The City of Mirrors

Readers who have been patiently awaiting the conclusion to Cronin's sweeping postapocalyptic trilogy (The Passage; The Twelve) are richly rewarded with this epic, heart-wrenching novel. The story picks up several years after the destruction of the Homeland and the evacuation of many of its citizens to Texas. With 11 of the 12 virals destroyed, a period of relative peace has settled on the landscape. Yet the remaining viral, Zero, still haunts the ruins of New York City, preparing for his final standoff with humankind. Of the believable and endearing characters the author created through three books, Amy, the Girl from Nowhere, as well as Peter, Michael, and Alicia, are all back for the finale. The story really shines when Cronin takes readers back to the beginning, before the virus reshaped the world, and explores the bonds among a trio of Harvard University undergrads that would ultimately lead to a global pandemic.