#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A thrilling finale to a trilogy that will stand as one of the great achievements in American fantasy fiction.”—Stephen King
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 and the terrifying 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.
Look for the entire Passage trilogy:
THE PASSAGE | THE TWELVE | THE CITY OF MIRRORS
Praise for The City of Mirrors
“Compulsively readable.”—The New York Times Book Review
“The City of Mirrors is poetry. Thrilling in every way it has to be, but poetry just the same . . . The writing is sumptuous, the language lovely, even when the action itself is dark and violent.”—The Huffington Post
“This really is the big event you’ve been waiting for . . . A true last stand that builds and comes with a bloody, roaring payoff you won’t see coming, then builds again to the big face off you’ve been waiting for.”—NPR
“A masterpiece . . . with The City of Mirrors, the third volume in The Passage trilogy, Justin Cronin puts paid to what may well be the finest post-apocalyptic epic in our dystopian-glutted times. A stunning achievement by virtually every measure.”—The National Post
“Justin Cronin’s Passage trilogy is remarkable for the unremitting drive of its narrative, for the breathtaking sweep of its imagined future, and for the clear lucidity of its language.”—Stephen King
Flyers you know a book is fantastic when six hundred pages are not nearly enough. Cronin takes us from the beginnings of this post-apocalyptic trilogy that began in the jungles of South America and spans thousands of years to a satisfying ending that left me completely spent. Cronin shared the horror of both monster and man as he shared the perspectives of Zero, the twelve, and a group of humans who rise above to save others. As he does Cronin meddled with the reader’s emotions, exposed their fears and at times slayed them open.
In City of Mirrors in the Texas Republic a settlement rose from the ground as men and women worked together to protect themselves. Since the fall of the Twelve, there has not been a viral sighting. They are beginning to expand to reclaim the land and dare I say hope. Readers quickly learn Zero is held up in New York, and the threat is far from extinct.
The book is broken up into parts and from these we gain perspectives of Zero (Professor Tim Fanning) the first infected and learn of his nests. We spend time with Peter and watch him become an integral part of this newborn nation. We travel with Lis, mourn her losses and shiver as we learn of the threat yet to come. Michael plagued by dreams is repairing a freighter and hiding a secret. Sara, Pim, Greer, Calaeb and more all add to the tale and gave depth. They reminded us of the strength of the human race and its shortcomings. The story has paranormal elements from the mind links to the vivid dreams and premonitions. All of these elements served to add suspense and had me losing myself within the pages. We spend time with Carter and Amy, both thought to be dead and witness their reawakening for the final battle. Smaller characters like Dunk made me laugh and further expanded the emotional hold these characters had on me.
The timeline is nonlinear and Cronin brilliantly shares moments from the past shedding unexpected new light to events first shared in The Passage and The Twelve. At times the tale was horrifying but his strength of characters, tender moments, and even humor helped balance the story allowing readers to catch their breath. Even though we traveled from past to present I easily slipped into each timeline and became caught up in the story.
The battles, narrowing escapes, unbelievable losses and sacrifices brought forth tears from this reader. These characters were my people, their feelings and fears my own. Shivers ran down my spine, my pulse increased and there were moments when I held my breath and flipped the pages at a maddening rate.
Readers who stuck with the trilogies drawn out release dates are rewarded with answers that brought hope for a bright new dawn. From the brilliant world building to the plethora of questions Cronin presents to the reader The City of Mirrors and the entire Passage trilogy is one that will stick with readers for years to come.
Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Reading updates
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Started reading
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23 April, 2016:
Finished reading
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23 April, 2016:
Reviewed