. “The feeling of the hour was the same as Amy’s song: memory and desire, happiness and sorrow, a beginning and an ending joined.”

CITY OF MIRRORS is the final act of this dystopian epic, a heart-stopping adventure, with enough action and excitement to keep readers on the edge of their seats, and plenty of emotional and psychological drama to compel us to relate to all characters, whether good, flawed, or evil. The journey will take us to New York City, “City of memories. City of mirrors.” The legacy of this landmark city will be revealed as the drama is heightened. Science, technology, psychology, literature, music, art, philosophy, history and religion are all entwined deftly and poignantly. Cronin’s trilogy is both a brilliant epic of survival and an impassioned study of human legacy.

“All stories end when they have returned to their beginnings.” ...more

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May 31, 2016 Banner rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi, horror

It took a short time to get my bearing. Since last book, the war with Virals is over and humanity is just starting to crawl out from the rock it has lived under for the last 100 years. All the old gang is here but a little older. And in some cases a little bit different. (Cryptic comment intended).

Author does a great job of getting us caught up.

Are the Virals gone? What do you think?

We learn about Zero. I didn't see this coming. I had kind of figured he would be center stage but I didn't reali ...more

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May 06, 2016 Dianne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, own, arc-read, dystopian, dark-fantasy, post-apocalyptic, great-dialogue, dark-edgy

Thrilling! Epic! Bittersweet! Justin Cronin’s trilogy has come to its conclusion and it ended as brilliantly daring as it started. The City of Mirrors brings closure of sorts to a tale of a world devastated and decimated by an apocalypse that made flesh eating monsters of the masses as easily as it made monsters of those seeking to hold power and sway over a world divided and drifting rudderless, hoping only to survive long enough to see a new beginning filled with hope.

The Twelve are gone, but ...more

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Jun 16, 2016 Angel Erin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: wishlist, insane-genre-challenge-2016

http://angelerin.blogspot.com/2016/06...

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review!

Sorry if this review is all over the place. It was really up and down for me and that made it a little difficult to review. I really LOVED the first book in the series, The Passage, and how stunning and different it was. When I read The Twelve I was a bit disappointed because it wasn't as good for me. I was really hoping that The City of Mirrors would ...more

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Oct 19, 2016 Mildew Fairy Reads rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-haunt-review, net-galley-reviewed

Book Blurb:
In "The Passage" and "The Twelve", Justin Cronin brilliantly imagined the fall of civilization and humanity's desperate fight to survive. Now all is quiet on the horizon but does silence promise the nightmare's end or the second coming of unspeakable darkness? At last, this bestselling epic races to its breathtaking finale.

"The world we knew is gone. What world will rise in its place?"

The Twelve have been destroyed and the hundred-year reign of darkness that descended upon the world h Book Blurb:
In "The Passage" and "The Twelve", Justin Cronin brilliantly imagined the fall of civilization and humanity's desperate fight to survive. Now all is quiet on the horizon but does silence promise the nightmare's end or the second coming of unspeakable darkness? At last, this bestselling epic races to its breathtaking finale.

 "The world we knew is gone. What world will rise in its place?"

The Twelve have been destroyed and the hundred-year reign of darkness that descended upon the world has ended. The survivors are stepping outside their walls, determined to build society anew and daring to dream of a hopeful future.

 But far from them, in a dead metropolis, he waits: Zero. The First. Father of the Twelve. The anguish that shattered his human life haunts him, and the hatred spawned by his transformation burns bright. His fury will be quenched only when he destroys Amy – humanity's only hope, the Girl from Nowhere who grew up to rise against him.

One last time light and dark will clash, and at last Amy and her friends will know their fate.

Just reading that will leave you dying to crack the cover if you've been waiting! On we go!

In The City of Mirrors, which is the final book of The Passage Trilogy, Cronin starts us off with an excellent recap of the first two books in the trilogy. However, if you haven’t read the first two books of this trilogy, you absolutely should before reading this one. This trilogy is an epic and although each book probably can be read as a stand-alone, I don’t think you would get the full impact.

It’s now twenty years after the events that took place at the end of The Twelve and we start out by getting caught up on where each of the beloved main characters are, and what they have been up to. I liked that. Of course, we are dying to know this stuff, why would we keep reading otherwise? Note: In the second book of this trilogy, my excitement was somewhat dampened when a lot of stories with new people were started. What ever happened to some of those people anyway? Although it did end up coming together, there were times when I was just dying to get back to the characters from the first book. So here we are!

(view spoiler)

I did like the epilogue although it’s a bit lengthy and overdone. The journal, the island, the archaeological finds were riveting. But we don’t really care about the characters in the epilogue, and Cronin takes us so far into their story that it makes me wonder if he has plans for them in future books. And you see, that’s just the trouble with these books, too many stories within the story. I get that it’s hard to span so many years and come up with thousands of pages for a trilogy but there were just too many times that the story veered off in unexpected directions. Another negative is that some of the romantic relationships just didn’t gel for me. Throughout the books I did find the origin of the virus interesting, and I thought that the connection between the vampires and their progeny was a quite believable premise, but I wasn’t especially fond of the dream sequences that took place in these books. There are those between Amy and Carter, Amy and Peter, etc. I just never bought into these. But I guess that’s why they call it fantasy, right?

Are you confused about whether I liked it? I am! It would be an understatement to say that I have mixed emotions about this book. I was very conflicted about rating it at all. I think the impact made on each individual reading the trilogy will be profoundly different. Personally, I really liked The Passage, thought The Twelve was just ok and The City of Mirrors has left me flailing somewhere in between. So... do I love Cronin’s writing or not…. hmmmm….. actually I do! His writing is so masterful that it keeps you reading even though you may not always like where you end up. He evokes a roller-coaster ride of emotions and isn't that what great authors strive for? Bottom line, this series IS a classic and I will be reading future books by Cronin.

I want to thank the publisher (Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review. ...more

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Jun 19, 2016 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebooks, netgalley, sci-fi-fantasy, reviewcopy, read2016

I took a few days after finishing this to mull over my thoughts on this book. Overall, this trilogy has been a well-written, different type of vampire novel, which I have appreciated. The basic story of the twelve and the little girl Amy brought a focus that allowed it to be not so much about military strategy like some on one extreme of the vampire spectrum, nor did it deteriorate into glorified monster-human relationship fantasy like the other end of the spectrum. It shows society being destro I took a few days after finishing this to mull over my thoughts on this book. Overall, this trilogy has been a well-written, different type of vampire novel, which I have appreciated. The basic story of the twelve and the little girl Amy brought a focus that allowed it to be not so much about military strategy like some on one extreme of the vampire spectrum, nor did it deteriorate into glorified monster-human relationship fantasy like the other end of the spectrum. It shows society being destroyed and salvaged, rebuilt and relocated. The challenge (and pleasure) for the reader is following Cronin through the storytelling of the world, since it is not told in a linear fashion. Book 1 (The Passage) starts with the world being destroyed. Book 2 (The Twelve) pushes outward in both directions, to tell a little more backstory but also to push the story into the future. Amy grows up and society starts to rebuild. Book 3 (The City of Mirrors) pushes outward even farther in both directions (a huge surprise to me) by examining the life of Zero during his coming of age and taking society a millennium into the future.

This one is more of a slow burn, a little slower than I would have liked, a little slower than the first two novels went (and I listened to the second, if you can imagine!). Some of the new concepts that are introduced still have me thinking, especially the shared dreaming that some of the Twelve seem to have access to. There is still an ongoing conflict in my mind between who is "good" and "bad" and whether humanity should survive. The author also gets to play with how we rewrite history by showing humanity so far into the future, discussing what they "know" through artifacts they have found from the events that are in the present of the majority of these novels.

They are worth the read, but they are not a breeze.

Many thanks to the publisher, who approved my request to have access to the galley before it was published. I didn't actually manage to finish it before that day but I appreciate the opportunity just the same! ...more

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Mar 07, 2016 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) marked it as wishlist · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, science-fiction, series, buddy-read, bbb, br-2016, unreleased-give-it-give-it-give-it

Updated Sept. 22, 2015: we have an official release date!! Our BRs for this series are back on track!

►► BR with the BBB gang starting June 16, 2016.

Blah blah blah thread (this is a private group, let me know if you need an invite!)

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Sep 23, 2016 Kelly rated it liked it

Not sure what to say about this at this point. When I gather my thoughts I'll probably write a review.

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About Justin Cronin

In 2010, Justin Cronin’s The Passage was a phenomenon. The unforgettable tale that critics and readers compared to the novels of Cormac McCarthy, Michael Crichton, Stephen King, and Margaret Atwood became a runaway bestseller and enchanted readers around the globe. It spent 3 months on The New York Times bestseller list. It was featured on more than a dozen “Best of the Year” lists, including Time ...more

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