H/T to April. She mentioned the series in a post of her's.
This is not a typical "vampire" story. I don't really know how to explain it. If you hadn't read anything about it and started a cold read, you would not even realize it's a vampire story for quite a few chapters. The beginning chapters jump between POVs in different parts of the country and end up coalescing into an intense read about 1/3 of the way though the book. That's were I am right now. The characters are well written and easy to empathize with. Parts of it remind a Crichton (R.I.P) book and it has elements of King's The Stand as well. Can't wait to finish so I can start the second book.
:like:
The Passage and The Twelve are finished and I can't wait for the third book to get published. It's an expansive series. Lots of characters and the chapters sometimes flash back to tell the back stories. My words could not be better than April's in describing the the tone of the series, so I will paste her words.
QuoteSadness.
Justin Cronin's The Twelve is destroying me, more so than the previous novel in this series. He handles destruction and sorrow with grace and pity, but he is merciless. He gives his characters honorable, even beautiful deaths. But they still die, and those who remain still mourn them.
This is turning out to be a surprisingly sweet and brutal series, as Cronin has managed to infuse hope into a world seemingly bereft of it. I'm savoring this book, as I savored the last.
http://inveteratescars.blogspot.com/2012/11/sadness.html (http://inveteratescars.blogspot.com/2012/11/sadness.html)
Book three is finally out! Listening to the first to again before I tackle the 3rd. It's a heart wrenching series.