Book Review: The Twelve by Justin Cronin

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

Why I Checked It Out:  “The Twelve” is the sequel to “The Passage”, one of Time Magazine’s Top 10 Books of 2010 (and the best book I’d read in six years).  To say I have been eagerly awaiting this follow-up book is an understatement.

Why I Recommend It:  Middle books in planned trilogies are tricky things, often full of set up and character development, but very little action or payoff.  “The Twelve” is as gripping as the first, but in a different sense.  Where “The Passage” ramps up the action with a fight for human survival in a harsh, post-outbreak world overrun with vampire-like killing machines, “The Twelve” delves more deeply into the evil that ordinary people are capable of. 

“The Twelve” follows the format of “The Passage” in that it begins with the story of several characters in the time immediately following the spread of the virus and the panic and confusion that it caused.  It introduces you to a couple of key players in the story and then jumps back into the future and rejoins the main characters of “The Passage” in their post-apocalyptic setting.  It sounds confusing, but it isn’t.  The storyline is clear and well-told.

Yes, this book is full of people eking out a living in unforgiving conditions, dealing with separation, little food, horrible jobs and the uncertainty that comes with the dwindling human population in a world filled with monsters, but given all of that, none of it is truly the heart of the book.  I feel like Cronin, just as in “The Passage”, really makes his characters the focus of his books.  Their love for each other is often the only thing they have.  Their relationships and their loyalty are what give them the courage to face what seems to be overwhelming foes.

The conclusion of the trilogy, “The City of Mirrors”, is due out in 2014.

Book Review: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Why I Checked It Out: This book and its first-time author are getting a lot of buzz, including being short-listed for the Orange Prize, which recognizes outstanding female authors.

Why I Recommend It: It would be easy to label this book as an overly-romanticized retelling of “The Iliad” and dismiss it, but that would be a serious underestimation of an incredibly well-written and well-researched historical novel.

This book is the story of Achilles, the son of a king and a goddess, and the “best of the Greeks,” all told through the eyes of his beloved companion, Patroclus. The two met as young princes, grew into teens under the tutelage of Chiron and were swept into the politics of men and the machinations of gods. It is less about the Trojan War and more about the twists that led two young men to fight in a war they wanted no part of.

Miller has an effortless voice that brings to life men of staggering reputation and makes them painfully, beautifully human. She dove beneath the anger and the pride of Achilles and revealed the naiveté of a boy who wanted to be a hero. Even secondary characters, like Odysseus, are completely rendered and ready to step off the page.

“The Iliad,” which tells the story of the end of the Trojan War, is the story of Patroclus’ and Achilles’ battles and their deaths. “The Song of Achilles” is the story of their loves and their lives. When you already know how the story ends, what matters is the road there. Miller has crafted a living journey with language so striking that it deserves to be savored.

Book Review: The Passage by Justin Cronin

Why I Decided To Read It:  It was getting a ton of buzz from critics and I have trouble saying 'no' to apocalypse stories.


Why I Liked It:  Cronin is a literary author, so it's really hard to explain to people that a story with vampires in it can be quality.  "The Passage" begins in present day and tells the story of a virus-gone-wrong that turns its victims into incredibly fast killing machines that shun the daylight.  It then jumps 100 years into the future and you see the aftermath of the outbreak, the collpase of the society and the way that humans continue to survive in what was once America.
Yeah, there are vampire-like things, and there are sections of this book that terrifying, but that isn't the point.  Not really.  The main body of the book and, for me, the main draw of it, is the stories of survival.  How culture and language and society have adapted and continue to adapt in a changed world.  They are the descendants of an last-ditch outpost in the middle of the desert who have a limited understanding of the events that brought their ancestors to this place and almost no knowledge of the world that thrived before the virus.  The characters have distinct voices compared to before the virus and after the virus, and I loved that.  It was an incredibly real and salient way to demonstrate not just time and situation, but a truly fundamental evolution in the way that people think.

Who Should Read It:  Every adult who loves a smart, intense thriller.  Seriously, I loved this book.  It was the best book I had read in years and it made everything else seem lackluster.  Cronin seriously impressed me and I cannot wait to read the sequel, "The Twelve".

Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Why I Decided To Read It:  It has got truly creepy, vintage picture of a girl floating a couple of inches off the ground.  Tell me you aren't a little interested...


Why I Liked It:  Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is one of the most unique and intriguing young adult books I have read in a while.  It is delightfully spine-tingling and meaningfully enhanced with memorable vintage photography.  Ransom Riggs’ book of adventure and discovery began as the author’s hobby of collecting old photos.  These creepy and mysterious pictures inspired him to write a book about their origin, tying the pictures together with an engaging story of sixteen-year-old Jacob and his search to understand a box of old, eerie photos that belonged to his grandfather.  As Jacob learns more about his grandfather’s past and the “peculiar,” gifted orphans he grew up with, Jacob is led to an isolated island and an abandoned orphanage that may not be as empty as it seems.


Who Should Read It:  Anyone in the mood for a quick, eerie read or anyone who has ever looked at old photos and wondered about their story.  Also, if you're a purist like me and must read the book first, the movie rights have been sold and the screenplay is in the works.


You can see more of Ransom Riggs’ work on MentalFloss.com and his blog “Talking Pictures”.

Intro

I love books.
I love the stage.
I love to learn.
I love music.
And I am incredibly lucky to say that I love my life.

"I miss the sound of your voice,
the loudest thing in my head.
And I ache to remember
all the violent, sweet, perfect words that you said.
If I could walk on water, if I could tell you what’s next,
I'd make you believe, I'd make you forget.
So come on, get higher, loosen my lips.
Faith and desire in the swing of your hips
just to pull me down hard
and drown me in love."

Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson