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Danilov Quintet #1
Twelve
On 12th June 1812, Napoleon's Grande Armee forded the River Niemen and crossed the Rubicon - its invasion of Russia had begun. Charged with delaying the enemy's inexorable march on Moscow, a group of Russian officers summon the help of the oprichniki, a band of mercenaries from the outermost fringes of Christian Europe. As rumours of a plague travelling west from the Black Sea reach the Russians, the Oprichniki - twelve in number - arrive. Preferring to work alone, and at night, they prove brutally, shockingly effective against the French. But one amongst the Russians, Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, is unnerved by the mercenaries' ruthlessness...and as he comes to understand the true, horrific nature of these strangers, he wonders at the nightmare they've unleashed in their midst...
546 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
72 people are currently reading
3059 people want to read
About the author
Jasper Kent
17 books137 followersJasper Kent was born in Worcestershire, England in 1968. He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham and went on to study Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, specializing in physics.
Jasper has spent almost twenty years working as a software engineer in the UK and in Europe, whilst also working on writing both fiction and music. In that time, he has produced the novels Twelve, Thirteen Years Later, The Third Section, The People's Will and The Last Oprichnik, as well as co-writing several musicals, including The Promised Land and Remember! Remember!
He currently lives in Hove, with six rats called Olga, Irina, Masha, Star, Bugby and Beau, a dog called Bilbo and a person called Helen.
Jasper has spent almost twenty years working as a software engineer in the UK and in Europe, whilst also working on writing both fiction and music. In that time, he has produced the novels Twelve, Thirteen Years Later, The Third Section, The People's Will and The Last Oprichnik, as well as co-writing several musicals, including The Promised Land and Remember! Remember!
He currently lives in Hove, with six rats called Olga, Irina, Masha, Star, Bugby and Beau, a dog called Bilbo and a person called Helen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 262 reviews
September 14, 2013
I finished this yesterday evening, and since then I've been turning around some of the concepts in my head, repeatedly. It's a strange beast, this.
This Historical Horror / Dark Fantasy novel was recommended to me by my wife as part of an annual "have to read" agreement. I really enjoyed the book: it reads very quickly and the premise is interesting. I don't normally go for vampire stories, but this one seems to have taken a cue from Lumley's Necroscope series, especially Necroscope II: Vamphyri! which details the exploits of "The Wallachian". In any case, these creatures aren't shiny and sexy, but rather vicious and evil and that's how it should be. So, all is well, but I did pick up one or two inconsistencies, and that's where things get a bit murky. I'm trying to figure out whether Aleksei is, to some extent, an unreliable narrator, or whether this was an oversight by the author. Also, the verdict is still out on whether the revelations toward the close of the story are to my liking. The honest truth is: I don't know! But this does indicate that the story hit a nerve, and that's always a good thing.
The novel's structure is a bit of "ebb and flow". It peaks extraordinarily early, then settles, then peaks again. In short: the novel clearly consists of three clearly distinguishable parts, each with its own contained events. Again, not sure whether this is by intent or by accident.
The historical aspects of the novel are very good, as is the atmosphere that Kent creates. Even though I didn't find the story exactly scary there is enough nasty going around for connoisseurs of the grotesque. One scene in particular comes to mind!
This is the first in a series, and I will likely plunder my wife's bookshelf for the sequels at some point in the future. It's not the deepest and best Vampire novel ever written, but it's perfect for a few hours of guilty fireplace pleasure!
This Historical Horror / Dark Fantasy novel was recommended to me by my wife as part of an annual "have to read" agreement. I really enjoyed the book: it reads very quickly and the premise is interesting. I don't normally go for vampire stories, but this one seems to have taken a cue from Lumley's Necroscope series, especially Necroscope II: Vamphyri! which details the exploits of "The Wallachian". In any case, these creatures aren't shiny and sexy, but rather vicious and evil and that's how it should be. So, all is well, but I did pick up one or two inconsistencies, and that's where things get a bit murky. I'm trying to figure out whether Aleksei is, to some extent, an unreliable narrator, or whether this was an oversight by the author. Also, the verdict is still out on whether the revelations toward the close of the story are to my liking. The honest truth is: I don't know! But this does indicate that the story hit a nerve, and that's always a good thing.
The novel's structure is a bit of "ebb and flow". It peaks extraordinarily early, then settles, then peaks again. In short: the novel clearly consists of three clearly distinguishable parts, each with its own contained events. Again, not sure whether this is by intent or by accident.
The historical aspects of the novel are very good, as is the atmosphere that Kent creates. Even though I didn't find the story exactly scary there is enough nasty going around for connoisseurs of the grotesque. One scene in particular comes to mind!
This is the first in a series, and I will likely plunder my wife's bookshelf for the sequels at some point in the future. It's not the deepest and best Vampire novel ever written, but it's perfect for a few hours of guilty fireplace pleasure!
Read
August 28, 2021This was cool...it just has the best premise, though the outcome wasn't as great as I hoped. Still a great setting, flawed characters...vampires against Napoleon? Pretty cool.
March 14, 2019
Reading “War & Peace” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), I was reminded of this series of books set around the same time and place, that my ex’s father had lent me ages ago (I gave them back after the breakup; I’m not a monster). Obviously, it’s comparing apples and oranges, but I remember vividly being very mad at “Twelve”, for having such a wonderful premise that suffered from a really poor execution. In theory, the idea of a battalion of vampires, posing as a group of invincible mercenaries, set lose on the French army during the war of 1812 couldn’t sound cooler. I had just finished reading “Night Watch” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) when this book landed on my radar, and I was looking forward to a similarly atmospheric, angsty and morally ambivalent tale… Alas.
Again, my brain freshly spoiled by Tolstoy’s masterpiece, I think back on this one and can’t help but scoff at Kent’s failure to breathe life in his setting. This could have been set anywhere else in the world and it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference to the atmosphere; you simply don’t get any… Russianness. The attempt to make Danilov morally ambiguous with his juggling of his wife in St-Petersburg and his mistress in Moscow just feels strained. Neither of those two female characters are very developed, so I can’t quite figure out what he likes about either of them. I know adultery wasn’t morally reprehensible for men of his status back then, but I’m not sure this does anything for the plot. Also, he’s an intelligence officer and it takes him so freaking long to figure out he’s basically baby-sitting a bunch of vampires; not very observant, huh? There was also no real sense of the horrors taking place – either those caused by the war or by the infamous Oprichniki.
Speaking of which, I actually liked how those vampires were depicted: they don’t glitter, for one thing, but they are also not trying to turn everyone into one of them; Kent worked with their victims’ willingness to leave their humanity behind into their method, which is an uncommon approach to vampire horror. Too bad their monstrous nature is undermined by narrative inconsistency: we are told they are stronger than ten men, but eventually, Danilov manages to take out two of them at once…
It got 2 stars because I ended up reading the second installment (out of hope that perhaps this would get better as the series developed and expanded – alas, it was really just more of the same), and because at the time, I didn’t hate it. If I re-read it now, it would definitely drop to 1 star.
Again, my brain freshly spoiled by Tolstoy’s masterpiece, I think back on this one and can’t help but scoff at Kent’s failure to breathe life in his setting. This could have been set anywhere else in the world and it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference to the atmosphere; you simply don’t get any… Russianness. The attempt to make Danilov morally ambiguous with his juggling of his wife in St-Petersburg and his mistress in Moscow just feels strained. Neither of those two female characters are very developed, so I can’t quite figure out what he likes about either of them. I know adultery wasn’t morally reprehensible for men of his status back then, but I’m not sure this does anything for the plot. Also, he’s an intelligence officer and it takes him so freaking long to figure out he’s basically baby-sitting a bunch of vampires; not very observant, huh? There was also no real sense of the horrors taking place – either those caused by the war or by the infamous Oprichniki.
Speaking of which, I actually liked how those vampires were depicted: they don’t glitter, for one thing, but they are also not trying to turn everyone into one of them; Kent worked with their victims’ willingness to leave their humanity behind into their method, which is an uncommon approach to vampire horror. Too bad their monstrous nature is undermined by narrative inconsistency: we are told they are stronger than ten men, but eventually, Danilov manages to take out two of them at once…
It got 2 stars because I ended up reading the second installment (out of hope that perhaps this would get better as the series developed and expanded – alas, it was really just more of the same), and because at the time, I didn’t hate it. If I re-read it now, it would definitely drop to 1 star.
June 26, 2011
Caveat emptor: I picked this off the New Books shelf at one of my libraries because it sounded intriguing – a desperate group of Russian officers recruits a band of voordalak (vampires) to help defeat Napoleon’s Grande Armée only to realize that Bonaparte is the least of their worries.
The idea is still intriguing and it might make a good novel but this isn’t it.
The writing is dull and turgid, giving neither a sense of place nor a sense of dread, and the info-dumps are painful (I’m still nursing a black eye and a swollen jaw). I understand that a general readership might not have a broad knowledge of Russian history but there have to be better ways of informing you than this:
Don’t waste your time with this one.
The idea is still intriguing and it might make a good novel but this isn’t it.
The writing is dull and turgid, giving neither a sense of place nor a sense of dread, and the info-dumps are painful (I’m still nursing a black eye and a swollen jaw). I understand that a general readership might not have a broad knowledge of Russian history but there have to be better ways of informing you than this:
“‘Perhaps you should tell us what makes them so remarkable,’ said Vadim.
‘It’s hard to describe,’ said Dmitry, considering for a moment. ‘You’ve heard of the Oprichniki?’
Vadim and I both nodded agreement, but Maks, surprisingly, had not come across the term.
‘During the reign of Ivan the Fourth – the Terrible, as he liked to be called – during one of his less benevolent phases, he set up a sort of personal troop of bodyguards known as the Oprichniki,’ explained Dmitry. ‘The job of the Oprichniki was internal suppression, which is obviously not what we’re talking about here, but the method of an Oprichnik was to use absolute, unrestrained violence. Officially, they were monks. They rode around the country wearing black cowls, killing anyone that Ivan deemed should die. Although they weren’t monks, they weren’t educated, but their faith gave them the fanaticism that Ivan needed.’” (p. 18)
Don’t waste your time with this one.
July 23, 2014
Superb debut. Historical fiction with a tinge of the fantastic, but the fantastic part is pretty conventional. What makes this book so good is the style of the author. Gripping, dark, a page turner and with memorable characters, what more do you want?
I was somewhat doubtful about this one since I generally avoid vampire books but the extraordinary reviews the book got from trusted reviewers and the excerpt made me order the book, and I agree that it is worth all the accolades.
If you like dark historical fiction with blood, death, romance this book should hook you too.
January 19, 2009
Twelve by Jasper Kent
Published by Transworld Publishers/Bantam, January 2009.
ISBN: 9780593060643
480 pages (ARC Copy received)
http://www.twelvethenovel.com/
You know, I’m not sure exactly what the overlap of readers between the Fantasy genre and historical novels is, but I’m sure there’s a lot. Often one of the attractions of the Fantasy novel, for me at any rate, is that submergence into an ancient world, an older world. This can also work with historical novels, too. Bernard Cornwell seems to have struck a chord in our Forums at SFFWorld with his novels of Arthur Pendragon, Stonehenge, Vikings and (most recently) Agincourt. Further back, there’s T.H. White and Rosemary Sutcliffe. And more recently the slipstreaming of Regency England with ancient magic has given rise to Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell, not to mention Naomi Novik’s merging of Napoleonic England with dragons, Temeraire.
To this then we can now add this rendering of events in Napoleonic Russia. Here, within a historic timeframe, we have a tale of Russian soldiers and vampires.
The book is impeccably set within a real historical time frame. In June 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia with an overwhelmingly large number of well-resourced French troops. Various battles ensue, such as the infamous Battle of Borodino, and the French rapidly take over Russian towns and cities. With the invasion of Saint Petersburg imminent, and Moscow soon to follow, the story then begins its fictional narrative.
Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov is part of an elite Russian force whose job is to slow down or halt the French encroachment by any means necessary. His covert group enlists a band of twelve men, the Oprichniki, whose reputation for getting difficult jobs done precedes them. Harrying the French in their invasion of Moscow, as the Russian army retreats, the twelve are terrifyingly proficient. Aleksei, in his dealings with them, becomes suspicious of their work, uncovers their dark background and their true purpose, and realises that their intent is not as patriotic as at first believed.
To this historical tapestry is then interwoven a rich and relatively untapped Russian culture. There are folktales, such as that of the voordalak, and historical and social references that ooze realism, yet the tale is easily followed by those, such as me, with little more than a passing knowledge of Napoleonic or Russian history. There is a rich cultural history here, which is all too often ignored in genre circles.
It is not a historical novel in the sense that it mainly deals with the timescale of a historical campaign, though the events of Napoleon’s campaign are a clear backdrop to the events that take place within the novel. We read this tale on the edge of great events – the massacre at the Battle of Borodino, the burning of Moscow, the invasion and retreat of the Napoleonic army. However, it is a tale usually on the periphery.
Most of the proceedings take place within a much more focused perspective, based around events in Moscow. Though there are battles, the main thrust of the novel is firmly based around Aleksei as the horrific scenario unfolds. In fact, more of the novel occurs in brothels rather than in widescreen battle, as Aleksei confides his fears to, and falls in love with, the courtesan Domnikiia.
While the telling of major events may not be as prevalent as some might like, such a grounding in reality makes this horrific tale all the more satisfying. Furthermore, this is perhaps in keeping with many Russian writers, such as Tolstoy, whose tales such as War and Peace echo the times of change, but are more of the impact of events on the individual in those situations.
The novel’s style, as written from the point of view of Aleksei, is generally appropriate (with the odd anachronism) – slightly old-fashioned but not too daunting. Though there are Russian references, it did not put me off. Indeed, set amongst the derelict ruins of an abandoned city it was valuable in creating that all important sense of reality that is essential for the horror to work. The horror is, to some extent, more personal and more troubling because of this mundanity, as the terror, when it happens, is very effective. It reads as if it were the progeny of Tolstoy or Pasternak, with a Stokerian twist.
The pace is fairly slow at the start, as we engage with the characters and the situation. At just over the midpoint of the book, about 270 pages in, the book breaks into a change in pace. The second part of the novel deals with Aleksei’s hunting of the Oprichniki, realising that the only solution is to systematically execute the un-dead twelve. It is faster and as perhaps we should expect, alternately exciting and horrifying by turns.
The ending is historically accurate, involving the French army’s retreat over the Berezina River in November 1812, to escape the Russian winter and return to France. The ‘scorched earth’ strategy employed by the Russians had worn down the invaders: According to Wikipedia, the French losses in the campaign were atrocious, about 570,000 in total, whilst in comparison the Russians lost a smaller yet still significant 150,000 in battle, not to mention hundreds of thousands of civilians.
In this setting there is an exciting, if a little unlikely, dénouement. My feeling at the end was a little disappointing in that paradoxically there were some aspects that were too-conveniently concluded, whilst many other aspects were left unresolved. The final showdown is a little too convenient. Aleksei, in a blatant case of ‘being able to have your cake and eat it’, at the end of the book has not decided between a life with his wife and son or his prostitute lover; and in that classic cliché, despite all the events of the book there is still the chance that the voordalak still live. (It may not therefore be a surprise therefore that there is a sequel planned, initially titled Thirteen Years Later.)
Despite this slight let-down at the end, in summary, the book is a very pleasing read, clearly the result of detailed historical research, and a book where the emphasis is on the telling of a thrilling tale by a writer with a love of the horrific. Think of it as Doctor Zhivago meets Bram Stoker’s Dracula in Napoleonic Russia.
Bloodily fantastic.
October 2008
Published by Transworld Publishers/Bantam, January 2009.
ISBN: 9780593060643
480 pages (ARC Copy received)
http://www.twelvethenovel.com/
You know, I’m not sure exactly what the overlap of readers between the Fantasy genre and historical novels is, but I’m sure there’s a lot. Often one of the attractions of the Fantasy novel, for me at any rate, is that submergence into an ancient world, an older world. This can also work with historical novels, too. Bernard Cornwell seems to have struck a chord in our Forums at SFFWorld with his novels of Arthur Pendragon, Stonehenge, Vikings and (most recently) Agincourt. Further back, there’s T.H. White and Rosemary Sutcliffe. And more recently the slipstreaming of Regency England with ancient magic has given rise to Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell, not to mention Naomi Novik’s merging of Napoleonic England with dragons, Temeraire.
To this then we can now add this rendering of events in Napoleonic Russia. Here, within a historic timeframe, we have a tale of Russian soldiers and vampires.
The book is impeccably set within a real historical time frame. In June 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia with an overwhelmingly large number of well-resourced French troops. Various battles ensue, such as the infamous Battle of Borodino, and the French rapidly take over Russian towns and cities. With the invasion of Saint Petersburg imminent, and Moscow soon to follow, the story then begins its fictional narrative.
Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov is part of an elite Russian force whose job is to slow down or halt the French encroachment by any means necessary. His covert group enlists a band of twelve men, the Oprichniki, whose reputation for getting difficult jobs done precedes them. Harrying the French in their invasion of Moscow, as the Russian army retreats, the twelve are terrifyingly proficient. Aleksei, in his dealings with them, becomes suspicious of their work, uncovers their dark background and their true purpose, and realises that their intent is not as patriotic as at first believed.
To this historical tapestry is then interwoven a rich and relatively untapped Russian culture. There are folktales, such as that of the voordalak, and historical and social references that ooze realism, yet the tale is easily followed by those, such as me, with little more than a passing knowledge of Napoleonic or Russian history. There is a rich cultural history here, which is all too often ignored in genre circles.
It is not a historical novel in the sense that it mainly deals with the timescale of a historical campaign, though the events of Napoleon’s campaign are a clear backdrop to the events that take place within the novel. We read this tale on the edge of great events – the massacre at the Battle of Borodino, the burning of Moscow, the invasion and retreat of the Napoleonic army. However, it is a tale usually on the periphery.
Most of the proceedings take place within a much more focused perspective, based around events in Moscow. Though there are battles, the main thrust of the novel is firmly based around Aleksei as the horrific scenario unfolds. In fact, more of the novel occurs in brothels rather than in widescreen battle, as Aleksei confides his fears to, and falls in love with, the courtesan Domnikiia.
While the telling of major events may not be as prevalent as some might like, such a grounding in reality makes this horrific tale all the more satisfying. Furthermore, this is perhaps in keeping with many Russian writers, such as Tolstoy, whose tales such as War and Peace echo the times of change, but are more of the impact of events on the individual in those situations.
The novel’s style, as written from the point of view of Aleksei, is generally appropriate (with the odd anachronism) – slightly old-fashioned but not too daunting. Though there are Russian references, it did not put me off. Indeed, set amongst the derelict ruins of an abandoned city it was valuable in creating that all important sense of reality that is essential for the horror to work. The horror is, to some extent, more personal and more troubling because of this mundanity, as the terror, when it happens, is very effective. It reads as if it were the progeny of Tolstoy or Pasternak, with a Stokerian twist.
The pace is fairly slow at the start, as we engage with the characters and the situation. At just over the midpoint of the book, about 270 pages in, the book breaks into a change in pace. The second part of the novel deals with Aleksei’s hunting of the Oprichniki, realising that the only solution is to systematically execute the un-dead twelve. It is faster and as perhaps we should expect, alternately exciting and horrifying by turns.
The ending is historically accurate, involving the French army’s retreat over the Berezina River in November 1812, to escape the Russian winter and return to France. The ‘scorched earth’ strategy employed by the Russians had worn down the invaders: According to Wikipedia, the French losses in the campaign were atrocious, about 570,000 in total, whilst in comparison the Russians lost a smaller yet still significant 150,000 in battle, not to mention hundreds of thousands of civilians.
In this setting there is an exciting, if a little unlikely, dénouement. My feeling at the end was a little disappointing in that paradoxically there were some aspects that were too-conveniently concluded, whilst many other aspects were left unresolved. The final showdown is a little too convenient. Aleksei, in a blatant case of ‘being able to have your cake and eat it’, at the end of the book has not decided between a life with his wife and son or his prostitute lover; and in that classic cliché, despite all the events of the book there is still the chance that the voordalak still live. (It may not therefore be a surprise therefore that there is a sequel planned, initially titled Thirteen Years Later.)
Despite this slight let-down at the end, in summary, the book is a very pleasing read, clearly the result of detailed historical research, and a book where the emphasis is on the telling of a thrilling tale by a writer with a love of the horrific. Think of it as Doctor Zhivago meets Bram Stoker’s Dracula in Napoleonic Russia.
Bloodily fantastic.
October 2008
December 27, 2010
This was a very interesting book. My brother got it for me for Christmas and, I won't lie, I was not entirely excited. In our family, my brother is really the vampire buff; I've just been exposed quite a bit. However, this book was different than the campy, bandwagon fiction that's popped up to ride along on Twilight's coat-tails. First, the question of the vampire's humanity is not the primary issue. There are no condemned but good vampires trying to regain their immortal souls. I like the idea of questioning what is good and what is evil, but I find the "good vampire" trope to be a little exhausted and boring. So it was refreshing to once again have clearly evil vampires who took joy in causing death and pain. Second, the book is a historical fiction set in 1812 in Russia. It's not a time and setting that I think of when I think of vampires--also refreshing. I got to learn a bit more about when Napoleon thought he could take Russia. Third, the historical fiction was not overwhelmed by the fantasy elements--vampires. The vampires seemed plausible and rather unfantastic. Don't misunderstand, they were terrifying but they weren't tabloidy or ostentatiously fantastic. Kent struck an excellent balance: the horror of the vampires was not in their impossible abilities, but in their lack of conscience, specifically their inhumanity. The vampires seemed--for all that they were actually vampires--real. Finally, the main character--who becomes a vampire hunter--was complex and interesting. The question of his soul and his goodness was far more interesting than the vampires ever could be. For the most part I enjoyed every second of the book. I did have a mini-baby problem with the manifestation of the ultimate antagonists goals--It seemed rather cliche and that was upsetting. However, the focus of his goals was quite sinister and different. I appreciated that. The ending itself was a little vague and fast, but I did like the ending message (possibly the overall message, though I didn't see it til the end)--that faith is what allows us to be certain in an uncertain world. And faith that's been thought about is better than blind faith.
All in all quite a refreshing and thought provoking book, also a good read. It felt like 1812 the whole time but the language was easy and smooth (not stilted).
=) I recommend it (if you like historical fiction, complex characters, and some downplayed elements of fantasy that all together really make you think)
All in all quite a refreshing and thought provoking book, also a good read. It felt like 1812 the whole time but the language was easy and smooth (not stilted).
=) I recommend it (if you like historical fiction, complex characters, and some downplayed elements of fantasy that all together really make you think)
May 29, 2011
This was a disappointment to me in several ways. First of all, it is an enormous thick book, therefore I was primed for an event-filled, detailed read. Sadly, not so. This book is set in Napoleon's Russian campaign with the battle of Borodino (like the 1812 Overture!) the sack and firing of Moscow and the nightmare march of the Grande Armee back to the West. How could it possibly be boring and slow-paced? Oh! Let me count the ways! This is a first person narrative, not in itself a bad thing, but our narrator is a totally self-absorbed fellow, literally unable to imagine that others might have thoughts and feelings unlike his. For example, when he leaves his comrade Maksim to be killed, it's all about how it makes him feel less in his own eyes. I wanted to boot him in the backside and remind him that Maksim probably felt negative about it, too. He was such a me-involved jerk, he made my teeth hurt. He analyzed all of the occurrences in the book at length until he psyched himself back into his happy place. This slowed the narrative pace considerably and caused me to suffer serious boredom. Secondly, the Oprichniki, natives of Wallachia, supposed super-slaughterers, vampires and multi-talented nasty guys are portrayed as being able to sneak up on the French and butcher them in droves. However, our hero is able to kill them, if not easily, at least handily. These guys were supposed to be nastier than poison ivy and hemorrhoids, but I found them unconvincing and not very scary. Thirdly, our viewpoint character, although supposedly a fellow of daring tricks and cunning, doesn't spend much time disrupting the French. At east a third of the novel is spent in bed with his little honey bunny for hire. BORING! This mess was written just well enough that I didn't drop it into the waste basket, but I really can't advise anybody to run out and get it. I truly wanted to like it, but I didn't find much in 448 tedious pages.
June 6, 2018
I like historical fantasy novels very much, particularly when the background feels researched. The story is nice but while the concept is good (Russian vampires!) the execution wasn't convincing. First of all there are too many pages considering the plot points and the narrator has a steady tendency to over-explain. There are a few inconsistencies and some contradictions in the characters' behavior which reveal the author's hand – for instance, Aleksei's immediate revulsion for vampires and his hate felt forced (grandmother notwithstanding); that's didn’t help create an immersive experience.
Anyway, even with the redundancy and the authorial presence, I appreciated the ride, particularly the historical/geographical setting and the philosophizing. The narrator himself is not a likeable human, he is very judgmental but his questionable morality, relatable struggles and arbitrary conscience grew on me (his sadomasochistic streak did not, but it came with the package).
I already have the second book so I'll read it and decide whether to continue the series.
War created an atmosphere in which all other evils could thrive, appearing trivial by comparison to the daily toll of death and carnage.
A war is a fine place to hide any crime –another tree in the forest –and who could be so trite as to focus on perhaps a hundred deaths caused by the Oprichniki compared with the hundreds of thousands killed on both sides in the war?
Bonaparte was not just responsible for those hundreds of thousands, but also for belittling every other death and every other tragedy that occurred in Russia, if not the whole of Europe throughout his era.
When so many die as heroes, who remembers those who die frightened and alone?
Anyway, even with the redundancy and the authorial presence, I appreciated the ride, particularly the historical/geographical setting and the philosophizing. The narrator himself is not a likeable human, he is very judgmental but his questionable morality, relatable struggles and arbitrary conscience grew on me (his sadomasochistic streak did not, but it came with the package).
I already have the second book so I'll read it and decide whether to continue the series.
War created an atmosphere in which all other evils could thrive, appearing trivial by comparison to the daily toll of death and carnage.
A war is a fine place to hide any crime –another tree in the forest –and who could be so trite as to focus on perhaps a hundred deaths caused by the Oprichniki compared with the hundreds of thousands killed on both sides in the war?
Bonaparte was not just responsible for those hundreds of thousands, but also for belittling every other death and every other tragedy that occurred in Russia, if not the whole of Europe throughout his era.
When so many die as heroes, who remembers those who die frightened and alone?
January 15, 2011
This book turned out to be quite surprising.
I was prepared for a mix of history (it was there), fantasy/fiction (was there too), and horror (your mileage may vary with that one). What I got was more of a psychological thriller/adventure/fiction/historical in my opinion. That said, it was really good.
In fact, it felt like a constantly boiling cauldron whose contents were always on the verge of spilling over...and yet, they never really did. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It means that - for me - it kept me on the edge of my seat, always waiting for what happens next. And while we know from the onset that the story involves vampires (and not the sexy, alluring, or sparkly kind), it's the development of said story and the main character's experience throughout which is so compelling.
That said, at times, I did feel that the pace was rather slow. However, in hindsight, I think that it was more of a case of my being anxious (or impatient) for the story's climax. Well, said climax never actually came...not really. Instead, I was treated to a series of moves, strategies, twists, and turns, by both the story's hero and villain, much like watching a game of chess. And surprise, surprise, it was all pretty enjoyable.
In the end, what I had expected the story to be, it wasn't. Not so much, at least. And its conclusion was left somewhat open-ended (we don't know if the villain actually perished or not). But it left me with a sense of "I've gotta read what happens next," which is a sure sign that I liked it. Luckily, it seems that this book is part of a series, so we may just find out what happened/happens to the villain, after all. At least I hope so.
I was prepared for a mix of history (it was there), fantasy/fiction (was there too), and horror (your mileage may vary with that one). What I got was more of a psychological thriller/adventure/fiction/historical in my opinion. That said, it was really good.
In fact, it felt like a constantly boiling cauldron whose contents were always on the verge of spilling over...and yet, they never really did. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It means that - for me - it kept me on the edge of my seat, always waiting for what happens next. And while we know from the onset that the story involves vampires (and not the sexy, alluring, or sparkly kind), it's the development of said story and the main character's experience throughout which is so compelling.
That said, at times, I did feel that the pace was rather slow. However, in hindsight, I think that it was more of a case of my being anxious (or impatient) for the story's climax. Well, said climax never actually came...not really. Instead, I was treated to a series of moves, strategies, twists, and turns, by both the story's hero and villain, much like watching a game of chess. And surprise, surprise, it was all pretty enjoyable.
In the end, what I had expected the story to be, it wasn't. Not so much, at least. And its conclusion was left somewhat open-ended (we don't know if the villain actually perished or not). But it left me with a sense of "I've gotta read what happens next," which is a sure sign that I liked it. Luckily, it seems that this book is part of a series, so we may just find out what happened/happens to the villain, after all. At least I hope so.
December 24, 2011
Good one, I had moments when I really felt captivated and involved in the fate of the characters, but at other times something felt off.
the good points:
- the historical setting - the incursion of la Grande Armee into the Russian steppe, the occupation of Moscow and the subsequent winter retreat are well rendered and add an epic scope to the personal struggles cpt. Danilov
- the dialogue and some of the moral struggles are convincing and prove the author is in good control of his technical tools, for a debut novel
- the romantic involvement of cpt. Danilov also rang true and provided some of the finest moments in the story for me.
[possible spoilers]
the less impressive:
- character motivations - for a consummate soldier and spy, Danilov seems too clumsy in figuring out the nature of the Oprichniky and the relations with his comrades.
- the Oprichniky - are built up in the first half of the book as perfect killing machines tackling hundreds of adversaries at a time, only to become a pack of dullards easily overpowered later on by one man
- pacing - good action sequences, but broken up very often by page after page of internal monologue. too much time spent inside Danilov's head
- plot progression - too many coincidences, especially toward the end, and a sort of anti-climatic, brusque ending
I will give a try to the next book in the series, and decide from there whether it is worth continuing with the author.
the good points:
- the historical setting - the incursion of la Grande Armee into the Russian steppe, the occupation of Moscow and the subsequent winter retreat are well rendered and add an epic scope to the personal struggles cpt. Danilov
- the dialogue and some of the moral struggles are convincing and prove the author is in good control of his technical tools, for a debut novel
- the romantic involvement of cpt. Danilov also rang true and provided some of the finest moments in the story for me.
[possible spoilers]
the less impressive:
- character motivations - for a consummate soldier and spy, Danilov seems too clumsy in figuring out the nature of the Oprichniky and the relations with his comrades.
- the Oprichniky - are built up in the first half of the book as perfect killing machines tackling hundreds of adversaries at a time, only to become a pack of dullards easily overpowered later on by one man
- pacing - good action sequences, but broken up very often by page after page of internal monologue. too much time spent inside Danilov's head
- plot progression - too many coincidences, especially toward the end, and a sort of anti-climatic, brusque ending
I will give a try to the next book in the series, and decide from there whether it is worth continuing with the author.
August 5, 2010
I'm not enjoying this. True, I can't help thinking of War and Peace, but I don't expect Kent to compare with Tolstoy. But a vampire story set during the Napoleonic march on Moscow should be thrilling. A vampire story with the premise that desperate Russian agents recruit vampires to fight the inexorable French should be full of horror and pathos. What I expect is edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting stuff! Or at least something chilling and grim.
This is rather dull. Kent has done his research, and name-checks all the major locations and historical personages. (Bet he's read Tolstoy.) But his prose is leaden. He spends a page and a half enlarging on a metaphor when a single sentence would do. His characters are flat. I can't believe in his protagonist and the supporting characters are just sketches. The plot doesn't hang together either, and I'm unconvinced by the actions of both the 'special-ops' Russian soldiers and the vampires. One minute the vampires can sneak up on French soldiers unawares, pick them off one by one and disappear. Next, the hero can follow the vampires closely, spying on them.
Bah! I may not bother to finish.
This is rather dull. Kent has done his research, and name-checks all the major locations and historical personages. (Bet he's read Tolstoy.) But his prose is leaden. He spends a page and a half enlarging on a metaphor when a single sentence would do. His characters are flat. I can't believe in his protagonist and the supporting characters are just sketches. The plot doesn't hang together either, and I'm unconvinced by the actions of both the 'special-ops' Russian soldiers and the vampires. One minute the vampires can sneak up on French soldiers unawares, pick them off one by one and disappear. Next, the hero can follow the vampires closely, spying on them.
Bah! I may not bother to finish.
October 16, 2019
Good vampire fun by way of Tolstoy.
September 30, 2015
Damn I had such high expectations for this book and in the end I thought it was just ok.
I love both historical fiction and horror so naturally a book about vampires set in 1812 Russia would appeal to me and it did. I guess for me the story dragged on a bit and also seemed oddly void of detail. It was weird....this guy is a decent writer when it comes to story and dialogue but I really think he was lacking in describing the scenery and general environment.
The story follows a Russian captain who works intelligence along with a few other officers. One of them enlists the support of a group of mercenaries from the Carpathian mountains who prefer to work at night and never meet up during the day. (Suspect.) They team up and begin plaguing the French soldiers as they march on Moscow and harassing/killing them in small groups when the captain discovers the mercenaries are vampires. He decided he needs to kill them all and proceeds to hunt them down against the backdrop of war in Russia.
Overall it was, like I said, ok and I might read the 2nd book. (This was book one in a quintet.)
I love both historical fiction and horror so naturally a book about vampires set in 1812 Russia would appeal to me and it did. I guess for me the story dragged on a bit and also seemed oddly void of detail. It was weird....this guy is a decent writer when it comes to story and dialogue but I really think he was lacking in describing the scenery and general environment.
The story follows a Russian captain who works intelligence along with a few other officers. One of them enlists the support of a group of mercenaries from the Carpathian mountains who prefer to work at night and never meet up during the day. (Suspect.) They team up and begin plaguing the French soldiers as they march on Moscow and harassing/killing them in small groups when the captain discovers the mercenaries are vampires. He decided he needs to kill them all and proceeds to hunt them down against the backdrop of war in Russia.
Overall it was, like I said, ok and I might read the 2nd book. (This was book one in a quintet.)
May 7, 2012
How can you lose with a plot like this, Vampires during Napoleons invasion of Russia!
There were times when i thought that Jasper Kent was going to screw this up, the first few chapters were a little on the slow side and there were a few places where the pace of the plot got bogged down, but in the main this was a good read, dark, moody, full of menace, palpable cold from the frozen wastes of Russia, i think the author has a real love for this time and place, but im not so sure about the vampires, at times there was a real lack of detail and information about them, you could be forgiven for thinking the book had been written about the invasion and then vampires were added because they are in vogue?
The book is worth a read....would i buy his next book? probably but it would not be top of my buying list.
(Parm)
There were times when i thought that Jasper Kent was going to screw this up, the first few chapters were a little on the slow side and there were a few places where the pace of the plot got bogged down, but in the main this was a good read, dark, moody, full of menace, palpable cold from the frozen wastes of Russia, i think the author has a real love for this time and place, but im not so sure about the vampires, at times there was a real lack of detail and information about them, you could be forgiven for thinking the book had been written about the invasion and then vampires were added because they are in vogue?
The book is worth a read....would i buy his next book? probably but it would not be top of my buying list.
(Parm)
March 8, 2010
Napoleon is invading Russia so they call in some very special mercenaries to try and repel the French. Their 'special' skills are only hinted at to begin with and it's only later that we discover they're vampires. I can't begin to describe how much I enjoyed this book as it doesn't fall back on all the old vampiric cliches and there's a thought provoking twist towards the end. Can't wait for the sequel!
October 4, 2014
Review to follow, 3.5 stars
March 11, 2014
One cool thing about the book is that the vampires are pretty realistic. They have advantages over humans, but they have weaknesses to even the balance. Another thing is that the vampires don’t actively seek to increase their numbers. Instead, they rely on those that approach them and share a willingness to give up their humanity. Hence, vampirism is as much a state of mind as a disease or even existence as a separate species.
Twelve certainly sounds like an interesting book and it’s the main reason I bought it. Unfortunately, I had a few problems with it. My main complaint is that the book did not feel like a historical novel. Other than political details, there is nothing that made me feel like I was in 19th Century Russia fighting Napoleon. Frankly, the tale could be have been set during Caesar’s conquest of Gaul or the Boxer Rebellion in China for all the importance of the setting. Truly, the book is not about the Napoleonic Wars at all but rather about the main character's battle against the vampires and I think the story suffers for it. To put it another way: if the setting is secondary, why have a vampire story in this time period at all?
Part of the problem with this may be Kent’s prose style. The novel is written in first person narrative yet I had quite a bit of difficulty believing in Aleksei’s motivations and actions. For instance, as an officer, Aleksei has a wife and son in St. Petersburg. He also has a mistress in Moscow, yet his love for her is never convincing. Neither did I believe his “instinctive” hatred for the vampires when all his knowledge of them is from fairy tales told by his grandmother. Aleksei even goes so far as to turn against his fellow comrades. Characterization on the whole was better for the supporting cast then it ever was for the voice of the narrative. The last third of the book, exclusively about Aleksei against the vampires, was nearly a slog to read.
Twelve has a very interesting premise. Unfortunately, I felt the author didn’t quite pull it off. Perhaps I was expecting too much from a book with a historical setting, or maybe I was not in the right frame of mind when I read it. In any case, the book might still appeal to other readers of vampire or horror fiction.
Twelve certainly sounds like an interesting book and it’s the main reason I bought it. Unfortunately, I had a few problems with it. My main complaint is that the book did not feel like a historical novel. Other than political details, there is nothing that made me feel like I was in 19th Century Russia fighting Napoleon. Frankly, the tale could be have been set during Caesar’s conquest of Gaul or the Boxer Rebellion in China for all the importance of the setting. Truly, the book is not about the Napoleonic Wars at all but rather about the main character's battle against the vampires and I think the story suffers for it. To put it another way: if the setting is secondary, why have a vampire story in this time period at all?
Part of the problem with this may be Kent’s prose style. The novel is written in first person narrative yet I had quite a bit of difficulty believing in Aleksei’s motivations and actions. For instance, as an officer, Aleksei has a wife and son in St. Petersburg. He also has a mistress in Moscow, yet his love for her is never convincing. Neither did I believe his “instinctive” hatred for the vampires when all his knowledge of them is from fairy tales told by his grandmother. Aleksei even goes so far as to turn against his fellow comrades. Characterization on the whole was better for the supporting cast then it ever was for the voice of the narrative. The last third of the book, exclusively about Aleksei against the vampires, was nearly a slog to read.
Twelve has a very interesting premise. Unfortunately, I felt the author didn’t quite pull it off. Perhaps I was expecting too much from a book with a historical setting, or maybe I was not in the right frame of mind when I read it. In any case, the book might still appeal to other readers of vampire or horror fiction.
March 21, 2011
4.5 stars -
Flawless world building blends seamlessly with three dimensional characterization and mixes well with an intriguing plot set deep in 1800's Russia. Kent blends historical facts with the fantastic in such a way that one seems to compliment the other. The quality of his prose sets this book apart from most others. Russia comes alive through the voice of the protagonist.
1/2 star docked for a slightly slow start and some tedious day-to-day details.
Read my full review here:
http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/201...
Flawless world building blends seamlessly with three dimensional characterization and mixes well with an intriguing plot set deep in 1800's Russia. Kent blends historical facts with the fantastic in such a way that one seems to compliment the other. The quality of his prose sets this book apart from most others. Russia comes alive through the voice of the protagonist.
1/2 star docked for a slightly slow start and some tedious day-to-day details.
Read my full review here:
http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/201...
October 19, 2022
"I ricordi che mi invasero la mente non erano normali scene di battaglia, bensì qualcosa che mi era sembrato (e sembrato è la parola giusta, perché non rammentavo di aver visto nulla) un branco di lupo che sbranava la presa, anziché uno scontro fra soldati. E poi il sangue. Tanto sangue"
PIÙ VALIDO COME ROMANZO STORICO CHE COME HORROR
"I dodici" è un libro che ammetto di aver recuperato unicamente per averlo trovato scontatissimo in qualche store online; come al mio solito l'ho abbandonato parecchio tempo in libreria, per poi ripescarlo in occasione di una TBR interamente a tema vampiri. Non che la narrazione sia da subito chiara in questo senso, però almeno la sinossi risulta meno misteriosa e fa capire che queste creature della notte giocano un ruolo fondamentale nella storia.
La trama si snoda nel corso della seconda metà del 1812 ed è fortemente collegata agli eventi della Campagna di Russia; a raccontarci la vicenda è un ufficiale dell'esercito russo, il capitano Aleksej "Ljoša" Ivanovič Danilov, membro di una squadra di spie e sabotatori. La scena d'apertura vede il suo amico Dmitrij Fetjukovič consigliare di assoldare un gruppo di mercenari -che ribattezzano Opričniki- per rendere più efficaci i loro sforzi di indebolire la Grande Armée; mentre il nostro Aleksej impiega dozzine di pagine prima di iniziare a nutrire dei sospetti nei confronti dei suoi nuovi, sadici alleati, i lettori non faticheranno ad intuire la natura vampirica di questi sicari.
Questo è il primo, e forse il più grave, difetto del romanzo: l'intreccio è estremamente prevedibile, e questo unito ad un ritmo molto lento rende la lettura decisamente ostica, soprattutto nei primi due terzi del testo. Sempre nella prima parte della storia, il protagonista non ha una vera motivazione che lo spinga ad agire, ed è chiaro che questa fiacchezza narrativa non è spontanea ma viene imposta dall'autore, forse in un inutile tentativo di rendere profondo questo personaggio.
Ciò rende se possibile ancor più fastidioso Aleksej, che già di suo non brilla per simpatia; raramente ho dovuto seguire un POV così detestabile: Ljoša oscilla tra l'ottusità più frustante e l'incapacità di autocritica, infatti non appena arriva a sfiorare delle riflessioni decisive il suo pensiero va altrove. Alcuni dei suoi pensieri, in particolare nei confronti dell'amata Domnikiia "Dominique" Semënovna, sono offensivi senza ragione perché non portano il suo carattere ad evolvere in alcun modo.
Per nostra fortuna nel resto del cast abbiamo delle figure più simpatetiche o per lo meno affascinanti, e tra queste ammetto di aver apprezzato specialmente Maksim "Maks" Sergeevič e Iuda; quest'ultimo ha anche il merito di aver risollevato un po' il romanzo, con le trovate che mette in campo nell'ultima parte della storia. In generale poi, il modo in cui vengono rappresentati gli Opričniki mi è piaciuto: in un mondo editoriale ormai abituato ad una versione più moderna e romantica dei vampiri, trovare delle creature che non avrebbero sfigurato nel "Dracula" di Stoker è stata una sorpresa carina.
Altri aspetti sicuramente positivi sono gli elementi gore -legati sia al terrore ispirato dal sovrannaturale che agli orrori della guerra reale- e l'accuratezza dell'ambientazione storica, peccato solo che i protagonisti non interagiscono con figure realmente esistite in modo diretto: vista la premessa mi aspettavo quasi uno scenario ucronico, in cui magari gli Opričniki aiutassero i russi in una missione per uccidere Napoleone.
Per completezza, voglio segnalare che questo romanzo ha diversi seguiti incentrati sulla famiglia di Aleksej, però la vicenda narrata qui ha una sua conclusione abbastanza soddisfacente a mio avviso; e per fortuna direi, visto che la CE non ha continuato la pubblicazione della serie in Italia. Per quanto riguarda il fattore spooky, da me ovviamente ricercato nel mese di Halloween, questa lettura mi ha dato i brividi principalmente per le gelide location, ma anche per alcune scene legate alla guerra abbastanza esplicite. Difetti a parte, mi sembra quindi un buon romanzo da recuperare in questo periodo.
PIÙ VALIDO COME ROMANZO STORICO CHE COME HORROR
"I dodici" è un libro che ammetto di aver recuperato unicamente per averlo trovato scontatissimo in qualche store online; come al mio solito l'ho abbandonato parecchio tempo in libreria, per poi ripescarlo in occasione di una TBR interamente a tema vampiri. Non che la narrazione sia da subito chiara in questo senso, però almeno la sinossi risulta meno misteriosa e fa capire che queste creature della notte giocano un ruolo fondamentale nella storia.
La trama si snoda nel corso della seconda metà del 1812 ed è fortemente collegata agli eventi della Campagna di Russia; a raccontarci la vicenda è un ufficiale dell'esercito russo, il capitano Aleksej "Ljoša" Ivanovič Danilov, membro di una squadra di spie e sabotatori. La scena d'apertura vede il suo amico Dmitrij Fetjukovič consigliare di assoldare un gruppo di mercenari -che ribattezzano Opričniki- per rendere più efficaci i loro sforzi di indebolire la Grande Armée; mentre il nostro Aleksej impiega dozzine di pagine prima di iniziare a nutrire dei sospetti nei confronti dei suoi nuovi, sadici alleati, i lettori non faticheranno ad intuire la natura vampirica di questi sicari.
Questo è il primo, e forse il più grave, difetto del romanzo: l'intreccio è estremamente prevedibile, e questo unito ad un ritmo molto lento rende la lettura decisamente ostica, soprattutto nei primi due terzi del testo. Sempre nella prima parte della storia, il protagonista non ha una vera motivazione che lo spinga ad agire, ed è chiaro che questa fiacchezza narrativa non è spontanea ma viene imposta dall'autore, forse in un inutile tentativo di rendere profondo questo personaggio.
Ciò rende se possibile ancor più fastidioso Aleksej, che già di suo non brilla per simpatia; raramente ho dovuto seguire un POV così detestabile: Ljoša oscilla tra l'ottusità più frustante e l'incapacità di autocritica, infatti non appena arriva a sfiorare delle riflessioni decisive il suo pensiero va altrove. Alcuni dei suoi pensieri, in particolare nei confronti dell'amata Domnikiia "Dominique" Semënovna, sono offensivi senza ragione perché non portano il suo carattere ad evolvere in alcun modo.
Per nostra fortuna nel resto del cast abbiamo delle figure più simpatetiche o per lo meno affascinanti, e tra queste ammetto di aver apprezzato specialmente Maksim "Maks" Sergeevič e Iuda; quest'ultimo ha anche il merito di aver risollevato un po' il romanzo, con le trovate che mette in campo nell'ultima parte della storia. In generale poi, il modo in cui vengono rappresentati gli Opričniki mi è piaciuto: in un mondo editoriale ormai abituato ad una versione più moderna e romantica dei vampiri, trovare delle creature che non avrebbero sfigurato nel "Dracula" di Stoker è stata una sorpresa carina.
Altri aspetti sicuramente positivi sono gli elementi gore -legati sia al terrore ispirato dal sovrannaturale che agli orrori della guerra reale- e l'accuratezza dell'ambientazione storica, peccato solo che i protagonisti non interagiscono con figure realmente esistite in modo diretto: vista la premessa mi aspettavo quasi uno scenario ucronico, in cui magari gli Opričniki aiutassero i russi in una missione per uccidere Napoleone.
Per completezza, voglio segnalare che questo romanzo ha diversi seguiti incentrati sulla famiglia di Aleksej, però la vicenda narrata qui ha una sua conclusione abbastanza soddisfacente a mio avviso; e per fortuna direi, visto che la CE non ha continuato la pubblicazione della serie in Italia. Per quanto riguarda il fattore spooky, da me ovviamente ricercato nel mese di Halloween, questa lettura mi ha dato i brividi principalmente per le gelide location, ma anche per alcune scene legate alla guerra abbastanza esplicite. Difetti a parte, mi sembra quindi un buon romanzo da recuperare in questo periodo.
January 30, 2013
What I liked:
The Napoleonic Wars, especially the disastroud and ill-guided invasion of Russia, are always a very colourful canvass for any novel; personally I like that period very much. This book didn't disappoint me either. Although I found some minor historical errors (like the narrator speaking of Poland which officially didn't exist at that time - just the ephemeral Grand Duchy of Warsaw, created by the Napoleon to appease the Poles and make them join his army). Ok, I know, it is not a historical novel and by the way who cares...just some weirdos like me.
The pace was fairly slow at the start, as the narrator focuses often on his private life and thoughts. At just over the midpoint, about 270 pages in, the book becomes faster and there was one twist at the very end which was a complete surprise to me.
Now about the voordalak (vampires). I am happy to say these are closer to the older image of a vamp so as far from your Twilight, sparkling, non-human-blood drinking, emotionally tortured vampires as a lap dog is from a wild wolf. The vampires in Twelve are also not your average paranormal romance dudes, those exceptionally handsome and lustful, picking-up-the-best-babes-and-giving-them-the-best-sex-experience-ever-for-a-sip-or-two types . They are sadistic killers and parasites, having all the compassion and subtlety of a Jack the Ripper. They must drink blood to stay alive but they are not kind to their food sources. Getting the most satisfaction from the extreme emotional states of terror and despair in their victims (even other vampires) they will plan out their hunting and then they spend hours in performing the act to heighten their own enjoyment. In other words they were truly horrible monsters which fitted well the Russia and the ugly war around them. It was also nice that the author didn't hesitate to get back to the original themes of "Dracula", exploring such philosophical questions as what it means to be human, how you become a monster, what it means to be a loyal friend or a traitor etc.
Now a bit about the main character and the narrator, Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov. He is a complex hero, one of these flawed ones, not completely likeable to say the least of it but very real and completely honest which warmed me to him significantly. Although I admit that his moral compass was sometimes totally off he was an interesting man to follow around. Aleksei is a professional soldier and spy, thus not far away from mass murderers such as vampires. There's a huge war going on, and people are dying like flies anyway. The survivors commit horrible attrocities out of hunger and low morals, not to mention the harsh Russian winter. It is only too natural that, despite his initial hatred towards the Oprichniki, soon enough Aleksei starts asking himself whether these monsters are really worse than your average human being.
Aleksei is married and has a young son; still, while lingering in Moskow, he enters an illicit relationship with a prostitute called Domnikiia or Dominique. Their relationship quickly exceeds the ordinary transaction turning into a proper affair or maybe even something more serious. It was funny that Dominique caught his eye because of her alleged likeness to the second wife of Napoleon, Marie Louise, the daughter of Francis I, emperor of Austria. Somehow Aleksey's pangs of conscience, not very acute to begin with, were significantly diminishing with every death he witnessed and every enemy he killed. You might think that immoral or wrong but it was also very close to reality - especially during a war, when nobody was sure what the next day might bring. I have to admit I also appreciated the fact that Aleksei never turned into one of those annoyingly tortured heroes, being teared apart by his morality and urges. Once again, you might not like the fact that the hero had both a wife and a mistress and basically considered it ok but personally I found it in perfect accordance with that era and its often hypocritical mores.
Finally let me tell you that one of the vampires, Iuda, definitely deserved more attention that he got and I hope that he will be featured in the next installment. Why?
What I didn't like:
I grant it, the book was first published in January 2009. Still the fact that the main character for almost half of the novel tried to solve a big 'mystery' of Oprichniki must seem a bit silly for any reader of fantasy. Even the fact that Aleksei emphasised every now and then that he was above folk fairy tales and other such absurdities didn't explain it well. All the clues were there from the very beginning - the novel starts with a Russian tale which immediately lets you know that there will be some paranormal elements involved. Then we are told that the creepy mercenaries came from Wallachia (Romania nowadays), leaving a trail of death in their wake, they operated only at night and slept during the day, they didn't want any money, always a surprising thing for a mercenary, their leader called himself 'Zmyeevich' so a son of a serpent, an adder or a dragon...honestly when I come to think about it there were actually far too many clues around to make it half a decent secret.
Also I have to add that sometimes I was rather baffled by the powers of the Oprichniki. One moment they are pronounced to be worth more than ten ordinary soldiers - very stealthy, very deadly, freakishly strong and fast. The next moment Aleksei is able to finish off two of them at the same time and we are told that, in fact, it is easy to kill a vampire, providing you are prepared and you know what to do...hmmm. Still his other comrades were never as lucky or as skilled as him although they knew what they were dealing with...
The final showdown I found a little too convenient for Aleksei as well - it was one of these blatant cases of ‘being able to have your cake and eat it'. Still knowing that there are more installment coming I can forgive it.
Final verdict:
If you like historical fiction set in the 19th century, and you have nothing against classic vampire mythology, this romp where the odds are stacked against your hero at every turn might be up your valley.I will definitely give a try to the next book in the series despite the shortcomings of the first part.
The Napoleonic Wars, especially the disastroud and ill-guided invasion of Russia, are always a very colourful canvass for any novel; personally I like that period very much. This book didn't disappoint me either. Although I found some minor historical errors (like the narrator speaking of Poland which officially didn't exist at that time - just the ephemeral Grand Duchy of Warsaw, created by the Napoleon to appease the Poles and make them join his army). Ok, I know, it is not a historical novel and by the way who cares...just some weirdos like me.
The pace was fairly slow at the start, as the narrator focuses often on his private life and thoughts. At just over the midpoint, about 270 pages in, the book becomes faster and there was one twist at the very end which was a complete surprise to me.
Now about the voordalak (vampires). I am happy to say these are closer to the older image of a vamp so as far from your Twilight, sparkling, non-human-blood drinking, emotionally tortured vampires as a lap dog is from a wild wolf. The vampires in Twelve are also not your average paranormal romance dudes, those exceptionally handsome and lustful, picking-up-the-best-babes-and-giving-them-the-best-sex-experience-ever-for-a-sip-or-two types . They are sadistic killers and parasites, having all the compassion and subtlety of a Jack the Ripper. They must drink blood to stay alive but they are not kind to their food sources. Getting the most satisfaction from the extreme emotional states of terror and despair in their victims (even other vampires) they will plan out their hunting and then they spend hours in performing the act to heighten their own enjoyment. In other words they were truly horrible monsters which fitted well the Russia and the ugly war around them. It was also nice that the author didn't hesitate to get back to the original themes of "Dracula", exploring such philosophical questions as what it means to be human, how you become a monster, what it means to be a loyal friend or a traitor etc.
Now a bit about the main character and the narrator, Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov. He is a complex hero, one of these flawed ones, not completely likeable to say the least of it but very real and completely honest which warmed me to him significantly. Although I admit that his moral compass was sometimes totally off he was an interesting man to follow around. Aleksei is a professional soldier and spy, thus not far away from mass murderers such as vampires. There's a huge war going on, and people are dying like flies anyway. The survivors commit horrible attrocities out of hunger and low morals, not to mention the harsh Russian winter. It is only too natural that, despite his initial hatred towards the Oprichniki, soon enough Aleksei starts asking himself whether these monsters are really worse than your average human being.
Aleksei is married and has a young son; still, while lingering in Moskow, he enters an illicit relationship with a prostitute called Domnikiia or Dominique. Their relationship quickly exceeds the ordinary transaction turning into a proper affair or maybe even something more serious. It was funny that Dominique caught his eye because of her alleged likeness to the second wife of Napoleon, Marie Louise, the daughter of Francis I, emperor of Austria. Somehow Aleksey's pangs of conscience, not very acute to begin with, were significantly diminishing with every death he witnessed and every enemy he killed. You might think that immoral or wrong but it was also very close to reality - especially during a war, when nobody was sure what the next day might bring. I have to admit I also appreciated the fact that Aleksei never turned into one of those annoyingly tortured heroes, being teared apart by his morality and urges. Once again, you might not like the fact that the hero had both a wife and a mistress and basically considered it ok but personally I found it in perfect accordance with that era and its often hypocritical mores.
Finally let me tell you that one of the vampires, Iuda, definitely deserved more attention that he got and I hope that he will be featured in the next installment. Why?
What I didn't like:
I grant it, the book was first published in January 2009. Still the fact that the main character for almost half of the novel tried to solve a big 'mystery' of Oprichniki must seem a bit silly for any reader of fantasy. Even the fact that Aleksei emphasised every now and then that he was above folk fairy tales and other such absurdities didn't explain it well. All the clues were there from the very beginning - the novel starts with a Russian tale which immediately lets you know that there will be some paranormal elements involved. Then we are told that the creepy mercenaries came from Wallachia (Romania nowadays), leaving a trail of death in their wake, they operated only at night and slept during the day, they didn't want any money, always a surprising thing for a mercenary, their leader called himself 'Zmyeevich' so a son of a serpent, an adder or a dragon...honestly when I come to think about it there were actually far too many clues around to make it half a decent secret.
Also I have to add that sometimes I was rather baffled by the powers of the Oprichniki. One moment they are pronounced to be worth more than ten ordinary soldiers - very stealthy, very deadly, freakishly strong and fast. The next moment Aleksei is able to finish off two of them at the same time and we are told that, in fact, it is easy to kill a vampire, providing you are prepared and you know what to do...hmmm. Still his other comrades were never as lucky or as skilled as him although they knew what they were dealing with...
The final showdown I found a little too convenient for Aleksei as well - it was one of these blatant cases of ‘being able to have your cake and eat it'. Still knowing that there are more installment coming I can forgive it.
Final verdict:
If you like historical fiction set in the 19th century, and you have nothing against classic vampire mythology, this romp where the odds are stacked against your hero at every turn might be up your valley.I will definitely give a try to the next book in the series despite the shortcomings of the first part.
April 16, 2017
*Popüler kültürün kullana kullana suyunu çıkardığı fantastik ırkların en vahşilerinden ve korkutucularından olan nam-ı değer kan emici, vampirler hakkında bir diğer hikaye daha. O kadar çoğaldı ki artık iyisini ve kötüsünü ayırt etmek gittikçe zorlaşıyor. 'Oniki' ise ortada olanlardan. Vampirler, pislik ve aşağılık yaratıklar olarak resmedilirken, insanlarında pek aşağı kalır yanı olmadığını vurguluyan ve bunu yaparken bir kovalamaca hikayesini oturmuş karakterleri ile anlatan, hızlı ve aksiyonu bol, temposu iyi ayarlanmış sıkmayan bir kitap.
**Bu arada Napolyon Rusya'yı fethederken geri çekilmesinin arkasında ki neden tahmin ettiğiniz şey değil. Bildiğin iklimin azizliğine uğramış. Yoksa 12 kişinin bir savaşaın gidişatını tüm o zayıflıklarına rağmen değiştirebileceklerine inanmak ancak arka kapağı yazan arkadaşın aklına gelebilirdi.
**Bu arada Napolyon Rusya'yı fethederken geri çekilmesinin arkasında ki neden tahmin ettiğiniz şey değil. Bildiğin iklimin azizliğine uğramış. Yoksa 12 kişinin bir savaşaın gidişatını tüm o zayıflıklarına rağmen değiştirebileceklerine inanmak ancak arka kapağı yazan arkadaşın aklına gelebilirdi.
March 21, 2017
Açıkçası biraz beklentimin altında kaldı. Sanırım çok umutluydum kitaptan. Yani kötü değil çoğu yer çok heyecanlı, özellikle soba doğru öğrendiğimiz süpriz şaşırtıcıydı ama bazı yerler laf kalabalığı gibiydi...
February 16, 2018
Il problema di base di questo romanzo è come è strutturato: per le prime, non so, 60 pagine ci sono i russi che si chiedono chi mai saranno questi 12 tizi che devono aiutarli a fermare l'avanzata dei francesi. Peccato che noi sappiamo già benissimo che sono vampiri.
L'unica parte interessante che ho trovato è stata la breve storia del capo dei vampiri che viene dalla Valacchia, e che racconta il suo passato. Ovviamente è facilmente deducibile chi sia questo capo.
Per il resto, il libro parla pochissimo di questi 12. Il protagonista passa tutto il tempo dalla sua amante, poi ad un certo punto realizza che questi tizi sono vampiri, e nonostante stiano facendo bene il loro lavoro, che consiste nello sterminare i francesi, decide che deve ucciderli tutti perchè sono mostri.
E qui arriva l'assurdo, perchè alcuni di questi li uccide semplicemente tenendo una sedia o comunque un pezzo di legno in mano mentre il vampiro lo attacca e, parole sue, una semplice scheggia di legno si conficca nel petto del vampiro grazie alla pressione del corpo e questo muore.
Un po' ridicolo. Il resto l'ho letto saltando un po' qua e là, perchè è esageratamente prolisso. Per dire che sua nonna credeva ai vampiri ci mette 5 pagine.
Il finale è bah. Perchè al protagonista in fin dei conti interessa solamente della sua amante.
Peccato perchè la trama era molto promettente e poteva portare ad un ottimo risultato.
L'unica parte interessante che ho trovato è stata la breve storia del capo dei vampiri che viene dalla Valacchia, e che racconta il suo passato. Ovviamente è facilmente deducibile chi sia questo capo.
Per il resto, il libro parla pochissimo di questi 12. Il protagonista passa tutto il tempo dalla sua amante, poi ad un certo punto realizza che questi tizi sono vampiri, e nonostante stiano facendo bene il loro lavoro, che consiste nello sterminare i francesi, decide che deve ucciderli tutti perchè sono mostri.
E qui arriva l'assurdo, perchè alcuni di questi li uccide semplicemente tenendo una sedia o comunque un pezzo di legno in mano mentre il vampiro lo attacca e, parole sue, una semplice scheggia di legno si conficca nel petto del vampiro grazie alla pressione del corpo e questo muore.
Un po' ridicolo. Il resto l'ho letto saltando un po' qua e là, perchè è esageratamente prolisso. Per dire che sua nonna credeva ai vampiri ci mette 5 pagine.
Il finale è bah. Perchè al protagonista in fin dei conti interessa solamente della sua amante.
Peccato perchè la trama era molto promettente e poteva portare ad un ottimo risultato.
January 9, 2012
The plot in summary: a group of Russian spies during the Napolenic war recruit a group of mysterious strangers to help kill the French in missions behind enemy lines. The strangers turn out to be vampires, and not the nice sparkly kind, so the main character, Aleksey, decides to kill them all.
Unfortunately, I'm not really impressed. There's several problems with this book:
The first problem is the total and utter lack of suspense. Both the prologue, and the text on the cover tell you exactly what is going to happen, which makes it all rather tedious. Ok, there's one small surprise towards the end, but you should see it coming before the character in question does, and it doesn't really do anything to change the outcome of the situation in general.
(spoiler: Iuda is not a actually a vampire, just a very sick human psycho who pretends to be one. And incidentally the only interesting character in the book.)
spoiler over
The other is that Aleksey, the main character is an utter and total idiot. Imagine the following situation: you are watching a house with a vampire in it, whom you want to kill. You have the following info: there is one superhumanly strong vampire in the basement, but two coffins, so there will be another one soon, as day is approaching. From your granny you learned vampire myths (and as usual, all myths are true), and you strongly suspect that vampires are allergic to light.
What do you do? Wait for the second vampire to come home, the sun to rise, and both of them to be helplessly asleep? No, because that would be silly. you charge in just before dawn, get into a messy fight with first one vampire, then the other, get an innocent bystander killed, and finally through sheer luck, manage to kill both vampires.
The other problem I have with Aleksey is that his moral compass is totally off. He displays an extreme hatred towards the vampires. To be fair, the vampires are rather at the monstrous end of the spectrum, and like rather brutally butchering people and keeping bodies to snack on in their houses, which is admittedly rather disgusting. On the other hand, Aleksey is a professional soldier and spy, thus not far away from mass murderer. There's a huge war going on, and people are dying like flies anyway, especially with the dubious hygienic conditions. Also, he has a relationship with a whore that very strongly reminded me of that between Tyrion and Shae in A Song of Ice and Fire, and almost ended in the same way. He's also married, and has a young son, by the way. The thought that having a prostitute as a mistress might be kind of immoral never crosses his mind. Through his pathetic hatred of the vampires and one-man vendetta commando, he sets in motion events which are going to get all his friends and a lot of innocent people killed, as the vampires want revenge, understandably enough.
I don't really know how to explain it, somehow I just felt that his hatred was way out of proportion in contrast to what the vampires did within the general situation, and their contract, which turned him into a kind of mindless fanatic. His general idiocy doesn't help.
Or maybe I just like vampires too much, even if they're the kind who like to torture people. (These ones aren't very charismatic though, except perhaps Iuda)
Another thing that was alienating to the flow of the book was the incongruous use of neologisms and Russian expressions. It is implied that all characters speak Russian or French, which is translated for the reader's benefit, which is no problem in itself. However, though almost all words are translated, the random expression "verst" (a bit more than a kilometer) keeps popping up, while on the other hand, people say OK from time to time. It's just not a smooth experience of language.
The only way to save this book would be to take Aleksey's declaration that he'll force himself to believe that the version of reality that is preferably to him is actually real to its logical extreme and say that he is an unreliable narrator, and has been in some kind of psychotic mania ever since he was tortured by the Turks, and the things in the book only happened in his own mind, or that he actually did some of them.
All in all, I'd give this one a 5/10, and don't feel much like getting the sequel. From the prologue which is included in Twelve, there's just more of the same, just from an even more fanatic p-o-v.
Unfortunately, I'm not really impressed. There's several problems with this book:
The first problem is the total and utter lack of suspense. Both the prologue, and the text on the cover tell you exactly what is going to happen, which makes it all rather tedious. Ok, there's one small surprise towards the end, but you should see it coming before the character in question does, and it doesn't really do anything to change the outcome of the situation in general.
(spoiler: Iuda is not a actually a vampire, just a very sick human psycho who pretends to be one. And incidentally the only interesting character in the book.)
spoiler over
The other is that Aleksey, the main character is an utter and total idiot. Imagine the following situation: you are watching a house with a vampire in it, whom you want to kill. You have the following info: there is one superhumanly strong vampire in the basement, but two coffins, so there will be another one soon, as day is approaching. From your granny you learned vampire myths (and as usual, all myths are true), and you strongly suspect that vampires are allergic to light.
What do you do? Wait for the second vampire to come home, the sun to rise, and both of them to be helplessly asleep? No, because that would be silly. you charge in just before dawn, get into a messy fight with first one vampire, then the other, get an innocent bystander killed, and finally through sheer luck, manage to kill both vampires.
The other problem I have with Aleksey is that his moral compass is totally off. He displays an extreme hatred towards the vampires. To be fair, the vampires are rather at the monstrous end of the spectrum, and like rather brutally butchering people and keeping bodies to snack on in their houses, which is admittedly rather disgusting. On the other hand, Aleksey is a professional soldier and spy, thus not far away from mass murderer. There's a huge war going on, and people are dying like flies anyway, especially with the dubious hygienic conditions. Also, he has a relationship with a whore that very strongly reminded me of that between Tyrion and Shae in A Song of Ice and Fire, and almost ended in the same way. He's also married, and has a young son, by the way. The thought that having a prostitute as a mistress might be kind of immoral never crosses his mind. Through his pathetic hatred of the vampires and one-man vendetta commando, he sets in motion events which are going to get all his friends and a lot of innocent people killed, as the vampires want revenge, understandably enough.
I don't really know how to explain it, somehow I just felt that his hatred was way out of proportion in contrast to what the vampires did within the general situation, and their contract, which turned him into a kind of mindless fanatic. His general idiocy doesn't help.
Or maybe I just like vampires too much, even if they're the kind who like to torture people. (These ones aren't very charismatic though, except perhaps Iuda)
Another thing that was alienating to the flow of the book was the incongruous use of neologisms and Russian expressions. It is implied that all characters speak Russian or French, which is translated for the reader's benefit, which is no problem in itself. However, though almost all words are translated, the random expression "verst" (a bit more than a kilometer) keeps popping up, while on the other hand, people say OK from time to time. It's just not a smooth experience of language.
The only way to save this book would be to take Aleksey's declaration that he'll force himself to believe that the version of reality that is preferably to him is actually real to its logical extreme and say that he is an unreliable narrator, and has been in some kind of psychotic mania ever since he was tortured by the Turks, and the things in the book only happened in his own mind, or that he actually did some of them.
All in all, I'd give this one a 5/10, and don't feel much like getting the sequel. From the prologue which is included in Twelve, there's just more of the same, just from an even more fanatic p-o-v.
April 15, 2009
First off, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I’ve never read any of Jasper’s novels before, and honestly, when Emily at Random House SA sent the first ARC through I gave it to one of my friends - he’s a huge fan of historical fiction and holds in high esteem the likes of Iggulden and Durham, and I had lots of Fantasy and Sci-Fi novels to get through, but when the second ARC arrived, I thought, Well, this means I have to read it! I’m a big believer in events that are fated to happen, and I’m pretty sure the reading of Twelve was one of them.
Twelve follows the story of Aleksei, a soldier-spy in the Russian army, who, together with three long-time friends and comrades, does the work behind the scenes that slow down entire armies. Russia is threatened by the invading forces of Napoleon, and Dmitry, the man who once saved Aleksei’s life, brings help - the Oprichniki, a group of Twelve mercenaries that have been hired to help sabotage Napoleon’s advance. As the Twelve begin to do their thing, Aleksei begins to realize -at great cost- that perhaps their methods are overkill, and that there is indeed something… different, about them.
This novel is incredibly atmospheric - while I was reading, I was in the bitter cold of Russia; I could envision every poor tree, every strecth of ground, and even Moscow itself bloomed before me with its unique architecture and thriving citizens. Traveling with the characters was not only a journey with vibrant personalities, but also a tour of Russia as it must have been in 1812, and it seems strange that I don’t have any photos to prove that I was there.
The characters themselves are great, especially Aleksei (Lyosha) and and certain female friend - we get many different views into the mulitudes of people that must exist anywhere. We get to know soldiers, prostitutes, bakers, traitors, patriots and many others, and the able way in which Aleksei giudes us through the events that change his life leave us knowing him; he truly lives, and he has the faults and quirks and fears to prove it. His comrades, Maks, Vadim and Dmitry are all different sides of the same coin - Maks is an idealist, a man of great courage and insight; Vadim is the official leader of the group, and Dmitry is the man who means well, but, as always… You get what I mean.
And the Twelve? Well, as soon as we meet them, the menace-factor rises; from then on, each journey is made with the feeling of watching eyes, and as Aleksei learns about the true nature of the Twelve, you can’t help cheering him on and wanting to run in terror at the same time! And then I’m not even talking about the twist at the end…!
All in all, this is great genre-splitting novel - I haven’t researched the historical events in the novel, but other reviews have spoken of them being correct according to the records, and the horrific elements truly make your skin crawl. I’m definately looking forward to the sequel, provisionally titled ‘Thirteen Years Later’.
Oh, and as a small taster, let me leave you with this: the Twelve have the Russian-styled names of the Twelve Apostles…
8/10
Twelve follows the story of Aleksei, a soldier-spy in the Russian army, who, together with three long-time friends and comrades, does the work behind the scenes that slow down entire armies. Russia is threatened by the invading forces of Napoleon, and Dmitry, the man who once saved Aleksei’s life, brings help - the Oprichniki, a group of Twelve mercenaries that have been hired to help sabotage Napoleon’s advance. As the Twelve begin to do their thing, Aleksei begins to realize -at great cost- that perhaps their methods are overkill, and that there is indeed something… different, about them.
This novel is incredibly atmospheric - while I was reading, I was in the bitter cold of Russia; I could envision every poor tree, every strecth of ground, and even Moscow itself bloomed before me with its unique architecture and thriving citizens. Traveling with the characters was not only a journey with vibrant personalities, but also a tour of Russia as it must have been in 1812, and it seems strange that I don’t have any photos to prove that I was there.
The characters themselves are great, especially Aleksei (Lyosha) and and certain female friend - we get many different views into the mulitudes of people that must exist anywhere. We get to know soldiers, prostitutes, bakers, traitors, patriots and many others, and the able way in which Aleksei giudes us through the events that change his life leave us knowing him; he truly lives, and he has the faults and quirks and fears to prove it. His comrades, Maks, Vadim and Dmitry are all different sides of the same coin - Maks is an idealist, a man of great courage and insight; Vadim is the official leader of the group, and Dmitry is the man who means well, but, as always… You get what I mean.
And the Twelve? Well, as soon as we meet them, the menace-factor rises; from then on, each journey is made with the feeling of watching eyes, and as Aleksei learns about the true nature of the Twelve, you can’t help cheering him on and wanting to run in terror at the same time! And then I’m not even talking about the twist at the end…!
All in all, this is great genre-splitting novel - I haven’t researched the historical events in the novel, but other reviews have spoken of them being correct according to the records, and the horrific elements truly make your skin crawl. I’m definately looking forward to the sequel, provisionally titled ‘Thirteen Years Later’.
Oh, and as a small taster, let me leave you with this: the Twelve have the Russian-styled names of the Twelve Apostles…
8/10
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 27, 2011
*** I've hidden this review as not to spoil it for others ***
I'm pretty sure this was the first historical fiction book that I've read. I remembered bits and pieces of the Napoleonic Era and how the winter defeated the French Emperor as he became more and more bold by invading Russia. I think that aspect was well portrayed in this novel.
The Russian setting felt "real" to me. I'll be honest, I struggled with the last names and town names (and sometime the use of nicknames for some of the people within the story) but I attribute that mostly to the fact that I've rarely been exposed to a "Russian-esque" novel.
Since my own book was published, this is the first book that I've reviewed. I've read a few others and in all cases, I've found myself not only reading the story but also trying to understand how/why the author did something at a certain point. Sentence structure, the way they start or end a chapter and how the author's peel back the layer of characterization.
I would recommend this book to others.
The good:
The setting felt alive. With the way Jasper Kent described the winter, I could imagine the miserable days and nights of the Russian Winter. The description towards the middle to end of the book where the French are retreating and there are scenes of dead horses that the infantry had eaten to keep from starving and then bodies of soldiers (where the author makes you wonder if they men at their dead friends) was so well done.
I liked most of the inner monologue of Dmitry. I think this was well done 1st person perspective.
The weaving of the Russian folklore into this tale was well done. The first part about the townsfolk with the rat problem was kind of creepy. To get rid of the rats, the town brought in experts with monkeys that were released to kill the rats. For 2 weeks the monkeys did their work. The problem was that the monkeys also killed all the birds too...
Let's not forget the vampires. They were not the "pretty" vampires that seem to be so popular today. These were dirty, nasty soulless creatures. I loved how they moved about at night and how brutal they actually were.
The not so good (I wouldn't call it "bad"):
I really disliked how Dmitry killed all of the vampires with minimal effort. I know it might have been overkill to dispose of each of the 12 with fight scenes of excruciating detail - but it's almost as if Dmitry waved his hands and the beast fell down dead. I just wish there were more substance to a least some of the fight scenes.
Also, the ending bothered me but I'll leave that up to y'all to read about.
I'd struggled with the rating. I would have given it 4 stars if it wasn't for the lack of fight scenes and the end reveal. I wish I could give it 3.5 but I've settled on 3 stars.
I will probably read the sequel when I get the chance. I really did like this book and the author's writing style.
I'm pretty sure this was the first historical fiction book that I've read. I remembered bits and pieces of the Napoleonic Era and how the winter defeated the French Emperor as he became more and more bold by invading Russia. I think that aspect was well portrayed in this novel.
The Russian setting felt "real" to me. I'll be honest, I struggled with the last names and town names (and sometime the use of nicknames for some of the people within the story) but I attribute that mostly to the fact that I've rarely been exposed to a "Russian-esque" novel.
Since my own book was published, this is the first book that I've reviewed. I've read a few others and in all cases, I've found myself not only reading the story but also trying to understand how/why the author did something at a certain point. Sentence structure, the way they start or end a chapter and how the author's peel back the layer of characterization.
I would recommend this book to others.
The good:
The setting felt alive. With the way Jasper Kent described the winter, I could imagine the miserable days and nights of the Russian Winter. The description towards the middle to end of the book where the French are retreating and there are scenes of dead horses that the infantry had eaten to keep from starving and then bodies of soldiers (where the author makes you wonder if they men at their dead friends) was so well done.
I liked most of the inner monologue of Dmitry. I think this was well done 1st person perspective.
The weaving of the Russian folklore into this tale was well done. The first part about the townsfolk with the rat problem was kind of creepy. To get rid of the rats, the town brought in experts with monkeys that were released to kill the rats. For 2 weeks the monkeys did their work. The problem was that the monkeys also killed all the birds too...
Let's not forget the vampires. They were not the "pretty" vampires that seem to be so popular today. These were dirty, nasty soulless creatures. I loved how they moved about at night and how brutal they actually were.
The not so good (I wouldn't call it "bad"):
I really disliked how Dmitry killed all of the vampires with minimal effort. I know it might have been overkill to dispose of each of the 12 with fight scenes of excruciating detail - but it's almost as if Dmitry waved his hands and the beast fell down dead. I just wish there were more substance to a least some of the fight scenes.
Also, the ending bothered me but I'll leave that up to y'all to read about.
I'd struggled with the rating. I would have given it 4 stars if it wasn't for the lack of fight scenes and the end reveal. I wish I could give it 3.5 but I've settled on 3 stars.
I will probably read the sequel when I get the chance. I really did like this book and the author's writing style.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2021
https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...
The war of 1812 between France and Russia will forever be known in history as a bloodbath between two of the worlds most powerful empires of the seventeenth century. The stories you haven’t heard about are what extremes the Russian powers had to resort to to win the day. Wrapped in a beautiful historical retelling, Twelve is the story of survival, childhood stories, and the horrors of war with folktales coming to life. Jasper Kent is an expert on Russian history and it shines through on every page, even if the pacing can feel painfully slow at times.
Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov is tasked with what seems to be the impossible, engage and defeat the greatest military mind of his time, the Grande Army of Napoleon Bonaparte. City after city have fallen to the wrath of the French Emperor and his eyes are set on Moscow itself. In desperation, Aleksei and his comrades enlist the help of the Oprichniki–a group of twelve mercenaries from the furthest reaches of Christian Europe, who claim that they can turn the tide of the war. It seems an idle boast, but the Russians soon discover that the Oprichniki are indeed quite capable of fulfilling their promise … and much more. Aleksei cant help but thinking back to the days of his childhood when tales of legendary creatures have been told to children as scary stories. What monsters have they unleashed on the world?
The Danilov Quintet is a historical fiction series mixed with elements of horror and fantasy, but to go into more detail I would be spoiling the fun of the story. The strengths of Twelve is in the detailed history of the war of 1812 and the introductions of Russian folk lore with the horrors that it entails. Aleksei is a strong POV character to follow and the passion he holds for his countrymen stands at the forefront. The story is well written but the prose are not the greatest and the pacing can feel off at times given the story bein told. Twelve requires a good deal of investment but the return is very satisfying as the series moves forward. One thing I should mention about the series is that each book covers major events in Russian history and each novel has a time jump. Book 2 takes place 13 years later, Book 3 is set in 1855, Book 4 in 1881, and the finale is set in 1917 during the Russian Revolution.
If you are a bit of a history buff, enjoy a bit of horror in your novels, or are on the lookout for something different, Twelve could be the book for you. I don’t believe it will be everyone’s cup of tea, but something will be there that anyone can enjoy. History has always been told by the victors, but even the victorious have deadly secrets of there own.
Cheers!
The war of 1812 between France and Russia will forever be known in history as a bloodbath between two of the worlds most powerful empires of the seventeenth century. The stories you haven’t heard about are what extremes the Russian powers had to resort to to win the day. Wrapped in a beautiful historical retelling, Twelve is the story of survival, childhood stories, and the horrors of war with folktales coming to life. Jasper Kent is an expert on Russian history and it shines through on every page, even if the pacing can feel painfully slow at times.
Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov is tasked with what seems to be the impossible, engage and defeat the greatest military mind of his time, the Grande Army of Napoleon Bonaparte. City after city have fallen to the wrath of the French Emperor and his eyes are set on Moscow itself. In desperation, Aleksei and his comrades enlist the help of the Oprichniki–a group of twelve mercenaries from the furthest reaches of Christian Europe, who claim that they can turn the tide of the war. It seems an idle boast, but the Russians soon discover that the Oprichniki are indeed quite capable of fulfilling their promise … and much more. Aleksei cant help but thinking back to the days of his childhood when tales of legendary creatures have been told to children as scary stories. What monsters have they unleashed on the world?
The Danilov Quintet is a historical fiction series mixed with elements of horror and fantasy, but to go into more detail I would be spoiling the fun of the story. The strengths of Twelve is in the detailed history of the war of 1812 and the introductions of Russian folk lore with the horrors that it entails. Aleksei is a strong POV character to follow and the passion he holds for his countrymen stands at the forefront. The story is well written but the prose are not the greatest and the pacing can feel off at times given the story bein told. Twelve requires a good deal of investment but the return is very satisfying as the series moves forward. One thing I should mention about the series is that each book covers major events in Russian history and each novel has a time jump. Book 2 takes place 13 years later, Book 3 is set in 1855, Book 4 in 1881, and the finale is set in 1917 during the Russian Revolution.
If you are a bit of a history buff, enjoy a bit of horror in your novels, or are on the lookout for something different, Twelve could be the book for you. I don’t believe it will be everyone’s cup of tea, but something will be there that anyone can enjoy. History has always been told by the victors, but even the victorious have deadly secrets of there own.
Cheers!
June 20, 2013
OK I admit it I bought this book under the misunderstanding that it primarily historical with a bit of a fantasy twist, which is OK if after reading it you are a bit more knowledgeable about the events. Twelve by Jasper Kent is subtitled Russia, 1812 and is set at the point where Moscow is threatened by Napolean's army. The background is a huge canvas with great potential. In essence the struggling Russian army engage the services of twelve mercenaries who claim to be able to turn the tide of the war.
I also admit that I am not a horror fan, in fact the last "horror" book I read was Carrie, and that was in the early eighties, so I was not sure what to expect but I assumed that the thinly veiled gothic twist might re-awaken a forgotten (in me) genre. Sadly it was not to be, the book was so tedious in its execution with the hero moving from Moscow to the front so often it was confusing as to where and why he was where he was. I lost interest in all the characters none of which was appealing and the vampire mercs were just plain boring. As a plus I thinks that the book was well researched for details of the soldiers but not that there was very much grand historical context in the story.
As a re-introduction to the genre it was a complete miss, I will stick to the Bernard Cornwall for my historical derring-do.
John Williams
I also admit that I am not a horror fan, in fact the last "horror" book I read was Carrie, and that was in the early eighties, so I was not sure what to expect but I assumed that the thinly veiled gothic twist might re-awaken a forgotten (in me) genre. Sadly it was not to be, the book was so tedious in its execution with the hero moving from Moscow to the front so often it was confusing as to where and why he was where he was. I lost interest in all the characters none of which was appealing and the vampire mercs were just plain boring. As a plus I thinks that the book was well researched for details of the soldiers but not that there was very much grand historical context in the story.
As a re-introduction to the genre it was a complete miss, I will stick to the Bernard Cornwall for my historical derring-do.
John Williams
July 14, 2009
Reading impression
1812... Napoleon's invasion of Russia...
1812... Voordalak(vampire) tales are still told to childrencin Eastern Europe....
1812...
We follow the story of Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov. He is a Captain in the Russian army and member of a special force which operate behind the enemy lines.
Aleksei and his comrades get in contact with another special force: A group of Oprichniki. Twelve men named after the apostles....
I read several reviews before. Most of them praised the book.
I must admit they are so right!
What an awesome read!
Twelve is several books in one: It is a war book, it is book about military background of Napoleon's invasion, it is a book about Eastern Europe vampires, it is a book about trust and faith, love and hate, horrors of war.
Jasper Kent depiction of war, horror, love, inner conflicts through Aleksei's eyes is fascinating and amazing. And the whole story is narrated from Aleksei's point of view.
Twelve is the first book of a series called the Danilov Quintet and I can't wait for the next book.
1812... Napoleon's invasion of Russia...
1812... Voordalak(vampire) tales are still told to childrencin Eastern Europe....
1812...
We follow the story of Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov. He is a Captain in the Russian army and member of a special force which operate behind the enemy lines.
Aleksei and his comrades get in contact with another special force: A group of Oprichniki. Twelve men named after the apostles....
I read several reviews before. Most of them praised the book.
I must admit they are so right!
What an awesome read!
Twelve is several books in one: It is a war book, it is book about military background of Napoleon's invasion, it is a book about Eastern Europe vampires, it is a book about trust and faith, love and hate, horrors of war.
Jasper Kent depiction of war, horror, love, inner conflicts through Aleksei's eyes is fascinating and amazing. And the whole story is narrated from Aleksei's point of view.
Twelve is the first book of a series called the Danilov Quintet and I can't wait for the next book.
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