The Twelve
I knew going in that The Twelve was not as well-received as The Passage. This is often the case with the second installment in a series. Too often they serve as mere bridges from the intriguing beginning to the thrilling conclusion, with little meat of their own.
This wasn't entirely the case with The Twelve, which I though was similar in style and scope to its prequel. It meandered a lot, but the so did the first book. There was an enormous cast of characters, spread over multiple locations. But I ultimately found it just as heart-rending and entertaining as the first book.
One thing that frustrated me early on was Cronin's decision to return to the immediate aftermath of the viral outbreak. Most of the characters I cared about live 100 years after this point, and it seemed weird to focus on a group of people who were definitely going to die, one way or another, before the main focus of the book. But as the story progressed and the threads came together, this return to the past ultimately made sense for the story. Not everyone died the way I expected them to, and the book even managed to imply hopeful endings for some of the characters. Well, one of them.
The ending also felt a bit rushed. Which is interesting in a book that is so intent on taking it's time. Cronin spends a lot of time establishing his world and characters and making sure his emotional punches land. So the climax felt a bit like it came out of nowhere and wrapped things up a bit too neatly. Especially with another whole book to go. Though it did help establish the final vampire as more of a threat going in to the finale. Which was probably the point.
The bottom line is that I'm loving these books, and I'm glad I waited until they were all out to really dive in. I'd hate to have to wait a year or more to find out how it all ends. I just hope the ending doesn't end up being as devastating as I'm fearing it will be.
This wasn't entirely the case with The Twelve, which I though was similar in style and scope to its prequel. It meandered a lot, but the so did the first book. There was an enormous cast of characters, spread over multiple locations. But I ultimately found it just as heart-rending and entertaining as the first book.
One thing that frustrated me early on was Cronin's decision to return to the immediate aftermath of the viral outbreak. Most of the characters I cared about live 100 years after this point, and it seemed weird to focus on a group of people who were definitely going to die, one way or another, before the main focus of the book. But as the story progressed and the threads came together, this return to the past ultimately made sense for the story. Not everyone died the way I expected them to, and the book even managed to imply hopeful endings for some of the characters. Well, one of them.
The ending also felt a bit rushed. Which is interesting in a book that is so intent on taking it's time. Cronin spends a lot of time establishing his world and characters and making sure his emotional punches land. So the climax felt a bit like it came out of nowhere and wrapped things up a bit too neatly. Especially with another whole book to go. Though it did help establish the final vampire as more of a threat going in to the finale. Which was probably the point.
The bottom line is that I'm loving these books, and I'm glad I waited until they were all out to really dive in. I'd hate to have to wait a year or more to find out how it all ends. I just hope the ending doesn't end up being as devastating as I'm fearing it will be.
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