THE CITY OF MIRRORS: A Review

Last updated on: May 23, 2016 at 9:51 am by J. Ryan Parker

THE CITY OF MIRRORS: A Review 2016-05-23T09:51:55-07:00 J. Ryan Parker

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Justin Cronin’s “vampire” trilogy reaches its thrilling conclusion this week with the publication of The City of Mirrors. If you’re familiar with the previous two entries, The Passage and The Twelve, then you know calling it a vampire trilogy is selling it short, threatening to put it alongside the likes of the Twilight series. It’s so much more than that. Cronin’s is a deeply human narrative of love, families, friendships, and sacrifice set against an impossibly apocalyptic background.

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.

Like the previous installments, The City of Mirrors is a lengthy read at 624 pages, but it never feels like it bogs down. Cronin moves us across centuries and through a host of characters with ease, making them all feel fully alive and captivating.

There’s much to love here from the descriptions of the virals and their attacks to his vision of a post-apocalyptic United States, how much is lost and how quickly it all falls apart…but how resilience and determination bring it back. Shades of Earth Abides here.

His lengthy foray into Tim Fanning’s backstory is a novel in and of itself and one of the most evocative back stories for a villain that I’ve ever read. Cronin reminds us that even in the most nightmarish of enemies, we can find a core of humanity (often severely wounded) if we’re willing to look for it.

City of Mirrors ends in a way that I never expected it to (and I won’t spoil it here), but it blew the whole narrative wide open and added such depth to his reflections on humanity and what makes us human. The trilogy receives a dramatic payoff here that few novels of this genre are lucky enough to have.

If you’re anxiously awaiting or thinking about jumping into the series for the first time, it’s so worth it!!

Previous Post

May 20, 2016

Swimming Alone: Radiohead's A MOON SHAPED POOL

Next Post

May 25, 2016 #KillerSerials: THE PATH, Ep. 10

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Classics DVD Film Music News Pop Culture Events Print Sports Television Uncategorized Video Games

Select a Month March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which city was destroyed by fire and brimstone along with Gomorrah?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jericho Babylon Nineveh Sodom