The Twelve

Transition. The good news is that the second novel of Justin Cronin’s trilogy, The Twelve, came in three hundred pages shorter than The Passage which opened the series. The bad news is that while you can read the current novel on its own, you’ll understand the material far better if you pay the 800 page price of reading the first one. The other bad news is that Cronin needs to wrap up the story in an upcoming novel, and my guess is that the third novel will be a long one. So be careful, once you start, you’re likely to endure to the end. This trilogy tells of a scientific experiment gone bad and what happened to people and cities. Cronin excels at character development, and both the good and bad ones are drawn with precision. The plot is complex and entertaining. Readers who like big sweeping books with dark themes are those most likely to enjoy this one. Rating: Three-star (Recommended) Click here to purchase The Twelve from amazon.com.