The Twelve: A Novel (Book Two of the Passage Trilogy) (Passage Trilogy, #2)

by Justin Cronin

A literary thriller unfolding in multiple time frames, The Twelve is a page-turning epic of sacrifice and survival.
     In the present day: As three strangers attempt to navigate the chaos cast upon civilization by a U.S. government experiment gone wrong, their destinies intertwine.
     A hundred years in the future: Amy, Peter, Alicia, and the others introduced in The Passage hunt the original twelve virals . . . unaware that the rules of the game have changed, and that one of them will have to sacrifice everything to bring the Twelve down.

• ISBN10: 1400026261
• ISBN13: 9781400026265
• Publish Date: 30 July 2013 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Seal Books
• Format: Paperback (US Tall Rack)
• Pages: 624
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/isbn/9781400026265

Reviews

[elvinagb]

When I finished The Passage I wasn't sure if I could go on and read a sequel. It was a long story with many characters and story lines that took some effort to keep track of.
This novel, in many ways, I found I actually enjoyed more than The Passage. The plot(s) moved along at a good pace but I still found that with so many characters I had at times to go back to earlier chapters to remember where people came from.
There was a few times I found my self thinking out loud "watch out" as I became aware of the danger the characters were in just before they themselves realized what was happening.
An exception read, and there were just enough loose ends at the conclusion to keep the story moving on to the next book in this series.

[kimbacaffeinate]

After reading The Passage in 2010 I have been drooling for The Twelve. The post-apocalyptic world Cronin created captivated me and the ending had me screaming for more. I received an ARC of The Twelve and completely surrender myself to it. Cronin stepped up his game and delivered a tighter, breathtaking tale. While easily read as a standalone, I encourage you to read book one of the Passage trilogies. I am already yearning for final book in this spine-tingling epic trilogy.

The Twelve begins with a clever prologue. It was delivered much like scriptures and recaps the events from the Passage. This quickly reacquainted me to the world and the characters. As I read I imagined the Omen theme song in my head. The twelve are the original men turned viral when a military experiment “Project Noah” went wrong. They are linked and the parents of all the Virals created. Five years have passed since Amy and her small team defeated Babcock. In this novel Cronin skillfully takes us from year zero to 97 A.V,-five years after book one ended. He masterfully fills in details and introducing new characters. The tale that unfolded sent shivers down my spine as I became fully immersed in the world Cronin created.

The characters in this trilogy have been superbly fleshed out. Amy while still a mystery evolves in this second novel. Peter is at a crossroads and is perhaps my favorite character. The underlying connection between them captured my heart. We reconnect with Lila, Wolfgast’s ex-wife. She is fractured, unique and has a significant role in book two. Grey who was a sweeper in book one, is back and attempts to change his life. Greer is imprisoned and becomes a seer. Guilder is a new character and straight from your worst nightmare. I still shiver thinking about him and what he is capable of. All of the key characters are reintroduced and become more fleshed out, as we go from past to present. We get a closer look and understanding of the Virals, otherwise known as Dracs, Glowsticks, Jumps, Dopeys, Smokes and Flyers. We begin to understand their hierarchy and what has become of their humanity. Then there is the twelve and there leader Zero. I can hear them in my head, “I am Morrison-Chavez-Baffles-Turrell-Winston-Sosa-Echolos-Lambright-Martinez-Reinhardt-Carter.” “Come to me.” *shivers* There is a very helpful guide in the back of the book that lists all of the characters and briefly describes them.

The world Cronin has created is horrifying, unimaginable and yet I believed. Cronin is in complete control of this masterpiece and I was spellbound. Not since Stephen King’s The Stand have I been so blown away. While the tale doesn't move in a linear fashion he skillfully takes us from past, present to future giving me a 3-D panoramic view of the world. It is quite clear he knows the terrain of the Midwest and with his pen; he brought its vast grasslands to life. He has crafted a tale, which completely enthralled me. It also scared the crap out of me. It made me question the human mind, scientific advancements and mans quest for power. How would we survive this world? It also inspired me, and gave me hope as humankind survived, adapted and never surrendered. The Homeland and all that it stood for frightened me more than the Virals. I could not wrap myself around the horrors Guilder had created. This tale ended on a slightly high note, and felt complete. Cronin left us with the knowledge that a new battle would begin soon…Eep! I cannot wait.

Flyers! I really feel like my review does not even begin to give The Twelve and author the praise it deserves. Cronin is pure genius and I would love to have a coffee and a conversation with him. I honestly think, he sees the characters in his mind and knows exactly what they are doing, even when they are not present within the pages he is writing. He blurs the lines of reality, bringing this post-apocalyptic nightmare to life. If you know me, you know that I can literally consume novels when I begin them and could have easily read this in two sittings. This time, I spread it out over four days, savoring each word, each scene and each chill. Cronin is on my auto-buy list. The final book City of Mirrors is slated to publish in 2014.

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

I recently read The Passage this year so I was lucky I didn’t have to wait as long as everyone else for book two; The Twelve. I was privileged to win an advanced review copy so I need to be careful in reviewing this book without any spoilers. As many people would already know The Twelve continues on with the epic tale that The Passage built. This time we have a whole lot of new characters to read about as they struggle to survive in this nightmarish world of virals.

One of my biggest issues with The Passage is the same issue I’ve had with this book; which is the fact that I really struggled to keep the characters in order. Granted all the characters had a wonderful amount of depth to them but because there are so many characters, it sometimes becomes a struggle keeping up with them. I had to write a list of each character and a bit of information about them just to refer back to and remember key aspects of their story arcs. While in The Twelve the characters seem to travel more as a big group so I didn’t feel like I needed a map and little figures to move around like a war map just to keep track of everyone.

I love the post apocalyptic world the Justin Cronin has created and I found so much joy in returning to the world. He has created this wonderful world full of great characters, tension and action. But he has written these books in such literary way, which sets it apart from most Post-Apocalyptic survival novels. Although these books are bricks and too heavy to hold; they are still well worth reading.

I’m a little worried that I now have to wait till 2014 for the final book in the trilogy, The City of Mirrors. Fans of The Passage, you are in for a treat with The Twelve; just for the joy of going back to the world and continuing the story but also because there are new characters to meet. While I think this book will stand out as a standalone read, I highly recommend you start this book from the beginning. But maybe wait till 2014 so you don’t have to suffer with waiting two years for the next instalment. I hope I haven’t given anything away about the plot away, but if you have read this book already I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

This review was originally found on my blog; http://literary-exploration.com/2012/10/06/book-review-the-twelve/