BOOK REVIEW: The Twelve

To say that I have been eagerly waiting for the sequel to Justin Cronin’s The Passage would be a gross understatement, so I am happy to report that THE TWELVE is here. Now all I have to do is tell you about it. This will be no easy task!

First of all, do not try to read THE TWELVE if you have not read The Passage. In fact, you might want to refresh your memory of characters if it has been a while. That proved to be a problem for me. My brain needed some time to keep everyone straight. Both books are fairly long, so be prepared to make a commitment.

The original story followed a group of people in a world made almost uninhabitable by a government experiment that went horribly wrong. By trying to find the secret to longevity, twelve virals with vampire characteristics have been created. One hundred years in the future, man has learned to live in well protected camps with daily survival a hardship, not to mention the horrors of the night when The Twelve’s ever growing band comes out to feed.

THE TWELVE opens with the introduction of Lila, a doctor and expectant mother, a teenage girl taking care of her younger brother, a young man who is very proud to be a school bus driver, and a man who is known as “The Last Stand in Denver”. Each of these people is trying to understand how his world has fallen apart, but finding each other gives them at least a chance.

The story then picks up characters from the end of The Passage. I have to admit that I had to do some re-reading of the first book to help get names straight. The author did include a list of dramatis personae, but I wish that it had given some information on their earlier involvement with each other. I refuse to mention who was important in this section for fear of spoiling your enjoyment of the earlier book. Some of the questions that I had were answered, but I guess we have to wait for the third book in the series for a good conclusion……….or so I hope!

It was a little difficult to keep some of the time lines straight. Even though the action takes place one hundred years after the virals escaped the laboratory, there are some flashbacks to that time. I also felt that my “voluntary suspension of belief”, necessary when reading this type of book, was strained at times. Admittedly, Cronin does a great job of tying ends together and then leaving some threads dangling keeping the reader intrigued.

So far this has been a great read. I love the story, the characters, and the author’s fast pace. I would warn the faint of heart that some of the scenes are violent and you will mourn the death of some favorite characters. Also, do not read these books out of order and, if you have my problem of keeping names straight, you might want to wait and read all three books together.