The Shibboleth

The Twelve-Fingered Boy Trilogy #2

by John Hornor Jacobs

"There are certain shibboleths to our condition."

At the end of the first book of The Twelve-Fingered Boy Trilogy, Jack and Shreve are incarceradophysically locked up. Shreve's back in the custody of the state of Arkansas, and Jack's somewhere in the clutches of Mr. Quincrux - both problems Shreve aims to rectify.

Cages might hold Shreve's body, but the power that's been growing since his encounter with Quincrux has reached a pinnacle. Nothing can prevent his mind from scaling the etheric heights. Freed from his body, Shreve discovers the magnitude of the evil that's stirring in the east. The wave of insomnia that's paralyzed the nation is only the beginning. To save Jack - and maybe all of the humanity he no longer feels part of - Shreve has no choice but to join Quincrux and the Society of Extranaturals.

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Fiction

408 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

John Hornor Jacobs, is an award-winning author of genre bending adult and YA fiction and a partner and senior art director at a Little Rock, Arkansas advertising agency, Cranford Co. His first novel, Southern Gods, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Excellence in a First Novel and won the Darrel Award. The Onion AV said of the book, “A sumptuous Southern Gothic thriller steeped in the distinct American mythologies of Cthulhu and the blues . . . Southern Gods beautifully probes the eerie, horror-infested underbelly of the South.”His second novel, This Dark Earth, Brian Keene described as “…quite simply, the best zombie novel I’ve read in years” and was published by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery imprint. Jacobs’s acclaimed series of novels for young adults beginning with The Twelve-Fingered Boy, continuing with The Shibboleth, and ending with The Conformity has been hailed by Cory Doctorow on BoingBoing as “amazing” and “mesmerizing.”Jacobs’s first fantasy novel, The Incorruptibles, was nominated for the Morningstar and Gemmell Awards in the UK. Pat Rothfuss has said of this book, “One part ancient Rome, two parts wild west, one part Faust. A pinch of Tolkien, of Lovecraft, of Dante. This is strange alchemy, a recipe I’ve never seen before. I wish more books were as fresh and brave as this.”His fiction has appeared in Playboy Magazine, Cemetery Dance, Apex Magazine and his essay have been featured on CBS Weekly and Huffington Post.Books:Southern Gods – (Night Shade Books, 2011)


This Dark Earth – (Simon & Schuster, 2012)
The Twelve-Fingered Boy – (Lerner, 2013)
The Shibboleth – (Lerner, 2013)
The Conformity – (Lerner, 2014)
The Incorruptibles – (Hachette/Gollancz, 2014)
Foreign Devils – (Hachette/Gollancz, 2015)
Infernal Machines – (Hachette/Gollancz, 2017)
The Sea Dreams It Is The Sky – (HarperCollins / Harper Voyager, October 2018)
A Lush and Seething Hell – (HarperCollins / Harper Voyager, October 2019)
Murder Ballads and Other Horrific Tales – (JournalStone, 2020)

Reviews

[Oldman_JE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacobs has chops. I usually start with debuts but the standalone Southern Gods is horror, but I do look forward to trying The Incorruptibles, his first adult fantasy. This YA series has a bit of a comic book feel, with superpowers and such. Not usually my thing. But Incarcerado has been solid in many respects; there are well-defined characters to root for and, in this one, the setting expands without missing a beat.

No lovey-dovey stuff is a plus. Patrick Rothfuss 5 starred the first and remains in hiatus.

[Mikel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review here.

First and foremost, if you’ve not picked up The Twelve-Fingered Boy you need to go and do that, and quickly. Seriously, the book is one of the best books I read last year, a truly stunning work. It’s also essential to read it before picking up the recently released second book of Jacobs' trilogy, The Shibboleth.

And you’re going to want to pick that up, because The Shibboleth is amazing. Jacobs picks up shortly after the events of TFB, with Shreve Cannon back in Casimir Pulaski Juvenile Detention Center. His friend Jack is in the clutches of Mr. Quincrux, training with a secretive group to face the mysterious force gaining strength on the East Coast.

That force is affecting people worldwide now. An epidemic of insomnia is eating away at society. Violence is up, people are falling apart, and the world’s on the edge of burning. The other wards of Casimir Pulaski are being effected as much as anyone, and they're directing a lot of that violence towards Shreve. He's under near-constant assault from those around him, who all seem to believe he's a thief. He's not afflicted like the others, a result of him using his powers to pry into people’s minds. This allows him to soothe himself with their happier memories. He soon learns that he can now “eat” people’s memories, taking thoughts out as well as manipulating their actions.

It's a tool he can use to help, removing their pain and taking away their insomnia. It also puts him back on Quincrux's radar, now that he might be useful to his cause. With this new understanding of both what he can do and the continuing threat Mr. Quincrux poses, Shreve sets out to find and free Jack. He's captured, and forced to join Jack in training as Quincrux and his operatives refine a group of super-powered children they've taken to calling "extranaturals," or "Post-Humans."

The Shibboleth is darker by a fair margin than TFB. Jacobs doesn’t shrug away from the more painful fallout when Shreve chooses badly, or when more powerful people assert themselves on him or his friends. This is still a young adult book, but on the decidedly more intense end of the YA spectrum. No punches are pulled, no quarter is given. Shreve still has his humor, but it’s taken a world-weary edge. His voice as a character just as strong as it was in the previous book, but also more interesting in the way he “borrows” turns-of-phrase or cultural references from the minds he delves into. He carries not just his experiences, but the emotional toll that accompanies the memories of those he's near.

John Hornor Jacobs is fearless in his execution, taking the fascinating world-building of the first book and guiding it deeper into a dark and dangerous world. You’re anxious going so far down into the pitch black territory he goes. It’s completely worth it, and you’ll be left desperate for more.

[Liviania · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read THE TWELVE-FINGERED BOY, I wasn't quite sure how to take the ending. In fact, in my review I said:

I'm not enamored with the ending of THE TWELVE-FINGERED BOY. While Shreve and Jack to manage to accomplish something important, because the ending made the entire novel seem somewhat pointless. I'm certainly curious about what will happen next, and at least next time I'll know that the end isn't really the end.

Now, having read THE SHIBBOLETH, I am very glad I returned to the series. Shreve is pretty beat down by the events of the first book, and he's lost his power on the inside. At the same time, he's gained a more visceral power - he can go into people's heads, see their memories, puppet them. Even though Shreve tends to me more of a good guy than a bad guy, it's a power that's easy to abuse when you're locked up with nothing to do except get bullied by the guards and other inmates.

But Shreve can't stay in juvenile detention forever. Mr. Quincrux is trying to recruit him now. And something is preventing something people from sleeping, and everyone is getting edgy. THE SHIBBOLETH deepens the mythology of the series and gives Shreve a chance to define himself, without Jack, and with his new abilities. It's exciting and scary.

Some bits of THE SHIBBOLETH feel a little like a retread of THE TWELVE-FINGERED BOY. It starts in juvie, then there's a cross-country trip . . . but at the same time, things aren't the same at all. The Shreve and Jack in THE SHIBBOLETH aren't the boys they used to be. And it isn't certain whether that's a good thing or a bad thing yet.

I love how THE SHIBBOLETH has clear antagonists, but the most interesting one is Shreve himself. He could grow up to be a great man, or he could grow up to be another Mr. Quincrux. I'm eager for the third book, for both the final confrontation and the conclusion of Shreve's coming of age. This unique series is truly just waiting to be discovered by all sorts of readers, particularly fans of the X-Men and Darren Shan.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what's happening, but I like it.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book better then the first. But probably will still say 3 1/2 stars. I want to like this more, but it needs something more! I will still be reading the next, and I believe final part of the series. Hope it ends well!!

[Calyx · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is 100x better than the first one. I really liked how different fonts were used to convey different things. Although I do have an issue with a couple of times when the French they used had incorrect grammar or was mistranslated.

[donna_ehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Jacobs takes the series to darker, more complex places. I never would have predicted the direction of the story when I started The Twelve-Fingered Boy. I'm really glad I picked that one up and am looking forward to where it all goes next.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!!!

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A shibboleth is, according to Wikipedia, any custom or tradition that distinguishes one group of people from others. In the case of Shreve and Jack, our main characters for this sequel to The Twelve-Fingered Boy, this is the power they have. These powers are important to a group called the Society of Extranaturals, which is the group for which Quincrux, the antagonist from the first book, is trying to recruit the two boys.

Jacobs takes a risk with this novel, separating both Shreve and Jack at the start of the book. It was their relationship that carried the story, and the first half of the novel is just about Shreve. Luckily, Jacobs still uses that relationship to define Shreve's state of mind, even though he's not present; in fact, it's his absence that drives Shreve's character. Eventually, the two characters reunite, but this series continues to be a coming-of-age story, and one of the risks of growing up through the teen years is friends growing apart.

The story will likely remind most readers of X-Men, and fans of Stephen King will see some influence from The Shop, the secret agency that recurs throughout his middle-era books. Like The Twelve-Fingered Boy, though, the book does its own thing with borrowed themes, and stands on its own well enough. It's much darker than either influence (yes, some parts are even darker than Firestarter), and Shreve's voice stands out to make the book unique.

Since this is the middle book of a trilogy, it ends at the darkest moment for the main characters, leading us to the final showdown in the third book. Jacobs sets up the events well for the conclusion, even going so far as to play with our expectations for how it will develop. Following the tone he's created with the first two books, the third should be just as impressive.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason I have not given this more stars is because i found the first part hella confusing.

But heck...I love this series. It is so interesting and different. The characters are reasonably well developed.

Good read.

[Albert Llop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to give this 5 stars, but the first part of the book was so slow...

It ends on a very very high note though, I tore through the last third of the book and just couldn't stop. Strong one!

[blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book's writing style is really cool, and I love how vulgar things can be and how brazen they can be (though at times things are sort of skated over, not just the troublesome things but even plots in general and it can be a little...hmmm....) and how the word bisexual is actually WRITTEN IN THE BOOK. A fucking miracle honestly. Honestly it's really good and it gets better the further you read because the continuity of the prose is really cool honestly, I mean I can seem a little repetitive at time or like lazy writing but it's mostly alright and at least 90% deliberate I assume. In any case, this is a fun read, and it made me realise some things about myself I think, I've been having a tough time of late and it made me have an epiphany, or half of one, or at least the beginning of one, or something resembling one. I definitely recommend.

I don't know what shelves to put this on nothing seems totally fitting when all I really wanna say is "cool".

Best thing about this book that I SERIOUSLY did not even realise until this moment: No Romance! Amazing.


((for the record: the books that define me shelf is more of a "books that make me realise something about myself" shelf, which is why this book is on it. or it can be a "books that are an integral part of my being" shelf, which is not the reason this book is on it.))

[Kurazaybo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this sequel to "The twelve fingered boy". Mischievous teen Shreve Cannon is back in juvie after the events of the first book. He looks forward to getting out and meeting his friend Jack, while he discovers his powers are growing stronger every day.

At the same time, the dark presence in Maryland is growing and influencing people al around the country causing an epidemic of insomnia and mysterious people, impenetrable to Shreve's psychic powers, are getting closer and more abundant. Nobody is safe.

In this book we follow Shreve in his journey to regain his freedom, while his attempts succeed to a certain degree, they also backfire in unexpected ways.

What I like the most about these saga are the characters and how much the author makes us readers care about them. The story incorporates many of the usual tropes from teen/superhero tales in a way that feels familiar yet fresh at the same time. This volume gives a place and purpose to Shreve and Jack.

The only thing that did not leave me entirely satisfied was the ending, it is too much of a cliffhanger and leaves the enemy largely unexplained. But it is a great read, I highly recommend it.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out thinking this would get only two stars, but along the way, it gripped me. I hadn't read the first in the series, so my first reaction was that this was too dark, too gritty, and the main character seemed too mean to really like. But I persevered, and, despite the many gross descriptions (blood flows a lot in this book, and there's a lot of pain), I started to find the idea of psychic kids who can get inside other people's minds, an army of psychic kid weapons developed by evil bureaucrats, and a sleeping evil entity in Maryland intriguing. I finally decided I liked Shreve, despite his many, many flaws and I was curious to see who the Riders were. I do think a main flaw of the book is that Shreve, while sending his consciousness into millions, never swoops down and finds his little brother, despite that supposedly the only thing keeping him under Quincrux' (which sounds too much like Potter's Horcrux)thumb is his great love for the little brother they are holding hostage. But the plot was very exciting, and I do want to see what happens next to Shreve.

[Molly Bursey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that I know the author, more of an acquaintance than a friend now. I was truly skeptical but also thrilled that he had taken on the YA genre as I have a soft spot for books that grab a younger readers' imaginations and pull them in.
I know from my twelve years of teaching middle school reading, that I would have added this trilogy to our read aloud portion of the daily schedule. With more and more research pointing to the fact that adolescents are especially hooked by science fiction, action and mystery, I know this trilogy would also have let them know that I trusted them with more mature themes and that they wouldn't be able to wait until the last fifteen minutes of class to hear what Shreve and later, Jack and Quincrux and the host of other creatures were up to!
Personally, I flew through this one bc I loved the TFB so much and found this one even better! I do hope it finds a wider audience!
Fantastic job, John!! More! More! More!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish I would have read this closer to the first book The Twelve Fingered Boy as there are a lot of details and characters I frankly forgot about, but still a fun read.

This is Charles Xavier's school for young mutants if Professor X was a ruthless, heartless bastard. Young adult characters, but not "Young Adult" in its violence, frank sexuality and profanity. Our hero, Shreve, gets run through a prison ringer, then run through a psych-hospital ringer, then run through a military/mutant-school ringer; taking lots of abuse along the way. Grim. Looking forward to the wrap up in the final book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I generally liked this a lot, but found what happened to Booth to be incredibly tiresome, predictable, and annoying; there's for some damn reason this curse on minority characters who make the mistake of figuring prominently in majority white stories, especially if they want to do the right thing.

Also, I think that between this series, Marcus Sakey's Brilliance, and Patrick Lee's The Runner, I've had enough of "powerful psychics etc. threatened by sinister government organization" stories for awhile.

[Enso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is second book in the Incarcedero trilogy after the Twelve Fingered Boy, following the "adventures" of Shreve as he tries to puzzle out his newfound power, escape from the seemingly endless custody he's held in by various parties, and decide how to address whatever is sleeping in Maryland. This is probably my favorite YA series that I've read in a while and readable by teens as well as parents of teens, such as myself. I really rather enjoyed the book, the writing, and the sensibilities behind it. This was a really good read.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! While I thought the first book in this trilogy was good and original, I really didn't realize it at the time that it was the beginning chapter of a new YA trilogy. Mr. Jacobs exceeded the first book's efforts with this difficult fulcrum part of The Twelve Fingered Boy trilogy. To say anything further would unleash the Spoiler Gods so suffice it to say read this not so YA novel and anxiously await part 3 (The Confirmity) with me, coming, I hope, in January 2015.

[Alvaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually enjoy books with such a dark characterization. But man, this book blew me away.
I like the first one a lot and this one is even better.
Can't wait to read the conclusion of this great story!

[Kevin L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy hell. This may be the best book I've read this year, definitely in my top 5. John Horner Jacobs demonstrates complete mastery of storytelling and pacing, proving again that he's one of the best horror writers out there. I cannot recommend this series highly enough.

[PJforaDay]

I'm going to need some time to sort out my thoughts so I can review this properly so instead I'll just leave this-

WTF book!?

[Lectus]

I give up. I can't get into the story! I have no idea who anybody is

[Victoria Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book read slow for me but was incredibly enjoyable. I love the main characters voice. A better review when I read the last book.

[Kayamarie Forrestal · Rating 3 out of 5]

amazing.