I finally found time to read
The Twelve, Justin Cronin’s sequel to the critically acclaimed
and popular The Passage, as a part of my Big Book Summer
Challenge. I was saving this hefty novel for summer, when I knew I’d have more time
to read, but I wish I had read it sooner after finishing
The Passage. I enjoyed The Twelve and never had
trouble finishing it, but it’s a complicated and sometimes confusing novel. It
was, however, well worth the effort to find out what happened next in this
unique post-apocalyptic trilogy.
This second novel fills in more details of the action in The
Passage and also follows some of its
characters further, beyond the point where the first novel left off. In The
Passage (don’t worry – no spoilers here!),
a secret government project to create an indestructible soldier goes awry when
the virus they were experimenting with is unleashed on the public. The first
half of that first novel deals with the events surrounding the virus’ release,
and the rest of the book focuses on a small surviving colony of people 90 years
later.
The Twelve goes back
to the time when the virus was first let loose and the events immediately
following. The author focuses on a number of different characters – some
familiar from the first book and others new to the reader – with varying
viewpoints and roles. At the same time, the novel also continues the story
where the first book ended, 90-some years after the virus (A.V.), and it also
looks back in time to certain critical events that occurred earlier and
affected the future.
So, perhaps you can begin to understand how confusing this
novel is at times! It jumps around among dozens of different characters’
viewpoints and also skips from one time to another. So, you might be reading about
the ex-wife of the main FBI agent (Wolgast) during the time of the viral
release…and then all of a sudden you are reading about a new character 79 years
A.V…then jumping to a character from the first book in 97 A.V. I often found
myself starting a new chapter and just saying, “Whaaat??”
However, Cronin is an excellent writer, as anyone who read The
Passage can attest, and the disparate
strings of the story do eventually come together. For me, the initial confusion
was worth the pay-off, as the story builds to a startling and action-packed
climax (though some questions still remain – hopefully to be answered in Book
3!). I was never tempted to set the book aside, and the suspense kept me
reading and (patiently) waiting for things to come together.
I highly recommend that anyone who isn’t reading The
Twelve immediately after The Passage
remind themselves of the characters and plot-points first. I found a couple of
thorough plot summaries of The Passage
online (just search for “plot synopsis the passage”), and reading those
helped…somewhat. There are still some characters in this novel that were only
vaguely mentioned in the first book. I also discovered – after finishing the
novel – a list of characters in the back of the book! I wish I’d known that was
there before I read it.
Overall, as with The Passage, Cronin has created a fascinating and compelling story about an
unthinkable kind of apocalypse and the future world that it creates. This
trilogy is a unique combination of post-apocalyptic fiction, thriller, and
paranormal fiction, and the story pulls you in and keeps you reading. Although The
Twelve is complex and sometimes confusing, it is a gripping sequel
for fans of The Passage. I can’t wait to
find out what’s in store in the final book!
564
pages, Ballantine Books
