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)

This book has an interesting premise....

....a lot like Big Brother in '1984'.....people being watched 24/7 by a group of 'government' called the Tabulon....they have access to all types of computerized equipment that makes it possible for them to keep track of humans at all times....quite scary to think about. I found it interesting that one of the things the book talked about was a machine that could look thru clothing at the airport to make sure passengers were not carrying anything dangerous.......hmmmmm, sounds like we already have that happening right now.


There are 2 brothers, Gabriel and Michael who are the main characters of this book....I wanted to put faces to these characters to make it more fun to read the book.....I decided on Dean and Sam Winchester from 'Supernatural' and hence....Gabriel = Sam.......Michael = Dean. It has worked out fabulously for me!


The book is not a bad read.......there is a lot of action and fighting going on......there is a hint of romance and there were a few parts where I was a bit nervous for the good guy.....but I wouldn't consider it a 'blow you away' type of read. It is pretty steady.......almost to the point of boring...but not quite.


I've made the decision to go on to the next book to see if it gets more exciting.....if not.....then I won't bother with the 3rd book.

Awesome

One of my favorite books of all time, well written and well performed. I love it.

Awesome book

An excellent and thought provoking work that blends modern life, religious ideas, and speaks to the heart of our concepts of freedom. This book will have you questioning ideas you have taken for granted and introduce concepts you have yet to consider. I wait with bated breath for the next installation and so will you! Enjoy and beware of The Grid.

Awesome book

An excellent and thought provoking work that blends modern life, religious ideas, and speaks to the heart of our concepts of freedom. This book will have you questioning ideas you have taken for granted and introduce concepts you have yet to consider. I wait with bated breath for the next installation and so will you! Enjoy and beware of The Grid.

What a great book

If you loved Da Vinci Code and The Matrix you'll love this book. Well written. Well read. Can't wait till Book Two in this trilogy.

another good one

Verry good . Well worth the time

very creative and entertaining

I don't agree with the socio-economic slant but who cares. Reading is about exploring other points of views, not just those which conform to our own. The world that the author created is so richly detailed that everything feels real despite the leaps of imagination the text demands. I highly recommend and look forward to the sequel.

awesome book.great message

powerful and scary. describes what is happening to our society. I will be reading anything Mr. Twelvehawks writes

weak plot

This is the ideal book for someone who now realizes for the first time that he looks silly carrying around action comic books. Such a person wouldn't notice the bad writing, flat phraseology, nonsense plot and immature fantasy notions.

I purchased this book because it was highly recommended by Audible. It's my own fault that I didn't do more advanced research, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a stinker.

Also, if the author is truly serious about living off the grid and all that comes with it, why not fill all that blank screen space with some hyperlinks? Also the chapter breaks, as usual, do not synch with those announced by the reader and make little sense.

Lara Croft Meets Neo

I'll say right up front that I actually got the chance to read the book this past weekend rather than experience the audio version. While I can't speak directly to the audio presentation, I will say that I found the story interesting, thought provoking, and perhaps all too real considering current world directions.