Justin Cronin

The much-anticipated new novel by the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of the Passage Trilogy - a mind-bending masterpiece for our world today...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying."--STEPHEN KING From the author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia--where the truth isn't what it seems.A POLYGON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR The islands of Prospera lie in a vast ocean, in splendid isolation from the rest of humanity--or whatever remains of it. Citizens of the main island enjoy privileged lives. They are attended to by support staff who live on a cramped neighboring island, where whispers of revolt are brewing--but for the Prosperans, life is perfection. And when the end of life approaches, they're sent to a mysterious third island, where their bodies are refreshed, their memories are wiped away, and they return to start life anew. Proctor Bennett is a ferryman, whose job it is to enforce the retirement process when necessary. He never questions his work, until the day he receives a cryptic message: "The world is not the world." These simple words unlock something he has secretly suspected. They seep into strange dreams of the stars and the sea. They give him the unshakable feeling that someone is trying to tell him something important. Something no one could possibly imagine, something that could change the fate of humanity itself.

'Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying.' STEPHEN KING ***** The islands of Prospera lie in a vast ocean: in splendid isolation from the rest of humanity, or whatever remains of it. . . Citizens of the main island enjoy privileged lives, attended to by the support staff who live on a cramped neighbouring island, where whispers begin to grow into cries for revolution. Meanwhile, life for Prosperans is perfection - and when it's not, their bodies are sent to the mysterious third island: a facility named The Nursery, to be rebooted and restart life afresh. Proctor Bennett is a Ferryman, who shepherds the soon-to-be retired into the unknown. He never questioned his work until the day he is delivered a cryptic message: "The world is not the world..." These simple words unravel something that he has secretly suspected. They seep into strange dreams - of the stars and the sea - and the unshakeable feeling that someone is trying to tell him something important. Something greater than anyone could possibly imagine, which could change the fate of humanity itself... ***** 'A mind-bending novel full of big ideas and a rollercoaster's worth of twists and turns - so powerful and thrilling!' ANDY WEIR, author of The Martian

'Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying.' STEPHEN KING*****The islands of Prospera lie in a vast ocean: in splendid isolation from the rest of humanity, or whatever remains of it. . .Citizens of the main island enjoy privileged lives, attended to by the support staff who live on a cramped neighbouring island, where whispers begin to grow into cries for revolution.Meanwhile, life for Prosperans is perfection - and when it's not, their bodies are sent to the mysterious third island: a facility named The Nursery, to be rebooted and restart life afresh.Proctor Bennett is a Ferryman, who shepherds the soon-to-be retired into the unknown. He never questioned his work until the day he is delivered a cryptic message:"The world is not the world..."These simple words unravel something that he has secretly suspected. They seep into strange dreams - of the stars and the sea - and the unshakeable feeling that someone is trying to tell him something important.Something greater than anyone could possibly imagine, which could change the fate of humanity itself...*****'A mind-bending novel full of big ideas and a rollercoaster's worth of twists and turns - so powerful and thrilling!' ANDY WEIR, author of The Martian

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying."--STEPHEN KING From the author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia--where the truth isn't what it seems.A POLYGON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR The islands of Prospera lie in a vast ocean, in splendid isolation from the rest of humanity--or whatever remains of it. Citizens of the main island enjoy privileged lives. They are attended to by support staff who live on a cramped neighboring island, where whispers of revolt are brewing--but for the Prosperans, life is perfection. And when the end of life approaches, they're sent to a mysterious third island, where their bodies are refreshed, their memories are wiped away, and they return to start life anew. Proctor Bennett is a ferryman, whose job it is to enforce the retirement process when necessary. He never questions his work, until the day he receives a cryptic message: "The world is not the world." These simple words unlock something he has secretly suspected. They seep into strange dreams of the stars and the sea. They give him the unshakable feeling that someone is trying to tell him something important. Something no one could possibly imagine, something that could change the fate of humanity itself.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying."--STEPHEN KING From the author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia--where the truth isn't what it seems.A POLYGON BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR The islands of Prospera lie in a vast ocean, in splendid isolation from the rest of humanity--or whatever remains of it. Citizens of the main island enjoy privileged lives. They are attended to by support staff who live on a cramped neighboring island, where whispers of revolt are brewing--but for the Prosperans, life is perfection. And when the end of life approaches, they're sent to a mysterious third island, where their bodies are refreshed, their memories are wiped away, and they return to start life anew. Proctor Bennett is a ferryman, whose job it is to enforce the retirement process when necessary. He never questions his work, until the day he receives a cryptic message: "The world is not the world." These simple words unlock something he has secretly suspected. They seep into strange dreams of the stars and the sea. They give him the unshakable feeling that someone is trying to tell him something important. Something no one could possibly imagine, something that could change the fate of humanity itself.

Tredje bok i Justin Cronins kritikerroste og bestselgende The Passage-trilogi.Med Speilbyen fullfører Justin Cronin sin kritikerroste og internasjonalt bestselgende Passage-trilogi, som er oversatt til mer enn 30 språk.De Tolv – mørkets herskere, menneskets dødsfiender – er utryddet, og deres hundreårige skrekkherredømme endelig over. Litt etter litt våger de overlevende seg ut fra sine skjulesteder. Fra ruinene til det som en gang var en sivilisasjon, forsøker de noe menneskeheten med vekslende hell har prøvd før: Å bygge et nytt og bedre samfunn.Men i en av de mest fjerntliggende forlatte byene ligger noen på lur: Zero. Den første. Faren til De Tolv, han som bærer det opprinnelige viruset i seg. En gang var han en høyt begavet vitenskapsmann, men etter at han mistet sin store kjærlighet, har han vært fylt av hevnlyst og sinne. Målet er å utrydde menneskeheten en gang for alle. Troppene er klare. Tiden er kommet.Det er bare én som er i stand til å oppholde ham. Amy. Jenta fra ingensteds, menneskenes siste håp. Og dermed gjør hun og følgesvennene seg klar til den siste og avgjørende kampen mellom lyset og mørket.

Tredje bok i Justin Cronins kritikerroste og bestselgende The Passage-trilogi.Med Speilbyen fullfører Justin Cronin sin kritikerroste og internasjonalt bestselgende Passage-trilogi, som er oversatt til mer enn 30 språk.De Tolv – mørkets herskere, menneskets dødsfiender – er utryddet, og deres hundreårige skrekkherredømme endelig over. Litt etter litt våger de overlevende seg ut fra sine skjulesteder. Fra ruinene til det som en gang var en sivilisasjon, forsøker de noe menneskeheten med vekslende hell har prøvd før: Å bygge et nytt og bedre samfunn.Men i en av de mest fjerntliggende forlatte byene ligger noen på lur: Zero. Den første. Faren til De Tolv, han som bærer det opprinnelige viruset i seg. En gang var han en høyt begavet vitenskapsmann, men etter at han mistet sin store kjærlighet, har han vært fylt av hevnlyst og sinne. Målet er å utrydde menneskeheten en gang for alle. Troppene er klare. Tiden er kommet.Det er bare én som er i stand til å oppholde ham. Amy. Jenta fra ingensteds, menneskenes siste håp. Og dermed gjør hun og følgesvennene seg klar til den siste og avgjørende kampen mellom lyset og mørket.

The publishing phenomenon that began with the astonishing worldwide bestseller THE PASSAGE now comes to its epic conclusion. 'A thrilling finale to a trilogy that will stand as one of the great achievements in American fantasy fiction.' Stephen King

#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

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The end of the world was only the beginning. In his internationally bestselling and critically acclaimed novel The Passage, Justin Cronin constructed an unforgettable world transformed by a government experiment gone horribly wrong. Now the scope widens and the intensity deepens as the epic story surges forward . . . In the present day, as the man-made apocalypse unfolds, three strangers navigate the chaos. Lila, a doctor and an expectant mother, is so shattered by the spread of violence and infection that she continues to plan for her child's arrival even as society dissolves around her. Kittridge, known to the world as "Last Stand in Denver," has been forced to flee his stronghold and is now on the road, dodging the infected, armed but alone and well aware that a tank of gas will get him only so far. April is a teenager fighting to guide her little brother safely through a landscape of death and ruin. These three will learn that they have not been fully abandoned--and that in connection lies hope, even on the darkest of nights. One hundred years in the future, Amy and the others fight on for humankind's salvation . . . unaware that the rules have changed. The enemy has evolved, and a dark new order has arisen with a vision of the future infinitely more horrifying than man's extinction. If the Twelve are to fall, one of those united to vanquish them will have to pay the ultimate price. A heart-stopping thriller rendered with masterful literary skill, The Twelve is a grand and gripping tale of sacrifice and survival. Look for the entire Passage trilogy: THE PASSAGE THE TWELVE THE CITY OF MIRRORS Praise for The Twelve " A] literary superthriller."--The New York Times Book Review "An undeniable and compelling epic . . . a complex narrative of flight and forgiveness, of great suffering and staggering loss, of terrible betrayals and incredible hope."--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "The Twelve is even better than The Passage."--The Plain Dealer "A compulsive read."--San Francisco Chronicle "Gripping . . . Cronin introduces] eerie new elements to his masterful mythology. . . . Enthralling, emotional and entertaining."--The San Diego Union-Tribune "Fine storytelling."--Associated Press "Cronin is one of those rare authors who works on two different levels, blending elegantly crafted literary fiction with cliff-hanging thrills."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE YEAR BY "TIME" AND "LIBRARY JOURNAL" AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY "The Washington Post Esquire U.S. News & World Report" NPR/"On Point St. Louis Post-Dispatch BookPage" An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, "The Passage" is the story of Amy abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape but he can t stop society s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world. Enthralling . . . You will find yourself captivated. Stephen King Magnificently unnerving . . . "The Stand "meets" The Road." "Entertainment Weekly" Great entertainment . . . a] big, engrossing read. "The Dallas Morning News" Mythic storytelling. "San Francisco Chronicle" The story of Amy continues in "The Twelve, " coming soon. Look for a special preview in the back of the book."

Andre bok i Justin Cronins kritikerroste og bestselgende The Passage-trilogi. DE TOLV - dødsdømte fanger med en marerittaktig fortid og ingen fremtid, helt til de ble plukket ut til et hemmelig eksperiment. Nå er de fremtiden, og menneskehetens verste mareritt har begynt ... En hjertehamrende thriller fortalt med mesterlig litterær kraft - en storslagen og gripende fortelling om oppofrelse og overlevelse. "Cronin skriver meget godt; språket er variert, han skaper gode og skremmende bilder, og personene er nyansert og fint skildret. Her har han noe til felles med King, en evne til å skrive fram levende mennesker leseren bryr seg om. Spenningen er også helt upåklagelig, actionscenene sitter som et skudd. Det er bare å glede seg til neste bind!" Ørjan Greiff Johnsen, Adresseavisen "En litterær superthriller" New York Times Book Review "Like forrykende spennende som Den første." Sunday Times "Den første var smart, velkomponert og underholdende ... De tolv leverer den samme vitaliteten og visjonene. Som forgjengeren er den et fantastisk, nytt mesterverk for det 21. århundret: En litterær superthriller, som på en og samme tid er karakterdrevet og plotdrevet." International Herald Tribune "Den frittstående oppfølgeren til den lovpriste Den første gjør den første bokens apokalyptiske hendelser dypere og mørkere." Belfast Telegraph "En uimotståelig og fengslende episk roman ... en kompleks fortelling om flukt og tilgivelse, store lidelser og knusende tap, forferdelige svik og fantastisk håp." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Gripende ... mesterlig ... Trollbindende, følelsesladet og underholdende." San Diego Union-Tribune "Cronin er en av disse sjeldne forfatterne som arbeider på to ulike nivåer, og lykkes i å kombinere elegant velkomponert skjønnlitteratur med drivende grøss." Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Like forrykende spennende som Den første." Sunday Times "Cronin har gitt sine lesere et festmåltid med denne romanen." California Literary Review "En smart, avhengighetsskapende pageturner ... en knallsuksess med hjerte og intelligens." SFFWorld "Popkornlitteratur slik den virkelig skal skrives! Cronin overrasker hele tiden, og skrivekunstens kvaliteter er det som virkelig gjør denne romanen verdt å lese." Onion A.V. Club PÅ NEW YORK TIMES' BESTSELGERLISTE!

En episk og fengslende historie om katastrofe og overlevelse. DEN FØRSTE er fortellingen om Amy Harper Bellafonte som ble forlatt av sin mor da hun var seks år, deretter forfulgt og tatt til fange for å brukes i et grufullt militært eksperiment av apokalyptiske dimensjoner. FBI-agent Brad Wolgast er en god mann som er preget av hva han har måttet utføre i tjenesten. Han blir beveget av den fascinerende tause jenta - og risikerer alt for å redde henne. Når eksperimentet går marerittaktig galt, sørger han for hennes flukt, men han kan ikke hindre sivilisasjonens kollaps. Mens sivilisasjonen raskt svinner hen til en urtidstilstand der du enten er jegeren eller byttet, flykter to mennesker opp i fjellet. Når Amy vandrer, gjennom mil og tiår, mot en mørk fremtid preget av vold og fortvilelse, fylles hun av den mystiske og fryktelige vissheten om at bare hun har kraften til å redde den ødelagte verden.«en på alle måter skremmende murstein som du vil sluke på forbløffende kort tid.» Jarle Natland, Stavanger Aftenblad «[…] innen det tredje kapittelet hopet søppelet seg opp i huset vårt, fordi jeg var for redd til å gå ut med det om natten.» Washington Post «Les 30 sider og du vil være fanget og lese til langt på natt.» Sunday Express«Cronin har gitt oss det som kan være den sommerens beste bok. Ikke nøl med å dykke ned i Den første.» USA Today «Når man skal snakke om romaner som høyst sannsynlig vil bli knallsuksesser, kommer man ikke utenom denne." The Journal «Vi har nettopp funnet ut hva vi skal lese i sommer!» Elle «Stor fortellerkunst … vital, øm og overbevisende.» O, The Oprah Magazine "Jeg bladde hele tiden febrilsk om til neste side i Den første fordi jeg var så spent på hva som skulle skje.» Observer «En sikker knallsuksess … Fantasifullt plott, mesterlig utpønsket.» New York Times «Besettende, skremmende og dypt tilfredsstillende. Ikke bare er dette en av årets beste thrillerne, det er en av de beste det siste tiåret, kanskje en av de beste noensinne.»Men’s Journal «Hvis du bare tar med deg én bok i sommer, la det være Den første. Det er en oppslukende, marerittaktig drøm av en bok, en skremmende apokalyptisk thriller, befolket med troverdige, sympatiske personer. Så fort du begynner å lese den, ønsker du at den aldri tar slutt.» The Times «Episk, hjerteskjærende, katastrofal, hypnotiserende …» Daily Mirror «Storslått og nervepirrende … The Stand møter The Road.» Entertainment Weekly «En bok man må lese til ende.» Sunday Telegraph «Et episk verk og en gripende historie med et rikt persongalleri.» Daily Mail