The Traveler

The First Novel of "The Fourth Realm" Trilogy

By: John Twelve Hawks

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Maya is hiding in plain sight in London. The 26-year-old has abandoned the dangerous obligations pressed upon her by her father and chosen instead to live a normal life. But Maya comes from a long line of people who call themselves Harlequins, a fierce group of warriors willing to sacrifice their lives to protect a select few known as Travelers.

Gabriel and Michael Corrigan are brothers living in Los Angeles. Since childhood, the young men have been shaped by stories that their late father was a Traveler, one of a small band of prophets who have vastly influenced the course of history. Travelers are able to attain pure enlightenment, and have for centuries ushered change into the world. Gabriel and Michael, who may have inherited their father's gifts, have always protected themselves by living "off the Grid", that is, invisible to the real-life surveillance networks that monitor people in our modern society.

Summoned by her ailing father, Maya is told of the existence of the brothers. The Corrigans are in severe danger, stalked by powerful men known as the Tabula, ruthless mercenaries who have hunted Travelers for generations. This group is determined to inflict order on the world by controlling it, and they view Travelers as an intolerable threat. As Maya races to California to protect the brothers, she is reluctantly pulled back into the cold and solitary Harlequin existence. A colossal battle looms, one that will reveal not only the identities of Gabriel and Michael Corrigan but also a secret history of our time.

Moving from the back alleys of Prague to the heart of Los Angeles, from the high deserts of Arizona to a guarded research facility in New York, The Traveler explores a parallel world that exists alongside our own. John Twelve Hawks' stunningly suspenseful debut is an international publishing sensation that marks the arrival of a major new talent.

Listen to the second book in this series: The Dark River: The Fourth Realm, Book 2.

©2005 John Twelve Hawks (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

“This novel’s a stunner.... You won’t want to put the book down.” (People)

“The stuff that first-rate high-tech paranoid-schizophrenic thrillers are made of.” (Time)

“A fearless, brilliant action heroine (think Uma Thurman in Kill Bill); a secret history of the world; a tale of brother against brother... and nonstop action as the forces of good and evil battle it out....Readers won’t regret taking this wild ride.” (The Times-Picayune)

Good

Narrator voice pleasing, book content interesting mixture of spy craft, technology, physics and fantasy. Enjoyed.

Very good!

I really enjoyed this book. Granted, I don't typically read or listen to science fiction / fantasy type of books , yet I found the characters compelling and the story line interesting and fun. It may well not be an 'original', but what is at this point? From the perspective of enjoying a story and it's characters, I think this book is worth reading.

Conspiracy Theorists, You Told Us So!

Society isn't what it seems. There is a dark underbelly.

So beat's the heart of every conspiracy theorist, and in this book, they're vilified and justified. A novel of complex and enjoyable layers, John Twelve Hawks has written an excellent and well-concieved novel. It shares a sweeping story about our world and the hidden organizations and their global agendas that are slowly strangling the freedom from this generation, and the cadre' of people dedicated to slow or possibly stop this advance.

I passed this audiobook up many times, and frankly, the description here at Audible isn't representative of the author's efforts. So, once in a while, I pick a random audiobook, just to mix things up. Hence, I picked this one.

I'm glad I did.

This is one of four books in the series, and I recommend it for a long drive, because there are parts in it that you will NOT want to miss by getting out of your vehicle and taking care of life's daily business.

And isn't that what makes a good book a good book?

You won't be disappointed

I absolutely loved this book.I really enjoyed the story line,and how the author sells the idea of the grid.This book has left me wanting more and I can't wait for the following two books to be written.If you enjoy a well written book,and want to be totally engrossed in a story.Then buy this book.YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

Great Book, Forget the Critics And Enjoy

This is fun, entertaining and great plot. It is the first of trilogy. For me it was engrossing, couldn't put it down. The technology is right on from Carnivoir to Retina Scans and the basics of the evolution and possibility of the mind... books especially Science Fiction are written to write about the possible and the improbable, and this was a book I listened to and couldn't stop until the last word.

Fun light read

While I cringed at the preachy new age tone at times, I think the author was able to create an interesting story and made it possible to suspend disbelief and become involved with the characters. Some of them are a little too stereotyped but overall I think they had reasonable depth. I don't think the language was too cliche as some have said. It is a decent sort of thriller with a few suprises. Maybe some will think it is too formulaic that is probably a bit too critical. I liked the technology and felt that the author's research was very good. I also liked the way he tied in the mysticism of the characters to many of the legends and myths of history. It has energy and moral dilemma and personal angst to spare. I didn't really like the jacket synopsis and didn't expect to like it as much as I did. It is a fun and interesting story. Scott Brick does an excellent job of reading, as usual. I recommend it.

fun story

It kept me interested the whole time, Scott brick is ,as always, a great reader, it definately has a modern day thriller movie vibe to it.

Very Timely Piece of Work

It pains me to realize that I am writing this review "on the grid". Perhaps I am foolish to think that anything that I do is not important to anyone else. But then again, maybe I'm just one of Big Brothers' little sheep.

Extremely thought provoking. Loved it. Waiting for book 2 of the trilogy.

WOW hard to beleive this is a first book

The reviewer who said this would make a great movie is so right! This book kept me enthralled from beginning to end. There are layers here beneath the surface story and I"m looking forward to rereading this again. I wish audible had a notify list so that I can get the sequel as soon as possible.

Should be required reading!

What did you love best about The Traveler?

It's hard to pick one thing - the book and the whole series is just fantastic. It should be required reading for all high school students. We have to get a handle on the freedoms that are being taken away and an educated populace is the only way to do it!

What other book might you compare The Traveler to and why?

I can't think of any other book this is like but if there are any I want to read them.

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book, then the rest of the series, then Spark, then get active.