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Gary Jennings's Apocalypse 2012 #2
The 2012 Codex
In the arid canyonlands of Mexico the race is on for the ultimate end-of-the-world codex—the final 1000-year-old prophesy of the god-king, Quetzalcoatl, who ruled Mexico 1000 years ago. Rita Critchlow and Cooper Jones hunt for that sacred codex in those scorching desert canyons, while 500 years ago, Pacal, a young slave-scholar, sets out on the same deadly quest. He too must find those apocalyptic writings, knowing that his era—the Age of the Aztecs—may well come to an end if he does not find them. For Pacal, the End-Time is at hand. Montezuma has built a vast empire based in what will one day be Mexico City. Now however he faces war, disastrous drought, death-cult priests, who rip the hearts out of thousands of people atop their pyramids . . . and the arrival of red-bearded horse-borne conquistador, bearing preternaturally powerful weapons and catastrophic plagues, sowing pandemic death wherever he goes. America’s leaders are also staring into an apocalyptic abyss. Their own time mirrors that of Quetzacoatl’s and the Aztec’s in shocking detail. Convinced that Quetzalcoatl’s codex holds the key to humanity’s survival—that he is warning them of a global, planet-killing threat—the two women battle broiling desert canyons and drug-cartel warlords to track it down and decipher it. Moreover, earlier glimpses of his prophesy foreshadow uncanny similarities to those of John’s Book of Revelation. Are Quetzalcoatl’s and Revelation ’s prophesies one and the same? Can they crack the 2012 code and save their world from their deadly fate? The countdown is on.
528 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 17, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 18, 2010
I love Gary Jennings, and I very much wanted to like this book. I just couldn't. I had to stop about 1/3 through for fear of muddying my memories of Gary Jennings' great work (Aztec, Journeyer) with this merest shadow that stakes a claim on his name.
This is the newest of several books written by his former editor and another author. These new books state that the stories come from extensive notes and treatments that were found after Jennings' death. The first book in this "Codex" series, isn't altogether awful - "Apocalypse 2012". This one is.
The story is thin and disjointed and the characters are cliched. Very little of either evokes a sense of real Mayan history. It's not even worth encapsulating the story. I couldn't care enough to finish and I can't care enough to summarize now.
With a heavy sigh, I hope the estate of Jennings lets his name rest now. Publishers should focus on new sales of his classic works rather than attempting these retreads under his name.
This is the newest of several books written by his former editor and another author. These new books state that the stories come from extensive notes and treatments that were found after Jennings' death. The first book in this "Codex" series, isn't altogether awful - "Apocalypse 2012". This one is.
The story is thin and disjointed and the characters are cliched. Very little of either evokes a sense of real Mayan history. It's not even worth encapsulating the story. I couldn't care enough to finish and I can't care enough to summarize now.
With a heavy sigh, I hope the estate of Jennings lets his name rest now. Publishers should focus on new sales of his classic works rather than attempting these retreads under his name.
April 16, 2020
The Pacal story was enjoyable, ecen the though the ending left me with a bitter taste. I don't see another way it could've ended, though. 4 stars for that.
I'd give the modern times part of the book one star. I just couldn't bring myself to end it, the story was such a dull, dragged mess.
I'd give the modern times part of the book one star. I just couldn't bring myself to end it, the story was such a dull, dragged mess.
October 28, 2014
Boring and dragging and just couldn't get into it
December 20, 2025
Terrible. This is Not a Gary Jennings book, in fact it’s as well he is not around to see what has been done in his name. The prose is appalling, and this guy Robert Gleason is an editor! I could go on and on but it is not worth my time and effort. Avoid.
October 7, 2018
Only giving this book 1 star because zero stars is not an option
July 23, 2022
I enjoyed this book. It’s the first of Gary Jenning’s books I’ve read. I look forward to reading the rest of his books.
August 24, 2012
I think this is part of a series, but there's no indication anywhere in the book that's the case. But they've written another book with 2012 in the title and the modern parts feel like part of a series.
The book tells two stories, one story is that of Pacal, a Mayan in the time of Montezuma. The other is set in the modern day.
Pacal's story is interesting and comprises the bulk of the book. There are different cultures to explore and political intrigue.
The modern story is very poorly told. The chapters are much fewer and shorter. There's no introduction to the characters which is what makes me think it must be part of a series. It's mostly shooting and running. There's no characterization to speak of besides good with guns. We're told one character cares about another but we're not really shown it.
There are also a couple of scenes with the president, a professor, and two top generals. They're straight out of a made for Syfy movie where the academic is all doom and gloom and the generals are openly contemptuous. It gets repetitive when the professor says something, one of the generals scoffs and she or the president says "read" and then we get to read more of her paper. It works once when it's three or four times in a row it's annoying.
The story also breaks down because we don't actually see things happening in modern times. We just get a bunch of statistics and theories.
The book tells two stories, one story is that of Pacal, a Mayan in the time of Montezuma. The other is set in the modern day.
Pacal's story is interesting and comprises the bulk of the book. There are different cultures to explore and political intrigue.
The modern story is very poorly told. The chapters are much fewer and shorter. There's no introduction to the characters which is what makes me think it must be part of a series. It's mostly shooting and running. There's no characterization to speak of besides good with guns. We're told one character cares about another but we're not really shown it.
There are also a couple of scenes with the president, a professor, and two top generals. They're straight out of a made for Syfy movie where the academic is all doom and gloom and the generals are openly contemptuous. It gets repetitive when the professor says something, one of the generals scoffs and she or the president says "read" and then we get to read more of her paper. It works once when it's three or four times in a row it's annoying.
The story also breaks down because we don't actually see things happening in modern times. We just get a bunch of statistics and theories.
July 24, 2016
Few "Part Two's" seem to measure up to the expectations of the successful first production in any medium. In this particular case, Gary Jennings has hit another home run! Building upon the vastly entertaining first book, Jennings brings us a new saga in the dual-universe historical adventure. On the one hand, we read of the ancient's quest to locate the long-hidden codex, to unravel the prophecy of Mayan destruction (the destruction of the ancient One World) then on the other hand we read modern-day urgency against many spiraling global threats to extinguish humanity and a secret, select team bent on finding that same mysterious codex today against all odds. A thriller for those who enjoy linking faith elements such as prophecy and the End of Days type thing with the pain, determination, and near impossible quest to save the day. Maybe even more fun than seeing the old Indiana Jones' adventures for the first time on the big screen back in the day! Enjoy!
April 23, 2011
Well I am new to this authors writings, what I had read of the two books (that apparently where written by other's in his name after his death) make me wish to actually read more of the authors orginal works.
The 2012 Codex was not as good as the first one, but it had me caught up enough within the writing to actually get though it from start to finish, though I do admit not to reading most of the modern day parts of the book and only really reading the ancient parts (I just didn't get into the current days writing as the ancient writing was far more interesting and developed (which makes me think one author wrote one part while the other wrote the next part).
It might not be a 5 out of 5 rating, but it is a book that I would add to my book collection down the road if I found it at a second hard/used book shop.
The 2012 Codex was not as good as the first one, but it had me caught up enough within the writing to actually get though it from start to finish, though I do admit not to reading most of the modern day parts of the book and only really reading the ancient parts (I just didn't get into the current days writing as the ancient writing was far more interesting and developed (which makes me think one author wrote one part while the other wrote the next part).
It might not be a 5 out of 5 rating, but it is a book that I would add to my book collection down the road if I found it at a second hard/used book shop.
October 9, 2014
There are two parts to this book... One part in Mayan Times..The other in Modern times.
The Mayan portion is a pretty decent story that is not too bad. If the whole book had followed the Jaguar Oracle though his journey it would have been a 4 star book...
Sadly tho.. there is the parallel Modern Story, and oh my word was that ever such a poorly written, constructed, and paced price of rubbish. Fight scenes written by some one that has never seen or read anything about guns..a plot line with no connection to the Mayan story line.... Thankfully most of it takes place in very short segments.
Should you pick up this book skip every thing modern... it adds nothing to the story.
It's a shame that Gary Jennings name is on this book. I loved Gary's stories, but Robert Gleason and Junius Podrug have sullied his good name with this book.
The Mayan portion is a pretty decent story that is not too bad. If the whole book had followed the Jaguar Oracle though his journey it would have been a 4 star book...
Sadly tho.. there is the parallel Modern Story, and oh my word was that ever such a poorly written, constructed, and paced price of rubbish. Fight scenes written by some one that has never seen or read anything about guns..a plot line with no connection to the Mayan story line.... Thankfully most of it takes place in very short segments.
Should you pick up this book skip every thing modern... it adds nothing to the story.
It's a shame that Gary Jennings name is on this book. I loved Gary's stories, but Robert Gleason and Junius Podrug have sullied his good name with this book.
February 26, 2013
oh come ON. stupid ending. The Gary Jennings part is wonderful, though it could have used some editing, and it no way near compares to his masterpiece Aztec. The modern parts (very likely not a Jennings creation) are interesting, especially the global climate analysis, though the writing is a little annoyingly intense as are the characters. Also, I've never seen the word scintillate used that many times in a book. Seriously. Instead of Jack Phoenix and women whose names are shortened to make the ladies seem tough, I would have liked to have followed Pakal Balam more deeply into Xibalba. Is that too much to ask?
October 1, 2013
Author could have made stronger and more interesting ties between the ancient story and the modern story. The characters in the modern story were wafer-thin and totally uninteresting, and they ended up not doing anything! The ancient story was a fun read
August 18, 2015
Some glimpses of what would have been if Gary Jennings had lived to finish it, but overall a barely readable book. Shame that the legacy of Aztec, one of the best historical novels ever written, is being exploited by those who would make money off the author's good name.
September 3, 2016
The book is written in two points of view; ancient and modern. The ancient style wasn't bad, but the modern was not interesting and didn't seem very fleshed out. I would have preferred to read a book just from the ancient side.
November 8, 2010
Don't waste your time. : (
February 10, 2011
Certainly wasn't really Gary Jennings in any way. Global warming scarey sum-up, however, enough to compete with his nightmare images in Aztec and all.
September 22, 2011
Not bad but....is there supposed to be another book to follow this one??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2015
Fast-paced entertainment.
Essentially, given a catalyst (war/terrorism, disease, drought/climate change, asteroids, etc.) society/civilization will collapse like a house-of-cards (Mad-max style).
Essentially, given a catalyst (war/terrorism, disease, drought/climate change, asteroids, etc.) society/civilization will collapse like a house-of-cards (Mad-max style).
December 15, 2016
Mayan history interspersed with present day search for codex of last times. A great read.
Read
December 22, 2017The book was easy to get into but the shifting of time periods and telling from two different periods simultaneously was eventually distracting and unsatisfactory. I'd have much rather it had been told consecutively. I understand the reasoning for it based on the storyline but it didn't contribute to holding my interest. I kept putting it down for days when I reached the modern story section.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of the story. I studied Latin American history in college and Mr. Jennings, et. al. did a great job in his research. Although much is still unknown about the regions ancient populations, he wove fact and fiction together well.
Finally, it felt as if the ending fell short. Perhaps there is a sequel coming but the abrupt ending is something of a letdown and left me dissatisfied. But then, the story is about the end of the world.
Doubt I'd read another one by this author. You never know. I might risk it but I'm not going hunting them. I got this at Dollar General and it was the only one they had of his.
I enjoyed the historical aspect of the story. I studied Latin American history in college and Mr. Jennings, et. al. did a great job in his research. Although much is still unknown about the regions ancient populations, he wove fact and fiction together well.
Finally, it felt as if the ending fell short. Perhaps there is a sequel coming but the abrupt ending is something of a letdown and left me dissatisfied. But then, the story is about the end of the world.
Doubt I'd read another one by this author. You never know. I might risk it but I'm not going hunting them. I got this at Dollar General and it was the only one they had of his.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews