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Fourth Realm #2
The Dark River
A brilliant follow-up to the New York Times bestseller, The Traveler , The Dark River follows the Harlequin, Maya, and the Traveler, Gabriel Corrigan, on their search for Gabriel’s lost father.
In his first novel, John Twelve Hawks introduced the world of two brothers, Gabriel and Michael Corrigan, who learned they were Travelers, a line of prophets through history who are able to travel into different realms of consciousness and existence, and Maya, a Harlequin who, like Harlequins before her, pledged to lay down her own life to protect any Traveler.
The Dark River opens following Maya and Gabriel’s narrow escape from his brother, Michael, and the group of powerful men who have been pursuing them. The landscape has Michael has become part of the group that wants to capture Gabriel, and thanks to advanced surveillance technology there are few places for them to hide. While he is recuperating and staying in the shadows in New York City, a shocking piece of information trickles back to Gabriel concerning his and Michael’s father. A Traveler who was believed to be dead for nearly twenty years, Gabriel hears, may still be alive and trapped somewhere across the globe. Gabriel, Maya, Hollis and Vicki must plan their escape from New York as well as their path to Gabriel’s father, who has the ability to revive the failing Traveler movement. But Michael and his group of Tabula mercenaries are equally motivated to find both Gabriel and their father–for both represent an obstacle to Michael’s unchallenged power.
The Dark River is a scintillating novel that, like The Traveler , is deeply and richly drawn, showcasing a superb and original voice.
In his first novel, John Twelve Hawks introduced the world of two brothers, Gabriel and Michael Corrigan, who learned they were Travelers, a line of prophets through history who are able to travel into different realms of consciousness and existence, and Maya, a Harlequin who, like Harlequins before her, pledged to lay down her own life to protect any Traveler.
The Dark River opens following Maya and Gabriel’s narrow escape from his brother, Michael, and the group of powerful men who have been pursuing them. The landscape has Michael has become part of the group that wants to capture Gabriel, and thanks to advanced surveillance technology there are few places for them to hide. While he is recuperating and staying in the shadows in New York City, a shocking piece of information trickles back to Gabriel concerning his and Michael’s father. A Traveler who was believed to be dead for nearly twenty years, Gabriel hears, may still be alive and trapped somewhere across the globe. Gabriel, Maya, Hollis and Vicki must plan their escape from New York as well as their path to Gabriel’s father, who has the ability to revive the failing Traveler movement. But Michael and his group of Tabula mercenaries are equally motivated to find both Gabriel and their father–for both represent an obstacle to Michael’s unchallenged power.
The Dark River is a scintillating novel that, like The Traveler , is deeply and richly drawn, showcasing a superb and original voice.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published July 10, 2007
102 people are currently reading
1806 people want to read
About the author
John Twelve Hawks
17 books594 followersJohn Twelve Hawks aka J12H/JXIIH.
His real identity is unknown. He communicates using the internet and an untraceable phone and has never met his editor.
Several guesses have been made regarding his identity: that he was Thomas Pynchon, Dan Brown, or Steve Hawking among others...
His real identity is unknown. He communicates using the internet and an untraceable phone and has never met his editor.
Several guesses have been made regarding his identity: that he was Thomas Pynchon, Dan Brown, or Steve Hawking among others...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 454 reviews
August 17, 2007
I absolutely LOVED "The Traveler", as can be seen by my 5-Star rating. I couldn't put it down, and I was actually greatly torn between going on to "The Dark River", or reading Book 7 of Harry Potter. Yes, that's how good "The Traveler" was. Harry Potter won out, naturally, but as soon as I put it down (and recovered), I picked up "The Dark River".
I have to say, I was let down. The story no longer felt as compelling, the pace seemed to slow, and there didn't seem to be a lot of new information. In fact, I found myself frequently annoyed as the author kept stopping to explain things that had happened in the first book. I'm not real keen on pandering to people who can't be bothered to read the first book first, and it would tear me out of the story frequently, these awkward moments of, "Oh, this is what we're talking about."
Even with all of that, I would have given it 4 stars, out of sheer respect for the first book, if I hadn't abruptly lost all respect for the character of Maya midway through the book.
An act of pure selfishness on her part, with no justification whatsoever, leaves many people vulnerable and exposed, with the inevitable result of the unnecessary death of a vital character.
I was disgusted by her decision, and it affected my enjoyment of the book.
Read "The Traveler" first, it's an amazing book. Read "The Dark River" only to find out what happens next - don't expect the same caliber of read.
I have to say, I was let down. The story no longer felt as compelling, the pace seemed to slow, and there didn't seem to be a lot of new information. In fact, I found myself frequently annoyed as the author kept stopping to explain things that had happened in the first book. I'm not real keen on pandering to people who can't be bothered to read the first book first, and it would tear me out of the story frequently, these awkward moments of, "Oh, this is what we're talking about."
Even with all of that, I would have given it 4 stars, out of sheer respect for the first book, if I hadn't abruptly lost all respect for the character of Maya midway through the book.
An act of pure selfishness on her part, with no justification whatsoever, leaves many people vulnerable and exposed, with the inevitable result of the unnecessary death of a vital character.
I was disgusted by her decision, and it affected my enjoyment of the book.
Read "The Traveler" first, it's an amazing book. Read "The Dark River" only to find out what happens next - don't expect the same caliber of read.
July 15, 2016
Great sequel of The Traveler.
July 20, 2015
My first encounter with Twelve Hawks was through Spark, which I found pretty darned awesome, enough so that I decided to try another of his works. My library doesn't have the first in the Fourth Realm trilogy, so I decided to try my luck with the second.
Unfortunately, the book's pair of forewords gave our relationship a rocky start. In the first foreword, Twelve Hawks praises the people who took the message of his book seriously and started fighting the "Vast Machine." In the second, he recaps what happened in the last book. I was taken aback by the first because while I understand the concerns about technology and its misuse, I tend to prefer more subtlety in my authors, and the earnest tone rather suggests tin hats to me. The second one, on the other hand, just pissed me off. I'm of the belief that readers should be able to pick up any book in a series and enjoy the ride. A recap indicates that the author lacks the basic skill of summarizing previous events within the book itself. Certainly no one would accuse Twelve Hawks of subtlety, and given the awkward moments of exposition in The Dark River, maybe he was right to rely on a recap.
Twelve Hawks is an entertaining writer, and I rather like the general idea of his dystopian world controlled by the Vast Machine, but I think that reading this without the second book completely ruined my ability to enjoy the book to the full. The core idea of the series is that there are extra-special beings called the Travelers who have the ability to travel to other worlds (which are pretty crap, by the way) and bring back the wisdom they find there. They are protected by people who call themselves Harlequins, and opposed by the evil Tabula, who together rule the world via the Vast Machine (aka all technology) which gives them the ability to create a Panopticon Prison. Basically the whole book involves Gabriel, one of the last Travelers, try to escape his brother, who has gone to the Dark Side and joined the Tabula.
I don't like white/black good/evil worlds, and Twelve Hawk's future is pretty simplistic: the Travelers bring Light and Wisdom and Freedom to the world, and the Tabula represent The Evils Of Technology. Amusingly enough, throughout, we are told that Travelers bring progress and change, yet in this book, Gabriel's entire mission is to stop the Tabula from deploying more advanced technology and to keep the advancement of science static. In fact, I honestly don't see why anyone bothers to protect the Travelers, as other than being a bumbling naif, Gabriel doesn't seem to do any good for anyone. In addition, Twelve Hawks must have figured he got all that irritating character development nonsense out of the way in the first book, since it certainly doesn't figure much here.
Overall, The Dark River is an entertaining enough book, but it sinks under Twelve Hawk's unsubtle attempts to transform it into something more meaningful. To him, technology by itself is an evil. While I agree that the level of surveillance now available is terrifying, I think Twelve Hawks misses an important point: while technology has provided more ways to control and monitor us, it has also given us more ways to communicate and to monitor our monitors. If you look at the scariest moments in history, it is when people's access to information has been controlled. While every action you make is undoubtedly monitored in some way, we have more access to information and more ways to communicate than ever before.
Unfortunately, the book's pair of forewords gave our relationship a rocky start. In the first foreword, Twelve Hawks praises the people who took the message of his book seriously and started fighting the "Vast Machine." In the second, he recaps what happened in the last book. I was taken aback by the first because while I understand the concerns about technology and its misuse, I tend to prefer more subtlety in my authors, and the earnest tone rather suggests tin hats to me. The second one, on the other hand, just pissed me off. I'm of the belief that readers should be able to pick up any book in a series and enjoy the ride. A recap indicates that the author lacks the basic skill of summarizing previous events within the book itself. Certainly no one would accuse Twelve Hawks of subtlety, and given the awkward moments of exposition in The Dark River, maybe he was right to rely on a recap.
Twelve Hawks is an entertaining writer, and I rather like the general idea of his dystopian world controlled by the Vast Machine, but I think that reading this without the second book completely ruined my ability to enjoy the book to the full. The core idea of the series is that there are extra-special beings called the Travelers who have the ability to travel to other worlds (which are pretty crap, by the way) and bring back the wisdom they find there. They are protected by people who call themselves Harlequins, and opposed by the evil Tabula, who together rule the world via the Vast Machine (aka all technology) which gives them the ability to create a Panopticon Prison. Basically the whole book involves Gabriel, one of the last Travelers, try to escape his brother, who has gone to the Dark Side and joined the Tabula.
I don't like white/black good/evil worlds, and Twelve Hawk's future is pretty simplistic: the Travelers bring Light and Wisdom and Freedom to the world, and the Tabula represent The Evils Of Technology. Amusingly enough, throughout, we are told that Travelers bring progress and change, yet in this book, Gabriel's entire mission is to stop the Tabula from deploying more advanced technology and to keep the advancement of science static. In fact, I honestly don't see why anyone bothers to protect the Travelers, as other than being a bumbling naif, Gabriel doesn't seem to do any good for anyone. In addition, Twelve Hawks must have figured he got all that irritating character development nonsense out of the way in the first book, since it certainly doesn't figure much here.
Overall, The Dark River is an entertaining enough book, but it sinks under Twelve Hawk's unsubtle attempts to transform it into something more meaningful. To him, technology by itself is an evil. While I agree that the level of surveillance now available is terrifying, I think Twelve Hawks misses an important point: while technology has provided more ways to control and monitor us, it has also given us more ways to communicate and to monitor our monitors. If you look at the scariest moments in history, it is when people's access to information has been controlled. While every action you make is undoubtedly monitored in some way, we have more access to information and more ways to communicate than ever before.
September 15, 2022
Тази част по-малко ми хареса от първата, но въпреки това заигравката с темата за виртуалното следене е много актуална днес. Според мен много от техниката, която е описана в книгата, вероятно вече я има и постепенно отнемат свободата ни, а ние не забелязваме. Най-лошото е, че доброволно се оставяме да ни я отнемат.
В тази част двамата братя поемат по различни пътища. Майкъл остава да работи за Табулата и им помага да наложат Паноптикумът върху всички хора. Програма сянка ще следи всеки човек какво прави, какво купува, а чрез чиповете в разплащателните им карти ще засичат всяко тяхно действие откъдето и да минат.
Гейбриъл иска да намери баща си и се втурва в приключенско търсене, което го отвежда на изолиран ирландски остров. Мая го следва по петите и го защитава, но двамата имат чувства един към друг. Странници и арлекини никога не трябва да бъдат заедно, това гласят техните закони, но те ги нарушават. Оказва се, че Гейбриъл е единственият останал странник и той трябва да спаси света от Табулата. Преди това обаче е твърде решен да намери своя баща и предприема опасно пътуване в един от паралелните светове. Мая е решена да го последва навсякъде. В следващата част ще се разбере вече краят на тази история.
Книгата е фантастична и трилър, с екшън и приключения. Стилът на автора е лек за четене, без задълбоченост. Може малко да се поработи върху текста, затова оценката ми в сравнение с първата книга, е по-ниска.
"Свободата се стопява по хиляди малки начини и на никой не му пука."
"Ако правото на лична свобода имаше надгробен камък, на него щеше да е изсечен надписът: "Не се тревожете. Това беше за ваше добро."
В тази част двамата братя поемат по различни пътища. Майкъл остава да работи за Табулата и им помага да наложат Паноптикумът върху всички хора. Програма сянка ще следи всеки човек какво прави, какво купува, а чрез чиповете в разплащателните им карти ще засичат всяко тяхно действие откъдето и да минат.
Гейбриъл иска да намери баща си и се втурва в приключенско търсене, което го отвежда на изолиран ирландски остров. Мая го следва по петите и го защитава, но двамата имат чувства един към друг. Странници и арлекини никога не трябва да бъдат заедно, това гласят техните закони, но те ги нарушават. Оказва се, че Гейбриъл е единственият останал странник и той трябва да спаси света от Табулата. Преди това обаче е твърде решен да намери своя баща и предприема опасно пътуване в един от паралелните светове. Мая е решена да го последва навсякъде. В следващата част ще се разбере вече краят на тази история.
Книгата е фантастична и трилър, с екшън и приключения. Стилът на автора е лек за четене, без задълбоченост. Може малко да се поработи върху текста, затова оценката ми в сравнение с първата книга, е по-ниска.
"Свободата се стопява по хиляди малки начини и на никой не му пука."
"Ако правото на лична свобода имаше надгробен камък, на него щеше да е изсечен надписът: "Не се тревожете. Това беше за ваше добро."
September 17, 2010
THE DARK RIVER BY JOHN TWELVE HAWKS: John Twelve Hawks returns with The Dark River, the second of the trilogy, after The Traveler, in the Fourth Realm series. We last left off with Gabriel on the run from the Tabula with his Harlequin, Maya, having just sabotaged the Tabula’s quantum computer system which was part of the Virtual Panopticon: the Tabula’s effort to create a worldwide system to watch and know what everyone is doing all the time. The Dark River continues the story of this dystopia in our near future as the Traveler fights for survival while the Tabula fights for domination.
The Traveler is a person who can travel to another realm, learning from these others worlds, he or she returns with a heightened knowledge that they can pass onto others. They have existed for millennia; many famous people in history are believed to have been Travelers, including Jesus Christ. Then there is the Brethren, or the Tabula as they are known to Travelers, who are out to kill all the Travelers and have done so since the beginning. Except in the modern age the true power of the Traveler has been realized by the Tabula and they wish to capture Travelers and use them for their own gain. Finally there are the Harlequins, a secret group who have existed just as long, whose sworn duty is to protect the Travelers.
Gabriel and his brother Michael are Travelers. In the first book of the series, Michael was captured by the Tabula and has now become one of them, an enemy to Gabriel. So as the Tabula are both working on the Virtual Panopticon and looking for the Traveler, Gabriel discovers that his father – a renowned Traveler – is alive and goes to England to search for him. He finds his father’s body on an island near Ireland, barely alive, while his father’s consciousness is in another world, another realm. It is now up to Gabriel to travel to this other realm, the First Realm – better known as Hell – to find his father and bring him back. At the same time they most not forget about the Tabula who are desperately looking for them, using every means necessary.
The Dark River furthers the plot along, but falls short of offering up any shocking realizations or reveals, feeling more like a chapter in the great saga of the Fourth Realm series. It ends on a cliffhanger leaving the reader wondering how the enigmatic John Twelve Hawks (which is obviously a pseudonym) will complete the epic and growing series with just one more book to go.
For more book reviews, and author interviews, go to BookBanter.
The Traveler is a person who can travel to another realm, learning from these others worlds, he or she returns with a heightened knowledge that they can pass onto others. They have existed for millennia; many famous people in history are believed to have been Travelers, including Jesus Christ. Then there is the Brethren, or the Tabula as they are known to Travelers, who are out to kill all the Travelers and have done so since the beginning. Except in the modern age the true power of the Traveler has been realized by the Tabula and they wish to capture Travelers and use them for their own gain. Finally there are the Harlequins, a secret group who have existed just as long, whose sworn duty is to protect the Travelers.
Gabriel and his brother Michael are Travelers. In the first book of the series, Michael was captured by the Tabula and has now become one of them, an enemy to Gabriel. So as the Tabula are both working on the Virtual Panopticon and looking for the Traveler, Gabriel discovers that his father – a renowned Traveler – is alive and goes to England to search for him. He finds his father’s body on an island near Ireland, barely alive, while his father’s consciousness is in another world, another realm. It is now up to Gabriel to travel to this other realm, the First Realm – better known as Hell – to find his father and bring him back. At the same time they most not forget about the Tabula who are desperately looking for them, using every means necessary.
The Dark River furthers the plot along, but falls short of offering up any shocking realizations or reveals, feeling more like a chapter in the great saga of the Fourth Realm series. It ends on a cliffhanger leaving the reader wondering how the enigmatic John Twelve Hawks (which is obviously a pseudonym) will complete the epic and growing series with just one more book to go.
For more book reviews, and author interviews, go to BookBanter.
May 15, 2022
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
November 7, 2008
Ugh, an interesting premise falls flat on it's face.
Lots of descriptions of black leather, weapons & automobiles, but stiff wooden characters, the author has a painfully obvious agenda.
Spiritualism = good
Materialism = bad
Technology is evil because it's being used by the soulless evilIlluminati, I mean the "Tabula", to control the mindless masses of the Matrix, I mean of the current day cellphone/GPS/twittering population. Only a mystic who can cross over to the 'light' and bring back spiritually enlightening messages, like Jesus, Buddha, et al, have, can somehow save us all from world thought domination. Throw in the age-old battles between the evil overlords and the ancient race of guardians for the mystics (May the Force be with you, Maya) and the evil twin who needs to be redeemed, and there's something from everything you've already read/watched in this book for everyone.
I really disliked the author's ham-fisted approach to shoving this creed down the reader's throat - at every turn he is reiterating some point from it - over and over and over and over.
I could probably deal with that if I liked and was invested in the characters, but a more cardboard set of them cannot be found - unless you're looking in a writer's encyclopedia of stock stereotypical characters. Between that and the derivative plot points, ugh. Overall, I'd recommend you not waste your time.
Lots of descriptions of black leather, weapons & automobiles, but stiff wooden characters, the author has a painfully obvious agenda.
Spiritualism = good
Materialism = bad
Technology is evil because it's being used by the soulless evil
I really disliked the author's ham-fisted approach to shoving this creed down the reader's throat - at every turn he is reiterating some point from it - over and over and over and over.
I could probably deal with that if I liked and was invested in the characters, but a more cardboard set of them cannot be found - unless you're looking in a writer's encyclopedia of stock stereotypical characters. Between that and the derivative plot points, ugh. Overall, I'd recommend you not waste your time.
June 4, 2012
I enjoyed The Traveler, despite its cliches, but with The Dark River, I sometimes found myself embarrassed to be reading it. This was most acute when the story suddenly turned into The Da Vinci Code. Look, I'm not above reading fluff, obviously, but I do draw the line in some places, which is why I've never read The Da Vinci Code or Twilight, so I felt kind of betrayed when my fluff turned into "that other" fluff out of the blue. Some other issues:
1. Vicki went out like a bitch. She was a good character, a strong character, and her death deserved to at least have some meaning (like if her sacrifice had saved Matthew, or something), but no, it was as if her life were worthless. This happened with Lawrence in the last book, so it shouldn't surprise me, but it was still disappointing.
2. What was intriguingly prescient in the last book now seemed preachy, with regard to the dangers of trading freedom for safety.
3. Similarly, I felt like I was being given little lessons from time to time, with no apparent point. Like that women don't have it too bad in Ethiopia or that cappuccino shouldn't be ordered after 10am. I like to learn things in novels, but it should come as part of the overall story, not as some preachy little side note.
Still, at this point, I'll read the last one just to see how it ends. I expect to be embarrassed. Thankfully, on the Kindle, no one will have to know my little secret.
1. Vicki went out like a bitch. She was a good character, a strong character, and her death deserved to at least have some meaning (like if her sacrifice had saved Matthew, or something), but no, it was as if her life were worthless. This happened with Lawrence in the last book, so it shouldn't surprise me, but it was still disappointing.
2. What was intriguingly prescient in the last book now seemed preachy, with regard to the dangers of trading freedom for safety.
3. Similarly, I felt like I was being given little lessons from time to time, with no apparent point. Like that women don't have it too bad in Ethiopia or that cappuccino shouldn't be ordered after 10am. I like to learn things in novels, but it should come as part of the overall story, not as some preachy little side note.
Still, at this point, I'll read the last one just to see how it ends. I expect to be embarrassed. Thankfully, on the Kindle, no one will have to know my little secret.
March 6, 2011
I really didn't think it could be worse than the first one, but sheesh, was I wrong. Absolutely NOTHING happens in this book--sure, a few characters die, but the plot of this "trilogy" is not moved forward at all, the backstory (which it could use) is not developed, and random shit is thrown together just because it seemed like the author thought it was cool. Parkour! Cloistered nuns with a secret! Fights in nightclubs! And, the Holy Grail of MacGuffins, we literally have the Ark of the Covenant. WTF. Twelve Hawks' writing is lazy, full of lame metaphors and flat characters, with such a contrived plot, that he doesn't even seem to bother to try to explain it or make it worth a reader's time to invest. I thought these books would be, at worst, lite escapism trash, but it truly is terrible, like some half-baked sci-fi premise that you'd see on NBC (and later cancelled after half a season).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2008
I am completely fascinated by this series. It has such a dark paranoid feel to it....in some ways, a flashback to my mentality in college and previous career. I'd say the series is well worth reading, if only because anything that talks about ubiquitous monitoring of our lives (ie, police cameras in Baltimore and London, ATM cameras, store cameras) as well as parkour deserves to be read by more people. The fact that the author is anonymous, and that Neal Stephenson and Stephen Hawking have been proposed as legitimate possibilities just ices the cake.
March 16, 2019
A disappointing follow-up to The Traveller (which I really enjoyed).
I felt like I was reading a poorly-written book for young adults. There are very irritating and unnecessary synopses of events from the first book (I already read it, thank you) and the author has completely abandoned any attempt at "show, don't tell".
The book finishes such that you HAVE to go on to read the third in the trilogy. I will read the final book but not with much enthusiasm. Fortunately it will be an easy, quick task.
I felt like I was reading a poorly-written book for young adults. There are very irritating and unnecessary synopses of events from the first book (I already read it, thank you) and the author has completely abandoned any attempt at "show, don't tell".
The book finishes such that you HAVE to go on to read the third in the trilogy. I will read the final book but not with much enthusiasm. Fortunately it will be an easy, quick task.
November 17, 2024
Etwas schwächer als Band 1 „Traveler“, aber ausreichend interessant, um auch mit Band 3 fortzusetzen.
April 16, 2021
The story from part one is drawn out here. Is this the fluffy center of an oreo trilogy? Let’s see what happens in the conclusion. It MAY pick up and turn out super cool!?!
June 27, 2011
This is not your run of the mill story... Conspiracies everywhere and Hindu worlds of the dead to boot.
This one picks up not long after The Traveler...and builds on the Maya & Gabriel relationship as it sweeps around the world, seeks to tie any and every religious event, icon or idea into a sort of over all Buddhist cosmology. It's a good to fair read. i didn't get drawn in as thoroughly as I was in Traveler but than I stated about that book that I found the semi-religious part of the book a weakness. That segment takes more center stage here.
We are getting more of the author's view of the "Realms" as we start to learn about how the Travelers can access the gates and move from one realm to another (and the possibility of getting trapped). We've seen the brothers split and we follow Michael working with the Brethren... and of course it's all dark, secret, sinister and...conspiratorial.
A pretty good book, not as good or interesting as the first a bit weaker, but readable.
This one picks up not long after The Traveler...and builds on the Maya & Gabriel relationship as it sweeps around the world, seeks to tie any and every religious event, icon or idea into a sort of over all Buddhist cosmology. It's a good to fair read. i didn't get drawn in as thoroughly as I was in Traveler but than I stated about that book that I found the semi-religious part of the book a weakness. That segment takes more center stage here.
We are getting more of the author's view of the "Realms" as we start to learn about how the Travelers can access the gates and move from one realm to another (and the possibility of getting trapped). We've seen the brothers split and we follow Michael working with the Brethren... and of course it's all dark, secret, sinister and...conspiratorial.
A pretty good book, not as good or interesting as the first a bit weaker, but readable.
December 23, 2010
Oh dear.
Following on from The Traveler, which was a promising thriller combining some interesting philosophy with a decently written adventure, this second volume takes that groundwork and flushes it down the toilet. The plot becomes ludicrous, the attempts at philosophy become badly thought out individualistic rants and the writing has somehow become painfully bad. Seriously to the point that it doesn't read like the same author. I'm not saying that The Traveler was Dostoevsky, but this is awful. The writer even seems to have lost some knowledge; in the first book he appeared to know his technology, and made excellent use of it both for his comments on the surveillance society and in terms of plot, but here it becomes the kind of badly constructed techno-thriller pseudo-scientific guff you tend to find in bad Tom Clancy knock-offs.
Following on from The Traveler, which was a promising thriller combining some interesting philosophy with a decently written adventure, this second volume takes that groundwork and flushes it down the toilet. The plot becomes ludicrous, the attempts at philosophy become badly thought out individualistic rants and the writing has somehow become painfully bad. Seriously to the point that it doesn't read like the same author. I'm not saying that The Traveler was Dostoevsky, but this is awful. The writer even seems to have lost some knowledge; in the first book he appeared to know his technology, and made excellent use of it both for his comments on the surveillance society and in terms of plot, but here it becomes the kind of badly constructed techno-thriller pseudo-scientific guff you tend to find in bad Tom Clancy knock-offs.
December 21, 2014
This is the second book in the Traveller's series by John Twelve-Hawks and follows Gabriel, Maya and their friends as they try to both outrun the Brethren and also to find Gabriel's father. At the other end of the spectrum, Gabriel's brother Michael is now working with the Brethren, especially Mrs. Brewster and also wishes to find his father. We find out more about the other realms and also meet the Free Runners, a group who try to live outside the Vast Machine being developed by the Brethren. It's a very interesting concept, there is well-developed action and it's often quite grim. I enjoyed this book very much and now will have to try and find Book three, The Golden City to see how Twelve Hawks resolves the questions left open at the end of Book two.
June 13, 2017
review of audio book. Tldr if you liked The Traveler you'll likely enjoy this. 3.5 stars is more accurate
Narrator continues to do a great job, and a couple of the characters make this worth continuing. a few sections still have the "told not shown" issue but significantly less prominent.
Some of the tech description break suspension of disbelief due to a misunderstanding of how certain things work but it doesn't break the story.
Maya, Hollis, Vicki, and Gabriel make this worth it; The more prominent characters that had only been mentioned before are nice additions.
This book suffered from what I refer to as Matrix Reloaded Syndrome, it's cliffhanger is so drastic you need to get the next one. Occasionally this book kept me involved in spite of some flaws due to the characters.
Narrator continues to do a great job, and a couple of the characters make this worth continuing. a few sections still have the "told not shown" issue but significantly less prominent.
Some of the tech description break suspension of disbelief due to a misunderstanding of how certain things work but it doesn't break the story.
Maya, Hollis, Vicki, and Gabriel make this worth it; The more prominent characters that had only been mentioned before are nice additions.
This book suffered from what I refer to as Matrix Reloaded Syndrome, it's cliffhanger is so drastic you need to get the next one. Occasionally this book kept me involved in spite of some flaws due to the characters.
April 8, 2008
The problem with a trilogy is always the middle book because it often has no obvious beginning or conclusion and just carries the reader along through a sometimes not very necessary chain of events.
The book is OK but not exactly exciting and occasionally I asked myself why he bothers to do 3 books when one or maybe two would cover the whole story. It's not a Lord of the Rings and the story subject matter is way too thin to stretch this far. As a result a lot of the book feels like a carbon copy of The Traveller.
The ending of the trilogy is starting to look very predictable.
Will I read the concluding book when it is published? Yes, if someone else buys it.
The book is OK but not exactly exciting and occasionally I asked myself why he bothers to do 3 books when one or maybe two would cover the whole story. It's not a Lord of the Rings and the story subject matter is way too thin to stretch this far. As a result a lot of the book feels like a carbon copy of The Traveller.
The ending of the trilogy is starting to look very predictable.
Will I read the concluding book when it is published? Yes, if someone else buys it.
August 6, 2007
The author has presented an interesting world view and created a fascinating world in which his characters play out their drama. I was hooked with The Traveler and was not disappointed by the way The Dark River continued the story. This book is very much a chapter in a continuing story. I found it satisfying, but it leaves the characters in a fix you will have to wait for the next book to resolve.
July 18, 2008
Loved this sequel to The Traveler. These books are a trilogy so this is alot like The Empire Strikes Back with no beginning and no end. However, it was even better than the first book. I can hardly wait till the 3rd. If you like sci-fi mixed with a little spritualism and some Matrix thrown in for spice, this is the book for you.
September 9, 2011
I could not put this one down and am now camped out under my letter box desperatly awaiting the last instalment to arrive! I NEED to know how it ends. This book didn't go in a direction that I thought it might. People died that shocked me. People not dying surprised me. And it ends on such a cliff hanger. All I can say is Royal Mail better not keep me waiting too much...
July 19, 2009
This is the sequal to the Traveler. I loved this book as much as the first one. It really made me think about the furture for people and I also wonder how much of this is actually going on. The end of the story has me dying to read the next book.
January 27, 2018
3 estrellas. No ha resultado una lectura apasionante, pero no ha estado nada mal. Y el final ha sido lo bastante intenso como para querer saber que pasa en la tercera parte de la trilogía. Los Seis Dominios prometen dar mucho juego.
November 3, 2014
I liked the first one better. This one was very well-done, too, though :)
April 14, 2019
Tam bir geviş kitabıydı çok olay,entrika vs olmadı ama kitap kendini çok güzel okuttu ama sevdiğim karakterler ölünce üzülüyorum ben yaa 😓
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May 21, 2021The plot thickens
As the second installment, it was true to type. A lot of people died. Anymore and there won't be enough left for number three.
As the second installment, it was true to type. A lot of people died. Anymore and there won't be enough left for number three.
April 7, 2009
Not as good as The Time Traveller but I wouldn't have missed it. Can't wait for the next one.
November 4, 2025
John Twelve Horse second book in his Travelers series, The Dark River, takes us on a wild ride across America, to England, Ireland, Italy and even Ethiopia as our intrepid traveler, Gabriel, seeks to outwit his brother Michael who has joined forces with the “dark side” aka the Tabula.
An ancient fight that goes back centuries between the rich and powerful (who control all the resources) and those who seek to live freely outside of the mainstream, is being fought by people called Harlequins. The leading characters in these freedom stories a handful of surviving Harlequins who live off the grid, are trained warriors who fight with swords, knives, guns and hands to protect another group of people called Travelers who have the ability to leave their bodies and travel to other realms. This ability sure does make the Tabula want to kill them and their protective Harlequins and anybody else who doesn’t go along with their diabolical plan to control everything!
In this book Gabriel and his harlequin Maya become lovers, adding to the complications of their already dangerous relationship. Many people get killed and their houses burned down and lots of other people get their lives seriously messed with all because the Tabula are cold blooded ass holes who don’t care what they have to do to achieve world domination.
The themes in the Traveler series remind me so much of the same themes in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The people who are romantically inclined and those who are technologically inclined. Two different mindsets trying to cohabit on the same planet with disastrous consequences for the romantics. It’s a problem that can lead to madness.
Of course, John Twelve Hawks is pointing out the very real issue of personal freedom and privacy in a world that has been taught to fear. People fear crime, each other, more crime and the media feeds that fear by only broadcasting the worst, most titillating news and police dramas and “true crime stories” preparing the public for more surveillance and less privacy until there’s a camera on every corner and the owners of search engines are tracking your every move while Google records it.
Truly we have already lost this war for freedom. And if you do manage to get off the grid and establish your own domain you can be sure that the government will declare you a threat and you will be exterminated. (IE Waco and Ruby Ridge for a few examples) but it’s still fun to fantasize that good people can be free. Love can prevail and that mystics can travel to realms beyond the limits of ordinary people.
An ancient fight that goes back centuries between the rich and powerful (who control all the resources) and those who seek to live freely outside of the mainstream, is being fought by people called Harlequins. The leading characters in these freedom stories a handful of surviving Harlequins who live off the grid, are trained warriors who fight with swords, knives, guns and hands to protect another group of people called Travelers who have the ability to leave their bodies and travel to other realms. This ability sure does make the Tabula want to kill them and their protective Harlequins and anybody else who doesn’t go along with their diabolical plan to control everything!
In this book Gabriel and his harlequin Maya become lovers, adding to the complications of their already dangerous relationship. Many people get killed and their houses burned down and lots of other people get their lives seriously messed with all because the Tabula are cold blooded ass holes who don’t care what they have to do to achieve world domination.
The themes in the Traveler series remind me so much of the same themes in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The people who are romantically inclined and those who are technologically inclined. Two different mindsets trying to cohabit on the same planet with disastrous consequences for the romantics. It’s a problem that can lead to madness.
Of course, John Twelve Hawks is pointing out the very real issue of personal freedom and privacy in a world that has been taught to fear. People fear crime, each other, more crime and the media feeds that fear by only broadcasting the worst, most titillating news and police dramas and “true crime stories” preparing the public for more surveillance and less privacy until there’s a camera on every corner and the owners of search engines are tracking your every move while Google records it.
Truly we have already lost this war for freedom. And if you do manage to get off the grid and establish your own domain you can be sure that the government will declare you a threat and you will be exterminated. (IE Waco and Ruby Ridge for a few examples) but it’s still fun to fantasize that good people can be free. Love can prevail and that mystics can travel to realms beyond the limits of ordinary people.
October 8, 2017
Remember, one man's breezy summary can be another man's spoiler.
This is the second book in a proposed trilogy about a sightly future world that includes timeworn sub-groups of people such as Travelers (who know how to travel out of their body to different dimensions), Harlequins (people trained in martial arts to defend Travelers), Pathfinders (who help Travelers bring out their talent) and the Brethren (bad guys who want to eliminate all Harlequins and control everybody else by a virtual prison system which is never quite elaborated.
I came into this with good will from reading the first installment. I liked the notion that two Traveler twins are now on opposite sides of the great chasm - Michael joins the Brethren and Gabriel aligns with those who oppose the Brethren). And I liked the personality of Gabriel.
But this book was, to me, a waste. Yeah, I got to see Gabriel travel several European locations, developing grassroots support and evading the Brethren. Yeah, I also got to see him go to the realm where dead spirits reign. And there he gets taken captive.
Other plot developments occur: A female Harlequin is going outside her stated cold-blooded role to develop a love interest. Michael rises in rank among the Brethren. We learn the twins' dad is not dead despite long-held belief.
But it pretty much left me cold. Everything seemed like plot machinations to set up the third book. In this, it's sort of like the middle episode in the original Star Wars trilogy. That, as well, came off as mere set-up for upcoming exploits.
Bottom line, I was very disappointed in John Twelve Hawks.
This is the second book in a proposed trilogy about a sightly future world that includes timeworn sub-groups of people such as Travelers (who know how to travel out of their body to different dimensions), Harlequins (people trained in martial arts to defend Travelers), Pathfinders (who help Travelers bring out their talent) and the Brethren (bad guys who want to eliminate all Harlequins and control everybody else by a virtual prison system which is never quite elaborated.
I came into this with good will from reading the first installment. I liked the notion that two Traveler twins are now on opposite sides of the great chasm - Michael joins the Brethren and Gabriel aligns with those who oppose the Brethren). And I liked the personality of Gabriel.
But this book was, to me, a waste. Yeah, I got to see Gabriel travel several European locations, developing grassroots support and evading the Brethren. Yeah, I also got to see him go to the realm where dead spirits reign. And there he gets taken captive.
Other plot developments occur: A female Harlequin is going outside her stated cold-blooded role to develop a love interest. Michael rises in rank among the Brethren. We learn the twins' dad is not dead despite long-held belief.
But it pretty much left me cold. Everything seemed like plot machinations to set up the third book. In this, it's sort of like the middle episode in the original Star Wars trilogy. That, as well, came off as mere set-up for upcoming exploits.
Bottom line, I was very disappointed in John Twelve Hawks.
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