2012 النهاية؟

by William Gladstone, حسان البستاني (Translator)

في هذا العمل يقترح ويليام غلادستون حلّ تفاؤلي وملهم للغز العام 2012. يستند فيه إلى روزنامة حضارة المايا القديمة، والتي يكمن وراءها سرٌ كامن قديم حول نهاية العالم في تاريخ (21 كانون الأول/ديسمبر 2012) وهو نهاية الروزنامة الماوية وبداية حقبة تاريخية جديدة. فهل سيكون هذا التاريخ بداية أو نهاية حياة البشر التي استمرت لبضعة آلاف من السنين؟ تدور أحداث الرواية حول طفل خلق في 12 كانون الأول/ديسمبر 1949، عند الساعة الرابعة وخمس دقائق من بعد الظهر، وُلد "ماكس دوف" وعيناه مفتوحتان والابتسامة على وجهه. أدرك ماكس الطفل منذ البدء بوجود هدف لحياته ومصير دُعي إلى تحقيقه "كان هناك صوت في رأسه لا يستخدم أي كلمات توحي له بالغاية من ولادته، فقط ألوان وذبذبات قوية!!". وفي هذا العالم المليء بالألوان والأعداد كان يعيش ماكس ولم يتكلم حتى بلوغه السادسة من عمره. وفي سنّ المراهقة، غامر ماكس في رحلة رسمها له القدر لاكتشاف السر الكامن وراء التوقع الماياوي القديم حول نهاية العالم. وفي الخامسة عشرة من عمره. شاهد ماكس رؤيا عجيبة كشفت له عن أسماء اثني عشر فرداً يمتازون بالفرادة. وبما أن ماكس لم يستطع تبين معنى هذه الأسماء الاثني عشر. فقد عجز أيضاً عن تبيّن وجود معنى عميق لذلك. وبعد إكماله دراسته في هارفارد ويال، مرّت ثماني سنوات قبل أن يلتقي ماكس أول شخص من الاثني عشر. ومع أول لقاء له، بدأت رحلة الاكتشاف، وبذل ماكس جهداً كبيراً لكشف النقاب عن هويات الأفراد الاثني عشر والمعاني الضمنية لذلك؛ أفراد سيلتقيهم خلال رحلته بحثاً عن الحقيقة، وعن الصلة فيما بينهم. واحتمال امتلاك أيّ منهم الإجابة عما سيحدث للعالم في الوقت المحدد وهو أنه قد ينتهي. رواية ممتعة تحمل القارئ عبر سلسلة من المغامرات المدهشة إلى القدس، وأثينا، ولندن، والهند، واسطنبول، والصين، واليابان، والمكسيك، وتبلغ منتهاها بفهم سبب وكيفية قيام ماكس والاثني عشر بالتجمّع، كما هو مقدر لهم، لاكتشاف أهمية 21 كانون الأول/ديسمبر 2012. قد ينجم عن لقائهم تحقق التوقع الماياوي، والتحكم بمستقبل الحياة على كوكبنا. فالاثنا عشر دون سواهم هم فقط من يستطيعون تقديم الإجابات بما أن قدّر البشرية في الميزان

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller, American, Science Fiction Fantasy

311 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

William Gladstone majored in Spanish literature at Yale University and cultural anthropology at Harvard University. He also received an advanced degree in literature from the University of Salamanca in Spain. William has worked at the highest levels of book publishing, and has been involved in the creation of several digital publishing enterprises. He travels extensively throughout the world, assisting authors and book publishers. He resides in Cardiff, California.

Reviews

[Shimaa Mokhtar · Rating 1 out of 5]

من أسوأ الروايات التي قرأتها
الرواية بدأت بشكل جيد ثم مالت إلى الحشو والنمطية والاستطراد المبالغ فيه بعيداً عن الحبكة الرئيسية للعمل
أنصح بقراءتها لمن يعاني من مشاكل الأرق

[Nojood Alsudairi · Rating 2 out of 5]

رواية طويلة غير مقنعة جدا تتنقل بين ثمان عواصم عالمية يراها الكاتب ممثلة لأفراد شعوب العالم كافة. يتمثل إنقاذ العالم في ثلاث عشرة شخص منهم الثلث تقريبا من الأمريكتين. (الحمد لله أن الثلاث عشرة شخصا لم يكونوا كلهم أمريكان. العرب لا يمثلهم أحد فهم ليسوا مهمين على ما يبدو لإنقاذ العالم وليست لديهم مقدسات، وتركي واحد يجمع بين ديانتين يفي بالغرض، والعجيب أن بين الثلاث عشرة يوجد يهودي من القدس). أحداث الكتاب سريعة جدا بدون سبب ظاهر. ومن الممكن إغفال بعض الشخصيات أو صفاتها دون أن تؤثر في مجرى أحداث القصة. فمثلا الأخ الذي يتضح دوره جليا في بداية القصة ثم يختفي لفترات طويلة دون أن يؤثر في مجرى الأحداث ثم يظهر بين الفترة والأخرى ليترقب القاريء التغيير الدرامي الذي سيحدثه في القصة فيجد في النهاية أن لا دور فعلي له. كذلك انتكاسة الأم وتعاطيها للمشروبات الروحية كان الهدف منها مبهم بالنسبة لي اللهم إلا إذا كان الكاتب يقصد أن المنقذ هو شخص عادي من أسرة عادية؟
تعتمد الرواية على أسطورة ماوية تقتضي ان هناك تحول جذري سيحصل في العالم في الحادي والعشرين من الشهر الثاني عشر من عام الفين ومئتين واثنا عشر للميلاد.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the concept and the storyline were unique and interesting, but I did not like this author's writing style. I would be drawn in and be really involved in the story and then the scene would end and break the mood. It was really disappointing as the story telling, I felt, was lacking.

[Laurie Davis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! I read the whole thing only because it was for a book group. It was poorly written, and seemed like an early draft of a high schooler's novel about all of his VERY IMPORTANT THOUGHTS. I kept wanting to shake the author and yell "show, don't tell!" And so heavy-handed! All those "deep" spiritual issues: near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, past lives, love at first sight, destiny. If only it hadn't been so boring as it went about exploring all of those. At the climax I was making gagging noises and thought I'd pull a muscle from all the eye rolling. On the plus side, it was a pretty easy, quick read.

[Učitaj se! | Martina Štivičić · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sada, 2016., znamo da sva ona proročanstva o tobožnjem smaku svijeta koji se imao dogoditi 2012. nisu bila ništa drugo do običnih budalaština. Ipak, teorije o tome što se imalo dogoditi 2012. bile su dosta zanimljive. Ova knjiga predstavlja jednu od tih teorija, zbog čega me i privukla.

Očekivala sam pustolovinu i postupno otkriće drevnih misterija, ali, nažalost, od drevnih civilizacija i njihovih proročanstava ovdje nije bilo skoro ničega. Čitava priča radi se o Maxu - dječaku koji je u 15. godini doživio izvantjelesno iskustvo u kojem je vidio dvanaest imena koja će imati neku ulogu u događaju koji se ima dogoditi 21.12.2012., a koji bi trebao promijeniti svijet. Ovu činjenicu doznajemo već u prvih 40-ak stranica, ali na bilo što povezano s njome morat ćemo čekati, i čekati, i čekati... Ja osobno nisam to dočekala jer sam odustala na polovici knjige, a evo i zašto:

Priča je jako dosadna. Sve se vrti oko Maxa, koji je također dosadan. Također, i neuvjerljiv i sam sebi suprotan. Npr. odmah na početku autor govori kako je Max imao sjajno djetinjstvo. Divno! Nije moglo biti bolje! I onda, usput, spomene događaj iz tog predivnog Maxovog djetinjstva u kojem je Max odlučio oduzeti si život nožem, ali je od toga na kraju odustao. (?!) Osim toga, budući da autor spominje i kako ga je stariji brat Louis neprestano terorizirao, sumnjam da je Maxovo djetinjstvo bilo tako nevjerojatno sjajno. Sam Max je, ili bi barem to trebao biti, neki genijalac. 'Uspješan matematičar', kako ga autor opisuje. Osobno, nisam nigdje vidjela niti jednu povezanost Maxa i matematike iz koje bi to bilo vidljivo, a jedina činjenica koja bi trebala ići u prilog Maxovoj navodnoj genijalnosti je ta da je na fakultetu napisao esej u kojem je došao do "izvanrednog" otkrića kako 'A i jest i nije A', što je zapravo teorija koja je već odavno poznata i u matematici, i u filozofiji, i u brojnim drugim granama znanosti, tako da je jedino što je Max zapravo ovdje otkrio, po mom mišljenju, bila topla voda.

Max ne radi ništa osim što neprestano putuje. I dok se u nekim knjigama u kojima ima putovanja, dok čitaš, možeš osjetiti kao da si i sam tamo, ovdje, za mene, to nije bio slučaj. Nisam imala dojam kao da autor stvarno zna o čemu govori dok priča o svim tim zemljama i njihovim znamenitostima niti kao da je stvarno tamo bio u nekom razdoblju svoga života, više sam dobila dojam kao da mi opisuje njihove razglednice. Također, sva ta Maxova putovanja u većini su slučajeva posve nebitna za samu priču, a prilično je i nevjerojatno da je Max osoba koju uvijek odaberu za neko putovanje ili neki osobiti posao samo zbog toga što on zna španjolski. Jednostavno nigdje nisam uočila što je to što njega razlikuje od milijuna drugih ljudi koji govore španjolski, a što bi bilo tako važno da baš on bude taj koji nešto treba napraviti.

Ni drugi likovi nisu baš vjerodostojni sami sebi. Primjerice, Maxova majka, koja je opisana kao osoba koja nimalo ne mari za vanjski izgled i nije ni najmanje tašta, a onda, nakon automobilske nesreće u kojoj zadobije ružni ožiljak preko lica i trajni tik, postane nesretna i svoju tugu zbog izgleda utapa u alkoholu i nevjeri. (?!)

S obzirom da nisam došla do kraja knjige, ne znam kako se onih dvanaest imena uklapa u proročanstvo o kraju svijeta, niti kakvo je to proročanstvo zaista. U prvih 150 stranica o tome jedva ima dvije rečenice. Ostatak romana ispunjava samo Max. Čime je to zaslužio, ne znam. Niti je zanimljiv, niti značajan, niti išta čini, nema nikakve radnje. Samo beskrajne stranice, za mene, čiste dosade.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a story about Max. He is the perfect child. His mother and father love him. He has an older brother that is his complete opposite.

The first third of this book I was reminded of a portion of a movie I'd seen recently. This movie started with an effect, and then retraced the causes that led up to it. It was cute, but short and to the point. The first third of this book made me think of it, but then it started getting old..because it continued way past the cute stage and into the annoying stage.

And then the next third was like.. a fictional, strange "Eat, Pray, Love" type journey. Except not quite, because the reaction of those people we came into contact with was so simplified and dumbed down I felt like I was reading a badly written adult fairy tale - complete with moral at the end of the story.

And the last third of the book.. well I was hoping it would somehow make it worth it. But no, it turns out the entire story was a lesson on enlightenment with, what appears to be, roots in the authors life and.. from what I could tell, his attempt at making us believe he is some kind of prophet?

Ridiculous rubbish. I'm ashamed I even read the book.

[zae · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to give this book a zero ,but since I can't I gave it one out of five stars . I really hated this book. One of the worst books I've ever read, and I've read alot of books, so you can imagine how bad it was . I got bored from the first chapter, but I continued reading it in hopes that it might get better but unfortunately it didn't .It was one bad chapter after one bad chapter until the end , and THE END is just ridiculous . I don't recommend anybody to read this book because you're just going to waste your time .

[Vicky Ziliaskopoulou · Rating 1 out of 5]

Δυστυχώς το άφησα μισοδιαβασμένο. Έφτασα στο σημείο που ο Μαξ πηγαίνει στο πανεπιστήμιο. Δεν κατάλαβα μέχρι στιγμής τίποτα για το χαρακτήρα του, δεν συμπάθησα κανέναν (αυτόν δηλαδή, σε γενικές γραμμές και μέχρι το σημείο που έφτασα η ιστορία αναφέρεται σε αυτόν) και μου φάνηκε ότι προχωρούσαν οι σελίδες χωρίς να γίνεται τίποτα. Ακόμα και το όραμα/ όνειρο που προφανώς παίζει σημαντικό ρόλο στην ιστορία απλά αναφέρθηκε, δεν δόθηκε ιδιαίτερη βαρύτητα.
Κρίμα, ίσως αν το ξαναπιάσω άλλη φορά να μου φανεί καλύτερο.

[Tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Where to begin? At first let me say that I'm easily fascinated by apocalyptic theories and the whole Mayan calendar one is even more of a hot topic with this being the year of its prophecy. So I think I had too high of a hope for this book. The premise was good, but i think the execution well, sucked! I know, not the best description so let me elaborate without spoiling anything.
The characters for one thing, are so generic and boring I could have cared less what happened to them by the end. Max as the main character I felt, was so flat and so uninteresting that I don't even think the author liked him.
The dialogue between Max and the other characters is so fake that I cringed at times. Who in real daily life is this formal when talking to someone they love -> "we will make plans on how we shall live the rest of our lives in bliss and love" ? Um...I think I just vomited a little in my mouth.
And what about the book jackets promise to "take the reader on a series of spectacular adventures to Jerusalem..." and so on?? No, the book skims all these places in favor of just mentioning everywhere Max is and then before you're on the next sentence, he's on a plane to the other side of the world.
I think in the right hands this could have been an epic kind of trilogy thingamabob. With more (good) detail like character development and not boring bits about his mothers affair in the beginning which had nothing to do with the book actually.
So to be honest Max spends the book continent hopping and meeting 12 people he miraculously forgot he knew (confusing) and then the end crams together everybody at the infamous 12-21-12 and the world, well you can read that I guess yourself but I can say that I was left unimpressed throughout the whole thing.

[Nesma Mostafa · Rating 2 out of 5]

** رواية "النهاية_2012" لـ وليام غلادستون.
_ اثارني العنوان، قلت لنرى ما النهاية.. ولم تكن الرواية على قدر توقعاتي.
من الصفحة الأولى حتى الصفحة 60، كانت الأمور تسير على ما يرام.. انهاء 60 صفحة في نصف ساعة هو أمر جيد جدً.. وتوسمت خيرًا، نتيجة لأحداث الفصل الأول والتي اشعرتني _ولا أعرف سبب ذلك_ أن الرواية تتكلم عن التطور البشري!
ربما كان سبب ذلك شرحه لأهمية اللقاء الحميمي والذي تطمح الأسرة من خلاله في إنجاب ابن طبيعي (سوي)، بخلاف ابنهم الأول.
بنيت أحلام وآمال حول نظرية تطور مبسطة في قالب روائي، وسرعان ما تلاشت الأمال والأحلام.
بعد صفحة 60 نبدأ في السرد الممل للأحداث، حول حلم ما، رأه بطل الرواية في مرحلة ما بين موته وحياته إثر تعرضه لحادث.. وتمت النجاة فيما بعد، ليكتشف أن الاثنى عشر اسمًا والذين رآهم في حلمه من شأنهم نهاية العالم في 2012، أو قل تغيره للأفضل...
توالى الملل بغير توقف، زاد معه الهراء، وأفضى في الأخير لخيبة أمل.
الرواية يمكن اختزالها في 100 صفحة، بدلًا من 300 صفحة مليئة بالحشو الفارغ.
انصحكم نصيحة _مع أنني ضد استخدامها، ولكن يجيز العمل بها هنا_ بدلًا من إضاعة وقتكم فيما لا يفيد، اقرأوا غلاف الرواية الأخير، وستجدون فيه الملخص كاملًا، ولا أبالغ.
وبعد أن تقرأوه يمكنكم أن تحددوا هل ستشرعون في قراءتها، أم تولون لها ظهوركم وتبحثون عما هو أفضل؟!
هناك مثل قائل: "لا تحكم على الكتاب من العنوان". المثل يصلح مع هذه الرواية.
الترجمة غير جيدة بنسبة ليست بالبسيطة..
ولذلك سأقيم الرواية بـ نجمتان.. واحدة لـ الستون صفحة الأولى، والأخرى لوهم جميل عشته أملًا أن تتحدث الرواية عن نظرية التطور.
لينك التحميل: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Un...

[Sanja Blomberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

the book of hope for humanity!

[Gina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried. New age is not my thing and I knew I was in trouble when the blurbs on the book were from Eckhart Tolle and the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" guy, but a friend of mine really loved it and gave it to me to read. She liked that it made her think about the way we're all connected and responsible for each other, etc. Fine sentiments--might be interesting to read about in the context of 2012, though I have little to no interest in the Mayan calendar and how we're all going to die or whatever.

Considering that I have read "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" more than once I should have been able to get through this book, but the writing was just horrific. Maybe that's overstating things, but after reading a string of beautifully written books it's hard not to feel strongly. I'd put Gladstone's writing somewhere around "precocious 12-year-old." Sorta bad, overly simplistic and full of cliches. In fact, it reminded me of something I might read in "Chicken Soup for the Soul." No wonder Mark Victor Hansen said that he had never enjoyed a novel more than "The Twelve" (this actually makes me wonder if it might be the only novel he's ever read). I threw in the towel not long after reading about Max's mother's knitting, which was imperfect "but always full of love."

[Paula (La biblioteca de Llovizna) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un libro poco movido, con trama confusa y mucho relleno.

[Suspense Magazine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even if you aren’t into the spiritual aspect of Gladstone’s book “The Twelve” you will still enjoy joining his Max Doff on his personal journey. You cannot help but appreciate the way Gladstone describes each new level of Max’s enlightenment the way he does; like you are in a room with a light switch that has a dimmer. Each new discovery brightens the room little by little until by the time Max has located each one of his twelve co-horts, the room is as bright as the sun. The only fault I found was with his dealing with his brother Louis at the end. I was halfway expecting Louis to turn out to be one of the twelve since he had been so pivotal in the beginning of the book. As surely as Max was a protagonist, Louis was clearly his antagonist. Nevertheless, Gladstone’s book was a metaphysical illustration of good triumphing over evil, and our spiritual love conquering all. A very good read, indeed.

www.suspensemagazine.com

[Licha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although I wasn't expecting to. I found it very hard to put it down. I wasn't too crazy about the ending, but then I again I did not have high expectations for it, so it didn't alter my opinion on the rest of the book. For me, the pleasure I got from this book was reading about Max's life. It's a nice change of pace when a book can center around the good things that happen to a character. Not that Max did not have his share of some bad moments, but verything always seemed to work out for the best. The subject of the Mayan prophecy was in my opinion almost not dealt with, other than the fact that it somehow plays into Max's quest to find the twelve people he saw in his near-death vision and the role they played into the infamous date of Dec 21, 2012. People looking for the background story on the Mayan calendar theory will not find that in this book.

[Kareem Saeed · Rating 1 out of 5]

لقد كانت تجربتي مع هذه الرواية من اسوء التجارب فقد كانت هذه الرواية اسؤء رواية مترجمة قابلتها منذ بداءت القراءة فقد اعتدت قراءت الروايات الامريكية الشيقة و المثيرة لغرض التشويق و الاثارة و تخفيف الضغوط لكني وجدت هذه الرواية اقل من ان يذكر انها ادب فهي لم تحمل اي احداث تقترب حتي من الواقعية كما انها لم تتصف بالخيال المشوق او ذي القيمة و لم تتضمن او تاخذ سيناريو مشوقا يجعلك تعيش معه و تشرد بفكرك معه و لم تتضمن اي جانب انساني يذكر او تجربة انسانية فريدة و لم يستطع الكاتب التعبير عن الشخصيات الا بتعبير سطحي لا ينم علي مشاعرها و اوصافها كان هذا للاسف تقدير لهذا الرواية التي ارجو الي تتسبب في عدم تقبلي لغيرها من روايات الفانتزايا

[Yvonne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I forced my way through this book. Which is very unusual for me. It was just to many unnecessary details. Max was a wonderful character, but I did not need to know about every detail about every paper he wrote in college, job and all of it's duties. Most of the other characters other than the twelve I did not need to know about. I would not recommend this book. In the end we got world peace, that scientist can not answer how. I'm upset with myself for pushing my way through, and with the author for including way to many details that do not increase the value of the story.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay - it started off really well, and the story of max, his birth, and childhood drew me in.... then the story lost all of its steam during his college years and the years after that - it became boring and was all over the place really. I wanted more of the Twelve and about the 12, and his theories....
I wound up skimming through mostly because I lost interest, but was glad I finished the story, as I like the ending.

[Sebastiaan Torenhof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this book and it's writing style. It was matter of factly and gave you useful information to set the tone without losing itself in details.
The story had a great build up and an adequate payoff for the reader. It gives a beautiful massage without becoming preacy.
Judging on the other (negative) reviews, Gladstones writing style is definitely not for everyone, but it's surely worth a try.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise, but too simply written; was it supposed to be a fairy tale for adults? Long build-up, then a quick ending. I read another review that it was like walking across a wide, shallow lake, with a quick drop in the center. I felt the author was 'writing down' to me. Disappointing.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Talk about a letdown, this is it. After an interesting start this novel plods through a less than satisfactory journey to the dismal end of supposedly saving humanity from destruction by materialism and into utopia...or not. 2 of 10 stars

[Burt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt like I was reading a Scientology book. The plot felt forced. The characters were bland. The writing style needed editing.

[Shahd Aljabary · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب جمييييييييييييل ..
وضح الفكرة بأن حضارة المايا لم تكن تقصد أن النهاية هي نهاية العالم وموت الجميع
بل هي نهاية لبداية جديده ..

[Helena Martinčević · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prilicno dobra, zanimljiva, bez suvisnih detalja, a opet jasne radnje.

[liskowanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zamysł niegłupi, ale wykonanie na tyle mdłe, że pamiętam z tej książki absolutnie nic. Poza zamysłem. Jeśli go sobie przeczytam wcześniej z okładki. Ale czytało się sprawnie.

[Cardmaker · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Twelve is an extraordinary and unforgettable novel about a most unusual man. As a child, Max lives in a world of colors and numbers, not speaking until the age of six. As an adult, Max ventures on a journey of destiny to discover the secret behind the ancient Mayan prophecy about the end of time, foretold to occur on December 21, 2012.
When he is 15 years old, Max has a near-death experience during which he has a vision that reveals to him the names of 12 unique individuals. While Max cannot discern the significance of these 12 names, he is unable to shake the sense that they have deep meaning.

Eight years pass before Max meets the first of the 12. With this, Max's voyage of discovery begins, as he strives to uncover the identities and implications of "the twelve" - individuals he will meet during his journey toward truth, all of whom seem connected, and all of whom may hold the answer to what will happen at the exact moment the world may end.

A series of global adventures culminates in a revelation that explains why and how Max and the 12 are destined to unite to discover the magnitude of the meaning of December 21, 2012. Only the 12 can provide the answers, as the fate of all humanity rests in the balance.

Terrible writing. I've read thousands of books and this is one of the worst for writing ability. Needless to say, I did not finish it. My best advice is don't bother starting it.

[Marie-Antoinette · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ek het die boek uiters swak gevind. Wat ‘n vermorsing van tyd om die hele boek te gelees het met die hoop dat dit enigsins sou verbeter. Maar my hoop daar op was verniet.

Op die voorblad sê dit dat dit ‘n roman is en van die boekbeskrywing het ek verwag dat Die Twaalf 'n sci-fi-riller, 'n wedloop teen tyd, sou wees, maar ongelukkig kon die skrywer nie enige spanning of dringendheid skep nie, omdat hy te besig was om die leser te leer oor sy filosofië en vir my is dit niks anders as die skrywer wat sy oortuigings wil oordra aan die leser nie en dit sou baie beter gedien het as ‘n nie-fiksie boek. Deur dit as fiksie te probeer voorhou, stel hy net die leser teleurtestel wat ‘n aangename boek of roman verwag.

Al wat ek aanloklik gevind het en wat puik gedoen is, is die voorblad van die boek. Die oomblik toe ek die voorblad oopgemaak het, het die teleurstelling egter begin.

Ongelukkig was dit vir my nie die lees werd gewees nie. Ek sal dit aan niemand aanbeveel nie, maar as iemand anders dit interressant en genotvol vind, kan hulle dit maar geniet. Sal hopelik nie weer so ‘n boek te lees kry nie.

[Kimbolimbo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initial reaction: this book is a rip-off of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. And I rolled my eyes a lot during the last 5% of the book. My positive reaction: Reads like a biography of someone real but it's fiction (fascinating, I kept wondering if the story was based on a real person's life because the details were so random and perfect). But honest truth is I got bored so many times and kept referring back to the cover blurb to see if I was still reading the same book I started reading...which incidentally was originally an accidental check-out on Hoopla, and since I only get 5 check-outs a month on Hoopla I had to read it cause it was my 5th and last for the month and I didn't want to fully waste that check-out. And it wasn't a waste of time. But I'm glad to be done. Happy to move on to something else.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had SO much potential! The first couple of chapters were really interesting and I wanted to know what the significance of The Twelve was. The ending was...predictable and also kinda stupid. But, my biggest gripe isn't the ending, it's the middle. It's boring. It's page after page of rambling about every single thing Max ever does in his life and I simply didn't care. I could deal with a somewhat predictable, cheesy ending if the build-up hadn't read like someone's biography.

2.5/5

[Ariel_Carraro · Rating 1 out of 5]

El libro tiene un mensaje positivo, sin embargo, es algo simplón.

Max, el Elegido, debe reunir a doce personas especiales antes del 21 de diciembre del 2012 (12/12/2012) para abrir un nuevo paradigma de conciencia que cambiará al mundo.

El principio del relato es algo aburrido y repetitivo. La prosa es muy simple y tediosa.

El mensaje del libro lo salva un poco.