WOW. 
 When I downloaded the eBook, I had no knowledge of how long this title is. After noticing that my % read-o-meter was increasing at a slower than usual rate, I checked. And while I think that this could have easily been cut into two or three separate books, and this is the longest time I've spent reading any one book in I don't know how long, it's ALL WORTH IT. 
 The Passage's scope is so epic, that my meager attempts to explain it to my family (who wondered what had come over me), felt lame. Afterward, they inevitably said, 'so, it's a vampire book?' While there are beasts involved that have some typical vampire traits, I didn't consider them vampires, especially not the kind of vampires that modern fiction has unfortunately churned out. 
 So what is it about? It starts off with a military experiment, which later goes wrong. Then it focuses on a couple of characters. After many more pages we flash forward to a new generation, all the while relationships are being built and destroyed, battles are waged, and humanity is explored. 
 It's not really horror, fantasy, or sci-fi, though it contains elements of all those genres. Cronin blended these things and threw it all into a weirdly believable post-apocalyptic world, and because of his skill it all works exceedingly well. Really, the best book I've read in years. Years! 
 For me, strong character development determines how involved into a book I become. The chapters switch viewpoints between characters just the right amount for me to feel like I know all of them quite well. The Passage sunk its hooks in me, and didn't let go, still hasn't let go. 
 What a kick-ass mini series this book (and hopefully, The Twelve) would make. For now, I'm going to take a little break to let all that I've just experienced sink in before I move on to the sequel. 
 With its gripping story, incredible depth of characters, and great sense of epicness, this is one that I highly recommend.