John Twelve HawksCritiques

A big let down for me. I loved the Traveler and was really looking forward to this but it really didn't read like the climax of a trilogy -especially one that ha taken so long to be published. I have been reading a lot of epic fantasy recently and perhaps I was expecting too much for a contemporary thriller like this but there was no real progression of plot or characters from previous novels.

I have been patiently waiting for for a big climax and loads of travelling between the various realms but we barely spend any time there (again perhaps I am looking for the extensive world building from the fantasy epics I have become used to).

This really should have been the climax to book one and have moved forward from the point the true battle with the Bretheren begins.

This installment also seemed to be missing the trademark matrix style hand to hand combat scenes that were another reasons I loved the Traveler. You could argue he series has moved on emotionally from that to explore the deeper themes of the vast machine and the compromise of personal freedoms but that is not really explored any more deeply. There was also the opportunity to reinforce the osmosis of the cultures of the other realms into our own and whilst some references are made to the origins of some legendary creatures these could have been done much more subtly and pervasively - again to accentuate the depth and breadth of the influence of the other realms.

For a modern thriller about surveillance culture and the "vast machine" Dean Koontz's Dark River does a better job and for that matter so does the Will Smith Film Enemy of the State.

For the theme of travelling between different versions of out world/alternative reality/different "realms" etc see Stephen King's Dark Tower series, The Talisman - also King with Peter Straub and ultimately Clive Barker's mind blowing Imajica.

In short this read like the "trailer to the golden city but was unfortunately all we have been given.Disappointing.

(2005)Sci-Fi. Travelers can go over to another realm (dimension) and are protected by Harlequins. However the world is controlled by the Vast Machine and Travelers are dangerous. Gabriel & Michael Corrigan are among the last of the Travelers and Harlequin Maya tries to find them so that she can protect them from harm. Very good paranoid novel by an anonymous author which reflects his fear of being monitored and his privacy being destroyed by the various methods of surveillance and security in place. First of a trilogy The Fourth Realm.(PW)Twelve Hawks's much anticipated novel is powerful, mainstream fiction built on a foundation of cutting-edge technology laced with fantasy and the chilling specter of an all-too-possible social and political reality. The time is roughly the present, and the U.S. is part of the Vast Machine, a society overseen by the Tabula, a secret organization bent on establishing a perfectly controlled populace. Allied against the Tabula are the Travelers and their sword-carrying protectors, the Harlequins. The Travelers, now almost extinct, can project their spirit into other worlds where they receive wisdom to bring back to earth�wisdom that threatens the Tabula's power. Maya, a reluctant Harlequin, finds herself compelled to protect two na?ve Travelers, Michael and Gabriel Corrigan. Michael dabbles in shady real estate deals, while Gabriel prefers to live "off the Grid," eschewing any documentation¥credit cards, bank accounts¥that the Vast Machine could use to track him. Because the Tabula has engineered a way to use the Travelers for its own purposes, Maya must not only keep the brothers alive, but out of the hands of these evil puppet-masters. She succeeds, but she also fails, and therein lies the tale. By the end of this exciting volume, the first in a trilogy, the stage is set for a world-rending clash between good and evil.

Somewhat unsatisfying conclusion to the trilogy. 80% of the plotlines are unfinished and I really wonder what happened there. Also, the potential of the mythology hasn't really been used, instead the book just focuses on it's vast array of present-realm plotlines and places. The characters hop around the world so much that it's really hard to keep track of.

Though it's disappointing as a final volume, it's probably still an interesting trilogy for fans of human rights, privacy and 1984/Big Brother paranoiacs.

What a strange story. A man, who doesn't really feel alive, doesn't feel much of anything, working as an enforcer and winds up heading back on a path to becoming a human again. By strange, I mean original and compelling. I've read most of John Twelve Hawks' other books and knew his style, but this really surprised me. Surprised and delighted.

I'm not sure why, but I had a hard time getting into this one. I think it was because the Traveler was so fresh in my mind that the backstory-fill was annoying. It's still a good yarn, but doesn't flow as well as the first.

I came at this book with literally no knowledge. It was "assigned" as part of an online book club: http://brownbookproject.blogspot.com

In short, I loved it. An interesting take on the alternate reality genre with a good bit of technology/privacy awareness thrown in to boot, it's an entertaining read as well as a warning about the future. If we keep going down the road to a fully-fledged surveillance society, our freedom will be gone.

It's the first in a series (I didn't realize this), but can also stand on its own.

I liked it overall, but some of the reactions/interactions to the protagonists personality seemed a bit too convenient. You get that feeling of that's not how that would have happened in real life, so I'm going to put that as my minus one star

John Twelve Hawks is the pseudonym for an author whose identity is still the subject of baseless online speculation. Maybe somebody at Doubleday knows where they are sending the checks, but maybe not. Spark, the fourth book attributed to Twelve Hawks, is set in a near future Manhattan surveillance state. John Davis is a man who developed Cotard’s syndrome following a motorcycle accident. He believes he is dead, a “spark” in a bodily “shell” with no connection to other “human units.” Many of his symptoms resemble those of high-functioning autism. He has been hired as an assassin by a large corporation because he follows directions precisely and feels no emotional connection to his victims. It is fun to watch him outmaneuver all the cameras and scanners. We root for him as he begins to rebuild a bit of his humanity, though it interferes with his efficiency as a killer. In the audiobook edition, Scott Brick does an excellent job of creating an affectless voice for the first-person narrator. Is there a genre label for psycho killers you can root for? 4 stars.

Remember when Michael Jordan retired? I mean, the first time? He made that amazing, game-winning shot, and left at the top of his game. When he returned from retirement, I was disappointed. I felt it would be almost impossible for him to improve on his amazing success.

John Twelve Hawks' first book in the Fourth Realm Trilogy, The Traveler, was suggested to me by a friend and fellow science-fiction lover. I was immediately impressed with the freshness of the idea, and completely plausible near-future, surveillance society dystopia in which the characters struggled to survive. The conflict between the Harlequins and Brethren was gripping, and some fascinating metaphysical questions were raised. The action was not overstated, and the characters engaging. The originality of the premise kept me turning pages, eager for more.

Of course, this review isn't about The Traveler, but rather about it's sequel, The Dark River. Which is a shame, because there was so much to say about The Traveler, and only one striking thing to say about The Dark River: Like Jordan, Hawks should have stopped when he was on top. The Dark River is a profound disappointment on so many levels. The novel reads more like a script for a Hollywood sequel, picking up where the The Traveler left off, but capitalizing only on the fact that we wanted to know what would happen to Gabriel, Maya, and the rest of his characters. No new twists to Hawks' fictional world are presented until the end, and then in such a way as to make the reader think he was hastily throwing together a mish-mash of world religions to perpetuate his nebulous ideas and intentionally leave a cheap cliff-hanger ending so as to keep the reader returning for the third book in the series.

The book isn't all bad. Hawks does develop his characters a bit, but it is difficult to do as violent action sequences begin with the first five pages and don't stop until the final scene. The development that does occur feels forced and formulaic at times. In short, The Dark River left me with the same impression as one gets when an excellent and original feature film is turned into a television series for continued profit. There really isn't much here that's new, only a continuation of the same ideas that leads to different spectacular fights and occasional intrigue.

For this series to take such an enormous fall in quality between the two novels is astoundingly disappointing. So disappointing that I likely won't be returning for the third book. The epic shot was made at the end of the first, and I prefer to remember the series as it was when it was on top of it's game.

So much telling and info-dumping and useless information (we don't need to know a character likes sushi; it has nothing to do with what's going on). Based on the author's foreword and website, the book feels more like an indulgence in paranoid conspiracy theory than actual exploration of surveillance issues.½

Very good noirish sci-fi thriller. Almost a 4. Enjoyed the unique character and the succinct writing style.

I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway, but that had no effect on my review.

Jacob Underwood works for the Special Services Section of a large NY investment bank. His job is to take care of problems unconventionally: he is a contract killer. Jacob was recruited by Ms. Holquist, following a near fatal motorcycle accident, in which he was transformed into an unfeeling, unemotional shell that thinks he’s dead (called Cotard's syndrome.) He lives in a society where "Big Brother" watches everyone to detect abnormal behavioral patterns. After a mundane job or two, he is asked to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a banking analyst, who was given some secret information by a guy from India she met at a conference and told to release it if she does not hear from him. As Jacob investigates, he begins to question his instructions, and draws the attention of a rival when he does not follow orders, starting with his refusal to kill an innocent child. I liked Hawk's creativity and the development of Jacob's character. Not quite 4 stars, but I rounded up.

After a start that had me concerned that I wasn't going to like this book (the thought of having to read volumes II & III was not appealing) my interest has grown considerably. I'm on pg 102 at this point.

I finished this weekend. My interest in the trilogy has grown somewhat but I'm going to read something else before starting "The Dark River". I'm still up in the air regarding this trilogy. It started off reminding me of Stephen King's "Dark Towers" series (not my favorite of his writings). I'm still not captured by any of the main characters in Volume I. Maybe they will grow on me.

A big let down for me. I loved the Traveler and was really looking forward to this but it really didn't read like the climax of a trilogy -especially one that ha taken so long to be published. I have been reading a lot of epic fantasy recently and perhaps I was expecting too much for a contemporary thriller like this but there was no real progression of plot or characters from previous novels.

I have been patiently waiting for for a big climax and loads of travelling between the various realms but we barely spend any time there (again perhaps I am looking for the extensive world building from the fantasy epics I have become used to).

This really should have been the climax to book one and have moved forward from the point the true battle with the Bretheren begins.

This installment also seemed to be missing the trademark matrix style hand to hand combat scenes that were another reasons I loved the Traveler. You could argue he series has moved on emotionally from that to explore the deeper themes of the vast machine and the compromise of personal freedoms but that is not really explored any more deeply. There was also the opportunity to reinforce the osmosis of the cultures of the other realms into our own and whilst some references are made to the origins of some legendary creatures these could have been done much more subtly and pervasively - again to accentuate the depth and breadth of the influence of the other realms.

For a modern thriller about surveillance culture and the "vast machine" Dean Koontz's Dark River does a better job and for that matter so does the Will Smith Film Enemy of the State.

For the theme of travelling between different versions of out world/alternative reality/different "realms" etc see Stephen King's Dark Tower series, The Talisman - also King with Peter Straub and ultimately Clive Barker's mind blowing Imajica.

In short this read like the "trailer to the golden city but was unfortunately all we have been given.Disappointing.

Twelve Hawks , John (2005). The Traveller. London: Corgi Books. 2006. ISBN 9781407071886. Pagine 498. 12,86 $

Twelve Hawks , John (2007). The Dark River. London: Corgi Books. 2008. ISBN 9781407038032. Pagine 515. 11,55 $

Twelve Hawks , John (2009). The Golden City. London: Transworld. 2010. ISBN 9781407056746. Pagine 370. 17,69 $

The Fourth Realm Trilogy

Un’altra recensione tardiva. Sono 3 libri che ho letto nell’estate del 2010, dopo essermi imbattuto nel primo della serie perché incuriosito da una citazione di Albert-László Barabási nel suo Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do (un altro libro letto e non recensito).

L’intera saga – che naturalmente t’acchiappa, ma non vale realmente la pena di leggere – è dominata dalla paranoia del Grande Fratello attraverso i secoli, e soprattutto nella nostra era di sorveglianza totale (dal Big Brother al Big Data). I membri di una società segreta vivono off-the-grid. Come l’autore dei tre romanzi, di cui in realtà non si sa nulla.

E persino io, di cui non si può certo affermare che non sia compulsivamente curioso, posso vivere benissimo senza.

* * *

Qualche citazione (riferimento come sempre alle posizioni sul Kindle).

Cominciamo da The Traveller.

At that moment, she was trying to control her anger and find the calm place within her heart. Think of a stone, her father used to tell her. A smooth black stone. Pull it out of a cold mountain stream and hold it in your hand. [2289]

Privacy had become a convenient fiction. [2856]

«Love is just another means of manipulation […]» [2923]

«Freedom is the biggest myth ever created. It’s a destructive, unachievable goal that has caused a great deal of pain. Very few people can handle freedom. A society is healthy and productive when it’s under control.» [3731]

«[…] History is a puppet show for childish minds.» [3927]

He wanted a road map, not philosophy. [4742]

«Every new experience is unusual. The rest of life is just sleep and committee meetings. […]» [5376]

«[…] The realms are dominated by a particular quality. In the Sixth Realm of the gods, the sin is pride. In the Fifth Realm of the half gods, the sin is jealousy. You need to understand that we’re not talking about God, the power that created the universe. According to the Tibetans, the gods and half gods are like human beings from another reality.»
«And we’re living in the Fourth Realm ….»
«Where the sin is desire.» Sophia turned and watched a king snake moving slowly down a conduit pipe. «The animals of the Third Realm are ignorant of all others. The Second Realm is inhabited by the hungry ghosts who can never be satisfied. The First Realm is a city of hate and anger, ruled by people without compassion. There are other names for this place: Sheol, Hades, Hell.» [5430]

[…] the appearance of freedom with the reality of control. [5910]

Passiamo a The Dark River.

Maya had watched the growing attraction between Hollis and Vicki. It was the first time she had ever noticed the evolution of two people who were falling in love. At first, their eyes followed each other when one of them got up from the table. Then they leaned forward slightly when the other person was talking. When they were apart, they spoke about the other person in a bubbly, foolish manner. [833]

Infine The Golden City.

«Even crazy people have enemies …» [1573]

«If the gods have left the stage, then it’s just the two of us.» Matthew stepped toward his son. «So who are you, Gabriel? And what kind of world do you want to live in? I’m not going to tell you what to believe. All I can do is guide you forward, and make sure you don’t turn away from your own vision.» [4588]

They were Styrofoam words — light and unsubstantial, packing materials to blunt the sharp edges. [4667]

«As ideas lose their power, stories and visual images become more and more important. Leaders offer competing stories, and this is what passes for political debate. […]» [5497]

«We can regret the past, but we can’t change what happened. We can anticipate the future, but we can’t control it. All we have is this moment—here in this room.» [5888]

«Privacy is the ability to control access to information about one’s Self. It’s easy to see that this invisible, all-pervasive system will destroy any sort of privacy. We’ll lose the power to protect our Self from the scrutiny of unknown groups or individuals. […]» [6700]

Twelve Hawks , John (2005). The Traveller. London: Corgi Books. 2006. ISBN 9781407071886. Pagine 498. 12,86 $

Twelve Hawks , John (2007). The Dark River. London: Corgi Books. 2008. ISBN 9781407038032. Pagine 515. 11,55 $

Twelve Hawks , John (2009). The Golden City. London: Transworld. 2010. ISBN 9781407056746. Pagine 370. 17,69 $

The Fourth Realm Trilogy

Un’altra recensione tardiva. Sono 3 libri che ho letto nell’estate del 2010, dopo essermi imbattuto nel primo della serie perché incuriosito da una citazione di Albert-László Barabási nel suo Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do (un altro libro letto e non recensito).

L’intera saga – che naturalmente t’acchiappa, ma non vale realmente la pena di leggere – è dominata dalla paranoia del Grande Fratello attraverso i secoli, e soprattutto nella nostra era di sorveglianza totale (dal Big Brother al Big Data). I membri di una società segreta vivono off-the-grid. Come l’autore dei tre romanzi, di cui in realtà non si sa nulla.

E persino io, di cui non si può certo affermare che non sia compulsivamente curioso, posso vivere benissimo senza.

* * *

Qualche citazione (riferimento come sempre alle posizioni sul Kindle).

Cominciamo da The Traveller.

At that moment, she was trying to control her anger and find the calm place within her heart. Think of a stone, her father used to tell her. A smooth black stone. Pull it out of a cold mountain stream and hold it in your hand. [2289]

Privacy had become a convenient fiction. [2856]

«Love is just another means of manipulation […]» [2923]

«Freedom is the biggest myth ever created. It’s a destructive, unachievable goal that has caused a great deal of pain. Very few people can handle freedom. A society is healthy and productive when it’s under control.» [3731]

«[…] History is a puppet show for childish minds.» [3927]

He wanted a road map, not philosophy. [4742]

«Every new experience is unusual. The rest of life is just sleep and committee meetings. […]» [5376]

«[…] The realms are dominated by a particular quality. In the Sixth Realm of the gods, the sin is pride. In the Fifth Realm of the half gods, the sin is jealousy. You need to understand that we’re not talking about God, the power that created the universe. According to the Tibetans, the gods and half gods are like human beings from another reality.»
«And we’re living in the Fourth Realm ….»
«Where the sin is desire.» Sophia turned and watched a king snake moving slowly down a conduit pipe. «The animals of the Third Realm are ignorant of all others. The Second Realm is inhabited by the hungry ghosts who can never be satisfied. The First Realm is a city of hate and anger, ruled by people without compassion. There are other names for this place: Sheol, Hades, Hell.» [5430]

[…] the appearance of freedom with the reality of control. [5910]

Passiamo a The Dark River.

Maya had watched the growing attraction between Hollis and Vicki. It was the first time she had ever noticed the evolution of two people who were falling in love. At first, their eyes followed each other when one of them got up from the table. Then they leaned forward slightly when the other person was talking. When they were apart, they spoke about the other person in a bubbly, foolish manner. [833]

Infine The Golden City.

«Even crazy people have enemies …» [1573]

«If the gods have left the stage, then it’s just the two of us.» Matthew stepped toward his son. «So who are you, Gabriel? And what kind of world do you want to live in? I’m not going to tell you what to believe. All I can do is guide you forward, and make sure you don’t turn away from your own vision.» [4588]

They were Styrofoam words — light and unsubstantial, packing materials to blunt the sharp edges. [4667]

«As ideas lose their power, stories and visual images become more and more important. Leaders offer competing stories, and this is what passes for political debate. […]» [5497]

«We can regret the past, but we can’t change what happened. We can anticipate the future, but we can’t control it. All we have is this moment—here in this room.» [5888]

«Privacy is the ability to control access to information about one’s Self. It’s easy to see that this invisible, all-pervasive system will destroy any sort of privacy. We’ll lose the power to protect our Self from the scrutiny of unknown groups or individuals. […]» [6700]

Twelve Hawks , John (2005). The Traveller. London: Corgi Books. 2006. ISBN 9781407071886. Pagine 498. 12,86 $

Twelve Hawks , John (2007). The Dark River. London: Corgi Books. 2008. ISBN 9781407038032. Pagine 515. 11,55 $

Twelve Hawks , John (2009). The Golden City. London: Transworld. 2010. ISBN 9781407056746. Pagine 370. 17,69 $

The Fourth Realm Trilogy

Un’altra recensione tardiva. Sono 3 libri che ho letto nell’estate del 2010, dopo essermi imbattuto nel primo della serie perché incuriosito da una citazione di Albert-László Barabási nel suo Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do (un altro libro letto e non recensito).

L’intera saga – che naturalmente t’acchiappa, ma non vale realmente la pena di leggere – è dominata dalla paranoia del Grande Fratello attraverso i secoli, e soprattutto nella nostra era di sorveglianza totale (dal Big Brother al Big Data). I membri di una società segreta vivono off-the-grid. Come l’autore dei tre romanzi, di cui in realtà non si sa nulla.

E persino io, di cui non si può certo affermare che non sia compulsivamente curioso, posso vivere benissimo senza.

* * *

Qualche citazione (riferimento come sempre alle posizioni sul Kindle).

Cominciamo da The Traveller.

At that moment, she was trying to control her anger and find the calm place within her heart. Think of a stone, her father used to tell her. A smooth black stone. Pull it out of a cold mountain stream and hold it in your hand. [2289]

Privacy had become a convenient fiction. [2856]

«Love is just another means of manipulation […]» [2923]

«Freedom is the biggest myth ever created. It’s a destructive, unachievable goal that has caused a great deal of pain. Very few people can handle freedom. A society is healthy and productive when it’s under control.» [3731]

«[…] History is a puppet show for childish minds.» [3927]

He wanted a road map, not philosophy. [4742]

«Every new experience is unusual. The rest of life is just sleep and committee meetings. […]» [5376]

«[…] The realms are dominated by a particular quality. In the Sixth Realm of the gods, the sin is pride. In the Fifth Realm of the half gods, the sin is jealousy. You need to understand that we’re not talking about God, the power that created the universe. According to the Tibetans, the gods and half gods are like human beings from another reality.»
«And we’re living in the Fourth Realm ….»
«Where the sin is desire.» Sophia turned and watched a king snake moving slowly down a conduit pipe. «The animals of the Third Realm are ignorant of all others. The Second Realm is inhabited by the hungry ghosts who can never be satisfied. The First Realm is a city of hate and anger, ruled by people without compassion. There are other names for this place: Sheol, Hades, Hell.» [5430]

[…] the appearance of freedom with the reality of control. [5910]

Passiamo a The Dark River.

Maya had watched the growing attraction between Hollis and Vicki. It was the first time she had ever noticed the evolution of two people who were falling in love. At first, their eyes followed each other when one of them got up from the table. Then they leaned forward slightly when the other person was talking. When they were apart, they spoke about the other person in a bubbly, foolish manner. [833]

Infine The Golden City.

«Even crazy people have enemies …» [1573]

«If the gods have left the stage, then it’s just the two of us.» Matthew stepped toward his son. «So who are you, Gabriel? And what kind of world do you want to live in? I’m not going to tell you what to believe. All I can do is guide you forward, and make sure you don’t turn away from your own vision.» [4588]

They were Styrofoam words — light and unsubstantial, packing materials to blunt the sharp edges. [4667]

«As ideas lose their power, stories and visual images become more and more important. Leaders offer competing stories, and this is what passes for political debate. […]» [5497]

«We can regret the past, but we can’t change what happened. We can anticipate the future, but we can’t control it. All we have is this moment—here in this room.» [5888]

«Privacy is the ability to control access to information about one’s Self. It’s easy to see that this invisible, all-pervasive system will destroy any sort of privacy. We’ll lose the power to protect our Self from the scrutiny of unknown groups or individuals. […]» [6700]

Enjoyed this immensely in 2005 when it came out. Now, 5 years later, I may have been pulled in by the hype? Or just changed that much??

This was an interesting book. I liked the character setup and it was a cool idea. I like the idea of being "off the grid".

An interesting, well paced thriller featuring the usual secret societies that control government and the loner who finds out that he is the scion of a rebel faction that can bring them down, but with some interesting philosophical points that pull it above the average.

Oh dear.

Following on from [b:The Traveler|14050|The Time Traveler's Wife|Audrey Niffenegger|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1274656075s/14050.jpg|2153746], which was a promising thriller combining some interesting philosophy with a decently written adventure, this second volume takes that groundwork and flushes it down the toilet. The plot becomes ludicrous, the attempts at philosophy become badly thought out individualistic rants and the writing has somehow become painfully bad. Seriously to the point that it doesn't read like the same author. I'm not saying that The Traveler was Dostoevsky, but this is awful. The writer even seems to have lost some knowledge; in the first book he appeared to know his technology, and made excellent use of it both for his comments on the surveillance society and in terms of plot, but here it becomes the kind of badly constructed techno-thriller pseudo-scientific guff you tend to find in bad Tom Clancy knock-offs.

As good an ending as you can get for a series in which the author believes in the depravity of man without the redemptive power of God. The problems are all pushed into the nebulous future" and the battle between Tabula and Traveler are shown for the Dualistic philosophy they truly are.

That being said, I really enjoyed this book. Not as "cool" as the first book, but tighter and more engaging than the second. As soon as it was revealed that Maya was pregnant, I knew that Gabriel had to go. The only thing I don't understand is why Michael went so ballistic at the end. What happened to the calm, collected schemer?"

A world not to far from our own in which two groups are at war. One group is made up of people who can travel out of their bodies into other 'realms', which give them wisdom and insight into our world and who, upon their return, always change our world for the better. The other side is an organized group dedicated to bringing the world under complete domination so that things run exactly how they want it to.

A mix of the Matrix with an agnostic Frank Peretti. It was so weird how things from Revelations are mixed in with libertarian ideas alongside scifi things.

While a solid read, Hawks once again ignores how evil works [or doesn't:]. Human beings simply cannot carry on such a task as the Tabula has taken on without forming factions, rotting and dying out.

While I am enjoying this trilogy quite a bit, that complete refusal to see human nature is really irking me.

Never really went anywhere, I was disappointed by how limited the plot was.