The Dark River

Book Two of the Fourth Realm Trilogy

By: John Twelve Hawks

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

The Dark River opens in New York City with a stunning piece of news. Gabriel's father, who has been missing for nearly 20 years, may still be alive and trapped somewhere in Europe. Gabriel and his Harlequin protector, Maya, immediately mobilize to escape New York and find the long-lost Traveler.

Simultaneously, Michael orders the Brethren, the ruthless group that has been hunting Gabriel, into a full-scale search. Gabriel yearns to find his father to protect him; Michael aims to destroy the man whose existence threatens his newfound power.

The race moves from the underground tunnels of New York and London to ruins hidden beneath Rome and Berlin, to a remote region of Africa that is rumored to harbor one of history's greatest treasures. And as the story moves toward its chilling conclusion, Maya must decide if she will trade everything to rescue Gabriel.

Listen to the first book in this series: The Traveler.

©2007 John Twelve Hawks (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Engrossing....Part A Wrinkle in Time, part The Matrix and part Kurosawa epic." ( Publishers Weekly)
"John Twelve Hawks has drawn upon both pop-cultural and literary touchstones and modified them to create a cyber-1984." ( The New York Times)
"The stuff that first-rate high-tech paranoid-schizophrenic thrillers are made of." ( Time)

The first book 'The Traveler' was good. This, the second book in this trilogy crashes and burns.

Not too bad through the first half or so. But somewhere around the last third of the book, it falls apart. The author lost the scent. In fact, the drop off is so noticeable that you almost can't help wondering if it is even the same writer. It turns into a bad cartoon.
The narrator is Scott Brick. He's been performing audiobooks since the 1990's at least. He is one of the best in the business. But. He is out of his element here. He has a tendency to take melodrama over the top sometimes; but here, he's waaay over the top. The characters in this story are as diverse as it gets; and nearly every one of them is of a different sex, nationality, ethnicity, or a combination of all three. In fairness to Brick, this is one of those that definitely requires at least three performers. He has to pull of male and female voices; some white, some black, some Irish, some British, he can't.

Not as good as the first book

I thought the first book of this series was very good. I couldn't wait to get the second book. However, the second book just doesn't have that "quality" to make the listener want to keep listening. It is not worth 2 credits. That is like paying for a so-so book twice.

Middle Book Lag

I love the first book. Not as good as the traveler. But a must have if you want to finish the series. Less character development and less action.

Lacks substance

The author has one good idea and tries to make a novel out of it. If it weren't on my iPod when desperately needed a diversion, I would never have finished the book. You can't even begin to care about the characters, and the plot is one note - go to the next world. Very trite. Certainly doesn't live up to the possibilities of his first book.

And the narrator: yawn...takes himself too seriously since there's nothing to the story.

Summary of the first book!

Skip this!!!!! I have never felt cheated out of a credit before after close to ten years. Sure, there have been some books that weren't great or that I just did not enjoy...
That this can even be called a book is ludicrous. I knew it was a trilogy when I bought the first one. I expected more from part two than a recap from the reader and then endless time in the story recapping the recap and also recapping the first story. I'm disappointed in the author, the reader and Audible. I want my credit back.

Okay, but...

Not sure why this book is listed as costing 2 credits. Certainly not worth the double price. This book was about as good as the first in the series. The whole off-the-grid-omnipresent-bad-guys plot is a little tiresome, but Scott Brick at least makes even a mediocre book listenable. Any present-day story with any "quantum" computers make me want to gag, but at least the "quantum" computer stayed offline for this story.