To say that Justin Cronin’s The Passage was a disappointment would be putting it rather lightly.  And that is partly due to the hype and partly to the book itself.  There’s been a lot said about this behemoth of a novel – some good, some glowing, some bordering on damning. And many reviewers have pointed out the nearly four million dollar advance Cronin received for the trilogy (The Passage is the first of that collection).  I can only guess Cronin’s child-inspired story (he and his eight-year-old daughter came up with the plot) had Ballantine Books seeing Harry Potter dollars in the future.  And their investment will most likely pay off (Ridley Scott already has the film options).  However, The Passage is no Harry Potter.