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The 13th Cycle
Amara Randall is a college student with a passion for exposing the truth. When she sees the havoc the Maya calendar predictions wreak, she decides to debunk the myths and try to restore the peace.
Mahaway is a charismatic young scribe in ancient Maya. But her world is torn apart when a greedy new king declares war on her city.
Now at the end of 2012, Amara’s obsession leads her to uncovering a deadly conspiracy, one with roots dating back more than a thousand years. Using clues Mahaway has left behind as a guide, Amara must stop the conspirators’ terrifying plan before December 21. If she doesn’t, the world really will end.
Mahaway is a charismatic young scribe in ancient Maya. But her world is torn apart when a greedy new king declares war on her city.
Now at the end of 2012, Amara’s obsession leads her to uncovering a deadly conspiracy, one with roots dating back more than a thousand years. Using clues Mahaway has left behind as a guide, Amara must stop the conspirators’ terrifying plan before December 21. If she doesn’t, the world really will end.
86 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2012
1 person is currently reading
258 people want to read
About the author
Sabrina Ricci
13 books26 followersSabrina Ricci is a podcaster and writer. Check out the weekly dinosaur podcast she produces with her husband Garret to nerd out on dinosaurs and science! (https://iknowdino.com)
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 28, 2012
This optimistic thriller is truly magnificent and contains such historical detail within, which makes it quite a remarkable and astonishing read!
This spectacular novella is like nothing I have encountered before, with its originality and uniqueness for it combines a chilling, psychological narrative with a historical read that is so extraordinary; hence I am finding it hard to put into words any kind of description. Amara Randall’s writing is exquisite for she cleverly combines accurate details with absorbing, compelling narrative which is so inspired. Told in third-person this character-driven tale is a gripping read, which is thought-provoking to the core that makes you really think and ponder over things that linger within your mind. I cannot enthuse enough about this remarkable, astonishing read that has totally blown me away and that I shall re-read time and time again!!
One follows the story of Mahaway, who is a charismatic young scribe in ancient Maya. Her once stable world is suddenly torn apart when a greedy new King declares war on her city. Now at the end of 2012, Amara’s obsession leads her to uncovering a deadly conspiracy, one with roots dating back more than a thousand years. Using clues Mahaway has left behind as a guide, Amara must stop the conspirators’ terrifying plan before December 21. If she doesn’t, the world really will end…
Observing the Maya calendar and the shocking predictions that are foretold in myth and legend, Amara’s determination to restore peace is amicable as she possesses a certain heroism within. The strong bond of friendship between Mahaway and Yochi was something that I could connect to, as personal emotions were captured making the story realistic and something which readers will be able to relate to. Combining both fact and fiction, historical past and present (i.e. events that have occurred only recently in our current time), made it even more significant and such a noteworthy novella. The basis of the world ending on the 21st December is the main element, the foundation of this book, that makes it a memorable and distinctive piece of prose and the author’s entertaining concept is just fantastic.
I loved Sabrina Ricci’s work that is targeted at a wide readership, and that one can enjoy as a light read as well as a more thought-provoking, truth-drawing one; which ever way you choose to contemplate it. I learnt so much about the Ancient Maya which was fascinating, intriguing and I love how there are so many layers to this book – the more you peel them away the more you uncover!! I highly recommend this as a great read and one that I cannot fault.
*I won a copy of ‘The 13th Cycle’ through a GoodReads, first-read giveaway.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the author for having their novella as a giveaway, which I concider myself to have been extremely privileged to have read.*
This spectacular novella is like nothing I have encountered before, with its originality and uniqueness for it combines a chilling, psychological narrative with a historical read that is so extraordinary; hence I am finding it hard to put into words any kind of description. Amara Randall’s writing is exquisite for she cleverly combines accurate details with absorbing, compelling narrative which is so inspired. Told in third-person this character-driven tale is a gripping read, which is thought-provoking to the core that makes you really think and ponder over things that linger within your mind. I cannot enthuse enough about this remarkable, astonishing read that has totally blown me away and that I shall re-read time and time again!!
One follows the story of Mahaway, who is a charismatic young scribe in ancient Maya. Her once stable world is suddenly torn apart when a greedy new King declares war on her city. Now at the end of 2012, Amara’s obsession leads her to uncovering a deadly conspiracy, one with roots dating back more than a thousand years. Using clues Mahaway has left behind as a guide, Amara must stop the conspirators’ terrifying plan before December 21. If she doesn’t, the world really will end…
Observing the Maya calendar and the shocking predictions that are foretold in myth and legend, Amara’s determination to restore peace is amicable as she possesses a certain heroism within. The strong bond of friendship between Mahaway and Yochi was something that I could connect to, as personal emotions were captured making the story realistic and something which readers will be able to relate to. Combining both fact and fiction, historical past and present (i.e. events that have occurred only recently in our current time), made it even more significant and such a noteworthy novella. The basis of the world ending on the 21st December is the main element, the foundation of this book, that makes it a memorable and distinctive piece of prose and the author’s entertaining concept is just fantastic.
I loved Sabrina Ricci’s work that is targeted at a wide readership, and that one can enjoy as a light read as well as a more thought-provoking, truth-drawing one; which ever way you choose to contemplate it. I learnt so much about the Ancient Maya which was fascinating, intriguing and I love how there are so many layers to this book – the more you peel them away the more you uncover!! I highly recommend this as a great read and one that I cannot fault.
*I won a copy of ‘The 13th Cycle’ through a GoodReads, first-read giveaway.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the author for having their novella as a giveaway, which I concider myself to have been extremely privileged to have read.*
December 18, 2012
I enjoyed this 20 chapter book. It was told through Amara and Mahaway’s third person point-of-view, each rotating chapters. Amara’s ancestors were part Mayan, so the entire time I wondered if she was a descendant of Mahaway. It was revealed that years earlier her granddad researched in Mexico about the Mayan calendar, ultimately committing suicide. I worried about Amara’s safety when she announced she wanted to investigate a story for The Eagle, a school newspaper.
I loved the friendships within the story. Mahaway and Yochi were best friends as well as Cayden and Amara (they were roommates). It was cute noticing the guys’ interactions with the girls to see how they pined over her even though she didn’t realize it. Made me root for them to have a happy ending.
It was cool how Chapter 1 started with Amaya and Cayden watching the news about Hurricane Sandy taking out the Jersey Shore. Since that happened recently in real life, it affected me to see the time schedule (setting) so close to real time. It made me reflect how the characters dealt with the tragic events compared to real people. And how the characters treated the rumors that the world will end on December 21, 2012 compared to real people.
It was fun to read a story based off the world ending on December 21st. The author created a pretty entertaining concept, and published it so close to the date. Cool beans. I loved reading the history of the Mayan calendar and traditions. Sabrina Ricci did a great job of having the readers think.
I RECOMMEND this book to read.
I loved the friendships within the story. Mahaway and Yochi were best friends as well as Cayden and Amara (they were roommates). It was cute noticing the guys’ interactions with the girls to see how they pined over her even though she didn’t realize it. Made me root for them to have a happy ending.
It was cool how Chapter 1 started with Amaya and Cayden watching the news about Hurricane Sandy taking out the Jersey Shore. Since that happened recently in real life, it affected me to see the time schedule (setting) so close to real time. It made me reflect how the characters dealt with the tragic events compared to real people. And how the characters treated the rumors that the world will end on December 21, 2012 compared to real people.
It was fun to read a story based off the world ending on December 21st. The author created a pretty entertaining concept, and published it so close to the date. Cool beans. I loved reading the history of the Mayan calendar and traditions. Sabrina Ricci did a great job of having the readers think.
I RECOMMEND this book to read.
January 14, 2013
The 13th Cycle is an 80-ish paged novella based on the 2012 Mayan "world's end" myth. The story intermittently follows Amara Randall (a modern-day journalist college student) and Mahaway (an ancient-Mayan scribe) as they both seek out the same quest, centuries apart.
If there were half-stars, I'd check off the 2-1/2 star box, but as I don't think this book deserves a flat 2-star, I've given it a 3. This means I had an ok time reading it, but it wasn't anything special.
This book has a great concept--I was uber-interested. But it's too short to actually do much with it. It tried a little too hard to be overly dramatic at chapter endings, and some sections felt like the author just inserted how she did her research without bothering to make it feel interesting within the story. The characters were all the same--rather flat, the scenes that were set in ancient times felt completely modern, and there wasn't much setting to get involved in--it was all talk and thought.
But while this book isn't for me, I would recommend The 13th Cycle for probably junior-highers through high-schoolers who like a college-age writing style about female heroines, don't mind some mild swearing, and want a quick adventure-read with some fun myth entanglement, a sprinkling of light romance, and a hint of mystery.
I won this book in a giveaway.
If there were half-stars, I'd check off the 2-1/2 star box, but as I don't think this book deserves a flat 2-star, I've given it a 3. This means I had an ok time reading it, but it wasn't anything special.
This book has a great concept--I was uber-interested. But it's too short to actually do much with it. It tried a little too hard to be overly dramatic at chapter endings, and some sections felt like the author just inserted how she did her research without bothering to make it feel interesting within the story. The characters were all the same--rather flat, the scenes that were set in ancient times felt completely modern, and there wasn't much setting to get involved in--it was all talk and thought.
But while this book isn't for me, I would recommend The 13th Cycle for probably junior-highers through high-schoolers who like a college-age writing style about female heroines, don't mind some mild swearing, and want a quick adventure-read with some fun myth entanglement, a sprinkling of light romance, and a hint of mystery.
I won this book in a giveaway.
December 30, 2012
I really enjoyed reading this book. This character-driven tale is full of twists and turns and combines effortlessly thrilling action with a historical read.
It follows the story of Mahaway, who is charismatic young scribe in ancient Maya. Her world is torn apart when a new King takes down her city. And at the end of 2012 it follows Amara as she uncovers the mysteries of ancient Maya and calendar, which leads her to the truth of her grandfather's death and to stop a deadly conspiracy.
Combining both fact and fiction, past and present is done seamlessly by the author Sabrina Ricci. The foundation of the book is of the world ending on December 21, which of itself is an intriguing idea.
I loved Sabrina Ricci's work. I highly recommend this book - it's fun, thrilling, chilling at times read.
*I won a copy of ‘The 13th Cycle’ through a GoodReads, first-read giveaway.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the author for having their novella as a giveaway, which I concider myself to have been extremely privileged to have read.*
It follows the story of Mahaway, who is charismatic young scribe in ancient Maya. Her world is torn apart when a new King takes down her city. And at the end of 2012 it follows Amara as she uncovers the mysteries of ancient Maya and calendar, which leads her to the truth of her grandfather's death and to stop a deadly conspiracy.
Combining both fact and fiction, past and present is done seamlessly by the author Sabrina Ricci. The foundation of the book is of the world ending on December 21, which of itself is an intriguing idea.
I loved Sabrina Ricci's work. I highly recommend this book - it's fun, thrilling, chilling at times read.
*I won a copy of ‘The 13th Cycle’ through a GoodReads, first-read giveaway.
I would like to take this opportunity of thanking the author for having their novella as a giveaway, which I concider myself to have been extremely privileged to have read.*
November 25, 2020
This short book is, in a word, superficial. The characters have no depth and the plot is predictable and silly. Additionally, there are numerous inaccuracies about the ancient Mayas, their Long Count Calendar, and the meanings of the end of the 13th Baktun. Many events in the story seem contrived and fitted together inexplicably. Though dealing with huge life events such as a father's and close friends' deaths, no real emotional responses are exhibited by the characters. Chapters alternate between contemporary times in late 2012, and Maya settings of the 900s when the Classic Maya civilization was drawing to a close. Nothing depicted in the book has an actual resemblance to Maya civilization at that time, or the true purposes of Maya calendars. If you don't care about historical verity or plot and character development, you might enjoy this story of young people trying to save the world by preventing an evil Maya king from misusing the calendar.
January 27, 2013
A short, yet most interesting read. I enjoy reading short stories because there tends to be a lot going on throughout the book, so I am less likely to become bored/distracted and abandon the book. However, short stories often run the risk of overwhelming the reader with too much information and a confusing plot to follow.
The 13th Cycle fell in the former category and had a fast paced, yet easy to follow story. I found out much about mayan myths than I thought there was to know. I liked the switch between the original mayans' story and the present day journalists' adventure every other chapter. An engaging book, and one I am glad to have read!
**I was given an ecopy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**
The 13th Cycle fell in the former category and had a fast paced, yet easy to follow story. I found out much about mayan myths than I thought there was to know. I liked the switch between the original mayans' story and the present day journalists' adventure every other chapter. An engaging book, and one I am glad to have read!
**I was given an ecopy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**
January 24, 2013
This book arrived on December 20, 2012. Great timing! The story was not one of great depth- since it was short. Considering the topic, and the length- it was a very interesting and timely story. It was pretty amazing how the author wove together the past and present to make it an enjoyable and smart story line. It left me wondering about the characters-- what became of them- and more of their thoughts and adventures. It gave enough historical info to make the re4ader want to explore and research more about the Mayans and their culture. Thank you for the free copy and also for writing such a nice story.
June 4, 2013
This novella really should have been fleshed out as a full-length novel. While the story was potentially interesting (a college journalist researching Mayan end-times myths gets caught up in a conspiracy theory ... with flashbacks to historical times), the plot felt rushed and the characters underdeveloped.
Some of the characters also felt predictable ... and the "whodunnit" was revealed with all of the subtlety and foreshadowing of a sledgehammer.
Writing short-form fiction is a real challenge, because you have to get the whole story in without readers feeling like they've been cheated in the development process. This book fell a little short for me.
Some of the characters also felt predictable ... and the "whodunnit" was revealed with all of the subtlety and foreshadowing of a sledgehammer.
Writing short-form fiction is a real challenge, because you have to get the whole story in without readers feeling like they've been cheated in the development process. This book fell a little short for me.
January 18, 2013
After receiving this novella from the goodreads giveaway, I dived right in. The subject was interesting and the story totally up to date, even referring to the devastation done by Hurricane Sandy. I wish I got to read it before December 21st, 2012 as it dwelt with the ending of the Mayan calendar, but the unexpected other tale inside was the most pleasant surprise with twists and turns I didn't expect. I only wish that it hadn't been a novella because I thought the two tales had so much more potential.
December 19, 2012
"The 13th Cycle" is a novella about the end or not of the world according to the Mayan calendar. Taking place in both today and the Mayan world, "The 13th Cycle" is a little confusing as it swaps between its two stories. I don't really feel like I got to know anyone in the story well, and I don't know how realistic the ancient part is (even if it is well researched). Even with the negatives I've given, I did enjoy the book and am glad that I did take the time to read it. (N.B. I received my copy in a member giveaway on LibraryThing)
December 7, 2012
I wrote this book as an experiment in agile publishing. With the help of a great group of readers, this story became a fast-paced thriller about the Maya calendar. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
December 7, 2012
I wrote this book as an experiment in agile publishing. With the help of a great group of readers, this story became a fast-paced thriller about the Maya calendar. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
February 5, 2013
A nice story connected to the Mayan end of the world that was predicted for 2012. Short and not too complex, makes for a nice quick read.
I did not find all aspects of the novel and the characters entirely plausible. Not very well-written, but a nice read if you're looking for something simple.
I did not find all aspects of the novel and the characters entirely plausible. Not very well-written, but a nice read if you're looking for something simple.
May 30, 2013
I received this novel from Goodreads in one of their giveaways.
I really enjoyed this novel. I have always been interested in the Mayan culture and history. This is a fresh new approach to the 2012 theories out there. If you are looking for a quick enjoyable read then pick this novel up
I really enjoyed this novel. I have always been interested in the Mayan culture and history. This is a fresh new approach to the 2012 theories out there. If you are looking for a quick enjoyable read then pick this novel up
January 6, 2013
I enjoyed this novella! It is a treat for fans of historical fiction.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews