<p>Justin</a> Cronin's Novel Reminder: Vampires Are Monsters, Too : NPR</p>
<p>“Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2010: You don’t have to be a fan of vampire fiction to be enthralled by The Passage, Justin Cronin’s blazing new novel. Cronin is a remarkable storyteller (just ask adoring fans of his award-winning Mary and O’Neil), whose gorgeous writing brings depth and vitality to this ambitious epic about a virus that nearly destroys the world, and a six-year-old girl who holds the key to bringing it back. The Passage takes readers on a journey from the early days of the virus to the aftermath of the destruction, where packs of hungry infected scour the razed, charred cities looking for food, and the survivors eke out a bleak, brutal existence shadowed by fear. Cronin doesn’t shy away from identifying his “virals” as vampires. But, these are not sexy, angsty vampires (you won’t be seeing “Team Babcock” t-shirts any time soon), and they are not old-school, evil Nosferatus, either. These are a creation all Cronin’s own–hairless, insectile, glow-in-the-dark mutations who are inextricably linked to their makers and the one girl who could destroy them all. A huge departure from Cronin’s first two novels, The Passage is a grand mashup of literary and supernatural, a stunning beginning to a trilogy that is sure to dazzle readers of both genres.” </p>
<p>There’s an interview with Professor Cronin on Amazon.</p>
<p>[Home</a> Page of Justin Cronin at Rice University](<a href=“Bestselling Author Justin Cronin's Official Website”>Bestselling Author Justin Cronin's Official Website)</p>
<p>Went to my favorite bookstore and saw Cronin’s new book prominently displayed in three places! Has anyone started it – could be fun to weave it into an application essay…</p>
<p>Just caught the end of another NPR interview with Justin Cronin … in time to hear:
“Mr. Cronin is an English literature professor at Rice University.”</p>
<p>I love the way it sounds on the air waves…</p>
<p>It’s all over the bookstores. Has anyone read “The Passage”?</p>
<p>wish he could do the screenplay for ‘Vampires suck’. then it may actually have a chance at being funny.</p>
<p>or we can make Blade 4 where Snipes kills everyone in Twilight</p>
<p>I read the first half of this book. It was SO good, it makes me wish I wasn’t terrified of zombies. Haha. Halfway through i just couldn’t deal with it anymore. I plan on finishing it someday.
Highly recommended for less squeamish people.</p>
<p>think I will get a copy. thanks for the post btw</p>
<p>Maybe bits and pieces of Rice are veiled in the story … maybe the Coffeehouse is thinly disguised as a feeding spot for certain zombies? Maybe a character has the initials SH – </p>
<p>Antarius, I really hope you’ll share a few not-too-ghoulish details here …</p>
<p>RiceOwlHopeful, any interesting parts that sound like Rice to you? </p>
<p>(Of course, Cronin’s not the only celebrity author on campus …)</p>
<p>Well I have not yet visited Rice, so any visual references were lost on me. But I feel like I know about as much as I could know based on the internet/books/talking to people, and I did not see anything super obvious. Of course I only got about halfway.</p>
<p>EDIT- Who are the other authors.</p>
<p>RiceOwlHopeful – it’s obvious that you give a hoot! Thanks for the helpful feedback – maybe you can slip something about the Cronin book into your interview/ essays. </p>
<p>Other Rice authors … faculty and alum, OK?
Douglas Brinkley (famous Rice history prof who’s quoted all the time)
Candace Bushnell (alum)
Larry McMurtry (alum)
Ben Rhodes (alum – Obama speechwriter)
lots of faculty members get published …
There are Owls at Texas Monthly, too.</p>
<p>Nice piece about Justin Cronin in Rice Magazine. I enjoyed reading about his impression of Rice… and the connection he’s hoping for –
[The</a> Postapocalypse According to Cronin | Rice Magazine](<a href=“http://www.rice.edu/ricemagazine/bookshelf/Cronin.shtml]The”>http://www.rice.edu/ricemagazine/bookshelf/Cronin.shtml)</p>
<p>If you’re not familiar with this magazine, it’s online – and might be helpful for seniors working on app essays. Hoping you give it your best!</p>
<p>I haven’t read the book but am looking forward to it. </p>
<p>Although I don’t really consider Cronin as an actual professor at Rice. Technically he is, but he hasn’t taught a single creative writing or any class here in the last 3 years. Take it from someone who has been scouring the creative writing scene here throughout undergrad. So although he is a prof in name, he hasn’t actually had much interaction with the students since 2006/7.</p>
<p>Even if Owls can’t meet up with him in a classroom (and hearing him on NPR makes me guess that he would lead an interesting class), he still has an office in Herring Hall, where ambitious Owls can seek him out… Maybe bring in a short story, questions about something recently read — he could be a fantastic resource.</p>
<p>And not just Justin Cronin. It means so much in any major to make the first step … to reach out to professors and start building ties that lead to research jobs, recommendations for summer jobs, etc.</p>
<p>Second thought, you don’t need to bring in a short story – why not ask him about how he plans his novels, ask for tips… It couldn’t hurt to read the interview I included here as a starting point – or to look up his NPR interviews. </p>
<p>He thinks well of Owls –</p>
<p>Great book - I read it. I was surprised, though, at some of the editing mistakes. 3 times I read “wretched” when the intent was “retched” - as in vomited. And one place it mentioned the man’s gate (should have been “gait”). I found a few other errors like that, and wonder if I bought a copy that was printed early on. Whoever was editing the work did NOT do his/her job!!!</p>