The Twelve

A Novel

By: Justin Cronin

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 26 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best seller

The end of the world was only the beginning.

In his internationally best-selling and critically acclaimed novel The Passage, Justin Cronin constructed an unforgettable world transformed by a government experiment gone horribly wrong. Now the scope widens and the intensity deepens as the epic story surges forward....

In the present day, as the man-made apocalypse unfolds, three strangers navigate the chaos. Lila, a doctor and an expectant mother, is so shattered by the spread of violence and infection that she continues to plan for her child’s arrival even as society dissolves around her. Kittridge, known to the world as "Last Stand in Denver", has been forced to flee his stronghold and is now on the road, dodging the infected, armed but alone and well aware that a tank of gas will get him only so far. April is a teenager fighting to guide her little brother safely through a landscape of death and ruin. These three will learn that they have not been fully abandoned - and that in connection lies hope, even on the darkest of nights.

One hundred years in the future, Amy and the others fight on for humankind’s salvation...unaware that the rules have changed. The enemy has evolved, and a dark new order has arisen with a vision of the future infinitely more horrifying than man’s extinction. If the Twelve are to fall, one of those united to vanquish them will have to pay the ultimate price.

A heart-stopping thriller rendered with masterful literary skill, The Twelve is a grand and gripping tale of sacrifice and survival.

Look for the entire Passage trilogy:

The Passage
The Twelve
The City of Mirrors

Praise for The Twelve

“[A] literary superthriller.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“An undeniable and compelling epic...a complex narrative of flight and forgiveness, of great suffering and staggering loss, of terrible betrayals and incredible hope.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

“The Twelve is even better than The Passage.” (The Plain Dealer)

“A compulsive read.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Gripping... Cronin [introduces] eerie new elements to his masterful mythology.... Enthralling, emotional and entertaining.” (The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“Fine storytelling.” (Associated Press)

“Cronin is one of those rare authors who works on two different levels, blending elegantly crafted literary fiction with cliff-hanging thrills.” (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

©2012 Justin Cronin (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

Named one of the Ten Best Novels of the Year by Time and Library Journal, and one of the Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post, Esquire, U.S. News & World Report, NPR/On Point, and St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Magnificent...Cronin has taken his literary gifts, and he has weaponized them.... The Passage can stand proudly next to Stephen King’s apocalyptic masterpiece The Stand, but a closer match would be Cormac McCarthy’s The Road." (Time)

The 12

A very well written and narrated audible book! Justin Cronin knows how to lace a story together from multiple perspectives, directions, genres, and for all ages. Absolutely, love this series. On to the next one!

A Story for the Ages

This is the second of three books in the series. I read the physical books several years ago and loved the story so much I decided to listen to this unabridged version. I was not disappointed. If you like stories that span time and generations. If you like apocalyptic tales that chronicle how people would deal with the incredible and otherworldly, this series is for you, They will forever be in my favorites of all time.

Fantastic read! (well, listen)

This is book two in "The Passage" trilogy. I made it through book one but struggled in certain areas because it was pretty hard to keep track of ×&!/ was happening, in some ways. it is a very deep story and dies require your undivided attention, or you will get lost! I am absolutely not a vampire guy. Not even close. But the author, Justin Cronin, does a spectacular job of weaving together a tail of, once again, man's creation taking a turn to destroy man. iMHO, Mr. Cronin does it better! In this book, some characters from "The Passage" resurface, but a whole new cast of characters carry the story forward. It is incredibly exciting. At many points in this story, I was cheering for the "Flatlanders," and in other parts, I'm saying outloud, "Oh s**t!" These are long reads/listens, but I am getting ready to start this third book, and I'm excited to read it. Of course, Scott Brick is an amazing narrator. I would go ahead and buy the extra credits, get all three books, and prepare to go on a wild ride!

The Passage leads to a winding road

The second book of the Passage trilogy is…not what I was expecting. The first book ends with the promise that the heroes are “going to war” against the Twelve, with the suggestion that they know where to find each of them and will systematically take them on, one by one. So I was expecting the next novel, with a title like “The Twelve,” to be about just that: Peter and Amy’s journeys across America, taking out as many of the Twelve as possible. I wasn’t disappointed by the book’s actual plot; far from it. But I was confused as to its structure and some of the narrative choices Cronin made in its construction.

For one thing, the book begins in the year of the virals’ escape and civilization’s collapse, from the point of view of mostly new characters, which is 100 years before the events of the second half of The Passage. Most of this part is relevant to the eventual outcome of the story, but a good deal of it isn’t. It’s odd, because I enjoyed this part of the book for what it was, but it felt like procrastination. It would have been better served to be presented in novella form, I think, released as separate, but not required, companion volumes, as many books with rich, wide settings do these days.

Then, the story jumps forward in time to an event that took place 20 years before the “present” (e.g. Peter’s time) whose relevance to the plot takes a long, long time to become clear. And because we spend so little time with these characters, it makes the down-the-road resolution seem less important, and somewhat tacked on.

Once we get back to the “present” and return to the heroes from The Passage, things get back on track for a while. However, we’re informed after an action sequence that the search for the Twelve has basically fizzled and been called off, leaving Peter to mope and Alicia to seethe, as usual. The plot then begins a long meander toward a finale where all points converge. There are no fewer than eight point-of-view characters all involved in the finale, heroes and villains alike. It gets rather depressing toward the middle of the book as one of the major plot points is revealed. Like the TV show Battlestar Galactica, a long slog through utter grimness eventually leads to a glorious climax.

There is plenty of character development and quiet moments of beauty to be found across the breadth of The Twelve, and toward the end, you won’t be able to put it down. Yet keeping track of all the moving parts, some of which I feel could have been combined for simplicity’s sake (especially Peter’s journey; either have him go with Alicia or Amy), can be daunting. The book lacks the singular focus of The Passage, and while it widens the scope of the story to dramatic, and grim, expanses, I felt like it got a little lost along the way. My guess is Cronin had a much bigger story in mind but couldn’t tell it in just three volumes, so had to condense a lot. In any case, while the story’s execution is curious, confusing, perhaps even confounding, it sticks the landing in perfect form. I’m curious as to where the third volume will take us; my guess is, after this one, not where we expect.

Scott Brick does a terrific job as usual; I understand some people don’t care for his delivery, but I am a fan, and he brings a pitch-perfect gravitas and melancholy to the book’s serious tone. His range is not particularly wide; all characters sound more or less the same. But his voice is capable of such resonance and poignancy that it doesn’t matter. His musical cadence of speech is almost hypnotizing, and is a perfect match for the material.

Scott Brick is a Master Narrator

What made the experience of listening to The Twelve: A Novel the most enjoyable?

This was a great continuation of The Passage trilogy. Justin Cronin has created an epic adventure with memorable characters and a gripping story.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Scott Brick could not have done a better job. His characters were dead on with my image of them and his performance was flawless. I know the third installment of this trilogy is not due but I'm on here tonight looking for more Scott Brick books.

If you could rename The Twelve: A Novel, what would you call it?

Mr. Cronin's titles are pretty simple and that's the way it should be. Anything I would come up with would be too corny for this brilliant work.

Any additional comments?

Did I mention that I liked it?

Didn't live up to the first book

Not that it was bad. Would have liked to've had more interaction with the 12.

Good listen, but not as good as Book 1

Well done audio book. Struck me as half a notch below the first book and doesn't really get me to get book 3 (which I will anyway). If you liked Book 1, go ahead and pull the trigger, you won't regret it.

Great book

I had to listen to the end of book 1{ The Passage } so I could remember how it ended, it had been a few years. I couldn't wait to go to work everyday so I could listen to this one! Well worth the credit!

Cronin does it again!

I was enamored with the Passage so I had high expectations for the Twelve. Cronin's writing is some of the best of our time. Every character is fleshed out in heart-aching detail. The plot is phenomenal, expounding on characters that were only touched on in The Passage. I cannot recommend a series more highly than The Passage trilogy.

#apocalypse #vampires #creepy #heartfelt #dystopia #ChildProtagonist #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Very LONG... and worth every minute

Both Books 1 and 2 seemed to go on forever, taking about a week each to finish (listening for 2 hours or so during my daily commutes). At some points, the drama associated with how much someone loves someone else can be long winded. However, the struggles and combat sequences are well spaced so that each mini-story is essential to the whole. Personally, this has become one of my favorite trilogies and with the right producer and director, could make for an awesome television series. Scott Brick does a great job reading, having the ability to make minute changes in inflection and tone that let you know when two different people are speaking. Well done.