Spark

A Novel

By: John Twelve Hawks

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

THE MOST DANGEROUS ASSASSIN IS THE ONE WHO BELIEVES HE IS ALREADY DEAD.

A razor-sharp, high-tech, wildly imaginative new novel from internationally best-selling author John Twelve Hawks, Spark features a narrator unlike any in recent fiction—a man whose view of life and death is different from anything you’ve ever imagined.

Jacob Underwood is a contract employee of the Special Services Section, a small shadow department buried within the multinational corporation DBG, headquartered in New York City. Jacob is not a businessman.... He is a hired assassin...and his job is to neutralize problems deemed unacceptable by the corporation. But Jacob is not like other employees, nor is he like other people. After a catastrophic motorcycle accident leaves him with Cotard’s syndrome—an actual condition that causes those afflicted to believe they are dead—Jacob perceives himself as nothing but a “Shell,” with no emotions and no tether to the concept of right and wrong.

Emily Buchanan is a bright young second-year associate for DBG, and she has disappeared without a trace. Suspecting that Emily has stolen either vast sums of money or valuable information from the company, Ms. Holquist, Jacob’s handler at DBG, assigns him the task of tracking down the young woman and neutralizing her. Jacob’s condition allows him to carry out assignments with ruthless, logical precision, devoid of guilt, fear, or dishonor. But as his new assignment draws him inside a labyrinthine network of dark dealings, Jacob finds himself up against something he is completely incapable of understanding.

Shifting with riveting precision from New York to London, Paris to New Delhi, Spark is a thriller that delves into the surveillance state we prognosticate today...and will live in tomorrow. In the hands of master storyteller John Twelve Hawks, a unique character’s startling transformation comes to life, making Spark a thriller that resonates and satisfies on many levels.

©2014 John Twelve Hawks (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Spark is an even better introduction to the abundant dystopian talents of John Twelve Hawks than The Traveler was… exhilarated… breathless action …[The] protagonist lives in an ominous, technology-dominated world where machines aid or spy on all aspects of life. Sometimes, they can do both, and the few free souls left in society fear that a takeover by artificial intelligence isn’t far away…Mr. Twelve Hawks sets up the battles in Spark as more than simple combat. His appeal lies in his pairing of one system of belief against another and letting them duke it out.”--Janet Maslin, The New York Times

"In Spark, by John Twelve Hawks, memory becomes a twisty beast to get rid of, especially if it is the last part of you that is really human...a fantastic blend of action and deeper questions about what it means to be human."--The Washington Post

“What sets Spark apart is John Twelve Hawks’s expert characterization of Jacob Underwood, a first-person narrator whose view of the world is so unexpected and strange that we can’t take our eyes off him. This is an adrenaline-charged thriller–endlessly inventive–that winds through a landscape of cutting-edge technology with great assurance and skill.”—Lincoln Child, New York Times best-selling author of The Third Gate and coauthor (with Douglas Preston) of White Fire

I really wanted to like this book

This was my first John Twelve Hawks. Before I chose it, I read reviews from his other books and reviews for this book. He is loved and has many loyal followers, so I was looking forward to Spark.
The main character, Jacob Underwood, was the problem for me with this story. As the description says, he's a man with a brain injury that gives him perfect characteristics to be an assassin. He thinks he is dead so he feels nothing, no empathy, no sense of something being beautiful vs. being ugly, and no concept of the future. The problem with that premise is that there is no reason to care about him one way or the other as a reader. There is no character development because he doesn't have any personality. I wanted to care about Jacob, as he did is job, as he experienced the world around him, like traveling to foreign countries, and as he met the people he's supposed to murder, but there was nothing there. I didn't get to experience any feelings, any sensations, any change of heart because he has no feelings, senses, or heart.
The whole premise is interesting, but it needed another facet introduced, like he needed a handler, or he needed to have ONE part of his conscience work, so there would be something I could latch on to and care about.
The pace of the story, the action, the other characters, and the general idea of the book were good, but not enough to make it a great book.
There were all sorts of deep, thought provoking ideas around are we alive, what defines "alive," and how are we different than non-sapient beings. But again, that wasn't enough to carry the book.
Scott Brick as the narrator was a good choice, or maybe he was a bad choice, I couldn't tell. He did a nice job of interpreting the lack of emotion and sensations, but it got tedious. A couple times I wondered if I would like the story better if I read it instead of listened to it because the narrator really highlighted to stark-ness of the story.
The ending set up the possibility of a continuation of the story. I will not be getting the sequel if one comes out.
Bummer, I wanted to like it, but I do not recommend this book.

Slow in places but satisfying towards the end

If you could sum up Spark in three words, what would they be?

Original, Smart, Slow

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was fairly satisfying - I wanted more of a fairytale ending but that probably wouldn't have suited the story. I would also like a sequence to see what happens to the characters next. The climax showdowns were well written and rewarding.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

He nailed it. He portrayed the different characters very well. In the slow points I may have given up but I quite enjoyed listening to the tone of his voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

I thought some sequences were unnecessary and dragged the story when I wanted to get to the point where he spent time with Emily. That could've happened sooner for me - I didn't need so much back story on his character. He was an interesting character - I like the way he sees details as colours. Supporting characters were great too, Ms Holquist especially. I would definitely read a sequel to this.

What is humanity

I think everyone will have their own view of what this book says to them. But to me it encapsulates the primal nature of humanity to find connections (look for patterns) and form relationships. Very interesting... having read other books by the author I’d love to sit with him to conversate about some of these ideas!

Good Story, Not Preachy

I thoroughly enjoyed his first three books. This one did not disappoint. The structure, with flashbacks of memory to provide the backstory, worked very well. Given the subject, some writers could have been strident and preachy, but his being a novelist saved him. As with his previous books, this was a story about humanity caught in a trap of its own making, but the focus remained on the humanity, not the trap that threatened it; on what it meant to be human, not on human delusions that they were no more than the machines they created in their own image.

And Scott Brick, as always, was superb.

Engaging

Scott Brick’s narration sets an eerie tone in this mystery thriller about a man, Jacob Underwood, who lives in a near-future dystopian world in which he makes a living as an assassin. After experiencing a near life ending motorcycle accident Underwood believes he is one of the living dead making him a cold, emotionless, systematic killer with only a “spark,” of humanity left in him. This detached life style, however, soon becomes tested when he is given the most challenging assignments of his career.
The mysterious writer, who goes by the pseudonym, John Twelve Hawks and is the author of “The Fourth Realm,” seems to intertwine his own personal mistrust of governments and corporations into his writing but the end result is a rich and engaging story.

Cotard's syndrome is the new black

What made the experience of listening to Spark the most enjoyable?

The protagonist is fascinating, and the first-person narration, although limited by his perceptions, skillfully fills a larger picture.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Scott Brick's narration is understated, as it has to be for such a character, but nuanced nonetheless. A good melding of narrator and text.

Any additional comments?

I had never heard of Cotard's syndrome before reading this novel, but since then I discovered a series of Welsh police procedurals with a protagonist who is struggling with the same condition, Fiona Griffiths. The two characters are very different, though both extremely engaging.

It's what makes humans unique

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely wonderful story about the human spirit and the forces that attempt to crush it.

What other book might you compare Spark to and why?

Fahrenheit 451. The breaking from conforming to the code of the fire man to one of supporting those who cherish books.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Underwood decides that Emily is now his center of his circle and must save her

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

At the end of the book when Emily is about to leave with Sean she hugs him and he in turn hugs her.

Any additional comments?

John Twelve Hawks has the ability to intertwine messages of humanity and freedom in a brilliant story that is written which such depth of character and situations. Absolutely loved every minute. Hope there is more to come.

Not as good as his previous series, a bit tedious.

Would you listen to Spark again? Why?

No, found it to be a bit flat in development.

If you’ve listened to books by John Twelve Hawks before, how does this one compare?

Doesn't measure up.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Always look for Scott Brick.

good book you will enjoy. it is the future...Q?

I think you will enjoy as I did
I must work now. soon . Q

Oddly entertaining thriller

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

This was kind of a bizarre book and if it weren't for Scott Brick's narration I probably wouldn't have stuck with it.

Any additional comments?

This book starts out really good but then takes a turn to the bizarre and does drag a bit about 1/2 way through. Stick with it though, it really picks up momentum in the second half and everything starts to make sense. The reason for the protagonist's disorder and why and how he became who he was, betrayal by the most unexpected and how Jake deals with them. But the ending makes this sad story so worth it and ends on a really great cliffhanger with unfinished relationships and personal revelations that makes me believe there will be a sequel. If you're looking for something a little different then this is it!