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)

TWO IN THIS SERIES IS ENOUGH

I listened to the first of this series "The Passage".This title was fun and fairly well written, but it was a little hard to follow and jumped around a bit. It was a new take on an old idea "vampires", and how they were created by the government to be super human fighters.
The second in this series "The Twelve" is more of the same, except it jumps timeline and from place to place so much that it is very hard to follow. I did like that it gave some more missing details and background. But I don't think it was worthy of an entire second part in this continuing series. It could have easily been edited and added to the first book. This second book seemed forced and predictable. Since it seemed to come to a satisfactory conclusion I will opt out on a third and final in the series.

Cronin doesn't know what book he's trying to write

Any additional comments?

There's several competing visions crammed into this novel and they don't particularly work well together. Other than some returning characters The Twelve feels much like a brand new universe that's still laying down the rules. Cronin doesn't seem to know exactly what the story he wants to tell is. Or rather he's trying to tackle a lot of concepts but nothing is getting his full attention.

A major annoyance is Cronin's shift from time-periods or main characters. You'll have a few short chapters in the 'present' and then spend the next 1/4 of the book in the 'past' with a completely different cast of characters (which you will not return to). Later you'll be spending a long period of time with a situation then he throws in a random chapter about an entirely unrelated character. Then off on another tangent. For the life of me I cannot figure out the flow. It feels like he got bored while writing and went off on random vectors to keep himself interested.

Normally I like Scott Brick... he's fairly awful here. Slow and ponderous narration. Way too much use of his "confused" voice which is sort of soft, whispery, and whiney. And unfortunately there are a lot of very confused characters in The Twelve. It seems everyone is coming out of a coma, or shock, or a blackout at the beginning of every chapter...

There were a few standout parts of the book, however. I really enjoyed a lengthy section detailing what happened in the weeks and months following the worldwide outbreak. It was a tasty novella hiding in a otherwise dull tome.

Pointless

This book adds precious little to the story, but manages to do so for twenty six hours.

A pale,disjointed sequel to"The Passage".

The first in series "The Passage" was a real page turning character driven trip to a better place, whereas "The Twelve" seemed to be written in a whole other style, loosely put together ,and severely lacking in character depth and feel. I enjoyed it, but was overall disappointed ,and do not plan to delve into the third installment unfortunately.

Can I get my money back?

Would you try another book from Justin Cronin and/or Scott Brick?

Scott Brick is the best! He really needs to watch who he lends his voice to. I loved the first book of this trilogy and looked forward to the Twelve....I finally gave up waiting for it to get better by chapter 10. It's like being inside a schizophrenic mind. If you don't believe me read the Washington Post review. Wish I would have read it first.

What could Justin Cronin have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Wrote with some semblance of order.

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

None

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Twelve: A Novel?

How about all of it?

Piece of crap

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

6 year olds.

Has The Twelve: A Novel turned you off from other books in this genre?

yes

Would you be willing to try another one of Scott Brick’s performances?

no

What character would you cut from The Twelve: A Novel?

i would cut the book

Any additional comments?

having read and enjoyed The Passage immensely, i was eagerly awaiting to read the twelve. Only when I started, none of the stuff that I enjoyed in the previous book - the apocalyptic atmosphere, the chapters where Amy and Woldgast spend his last days in the cabin, utterly alone, none of it was anywhere to be found.
In fact this book is probably the biggest piece of crap i read in the recent years. A mediocre adventure book, which I at least three times forced myself to read to the end. Avoid it at all costs.

Another boring vamp book

The first book made me think it would not be another vamp book. Wrong! I'm mad I paid for this book, and listened till the end.
I can't believe vampires or the divergent maze runner is the best you can come up with I kept my hopes up it would not be geared toward teen mentality. Disappointed

Not as good as The Passage

What disappointed you about The Twelve: A Novel?

Not nearly as good as the passage. Seems slower paced, contrived.

What was most disappointing about Justin Cronin’s story?

Preaching religion.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He's okay.

Any additional comments?

Was really looking forward to this book after listening to The Passage. Not looking forward to third book.

Disjointed

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

This was not up to Justin Cronins first book. The first one was great but I could not finish this one because it was so disjointed. I could not follow the story line if there was one. Don't waste your credits.

Has The Twelve: A Novel turned you off from other books in this genre?

No

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Scott Brick was the only redeaming thing about this book. His performance was great but a poor story line. I very much enjoy listing to him,

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Twelve: A Novel?

all of it

Any additional comments?

Dont waste your credits.

Wow - Save your $$

What disappointed you about The Twelve: A Novel?

The whole thing except for Scott Brick's narration.
What a waste of time and money.

What could Justin Cronin have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Rewrote it.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Scott is always great!

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boring and too wildly futuristic - way too much fantasy.

Any additional comments?

Sorry I spent the $$ - wish I could get a refund as I could not even finish the first section.