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21-12
December 21, 2012, the Maya predicts the world will end. In Los Angeles Dr. Stanton studies incurable prion diseases for the CDC. His first call is from a hospital resident with an urgent case. Meanwhile a Guatemalan American researcher at Getty Museum is interrupted by an unwelcome visitor from the black market antique trade who thrusts a duffel bag into her hands.
350 pages, Paperback
First published October 12, 2012
173 people are currently reading
2527 people want to read
About the author
Dustin Thomason
4 books88 followersDustin Thomason is an American writer. He co-wrote the 2004 novel The Rule of Four with his childhood friend Ian Caldwell.[1]
The Rule of Four reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller list, where it remained for more than six months. The book was a number-one national and international bestseller and has been translated into more than 25 languages. It has sold more than four million copies worldwide, and to date is the best selling debut novel of the decade. It is currently being developed by Warner Bros. as a feature film.
Thomason and Caldwell were members of the class of 1994 at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia.[citation needed] Thomason studied anthropology at Harvard University. While there, he won a Hoopes Prize for an outstanding senior thesis. He received his MD and his MBA from Columbia University.
He co-created and was executive producer of the 2006 ABC drama The Evidence and now serves as Co-Executive Producer on Fox's Lie to Me from Imagine Entertainment.
Thomason currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
The Rule of Four reached the top of the New York Times Best Seller list, where it remained for more than six months. The book was a number-one national and international bestseller and has been translated into more than 25 languages. It has sold more than four million copies worldwide, and to date is the best selling debut novel of the decade. It is currently being developed by Warner Bros. as a feature film.
Thomason and Caldwell were members of the class of 1994 at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia.[citation needed] Thomason studied anthropology at Harvard University. While there, he won a Hoopes Prize for an outstanding senior thesis. He received his MD and his MBA from Columbia University.
He co-created and was executive producer of the 2006 ABC drama The Evidence and now serves as Co-Executive Producer on Fox's Lie to Me from Imagine Entertainment.
Thomason currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.
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April 9, 2024
A deadly epidemic threatens Los Angeles - and the entire world - if the illness isn't contained immediately. That's the issue at the core of this compelling novel.
*****
It's early December 2012, and a number of doomsday cults believe the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world on December 21, 2012.
Aware that this means Mayan artifacts will garner exceptionally high prices, an indigenous Guatemalan man steals an ancient Codex from a 'lost' Mayan temple and brings it to Los Angeles, to sell to a relics broker.
For safekeeping, the relics broker brings the purloined Codex to Chel Manu, the Antiquities Curator of the Getty Museum.
Chel knows it's wrong - and illegal - to harbor the Codex, but she can't help herself. Chel is an indigenous Guatemalan, she can speak and read Quiché (the Mayan language), and reading the Codex is almost a religious experience for her. Moreover, the Codex seems to tell a story about the village of Chel's forebears.
Meanwhile, the Mayan man who pilfered the Codex winds up in a hospital, suffering from Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI), a prion disease. (Prions are misshapen proteins in the brain.) Prion diseases are notoriously contagious, usually spread by eating infected animals, as happened with Mad Cow Disease.
Dr. Gabe Stanton, a prion expert with the Centers For Disease Control, confirms the Mayan patient has FFI, but can't understand the man's Quiché rantings.
So Chel Manu is engaged as an interpreter, and - to make a long story short - Stanton and Manu figure out the patient 'caught' the prion illness at the temple he looted.
Prion diseases are always fatal, and the Mayan man dies a horrible death. People who came in contact with the patient also get sick and die, and FFI threatens to speed through Los Angeles and spread to the world.
Thus Los Angeles is put on lockdown (can you imagine?) and Stanton and his team of researchers hurry to find a treatment for FFI. None of this will do much good, however, unless the source of the disease, in the jungles of Guatemala, is found.
Chel gets in trouble for having the Codex, but is given a reprieve to translate the document. Reading the Codex might help to determine the EXACT location of the temple that harbored it. When clues to the temple's location surface, a delegation goes to Guatemala to search, but it's a difficult and dangerous enterprise.
In the meantime, FFI is killing its victims; people are trying to sneak out of Los Angeles; there's rioting and looting all over the city; a doomsday cult plans to leave civilization and establish a community in the jungle; and more.
The Codex is difficult to translate because it contains glyphs and glyph combinations Chel isn't familiar with. So Chel gets assistance, and a fascinating Mayan story slowly emerges. For example, the Mayan village in the tale is suffering from a years-long-drought, and there are no trees, no food, no anything to sustain life; a high-ranking Mayan man dies, and his wife is expected to commit suicide; an influential Mayan man takes two children as wives, to protect them from a predatory dwarf; Mayan leaders are engaging in cannibalism; and more. (I listened to the audiobook of the novel, and the Mayan tale is rendered in the 'voice' of a Mayan man, which adds to the story's atmosphere.)
Can Stanton and his crew find a way to contain FFI? You'll have to read the book to find out.
Author Dustin Thomasen, who studied anthropology and has an M.D. degree, is clearly knowledgeable about diseases and medicine, as well as Mayan culture and language. I like stories about deadly epidemics, and this is a good one. Highly recommended.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
February 2, 2016
First of all, this was not a terrible book.
So why only 1 star? Lets just say that I had a really hard time with the ending. Here's the scenario (major spoiler alert, obviously):
The main male and female characters, a doctor and museum curator, respectively, have gone to the deep jungle of Guatemala to find the source of a nearly apocalyptic prion infection. Along the way she is attacked and contaminated. This greatly distresses him since, of course, he is madly in love with her at this point. They finally reach the ancient tomb where the infection originated. She is practically dead at this point. He makes a wild deductive leap/guess at an antidote for the infection, which of course is beech bark. He runs outside and conveniently finds several beech trees growing within a few steps of the tomb entrance. He grabs bark, twigs, and leaves and runs back in. He crushes up these various tree parts, dissolves them in a saline and enzyme solution (?!?) and injects them into her. But of course, this prion infection lives in the brain, so he has to see if this miracle remedy has penetrated the blood brain barrier. So then he quickly performs a spinal tap (double groan), prepares some blood smears and quickly examines them under a microscope revealing a total lack of beech molecules (?!?!?!?!). All of this, remember, in a ruined tomb in the deep jungle where this same doctor was afraid to even enter without a biohazard suit and helmet. Discouraged, the doctor begins to think about losing his new found love, and the torment of having to bury her and burn incense for her... And suddenly he has the solution! He has to burn beech tree parts and hold her eyes open over the smoke so that the antidote can enter her brain through her retinas! Of course! And then we cut to a year later, when the happy couple is tending to all the many orphans left behind by this terrible infection.
The medical professional in me died about 40 times during the ending of this book, which was what I was wishing upon all of the characters at that point.
So why only 1 star? Lets just say that I had a really hard time with the ending. Here's the scenario (major spoiler alert, obviously):
The main male and female characters, a doctor and museum curator, respectively, have gone to the deep jungle of Guatemala to find the source of a nearly apocalyptic prion infection. Along the way she is attacked and contaminated. This greatly distresses him since, of course, he is madly in love with her at this point. They finally reach the ancient tomb where the infection originated. She is practically dead at this point. He makes a wild deductive leap/guess at an antidote for the infection, which of course is beech bark. He runs outside and conveniently finds several beech trees growing within a few steps of the tomb entrance. He grabs bark, twigs, and leaves and runs back in. He crushes up these various tree parts, dissolves them in a saline and enzyme solution (?!?) and injects them into her. But of course, this prion infection lives in the brain, so he has to see if this miracle remedy has penetrated the blood brain barrier. So then he quickly performs a spinal tap (double groan), prepares some blood smears and quickly examines them under a microscope revealing a total lack of beech molecules (?!?!?!?!). All of this, remember, in a ruined tomb in the deep jungle where this same doctor was afraid to even enter without a biohazard suit and helmet. Discouraged, the doctor begins to think about losing his new found love, and the torment of having to bury her and burn incense for her... And suddenly he has the solution! He has to burn beech tree parts and hold her eyes open over the smoke so that the antidote can enter her brain through her retinas! Of course! And then we cut to a year later, when the happy couple is tending to all the many orphans left behind by this terrible infection.
The medical professional in me died about 40 times during the ending of this book, which was what I was wishing upon all of the characters at that point.
June 3, 2022
4,25 sterren- Nederlandse Paperback
21-12, de nieuwe roman van Dustin Thomason, kreeg zelfs voor hij in de handel kwam al lovende recensies. Ik kan alleen maar zeggen: het was terecht. Het boek is razendsnel en meeslepend, en zeker het lezen waard.
Het boek gaat over viroloog Gabriel Stanton, die plots te maken krijgt met een nieuwe dodelijke slaapziekte. Deze ziekte is een variant op de ziekte waar hij al jaren onderzoek naar doet, Fatale familiale insomnie, maar geen remedie voor kan vinden. De ziekte draait al snel uit op een epidemie. Elders krijgt antropologe Chel Manu een oude Mayacodex in handen, waarvan tot nu toe het bestaan onbekend was. Dit boek bevat misschien aanwijzingen die Stanton nodig heeft om een remedie te vinden voor deze dodelijke epidemie. Maar zullen ze op tijd zijn om het einde van de wereld te voorkomen?
Het boek gaat razendsnel. Voor je het weet word je in het verhaal meegezogen, en wordt het moeilijker om te stoppen met lezen. Dit helpt om het boek ook spannender te maken. Doordat Dustin Thomason weet waarover hij het heeft, hij heeft immers zelf medicijnen en antropologie gestudeerd, zijn de beschrijvingen over virologie en antropologie erg duidelijk en geloof je dat het verhaal echt zou kunnen zijn. De uitgebreide beschrijvingen trekken je dieper in het verhaal, en het wordt moeilijker om het boek weg te leggen.
Het idee voor het boek is hoogst- waarschijnlijk gekomen door de 2012-hype die al enkele jaren aan de gang is, en die het einde van de wereld voorspelde.
Voor ik het boek las was ik een beetje terughoudend. Ik nam aan dat het stereotiep zou zijn, en mooi in het rijtje van alle andere boeken over de Maya- voorspelling van het einde van de wereld op 21 december 2012 zou passen. Ik werd verrast met een boek dat een ander soort ramp brengt, een originele interpretatie.
Helaas is het wel nodig dat je je fantasie gebruikt bij de beeldvormingvan de personages. Die blijven oppevlakkig. Er blijven bijvoorbeeld gaten in het verloop van hun leven. Over de relatie tussen Gabriel Stanton en zijn ex-vrouw, Nina, bijvoorbeeld, wordt niet veel gezegd, terwijl deze duidelijk een belangrijk deel van Gabriels leven is en Nina zelf ook deel uit maakt van het verhaal.
Dit boek is zeker het lezen waard, zelfs als je voor het lezen twijfelt door het redelijk stereotiepe thema. Het boek leest vlot, de verhaallijn is niet te ongeloofwaardig, en de karakters komen doorheen het boek tot leven. De karakters zijn niet al te diep uitgewerkt, maar dat weegt niet op tegen alle goede aspecten van het boek. Al bij al is het boek dus een echte aanrader.
21-12, de nieuwe roman van Dustin Thomason, kreeg zelfs voor hij in de handel kwam al lovende recensies. Ik kan alleen maar zeggen: het was terecht. Het boek is razendsnel en meeslepend, en zeker het lezen waard.
Het boek gaat over viroloog Gabriel Stanton, die plots te maken krijgt met een nieuwe dodelijke slaapziekte. Deze ziekte is een variant op de ziekte waar hij al jaren onderzoek naar doet, Fatale familiale insomnie, maar geen remedie voor kan vinden. De ziekte draait al snel uit op een epidemie. Elders krijgt antropologe Chel Manu een oude Mayacodex in handen, waarvan tot nu toe het bestaan onbekend was. Dit boek bevat misschien aanwijzingen die Stanton nodig heeft om een remedie te vinden voor deze dodelijke epidemie. Maar zullen ze op tijd zijn om het einde van de wereld te voorkomen?
Het boek gaat razendsnel. Voor je het weet word je in het verhaal meegezogen, en wordt het moeilijker om te stoppen met lezen. Dit helpt om het boek ook spannender te maken. Doordat Dustin Thomason weet waarover hij het heeft, hij heeft immers zelf medicijnen en antropologie gestudeerd, zijn de beschrijvingen over virologie en antropologie erg duidelijk en geloof je dat het verhaal echt zou kunnen zijn. De uitgebreide beschrijvingen trekken je dieper in het verhaal, en het wordt moeilijker om het boek weg te leggen.
Het idee voor het boek is hoogst- waarschijnlijk gekomen door de 2012-hype die al enkele jaren aan de gang is, en die het einde van de wereld voorspelde.
Voor ik het boek las was ik een beetje terughoudend. Ik nam aan dat het stereotiep zou zijn, en mooi in het rijtje van alle andere boeken over de Maya- voorspelling van het einde van de wereld op 21 december 2012 zou passen. Ik werd verrast met een boek dat een ander soort ramp brengt, een originele interpretatie.
Helaas is het wel nodig dat je je fantasie gebruikt bij de beeldvormingvan de personages. Die blijven oppevlakkig. Er blijven bijvoorbeeld gaten in het verloop van hun leven. Over de relatie tussen Gabriel Stanton en zijn ex-vrouw, Nina, bijvoorbeeld, wordt niet veel gezegd, terwijl deze duidelijk een belangrijk deel van Gabriels leven is en Nina zelf ook deel uit maakt van het verhaal.
Dit boek is zeker het lezen waard, zelfs als je voor het lezen twijfelt door het redelijk stereotiepe thema. Het boek leest vlot, de verhaallijn is niet te ongeloofwaardig, en de karakters komen doorheen het boek tot leven. De karakters zijn niet al te diep uitgewerkt, maar dat weegt niet op tegen alle goede aspecten van het boek. Al bij al is het boek dus een echte aanrader.
October 16, 2012
12.21 was an entertaining read. I never got bored, that's for sure. I'm not big on the whole Mayan Prophecy thing, so I normally wouldn't run to read this sort of thing. However, Random House offered a giveaway for the Action/Adventure Aficionados group, so I decided to give it a try. I am glad I did.
What I liked:
* I love medicine, so medical dramas in various incarnations almost always appeal. The whole concept of an epidemic illness arising out of a connection to an ancient Maya tomb and civilization, and related to the Mayan Prophecy was a unique approach. I liked the characters' race to find out what the etiology of the infection was and how to combat it. There was a real sense of urgency and I felt my pulse racing as I read. History is another favorite subject, so there's a good combination here.
* This was quite readable. The narrative was cohesive between modern day and flashbacks to the ancient Maya times (900AD), and there was a sense of steady progression in this story that I appreciated, especially for a suspense-driven book.
*I like that the author didn't slow down the story too much with excessive explanations, but the Maya cultural elements seemed well-researched and the science was fairly credible (except one heinous element below that I must rant about).
*Sadly, I knew little about the indigenous Maya descendants of Guatemala. That was very interesting to read about their thriving community in LA (assuming that it's real). Also, I wasn't aware of the situation with the indigenous people in Guatemala. It's always good to learn about different peoples and their struggles, and it will make me more sensitive about their plight.
What could have been better:
*Okay, I have a mini rant. The scene with the slaughterhouse/meat processing factory is so unrealistic it's insulting and laughable. The things that occur in that facility would never happen. I know for certain. They had serious food safety issues going on, including commingling of meat ingredients and use of products that definitely are not approved for meat production or use in the United States. Then the author made a point of saying that kids eat that product. A lot of inspectors work very hard to make sure that products safe for consumption make it on the shelves, and that was offensive to the hard work they put in and the many safety checks that meat plants have to follow in their food safety system. One could argue that maybe that facility was not under government oversight, but the author made a point of mentioning the USDA, so I know it was. And let's be clear that is not going to happen in a federally inspected facility. I don't mind the line between fiction and reality blurring in appropriate settings. This wasn't one. For a medical science drama, I expect more realistic and credible use of information in a story. Fortunately, I was able to get over my disgust with this and keep reading the book, but it affected my rating without a doubt.
*I didn't feel a heavy sense of connection to any of the main characters. The storyline itself was more interesting to me. Towards the end, the sense of urgency for their situation did hit me, but I can't say I fell in love with anyone in this novel.
Overall Thoughts:
*A pretty good, readable, suspenseful novel. I liked the mix of ancient civilizations and treasure hunting with modern medical science. There were a couple of pitfalls that lowered my rating, but overall, it was a worthwhile read, especially for those interested in the Endtime Mayan Prophecy and Meso-American ancient civilizations. For a quick-read medical suspense story with some ancient connections, this is a pretty good one to pick up.
Overall Rating: 3.75/5.0 stars.
A special thanks to Random House for the opportunity for members of the Action/Adventure Aficionados to read this novel.
What I liked:
* I love medicine, so medical dramas in various incarnations almost always appeal. The whole concept of an epidemic illness arising out of a connection to an ancient Maya tomb and civilization, and related to the Mayan Prophecy was a unique approach. I liked the characters' race to find out what the etiology of the infection was and how to combat it. There was a real sense of urgency and I felt my pulse racing as I read. History is another favorite subject, so there's a good combination here.
* This was quite readable. The narrative was cohesive between modern day and flashbacks to the ancient Maya times (900AD), and there was a sense of steady progression in this story that I appreciated, especially for a suspense-driven book.
*I like that the author didn't slow down the story too much with excessive explanations, but the Maya cultural elements seemed well-researched and the science was fairly credible (except one heinous element below that I must rant about).
*Sadly, I knew little about the indigenous Maya descendants of Guatemala. That was very interesting to read about their thriving community in LA (assuming that it's real). Also, I wasn't aware of the situation with the indigenous people in Guatemala. It's always good to learn about different peoples and their struggles, and it will make me more sensitive about their plight.
What could have been better:
*Okay, I have a mini rant. The scene with the slaughterhouse/meat processing factory is so unrealistic it's insulting and laughable. The things that occur in that facility would never happen. I know for certain. They had serious food safety issues going on, including commingling of meat ingredients and use of products that definitely are not approved for meat production or use in the United States. Then the author made a point of saying that kids eat that product. A lot of inspectors work very hard to make sure that products safe for consumption make it on the shelves, and that was offensive to the hard work they put in and the many safety checks that meat plants have to follow in their food safety system. One could argue that maybe that facility was not under government oversight, but the author made a point of mentioning the USDA, so I know it was. And let's be clear that is not going to happen in a federally inspected facility. I don't mind the line between fiction and reality blurring in appropriate settings. This wasn't one. For a medical science drama, I expect more realistic and credible use of information in a story. Fortunately, I was able to get over my disgust with this and keep reading the book, but it affected my rating without a doubt.
*I didn't feel a heavy sense of connection to any of the main characters. The storyline itself was more interesting to me. Towards the end, the sense of urgency for their situation did hit me, but I can't say I fell in love with anyone in this novel.
Overall Thoughts:
*A pretty good, readable, suspenseful novel. I liked the mix of ancient civilizations and treasure hunting with modern medical science. There were a couple of pitfalls that lowered my rating, but overall, it was a worthwhile read, especially for those interested in the Endtime Mayan Prophecy and Meso-American ancient civilizations. For a quick-read medical suspense story with some ancient connections, this is a pretty good one to pick up.
Overall Rating: 3.75/5.0 stars.
A special thanks to Random House for the opportunity for members of the Action/Adventure Aficionados to read this novel.
November 5, 2012
Well....I know if you've read many of my reviews you've seen that opening before, and you probably know what it means.
Well, this one escapes a 2 rating barely. I like the main plot line. It's one I've seen elsewhere and so close to the real world that it's not really a strain to accept it (or something like it). I can't say more outside a spoiler tagged section.
So, good "plot line" but from there on there are (for me) not a lot of bright spots. While the plot is a good one the plot devices used to bolster it and carry it forward aren't really that great. The characters are a bit shallow and lightly drawn and I never got involved with them (and the female protagonist is frankly annoying). I found so much of the book predictable (when it happens you have that "I saw that coming way back" feeling).
I don't know I ended up skimming part of the book and that usually signals that I'm not going to go above 2 stars, but I was curious to see how the novel tied up.
I can't really recommend this one, at least not highly. Many like it so I'd suggest you look over some other thoughts on the book. Have you agreed with me in the past? might help to know. I mean if you've loved books I don't like or disliked books I love that may tell you something to. :)
Now if you plan to read the book know that the spoilers below are actual spoilers. Don't read it if you don't want some details about the story.
The book's okay, the plot's good, the characters are weak, a lot of the plot devices are pretty cliched... Maybe just me. Compare thoughts maybe you'll decide differently on this one. Not really one I find memorable.
Well, this one escapes a 2 rating barely. I like the main plot line. It's one I've seen elsewhere and so close to the real world that it's not really a strain to accept it (or something like it). I can't say more outside a spoiler tagged section.
So, good "plot line" but from there on there are (for me) not a lot of bright spots. While the plot is a good one the plot devices used to bolster it and carry it forward aren't really that great. The characters are a bit shallow and lightly drawn and I never got involved with them (and the female protagonist is frankly annoying). I found so much of the book predictable (when it happens you have that "I saw that coming way back" feeling).
I don't know I ended up skimming part of the book and that usually signals that I'm not going to go above 2 stars, but I was curious to see how the novel tied up.
I can't really recommend this one, at least not highly. Many like it so I'd suggest you look over some other thoughts on the book. Have you agreed with me in the past? might help to know. I mean if you've loved books I don't like or disliked books I love that may tell you something to. :)
Now if you plan to read the book know that the spoilers below are actual spoilers. Don't read it if you don't want some details about the story.
The book's okay, the plot's good, the characters are weak, a lot of the plot devices are pretty cliched... Maybe just me. Compare thoughts maybe you'll decide differently on this one. Not really one I find memorable.
August 28, 2012
The vast majority of fictional entertainment (and lots of psuedo-science masquerading as unassailable fact) addressing the Mayan Long Count calendar's ancient imputed prediction that civilization as we know it will end on December 21, 2012, pivots on the fantastic. If humanity's impending annihilation doesn't have its origins in climatic cataclysms or sudden reversal of the earth's poles due to rare planetary alignments, then it will be incessant earthquakes or a malignant alien invasion that will bring about our apocalypse. Those theories are only a few of the countless doomsday scenarios inspired by the purported "end" of the Mayan calendar next December that fill groaning shelves at DVD and book stores around the world.
Dustin Thomason's take on the subject in his interesting new novel "12.21" is refreshingly different. In Thomason's novel, mankind needn't peer elsewhere than in its collective mirror to find the source of the threat to its existence perhaps chronicled in the Mayan calendar. When a tomb robber steals an ancient artifact from Mayan ruins long lost in dense Guatemalan jungles and brings it to Los Angeles for sale on the archaeological black market in December, 2012, he unwittingly unleashes a catastrophe on humanity unseen since the Black Death. Once they suspect they might have uncovered the calamity's provenance, a medical doctor named Gabriel Stanton with expertise in strange infections reluctantly teams with a Guatemalan American academic named Chel Manu to strike out for the Mayan ruins. Armed with only cryptic clues thousands of years old in a dead language about where to find the ruins, and a shaky hypothesis of what caused the disease ravaging the continent, Stanton and Manu trek into the jungles with hopes far outweighing certainties that they can stop what will surely be the end of man on earth.
Thomason (who with Ian Caldwell in 2004 published the bestselling novel "The Rule of Four") tells his story crisply, in a writing style neither particularly graceful nor inept. His characters, settings, and dialogue service his plot as well as they must to keep readers turning the pages to find out what happens next. All told, "12.21" is a solidly entertaining contemporary thriller that's certainly more worth reading than most of the current drivel trying to cash in on whatever will (or won't) come to pass next December 21.
Dustin Thomason's take on the subject in his interesting new novel "12.21" is refreshingly different. In Thomason's novel, mankind needn't peer elsewhere than in its collective mirror to find the source of the threat to its existence perhaps chronicled in the Mayan calendar. When a tomb robber steals an ancient artifact from Mayan ruins long lost in dense Guatemalan jungles and brings it to Los Angeles for sale on the archaeological black market in December, 2012, he unwittingly unleashes a catastrophe on humanity unseen since the Black Death. Once they suspect they might have uncovered the calamity's provenance, a medical doctor named Gabriel Stanton with expertise in strange infections reluctantly teams with a Guatemalan American academic named Chel Manu to strike out for the Mayan ruins. Armed with only cryptic clues thousands of years old in a dead language about where to find the ruins, and a shaky hypothesis of what caused the disease ravaging the continent, Stanton and Manu trek into the jungles with hopes far outweighing certainties that they can stop what will surely be the end of man on earth.
Thomason (who with Ian Caldwell in 2004 published the bestselling novel "The Rule of Four") tells his story crisply, in a writing style neither particularly graceful nor inept. His characters, settings, and dialogue service his plot as well as they must to keep readers turning the pages to find out what happens next. All told, "12.21" is a solidly entertaining contemporary thriller that's certainly more worth reading than most of the current drivel trying to cash in on whatever will (or won't) come to pass next December 21.
July 29, 2016
12.21: A Novel was kindly provided to me by Edelweiss for Random House Publishing Group.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
This is actually the first '2012' type story I've ever read and it truly blew me away. Look up the definition of 'page-turner' and you should see a picture of this book. It was thrilling, addicting, and I couldn't put it down. One of those that I was more than willing to sacrifice sleep so I could keep reading. 12.21 tells the story of an infection that once it starts spreading it cannot be stopped and how it could very well be the reason the Maya civilization originally disappeared.
I wouldn't consider myself a 2012 fanatic but I have seen my fair share of Mayan prophecy shows on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. I've never considered the fact that the world is truly going to end on December 21, 2012, but I think it's a fair assumption that something may very well indeed happen that changes the world we live in. Or it could be like every other normal day, who knows. I guess we'll just have to wait a few short months and find out firsthand. But the storyline in 12.21 of one possible outcome was terrifyingly realistic and incredibly convincing.
I loved how this wasn't just an end of world tale and how it was actually linked to the very reason the Maya civilization disappeared so very long ago. Based on the Authors Note, 'there is no evidence that the Maya suffered from a transmissible prion disease', but regardless this was a riveting concept. Dustin Thomason created an amazing yet lifelike end of days story that is hands down my favorite read of 2012.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
This is actually the first '2012' type story I've ever read and it truly blew me away. Look up the definition of 'page-turner' and you should see a picture of this book. It was thrilling, addicting, and I couldn't put it down. One of those that I was more than willing to sacrifice sleep so I could keep reading. 12.21 tells the story of an infection that once it starts spreading it cannot be stopped and how it could very well be the reason the Maya civilization originally disappeared.
I wouldn't consider myself a 2012 fanatic but I have seen my fair share of Mayan prophecy shows on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel. I've never considered the fact that the world is truly going to end on December 21, 2012, but I think it's a fair assumption that something may very well indeed happen that changes the world we live in. Or it could be like every other normal day, who knows. I guess we'll just have to wait a few short months and find out firsthand. But the storyline in 12.21 of one possible outcome was terrifyingly realistic and incredibly convincing.
I loved how this wasn't just an end of world tale and how it was actually linked to the very reason the Maya civilization disappeared so very long ago. Based on the Authors Note, 'there is no evidence that the Maya suffered from a transmissible prion disease', but regardless this was a riveting concept. Dustin Thomason created an amazing yet lifelike end of days story that is hands down my favorite read of 2012.
August 27, 2012
3.5 stars
Narcoleptic vegans are not immune.
Narcoleptic vegans are not immune.
December 5, 2020
With this book, I finish the PopSugar 2020 challenge!
The story of 12-21 is very appropriate for what is going on in our world today - there are many similarities but there are also many factors that have nothing to do with today's pandemic. So if reading about this sort of topic bothers you, I wouldn't recommend it.
I give it a strong 3.5 stars. I've always been fascinated with these kind of stories but this one throws some Mayan culture into it, so a different kind of a twist. It held my interest though certain parts were not my cup of tea.
The story of 12-21 is very appropriate for what is going on in our world today - there are many similarities but there are also many factors that have nothing to do with today's pandemic. So if reading about this sort of topic bothers you, I wouldn't recommend it.
I give it a strong 3.5 stars. I've always been fascinated with these kind of stories but this one throws some Mayan culture into it, so a different kind of a twist. It held my interest though certain parts were not my cup of tea.
January 19, 2022
Que aventura. Adorei o livro, ciência, mitologia e história juntos para criar um livro de leitura fluida, repleto de acção mistério e cultura. Recomendo.
May 9, 2018
In all honesty, I picked 12-21 up for the sole reason that it is the only book set in Central American I could find at my library. I am determined to finish the Diversity Bingo Challenge this month, so it was either read this or fail.
If you are a diehard Zoo fan, 12-21 may be your new favourite read. If you're not, there is not much to say about this one. Maybe my enjoyment was tainted by my expectations; I seriously thought this was about treasure hunters in Guatemala, not a virus epidemic. Either way, it did nothing for me personally. The flat writing and underdeveloped characters really let me down. The characters had no life, no personality. Outside of their professions, we knew little about them. It was hard to dredge up the empathy to care about their situation when I felt like we barely knew them. The random romantic angle - which is thrown in haphazardly towards the end - certainly did not help. It was completely unnecessary.
The plot did keep my interest. Before reading this, I knew nothing about very little about Guatemalan history so I found Chel’s POV quite enlightening at times. It is also great to see more indigenous voices in published works; although I’d love to read an #ownvoices review before making comments on the representation (if you know of any, feel free to link me up).
Overall? This was a forgettable apocalyptic story with bland characters and unoriginal storyline. I doubt I will remember this book in six month time. I am happy that more diverse voices are narrating our books but I can't say that element saved this book for me.
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If you are a diehard Zoo fan, 12-21 may be your new favourite read. If you're not, there is not much to say about this one. Maybe my enjoyment was tainted by my expectations; I seriously thought this was about treasure hunters in Guatemala, not a virus epidemic. Either way, it did nothing for me personally. The flat writing and underdeveloped characters really let me down. The characters had no life, no personality. Outside of their professions, we knew little about them. It was hard to dredge up the empathy to care about their situation when I felt like we barely knew them. The random romantic angle - which is thrown in haphazardly towards the end - certainly did not help. It was completely unnecessary.
The plot did keep my interest. Before reading this, I knew nothing about very little about Guatemalan history so I found Chel’s POV quite enlightening at times. It is also great to see more indigenous voices in published works; although I’d love to read an #ownvoices review before making comments on the representation (if you know of any, feel free to link me up).
Overall? This was a forgettable apocalyptic story with bland characters and unoriginal storyline. I doubt I will remember this book in six month time. I am happy that more diverse voices are narrating our books but I can't say that element saved this book for me.
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July 6, 2014
The first third was nearly a 4 star. Intriguing premise and situational tension, plus the characterizations were better than average for this genre. Reminded me completely of a good Michael Crichton. And then about 1/2 way in, it just started to get too weird to believe the means of transmitting the disease and some of the logistics to L.A. outcomes. Going from about 880 A.D. to present and back again destroyed all tension, for me, after the King and the Dwarf got into the killing/eating orgies. I almost gave it a 2 star because I had to force myself to finish the last 1/3rd. Too bloody, too much a dire dwarf and king cartoon monster scenario for me by the last 1/3rd.
3 stars for the premise and effort.
3 stars for the premise and effort.
May 15, 2020
Put plainly, this is a story that's been written countless times though in this case its framed as an Armageddon of sorts. While its reasonably well written, fast paced and somewhat interesting, its not the sort of book you want to read during a global pandemic. Enough said.
August 17, 2024
I enjoyed the first few chapters but it got lost on itself the rest of the way. Not very good
August 24, 2012
This thriller begins ten days before the purported apocalypse of 12/21/2012 predicted by interpretations of the Ancient Mayan calendar.
Gabriel (“Gabe”) Stanton, is the director of a center in L.A. for research on prions - proteins in the brain responsible for some rare and currently incurable diseases, including Mad Cow Disease and Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI). He gets an urgent call from Michaela Thane, a resident at East L.A. Presbyterian Hospital. She believes she is seeing a case of FFI, which causes total insomnia, leading to hallucinations, panic, and seizures. Nearly all of the afflicted die after a few weeks. Thane's patient doesn’t speak English however, and when someone finally guesses he may be speaking Qu’iche, a branch of the Mayan language spoken by many Guatemalans, Stanton and Thane call upon Chel Manu, a local language expert, to help them translate.
Dr. Manu, curator of Maya antiguities for the Getty Museum, specializes in epigraphy, the study and interpretation of ancient inscriptions. Coincidentally with being summoned by Stanton, she has come into an incredibly valuable ancient Mayan codex, or written history, which was painted in glyphs (hieroglyphic-like symbols) by a royal scribe of a king.
Chel discovers that the patient, Volcy, is the one who found the codex, and he sold it to the collector who gave it to Chel for safekeeping. Volcy dies before he can tell them where he got the book, which is presumably where he contracted this virulently lethal disease. It is imperative for Chel to translate the codex as soon as possible, in the hope that she can figure out where it came from. Stanton needs to get to the source of the infection in order to figure out a cure, because somehow the FFI is spreading, at a rate suggesting that the rumored apocalypse could actually be happening.
As Chel translates, she learns about the fascinating world of Paktul, the scribe of the codex; what happened to cause the collapse of his city; and the reason that Volcy would get sick and die almost 1100 years after Paktul himself succumbed.
Discussion: Some aspects of the story were not plausible to me, such as Chel’s speed at translating broken fragments of a document that was moreover written in ancient glyphs no longer readily understandable.
It also appeared that everyone was quite susceptible to the disease except the characters the author needed to keep around.
The persona of Victor, Chel's mentor, seemed a bit inconsistent to me, and the villain was a little too cardboardy. As for the two main protagonists, I really never felt like I “knew” either Gabe or Chel. But I found the medical part and the explication of Mayan culture quite interesting, and I enjoyed the sections of the book that told Paktul’s story.
Evaluation: I had a mixed reaction to this book. Much of it moved along at a “thriller” pace, but I considered some aspects to be better written than others. The ending also disappointed me; in addition to an abrupt denouement, the theme of coincidence or fate, so prevalent throughout most of the book, just sort of got dropped.
Nevertheless, it is an entertaining book, and certainly recommended for those with an interest in the prophecies about a possible apocalypse on 12/21/2012.
Gabriel (“Gabe”) Stanton, is the director of a center in L.A. for research on prions - proteins in the brain responsible for some rare and currently incurable diseases, including Mad Cow Disease and Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI). He gets an urgent call from Michaela Thane, a resident at East L.A. Presbyterian Hospital. She believes she is seeing a case of FFI, which causes total insomnia, leading to hallucinations, panic, and seizures. Nearly all of the afflicted die after a few weeks. Thane's patient doesn’t speak English however, and when someone finally guesses he may be speaking Qu’iche, a branch of the Mayan language spoken by many Guatemalans, Stanton and Thane call upon Chel Manu, a local language expert, to help them translate.
Dr. Manu, curator of Maya antiguities for the Getty Museum, specializes in epigraphy, the study and interpretation of ancient inscriptions. Coincidentally with being summoned by Stanton, she has come into an incredibly valuable ancient Mayan codex, or written history, which was painted in glyphs (hieroglyphic-like symbols) by a royal scribe of a king.
Chel discovers that the patient, Volcy, is the one who found the codex, and he sold it to the collector who gave it to Chel for safekeeping. Volcy dies before he can tell them where he got the book, which is presumably where he contracted this virulently lethal disease. It is imperative for Chel to translate the codex as soon as possible, in the hope that she can figure out where it came from. Stanton needs to get to the source of the infection in order to figure out a cure, because somehow the FFI is spreading, at a rate suggesting that the rumored apocalypse could actually be happening.
As Chel translates, she learns about the fascinating world of Paktul, the scribe of the codex; what happened to cause the collapse of his city; and the reason that Volcy would get sick and die almost 1100 years after Paktul himself succumbed.
Discussion: Some aspects of the story were not plausible to me, such as Chel’s speed at translating broken fragments of a document that was moreover written in ancient glyphs no longer readily understandable.
It also appeared that everyone was quite susceptible to the disease except the characters the author needed to keep around.
The persona of Victor, Chel's mentor, seemed a bit inconsistent to me, and the villain was a little too cardboardy. As for the two main protagonists, I really never felt like I “knew” either Gabe or Chel. But I found the medical part and the explication of Mayan culture quite interesting, and I enjoyed the sections of the book that told Paktul’s story.
Evaluation: I had a mixed reaction to this book. Much of it moved along at a “thriller” pace, but I considered some aspects to be better written than others. The ending also disappointed me; in addition to an abrupt denouement, the theme of coincidence or fate, so prevalent throughout most of the book, just sort of got dropped.
Nevertheless, it is an entertaining book, and certainly recommended for those with an interest in the prophecies about a possible apocalypse on 12/21/2012.
July 18, 2012
“12.21” by Dustin Thomason was an amazing novel. At first I didn’t quite know if I would want to follow the story as it goes between ancient Mayan history and storytelling to modern day Los Angeles scenes when in the midst of a cataclysmic medical event. However, from the jungles of central America to the suburbs of the California and it’s beautiful seasides, the characters draw you into this unbelievable story based on the ancient Mayan calendar.
The author used astronomy, scientific testing, obscure language skills and personal faiths to create a story that was a blend of Michael Crichton’s medical thrillers such as “ The Andromeda Strain” and Lewis Perdue’s “Daughter of God.” It was compelling. There was even a little of the flavor Raiders of the Lost Ark in the action and tension of the novel.
With so much information and misinformation available about DNA, mad cow disease, genetic engineering, etc. I think that the fear of some sort of untreatable strain of illness is a bit frightening to many people. I have always been interested in Mayan history and having visited some of the ruins that were mentioned, this book seemed to be well developed. The action was complete with some of the best and worst of human nature described.
I appreciated the opportunity to read an early release of this book from Random House and I thank LibraryThing for sending me a copy of “12.21” to review. The book is a fairly fast read and I give the book a 4 star rating and recommend it as a mystery to keep you entertained.
The author used astronomy, scientific testing, obscure language skills and personal faiths to create a story that was a blend of Michael Crichton’s medical thrillers such as “ The Andromeda Strain” and Lewis Perdue’s “Daughter of God.” It was compelling. There was even a little of the flavor Raiders of the Lost Ark in the action and tension of the novel.
With so much information and misinformation available about DNA, mad cow disease, genetic engineering, etc. I think that the fear of some sort of untreatable strain of illness is a bit frightening to many people. I have always been interested in Mayan history and having visited some of the ruins that were mentioned, this book seemed to be well developed. The action was complete with some of the best and worst of human nature described.
I appreciated the opportunity to read an early release of this book from Random House and I thank LibraryThing for sending me a copy of “12.21” to review. The book is a fairly fast read and I give the book a 4 star rating and recommend it as a mystery to keep you entertained.
November 12, 2012
This is definitely a captivating medical thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed learning (probably more than I wanted to know…scary) about prions. I also enjoyed the historical aspect of this story (Guatemala and the Mayan culture). Both of these elements make for a good story in my opinion. The pace of the story was good…a real page turner throughout most of the story. What I didn’t like so much about the book were the two main characters…not very likeable or memorable…and still not sure what the point of Victor’s character was. I also felt the ending was quite rushed (I understand that 12.21 was approaching quickly and the author needed to wrap things up :), but I would have loved for Chel and Gabe to have spent more time in the jungle together searching for the lost temple and the cure. It all just happened a little too fast. I rate it a 3.5, but will round up to a 4. Not quite spectacular, but overall an entertaining read!
October 2, 2012
This is a book that stands out more for its writing technique then for its inspirational value. Although some of the characters are inspirational, what is most patent in the book is the incredible investigation and knowledge of its author in order to be able to write such a credible and well grounded book. A tremendous adventure, a good thriller, this a book to read with pleasure and recommend.
Maria Carmo
Lisbon 02 October 2012.
(Second October is the Day dedicated to Guardian Angels)
Maria Carmo
Lisbon 02 October 2012.
(Second October is the Day dedicated to Guardian Angels)
September 26, 2012
The character development and storyline were terrific. I thoroughly enjoyed this fresh look at the approaching end of the Maya Long Count. Thomason provides great insight into Mayan history, and the various doomsday theories, while offering a highly entertaining story.
January 26, 2015
This is a page-turning thriller about 'the end of the world as we know it' caused by a new prion disease (think mad-cow) that is able to be transmitted between humans.
January 3, 2021
Very reminiscent of Dan Brown in some ways, but it felt less nuanced and polished. I enjoyed it, but am not walking away raving about it.
March 28, 2022
was not as good as i hoped, and a lot of it sounded fake
October 6, 2020
Passend zur aktuellen Corona-Situation und dazu passendem Ende. Man erfährt viel über die Maya-Kultur. Spannung ist auch enthalten.
August 4, 2023
The story is very bland. The excitement happens near the end, and even that is off and on. The worst is how things are left unexplained. The author gave a breakdown after the story ended. Wasn't a terrible book, but I would not suggest this to people as their next book.
July 18, 2012
I swore I would never read anything (fiction or non-fiction) about the supposed end of the world due to the end of the Mayan calendar. I’ve read 'real' books about the Maya culture and can’t even begin to entertain any half-baked notions. Just…c’mon people.
So why exactly did I read this particular novel? Because it was written by one-half of the team that wrote the really enjoyable “The Rule of Four”. That was enough for me to give the advanced reader a try when it landed on my desk.
It includes all the things that I find fun and interesting: Maya culture and especially Maya glyphs, medical intrigue (here, specifically about prions), archaeoastronomy, and even local familiar locations (the Getty Center, Venice Beach, Griffith Observatory, and many more).
And I really enjoyed the book for the first 2/3rds. That last third though…
Usually with these kinds of books (techno-thrillers, I guess?) there’s sometimes a few (or many) instances of credulity stretching incidents, whether it’s a gaping plot hole or illogical actions taken by some character or iffy science or… something, something that depending on its degree you can easily gloss over or make your eyes roll or even make you put down the book.
None of that happens here though, at least for more than half the book. Everything rolled along believably, delving into the science of the prions, the culture of the Mayas and even the city-wide quarantine stuff. There was even one character I was really rooting for, and it was when that character died suddenly that I felt the book took a turn for the strange. The death didn’t feel ‘earned’ or ‘necessary’—it just kind of happened, and it felt more plot ordained than anything else. It needed to happen to ramp the story up, I guess, but after that the story seemed to fishtail and never really find its footing again.
The story doesn’t wrap up in the usual Hollywood wrap up way, which I’m fine with, but it felt as if there were more story to tell, like maybe there’s a sequel? Even open-ended endings have a kind of finality to them. But here, there’s a kind of world-building it taps into but then kind of leaves dangling at the end. The character stories are wrapped up for the most part, but still it felt like not everything was satisfactorily tied up.
It was a fun read but it leads to an odd ending.
So why exactly did I read this particular novel? Because it was written by one-half of the team that wrote the really enjoyable “The Rule of Four”. That was enough for me to give the advanced reader a try when it landed on my desk.
It includes all the things that I find fun and interesting: Maya culture and especially Maya glyphs, medical intrigue (here, specifically about prions), archaeoastronomy, and even local familiar locations (the Getty Center, Venice Beach, Griffith Observatory, and many more).
And I really enjoyed the book for the first 2/3rds. That last third though…
Usually with these kinds of books (techno-thrillers, I guess?) there’s sometimes a few (or many) instances of credulity stretching incidents, whether it’s a gaping plot hole or illogical actions taken by some character or iffy science or… something, something that depending on its degree you can easily gloss over or make your eyes roll or even make you put down the book.
None of that happens here though, at least for more than half the book. Everything rolled along believably, delving into the science of the prions, the culture of the Mayas and even the city-wide quarantine stuff. There was even one character I was really rooting for, and it was when that character died suddenly that I felt the book took a turn for the strange. The death didn’t feel ‘earned’ or ‘necessary’—it just kind of happened, and it felt more plot ordained than anything else. It needed to happen to ramp the story up, I guess, but after that the story seemed to fishtail and never really find its footing again.
The story doesn’t wrap up in the usual Hollywood wrap up way, which I’m fine with, but it felt as if there were more story to tell, like maybe there’s a sequel? Even open-ended endings have a kind of finality to them. But here, there’s a kind of world-building it taps into but then kind of leaves dangling at the end. The character stories are wrapped up for the most part, but still it felt like not everything was satisfactorily tied up.
It was a fun read but it leads to an odd ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2012
From the Prologue to the final spellbinding pages, Dustin Thomason's "12-21" (Random House 2012) is a page-turner. Within five minutes, the reader is locked in the grasp of two seemingly unrelated stories, told in tandem throughout the novel. Each new twist wraps them tighter together until the plot is a Gordian knot that will take all of the brilliance of the story's main characters to unravel.
Gabriel Stanton, an unhappily divorced workaholic, runs a prion research facility. Its initial goal, now fallen into disrepute, is to find a cure for prion viruses--a particular strain of virus that has no known treatment. When he is called to consult on a patient who could be suffering from his specialty, he must not only come up with a therapy--something funding cuts and bureaucracy have prevented him doing since the center opened--but convince the CDC that the solution is to be found in the collapse of a booming Mayan city almost a thousand years ago. He gets assistance from a Mayan archaeological expert--Chel Manu--who comes into possession of a codex which the pair determine holds the treatment key. The trick is to decode it and then understand it through the lens of the long-dead heroes who wrote it--before life as they know it ends.
Which seems to be December 21st, a day predicted by in Mayan scripture.
The plot is an intriguing blend of science, history and the best elements of the thriller genre (heroic main characters, noble intentions--that sort of stuff).
Thomason has a wonderful knack for etching a character with a few well-placed words. Within sentences of the story's beginning, we see Stanton's flaws, humanity, decency, and brilliance. He does it within the plot lines via dialogue and action in ways any aspiring writer wishes s/he could do as succinctly and effective.
Sounds amazing, doesn't it? You ask: Why the four stars? Two reasons:
* that Chel comes into possession of the codex that can cure the disease is hard to swallow. It traveled from Guatemala to her front door. Thomason provides rationale, but really?
* the Zero Patient for the modern-day prion epidemic just happens to come from the Guatemalan home town of Chel's family. Again, really?
Coincidences always weaken a story, so I had to ignore these and continue.
Which I did, right up to the feel-good ending. My conclusion: I'm going to keep reading Dustin Thomason
Gabriel Stanton, an unhappily divorced workaholic, runs a prion research facility. Its initial goal, now fallen into disrepute, is to find a cure for prion viruses--a particular strain of virus that has no known treatment. When he is called to consult on a patient who could be suffering from his specialty, he must not only come up with a therapy--something funding cuts and bureaucracy have prevented him doing since the center opened--but convince the CDC that the solution is to be found in the collapse of a booming Mayan city almost a thousand years ago. He gets assistance from a Mayan archaeological expert--Chel Manu--who comes into possession of a codex which the pair determine holds the treatment key. The trick is to decode it and then understand it through the lens of the long-dead heroes who wrote it--before life as they know it ends.
Which seems to be December 21st, a day predicted by in Mayan scripture.
The plot is an intriguing blend of science, history and the best elements of the thriller genre (heroic main characters, noble intentions--that sort of stuff).
Thomason has a wonderful knack for etching a character with a few well-placed words. Within sentences of the story's beginning, we see Stanton's flaws, humanity, decency, and brilliance. He does it within the plot lines via dialogue and action in ways any aspiring writer wishes s/he could do as succinctly and effective.
Sounds amazing, doesn't it? You ask: Why the four stars? Two reasons:
* that Chel comes into possession of the codex that can cure the disease is hard to swallow. It traveled from Guatemala to her front door. Thomason provides rationale, but really?
* the Zero Patient for the modern-day prion epidemic just happens to come from the Guatemalan home town of Chel's family. Again, really?
Coincidences always weaken a story, so I had to ignore these and continue.
Which I did, right up to the feel-good ending. My conclusion: I'm going to keep reading Dustin Thomason
June 25, 2012
First of all, a friend of mine got this through a Goodreads giveaway and told me I just had to read it.
It was good. Not great. Not bad. Just good. The majority of the book is centered around the characters' attempts to translate a recently discovered Mayan text which may hold the key to a new disease that's spreading across L.A. To me, the connection between the Mayan Codex, the disease, and the linguist's home village is just too convenient to be believable. In fact, there were several times where I actually said, "Gee. That's convenient." while reading. It didn't necessarily HURT the narrative, I just had to suspend my disbelief a little more than usual.
Selecting a rating for this book was tough as the whole narrative was VERY well written (I could not put the book down during the last 70 pages) and I immediately fell in love with the story of Paktul the scribe. The author has obviously done his homework on both Prion based diseases and Ancient Mayan civilization and he manages to seamlessly impart this knowledge to the reader. However, I can't ignore the fact that I found myself rushing through the majority of book, which takes place in modern times, just so I could get back to the story of Paktul and the collapse of Kanuataba.
This is also a book that is built on plot twists, of which there are many. These twists were interesting, but I thought the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed as I saw most of them coming from a mile away. In some cases, I found myself yelling out the answers to some of the riddles 40-50 pages before they were actually revealed. Once again, this didn't ruin the narrative, but it did impact my enjoyment of it.
Overall, this book is a solid 3 stars. I could make an argument for more, but I could also make an argument for less. I definitely don't think it should be anywhere near the top of your purchase list when it's released in August, but if your looking for a quick and interesting read, or you're really into the Ancient Mayan civilization, this might be a good book to pick up.
P.S. To Mr. Thomason, not sure if it was intentional, but the Harold Camping joke in the epilogue was priceless!
It was good. Not great. Not bad. Just good. The majority of the book is centered around the characters' attempts to translate a recently discovered Mayan text which may hold the key to a new disease that's spreading across L.A. To me, the connection between the Mayan Codex, the disease, and the linguist's home village is just too convenient to be believable. In fact, there were several times where I actually said, "Gee. That's convenient." while reading. It didn't necessarily HURT the narrative, I just had to suspend my disbelief a little more than usual.
Selecting a rating for this book was tough as the whole narrative was VERY well written (I could not put the book down during the last 70 pages) and I immediately fell in love with the story of Paktul the scribe. The author has obviously done his homework on both Prion based diseases and Ancient Mayan civilization and he manages to seamlessly impart this knowledge to the reader. However, I can't ignore the fact that I found myself rushing through the majority of book, which takes place in modern times, just so I could get back to the story of Paktul and the collapse of Kanuataba.
This is also a book that is built on plot twists, of which there are many. These twists were interesting, but I thought the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed as I saw most of them coming from a mile away. In some cases, I found myself yelling out the answers to some of the riddles 40-50 pages before they were actually revealed. Once again, this didn't ruin the narrative, but it did impact my enjoyment of it.
Overall, this book is a solid 3 stars. I could make an argument for more, but I could also make an argument for less. I definitely don't think it should be anywhere near the top of your purchase list when it's released in August, but if your looking for a quick and interesting read, or you're really into the Ancient Mayan civilization, this might be a good book to pick up.
P.S. To Mr. Thomason, not sure if it was intentional, but the Harold Camping joke in the epilogue was priceless!
June 20, 2012
I received this through the GoodReads Giveaway.
This was a terrific read! It has creepy medical scares, sacred artifacts, spiritual groups and good people who sometimes make dumb choices. After all, who likes a hero that never makes a single misstep?
Gabe is a top researcher in the study of prions which cause disease like mad cow. Since the huge scare has been over, his funding has been dwindling and he is relegated as a specialist in a supremely narrow field. He is stunned when a doctor from a huge Los Angeles hospital calls with a potential case.
Chel is a curator at the Getty museum in Los Angeles. She is from Guatamala, descended from the Mayans. She is eager to discover and protect the Mayan treasures and history, goes to religious services, and can even speak the ancient language. Her mother, on the other hand, refuses to talk about Guatalama or the fantastic heritage of the Mayans. Chel understands that the death of her father at the hands of the government was hard on her mother, but since he was a leader of the revolution, Chel cannot understand why her mother does not have more vocal pride.
A shady art dealer gives Chel a priceless book-a Mayan codex that looks to predate almost all other codexes known to date. Against her better judgement, she takes it and uses Getty resources to preserve and translate it. It is written on bark and fallig apart. To translate and decipher, she must turn to her old mentor who once betrayed her and an ex-boyfriend who she hasn't seen in months.
In two weeks, it will be 12.21 and the believers in the Mayan calendar are preparing for the end. Chel is contacted by a local hospital to help translate the ravings of a sick man. Once there, she is stunned to find out that it is he who smuggled the codex from Guatamala. She holds back some information from the doctors to protect herself. Only after the sickness spreads does she admit to Gabe her deceit by omission.
From there, they are in a race against time to find something to stop this deadly disease!
I enjoyed this book a lot; I hope this author is prolific!
Like the cover art very much
This was a terrific read! It has creepy medical scares, sacred artifacts, spiritual groups and good people who sometimes make dumb choices. After all, who likes a hero that never makes a single misstep?
Gabe is a top researcher in the study of prions which cause disease like mad cow. Since the huge scare has been over, his funding has been dwindling and he is relegated as a specialist in a supremely narrow field. He is stunned when a doctor from a huge Los Angeles hospital calls with a potential case.
Chel is a curator at the Getty museum in Los Angeles. She is from Guatamala, descended from the Mayans. She is eager to discover and protect the Mayan treasures and history, goes to religious services, and can even speak the ancient language. Her mother, on the other hand, refuses to talk about Guatalama or the fantastic heritage of the Mayans. Chel understands that the death of her father at the hands of the government was hard on her mother, but since he was a leader of the revolution, Chel cannot understand why her mother does not have more vocal pride.
A shady art dealer gives Chel a priceless book-a Mayan codex that looks to predate almost all other codexes known to date. Against her better judgement, she takes it and uses Getty resources to preserve and translate it. It is written on bark and fallig apart. To translate and decipher, she must turn to her old mentor who once betrayed her and an ex-boyfriend who she hasn't seen in months.
In two weeks, it will be 12.21 and the believers in the Mayan calendar are preparing for the end. Chel is contacted by a local hospital to help translate the ravings of a sick man. Once there, she is stunned to find out that it is he who smuggled the codex from Guatamala. She holds back some information from the doctors to protect herself. Only after the sickness spreads does she admit to Gabe her deceit by omission.
From there, they are in a race against time to find something to stop this deadly disease!
I enjoyed this book a lot; I hope this author is prolific!
Like the cover art very much
August 28, 2012
The Short of It:
A quick, adventurous read that takes you from the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles to the ruins of an ancient Mayan civilization.
The Rest of It:
After a patient exhibits signs of FFI (fatal familial insomnia), Dr. Michaela Thane enlists the help of prion expert, Gabriel Stanton. With a disease this rare, the question to ask is, “How did it get here?” In his quest to find the answer, Stanton brings in Chel Manu, a Mayan expert, to translate what the patient has shared with them thus far and when Chel is presented with a Maya codex, she begins to think that the two incidents may be related.
With the title and all, I was eager to read this book as I love anything that has to do with the end of the world but it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. I pictured a riveting medical thriller with people dying everywhere and doctors and scientists running all over hell to find a cure. There were elements of that but on a much quieter scale. What I found contained between these pages was in fact, a beginning to a screenplay as I could see it in my head played out on the big screen.
The framework was all there and the story interesting, but I felt as if the momentum seemed to stop as soon as I was getting into it. Plus, I didn’t find the Mayan connection to be all that interesting even though it had everything to do with the significance of the title and the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar and in turn, the end of civilization as we know it.
However, the medical bits were well written and did pull me in. I definitely wanted to know more about Stanton. Maybe a bit more about his personal life? Oh, and I wanted more drama. I am a Southern California gal and the fact that it was set in Los Angeles was a huge turn-on, but Los Angeles in the midst of a pandemic? Hello! That has crazy written all over it and what I got was a bit too tame.
If you are looking for a quick read and like medical thrillers that are on the quiet side (no blood or gore or oozing snot), then you might enjoy this one.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
A quick, adventurous read that takes you from the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles to the ruins of an ancient Mayan civilization.
The Rest of It:
After a patient exhibits signs of FFI (fatal familial insomnia), Dr. Michaela Thane enlists the help of prion expert, Gabriel Stanton. With a disease this rare, the question to ask is, “How did it get here?” In his quest to find the answer, Stanton brings in Chel Manu, a Mayan expert, to translate what the patient has shared with them thus far and when Chel is presented with a Maya codex, she begins to think that the two incidents may be related.
With the title and all, I was eager to read this book as I love anything that has to do with the end of the world but it wasn’t quite what I expected it to be. I pictured a riveting medical thriller with people dying everywhere and doctors and scientists running all over hell to find a cure. There were elements of that but on a much quieter scale. What I found contained between these pages was in fact, a beginning to a screenplay as I could see it in my head played out on the big screen.
The framework was all there and the story interesting, but I felt as if the momentum seemed to stop as soon as I was getting into it. Plus, I didn’t find the Mayan connection to be all that interesting even though it had everything to do with the significance of the title and the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar and in turn, the end of civilization as we know it.
However, the medical bits were well written and did pull me in. I definitely wanted to know more about Stanton. Maybe a bit more about his personal life? Oh, and I wanted more drama. I am a Southern California gal and the fact that it was set in Los Angeles was a huge turn-on, but Los Angeles in the midst of a pandemic? Hello! That has crazy written all over it and what I got was a bit too tame.
If you are looking for a quick read and like medical thrillers that are on the quiet side (no blood or gore or oozing snot), then you might enjoy this one.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
October 1, 2012
Insomnia plays a key role in the short list of symptoms. It's amazing what sleep deprivation can do to a person.
It's the end of the world as we know it. The city of LA is under quarantine. Deadly prions have escaped from the ancient Mayan civilization to wreak havoc on all they come in contact with. Dr. Gabe is thoroughly confused and guesses food as the culprit. Dr. Chel has committed a major crime (accepting and decyphering an ancient codex) and could face jail time. Hero and heroine search for the underlying reason and are exposed to the disease, but somehow these two escape the wrath of the prions, slightly bruised, but ultimately unscathed. Of course they have to because they are the main characters and there is a touch of romance.
I find this quote to be interesting, especially since it was Dr. Stanton's ex-wife Nina, who stated this about Dr. Chel:
"That woman just lost her friend, she was screwed by her mentor, and people took that book from her. If I'd been through what she has, it'd take me years to even think straight again. But she's down there working. I've only known one other person in the world who could do that. So don't be damn rational. Get to it, for God's sake." [pg 258]
First of all, to the author, I must say, "Kudos" for the thriller aspect, but did you really have to bring in the worship of praying mantis and the disgusting cannibalism???!! I was really enjoying this book until that aspect appeared. I stopped reading at that point and resumed it later the next. The first two-thirds of this book had me on the edge of my seat, flashlight in hand to discover the ending. The last third, I could easily put down, totally uninterested.
So Dustin, I must say you did a good job of combining neuroscience with Mayan history in the thriller aspect of a 12-21-2012 theme. Others have tried and not succeeded.
I will never look at insomnia again in the same way.
It's the end of the world as we know it. The city of LA is under quarantine. Deadly prions have escaped from the ancient Mayan civilization to wreak havoc on all they come in contact with. Dr. Gabe is thoroughly confused and guesses food as the culprit. Dr. Chel has committed a major crime (accepting and decyphering an ancient codex) and could face jail time. Hero and heroine search for the underlying reason and are exposed to the disease, but somehow these two escape the wrath of the prions, slightly bruised, but ultimately unscathed. Of course they have to because they are the main characters and there is a touch of romance.
I find this quote to be interesting, especially since it was Dr. Stanton's ex-wife Nina, who stated this about Dr. Chel:
"That woman just lost her friend, she was screwed by her mentor, and people took that book from her. If I'd been through what she has, it'd take me years to even think straight again. But she's down there working. I've only known one other person in the world who could do that. So don't be damn rational. Get to it, for God's sake." [pg 258]
First of all, to the author, I must say, "Kudos" for the thriller aspect, but did you really have to bring in the worship of praying mantis and the disgusting cannibalism???!! I was really enjoying this book until that aspect appeared. I stopped reading at that point and resumed it later the next. The first two-thirds of this book had me on the edge of my seat, flashlight in hand to discover the ending. The last third, I could easily put down, totally uninterested.
So Dustin, I must say you did a good job of combining neuroscience with Mayan history in the thriller aspect of a 12-21-2012 theme. Others have tried and not succeeded.
I will never look at insomnia again in the same way.
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