Rice professor, NYT best-seller releases new book
Not all vampires sparkle. Justin Cronin, Rice University English professor emeritus and author of New York Times best-selling novel The Passage, has recently released the second book in his vampire apocalypse trilogy: The Twelve. Back in 2010, Cronin introduced readers to a dark, dystopian world which has been taken over by a virus that turns ordinary people into vicious, blood-sucking monsters. Filled with chilling scenes that are enough to make anyone afraid of the dark, The Passage has been widely acclaimed as one of the best books of the past few years, and fans of the series eagerly awaited The Twelve's release on Oct. 16 of this year. Cronin has frequently been compared to the likes of Michael Crichton and Stephen King, and he has toured all around the country promoting his fresh take on the vampire genre.
Cronin recently returned to Houston to introduce The Twelve, and on Oct. 30, he dropped by Brazos Bookstore on Bissonnet Street to read a passage from the new book and answer questions from fans. The small, independent bookstore was crammed wall-to-wall with chairs, but the cozy atmosphere of the store and Cronin's down-to-earth manner made the event feel comfortably informal. After an amusing story about his first reading event (no one but his students, who wanted extra credit, showed up to see him), Cronin read a short scene from The Twelve. The Twelve picks up the series with a vampire sniper nicknamed "Last Stand in Denver" and a wild dash through a dark, vampire-infested garage, ending with a wonderfully infuriating cliffhanger.
Cronin offered a few hints about what is in store for readers in The Twelve. Similar to The Passage, The Twelve begins with the world before the virus has begun to spread (dubbed "year zero") and jumps to approximately 100 years later midway through the book, where we follow returning character Amy's fight against the viral vampires. A few characters who had only minor roles in The Passage now enter into the action and take center stage, something that, as a writer, Cronin said he really enjoyed exploring. Cronin also spoke about the difficulties of the trilogy format - it is often difficult to prevent the second book in the trilogy from becoming simply a bridge to get from book one to book three - but he has taken special care to give his second book vitality of its own.
"I wanted to shoot some fresh energy into it, so the course of events would be radically altered, so it wasn't just part two,"
Cronin said.
Readers who have already devoured The Twelve can attest that he has managed to do this quite well.
Cronin and his daughter came up with the idea for The Passage trilogy together, Cronin said, while he was jogging and she was riding her bike around their neighborhood. She was 8 years old at the time, and the two would come up with interesting plot points. According to Cronin, there were only two rules: One was that everything had to be interesting.
"There are not one but two runaway trains in the book - I like runaway trains and so does she," Cronin said.
The other rule was that there had to be a character with red hair because his daughter is a redhead. His daughter's request that he write a book about a girl who saves the world prompted Cronin to begin The Passage trilogy. Cronin cited his wife as being an important contributor in this second book as well.
After the reading at Brazos, Cronin went across the street to the Murder By the Book bookstore to read another passage and sign copies of The Twelve, and he finished up the night with mingling and more book chat at the Under the Volcano bar. Cronin said he is very supportive of independent bookstores and that he wanted to support as many venues as possible during his Houston night out.
Cronin is currently taking a break from his teaching activities at Rice to continue promoting his books and to begin work on the third book in The Passage trilogy. Cronin said that if things go according to plan, the book will be released in 2014. After reading The Twelve, fans will be impatiently waiting for the conclusion to Cronin's epic story. The Rice community may continue to watch Cronin's rise to internationally best-selling author and take pride in the fact that one of Rice's own has penned such a successful and compelling series of novels.
This article is a collaboration effort with R2: The Rice Review.
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