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)

great part 2 going in for part 3

Hard to stop listening to. Every chance I can I listen for a few minutes.

What a farewell

This really was a beautiful story. It started off a lot slower than, The Passage, and did not have the impact of that book but it was a great second piece to that story and I can’t wait to finish the story in, A City of Mirrors!

A Truly Gripping Continuation of the Original Story Filled With Powerful Characters and Edge-of-your-seat Chills!

I liked that this second installment in the series opened with a brief synopsis of the events from the first book. "The Twelve" introduces you to even more interesting characters as you learn the background of each of the major participants. However, my only "issue" with this was that there seemed to be so MANY new individuals that it was challenging to keep them all straight. That being said, each chapter was gripping as read by the masterful Scott Brick and left me eagerly anticipating the story's continuation. I could not have asked for a better follow up to "The Passage" and I cannot wait to start "The City of Mirrors". This trilogy is my introduction to the writing of Justin Cronin and I am SO glad to have found him!

Good sequel, but very different from the first

The Twelve is a worthy sequel to The Passage, though it didn't quite keep me up at night like the first book. The imagery and pacing doesn't quite pack the same punch, and if you're not a careful reader some of the most important character relationships can sail right past you. The Passage introduced the reader to a strange new world full of horrors brought to life with vivid imagery and suspenseful chase scenes, whereas The Twelve is told in a series of sorrowful vignettes which only during the last quarter of the book begin to tie together. The Twelve requires a bit more patience to enjoy, though I definitely did.

One of the more entertaining aspects of The Passage was Justin Cronin's skillful employment of tropes. He weaves elements which could easily become cliche into a story that's greater than the sum of it's parts, a Hollywood action movie on literary steroids. In The Twelve, Cronin takes a different approach.

The Twelve is structured more as a biblical parable of sin and redemption (or sin and destruction). The story focuses more on the (non-viral) antagonists; each is given an elaborate backstory full of suffering, each makes a terrible decision in response to their anguish and becomes a monster, then finally each is redeemed or destroyed depending on whether or not they try to right their terrible actions.

This may turn off readers that are expecting another scary sci-fi adventure. The religious references are also dialed way up to 11, which while cute at first might become a little irritating by the end. Finally the characters from the first book generally take a back seat to the new antagonists, and sometimes come off as a little too woodenly "Good".

Scott Brick delivers his performance in a lilting, melancholy voice that's absolutely appropriate for Cronin's prose. In some other books I wonder if Brick doesn't actually interfere with the story by adding pathos the author didn't intend. Not so with The Twelve (or The Passage), where his style is a perfect fit for both the style and the substance of the book.

Confusing ending

Felted a Little rushed towards the. But overall, really good read. Good Sequel. Lots of loose ends.

An amazing story!

I'm in love with the book and I can't wait to hear the rest of it.

you'll want to share it!

loved this book, already have the other two downloaded. Problem is, I can't walk the dogs at night anymore, never know what's rustling in the trees!

Continuing a Great Series

Any additional comments?

I just finished the third in the series and will wax poetically in that review, but I must say that I am continually amazed at Cronin's writing ability, his ability to spin long narratives that keep me riveted, and how I grew to care about the people in the book.

10 Stars! It's that good.

Any additional comments?

If I could give it 10 stars, I would. This is a GREAT book!

Must Read

loved it .. can't wait till the next one in March. Great reader he made the book feel real