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)

'Come To Me, Come To Me, Come To Me..."

Cronin's continuation of The Passage finally pulls us readers left gripping the edge of the cliff, up over the rim and into -- Year Zero: Twelve death row inmates, infected with a man-made virus [known as project Noah] which transformed them into malevolent vampire-like creatures with psychic powers, and an unquenchable thirst for blood, escape and sweep across the land, creating a new apocalyptic world of devastation and terror. Then, with a jump ahead 97 years (5 yrs. after the blow-out ending of The Passage) to finish what was started with Lacey's sacrifice in the first book -- hunting down and exterminating the Twelve (minus bombed-out Babcock - ?!). Yes, Cronin still jumps around in time and requires some rigorous tracking by the reader, but The Twelve stays largely in 97 a.v. and focuses on the hunt for the Twelve, and the new viral run settlement, The (horrific) Homeland -- all in all providing 26 hrs. of transportive, and eerily believable, entertainment.

Cronin's strength in The Passage was creating absolute terror in the struggle to survive, and the nail-biting moments of life or *death/life*; The Twelve continues with the well-thought out story, focusing more on the development and complexities of the characters as they deal with the forces that shape their personalities -- the trauma, and the unrelenting despair of fighting to keep their world from completely ending, and thus an unimaginably darker world from truly beginning. Even fellow humans can't be trusted, and Cronin leads us to look inside ourselves--what are we capable of doing to survive, what is our personal belief system, our level of tolerance before cracking? Cronin capably uses his prolific prose to meld this thriller with psychological drama.

Some major problems with The Twelve, once you've learned the art of break-neck time traveling within this millennium: keeping track of the dozens of characters and their connecting arc with all the plots going on. An index of characters, as well as a data-base, would be a small book itself -- and helpful. Can you remember that Lila, the new *Queen,* is the ex-wife of Wolgast? How about defining: the Twelve, Zero, Dracs, virals, spinners, jumps, smokes, dopeys, red-eyes...*I am Fanning-Morrison-Chavez-Baffles-Turrell-Winston-Sosa-Echolos-Lambright-Martinex-Reinhardt-Carter* -- it can get confusing. There are also several instances where things are just a little tooo convenient, or the facts don't substantiate the events (curtains that have held up perfectly over 100 yrs.?). And at 26 hours, 550 pages...there were times my interest either flagged or was just overwhelmed. Usually these issues would knock off a star for me, but in the shadow of such an epic they boil down to minor issues.

Cronin's world is similar to King's world of The Stand (very similar), del Toro & Hogan's The Strain (the suffocating creepy atmosphere), and McCammon's Swan Song (especially with the ever-budding religious allegory..the Twelve, the biblical verse as a prologue, the bright heaven-like vision, Guilder's pope-ish appearance)...and the length of each one of these tomes...but still is original and enjoyable--in a terrifying way. It will be a long wait for the concluding The City of Mirrors release in 2014, and it will be interesting to see what Ridley Scott does with the movie rights, but with Cronin's vivid literary creation, it might seem like a re-run. It's hard to do this genre right -- but Cronin nailed it. I struggled with the few issues I stated above, but overall was so engaged that I have to highly recommend.

Zero Regrets, Buy this book.

This is a Must Listen. This book is very much worth $45.50 and worth way more than a credit. If you haven't read The Passage buy it, hear it, love it and come back here. Both Novels are wonderfully written and filled with fantastic characters and stories. They are both filled with excitement, some sadness/madness, and a few scoot to the edge of your seat jump up and whoop moments. And when it isn't all tension it's like gravity.

Sequel-esk failings

Not as good as the first one. But that is to be expected. Having said that I have to admit that I kept trying to sneak in time to listen to it; and anxiously awaiting the next book.

It was very interesting, though a little drawn out, on filling in the gaps from the first book. This same attention to detail caused the end to seem rushed; almost as if the author was under pressure to get it done. I hope the next book takes into account that the 'present' of the main characters deserve more detail than characters who play a minor role in the overall scheme of the storyline.

Excellent!

I enjoyed this book very much. Although I enjoyed "the Passage", as well, I think this book was a little tighter in terms of writing and story-telling. I think the writer struck a better balance between the "slices of life" character development stories and the continuity of the overall storyline in this installment.

I was especially impressed with how the past and present story-lines tied together in order to give more depth to the motivations of the "adversaries". Cronin is very simply an excellent writer, so he brings life to material that could easily be one dimensional in the hands of another. I am very much looking forward to the next installment of this series, in addition to future projects he undertakes.

You still here?

Any one of the books in this trilogy is two or three times the length of a regular book. I’m not sure if I’d recommend to others. They are a VERY SPECIFIC take inside the post-apocalypse genre. Part “Dracula” and part modern scientific experiment gone massively wrong. If that sounds like your thing and you have the time to give to read these, then yes, read on. (I understand a TV series is out there based on the first book but couldn’t say how they compare.)

Epic

Loved it great ending! Anyone who complains about this series or book probably have own personal issues they are tying to work out. It was slow but the ending was a great setup for the finale. I liked it and I'm a pain in the ass.

epic story.

A fantastic storyline with characters that get under your skin in every way. Scott Brick's narrative is on point. I loved every minute of this book and I can't wait to dig into the next one.

Outstanding

Absolutely outstanding! This book had me from beginning to end! I can't wait for the third installment of this series so I can experience that one as well!

A little slower than the first book but still good

Where does The Twelve: A Novel rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Good narration. Story started slow but picked up. If you enjoyed the first book you should read this one.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Their were really too many to pick one-it was nice in the first half that he finished and filled some of the character stories of the first book but then kind of dropped them again leaving you to imagine what may have happened-and then when you assume someone from earlier was dead, they suddenly reappear...

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

All-not a lot of voicing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Amy's becoming and relationship with Wahlgast..., the rest of Anthony's story, and Lila's final re-ravelling...Trying not to give too much away.

Any additional comments?

Long book-like the last one but it was good. Hope the next one comes out before I forget this one-lots of details.

Cronin & Brick continue to roll!

Another fine performance by Mr. Brick & Cronin continues with a fine vampire story that stretches generations. Money well spent and I cannot wait for the next edition!