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.
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