The Twelve Stones

The Twelve Stones #1

by R.J. Johnson

ASIN moved from less recent edition here

Twenty two years ago, Alex McCray found the first of the Twelve Stones, a set of powerful artifacts left for Humanity to find and use to save Earth from certain destruction.

Returning to his hometown of Onyx, California, Alex reunites with his father who returns the stone Alex found so many years ago. Their reunion is cut short however after Alex's father is murdered by billionaire industrialist Rupert Kline, a madman who will stop at nothing to collect all twelve stones for himself.

Driven by revenge, Alex McCray vows to bring his father's killer to justice and keep the remaining Twelve Stones out of Kline's hands.

A thrilling tale that mixes romance, cutting edge science, and oh yeah, the fate of human civilization.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Amazon, Action

355 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2012

About the author

http://www.amazon.com/RJ-Johnson/e/B0...

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a tough time rating this one. I had downloaded it on my iPad and at the beginning of it, the author commented that he hopes you ignore the previous reviews that go after the typos that previously existed. He had self-published and had done the best he could. However, I still found typos in this edition and one inconsistency that bothered me. It isn't that big of a deal, but if I noticed it, I am sure others did as well. In the beginning we meet the protagonist when he is 10 years old. It tells how he met his best friend when they were freshmen in high school, but then mentions that they are 10 years old (several times.) A freshman in high school is 14 or 15, so obviously they met much earlier.

Besides that, the story was very enjoyable and I look forward to reading the next one. (You only learn about the first four of the twelve stones, so must keep reading to learn about the rest.)

I also could easily see this as an action movie.

[Cheryl Landmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this was a fairly good read--a nice mix of thriller, intrigue, magic, fast-paced action, science fiction, friendship and loyalty with lots of graphic violence thrown in.

I liked the close friendship between Alex and Scott, but, at times, their banter and dialogue was a little too juvenile, banal and repetitive for two grown men. Rupert Kline was over-the-top cold-hearted, ruthless, remorseless, and evil. He was almost a caricature of a villain, as was his chief henchman, Geoffrey Tate. Emily's independence, courage and feistiness appealed to me, but my feelings toward her were kind of ambivalent. Maybe I'll get to like her more in the next books! :)

The magic behind the twelve stones was quite intriguing and interesting. I'm looking forward to learning more about them in the next book in the series.

[John Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the first books I downloaded to my kindle a few months ago.
I thought I had reviewed it at that time, but apparently not.

So, I'll redress that oversight now.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt it was aimed at a young reader, because it deals with untapped potential, arcane powers and the battle of good and evil. However, as an adult, I still was on the edge of my seat (or, since I read in bed, on the edge of my bed) to see what happened next. I do recall missing sleep as I read towards the ending.

I'm not a reviewer who intentionally spoils a plot, but I recall that I was intrigued by the secretive nature Alex's return to his home town. I think this was a good mix of espionage thriller, arcane magic and close friendship.

The mechanism of the power as wielded was interesting, and the acquisition of power was at the core of the conflict between the rich industrialist as he pit himself against the protagonists in the story.

If I had a nitpick, I would say his childhood friend was a bit too goofy at times, and their interaction a little too naive for the current ages. Their banter was at times repetitive and implausible. But otherwise, I liked the emotional core of the bond between them.

I felt this was a great first book. I look forward to the rest in the series!

[Garth Mailman · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is one part science fiction, one part action-thriller. Having just finished a book I really liked this e-Book caught my attention because it was fast paced and the subject matter interested me. Somewhere about the middle during the road trip across California it gets wordy and bogs down. Since the computer age books began getting published that would have benefited greatly from severe editing that would have reduced them by an average of 200 pages. It is at the end of this book that one discovers there is a book two that this one was offered free to get you to buy. In a foreword the author claims an editor has gone over the text since previous reviews were written. If this is the case then there were bits that got missed and it would seem he intended to have his supposedly highly educated protagonists use such stilted bad grammar in their dialogue together. This story would have been much improved had books one and two been edited down to one book of reasonable length. This book ends abruptly confirming that it is a teaser intended to sell book two. The latter section is gratuitously violent as if written with the intention of it becoming the script for a action thriller movie. I am not moved to bother with book two.

[Linda Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can agree with awkward dialog and some typos, but it's a good story line that I thought flowed fairly well throughout.

My one real complaint is the page count - to be fair I got the first one for free, so it's a bit unfair to complain - in that it's listed as 355 pages but the last 87 pages are chapters of the next book.

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice....I'm not sure I'm willing to pay the price for a shorter book than listed, just to continue the story. I hope the author decides to list an accurate page count, with perhaps the standard one chapter teaser, for the next book instead of over padding his page count.

[Hal Zenner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nearly didn't finish. Story was just OK, but disliked dialog. Even though it was free as part of my amazon prime membership, I can't recommend it.

[YarnCatsNBooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but written like a cheap action book. Too violent.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another Kindle Free download that turned out to be good read. Action/SF with a soldier thought to have been killed (not sure but sounded like he was working black ops) turns up years later at his father’s home. They take off on one of their favorite visits to climb a nearby mesa. Back story: when the soldier was a youngster he and a friend were playing by a storm swollen stream and he finds an odd shaped stone. When his friend falls out of a tall but rotten pine tree and is badly injured he gets his father and while touching his friend and the stone a blue light appears and the friend begins heal, the wounds soon disappearing. The father convinces his son to let him lock up the stone in his safe. Back to the present, while on the mesa, father and son are accosted by a group of armed men whose leader claims that the mesa and surrounding land is his despite it being a national park. He demands that the two leave and when an argument ensues the father is pushed over the edge to fall to the ground far below. Soon the son is also forced over the edge and falls to the ground. Just before this the father gives his son back the stone and although he is badly hurt in the fall he is soon as good as new. His father is not so lucky and the book continues with the sons efforts to avenge his death and keep himself alive when the killer sends his hired men after him. A bit farfetched re the stones and there are more of them as you will discover, but it was a fun read and I will be looking to acquire the sequel.

[Jeanscape · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great science fiction adventure read!

RJ Johnson has written a wonderful novel with a science fiction flavor with heroes with super extraordinary powers bestowed them by accident (or was it intentionally ordained?) by the "stones". Characters are well developed, young and likable and have a great sense of humor while fighting for the right for all humans to flourish on earth while defeating the bad guys after the "stones" with evil doings on their minds endangering life and peace on earth. I look forward to reading the next ebook sequel adventure to see where it takes Alex, Emily and Scott and the "stones"!

[Joy Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very creative story with all kinds of what I call "new energy" ideas. The main detraction of this story was that the dialog was forced between two main characters. When reading the action of the book that did not have dialog, it was a really fun read, and a page turner for me. If the dialog had been less of a focus for the author, I would have given this book another star rating. Overall, it was worth reading and I will probably read the rest of the series as it is published. (This was a e-book, by-the-way).

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story about a boy who finds a stone that has the power to heal. He forgets about it for several years but comes to have it again years later. Another person with a similar stone that provides great strength is a savage billionaire with no problem killing to get what he wants. These two face off with their respective groups. There is humor that I enjoyed a lot, besides the adventure. Good read!

[Babus Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the concept of this book and the story it was telling me but it lacked characterisation, I didn't connect with any of the protagonists and the banter between Scott and Alex was just irritating to read. The action sequences were well written but the book lacked a certain depth for me.

I've read better in this genre.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise spoiled by the need for a good editor. Little things like word repetition in the same sentence, too many adverbs, stating the obvious (the main character is a black ops agent so there is no need to say his training kicked in several times during a fire fight). Those are the things that spoil a read for me. Others may be fine with it. I am not.

[Liz Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok

plot has interesting twists, but the ending of the book solved most of the loose ends ... though not completely. The concept of a series of stones or other objects that bestow supernatural powers is an old theme; however, I don't think that necessarily makes it a poor idea. I enjoyed this book.

[Babette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first book by RJ Johnson was great! It mixed the snark of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, with the action of any Matthew Reilly book; and added in an original story.

I highly recommend this book. Keep an eye on this author. He will be huge!!!!!

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great science fiction thriller. The plot was well developed, characters are interesting and well developed. You had no trouble in figuring out who were the good guys and who were the villains. This book is the start of a series.

[Natty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, well told. Imaginative premise and execution, was nice to see more science in a sci-fi story.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished reading this last night and really enjoyed it. A great group of charactesr and a very interesting plot. I look forward to reading more in this series.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!! I can't wait to read book two!!

[Bev Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG I loved these books. Can't wait for book 4 to come out in August.

[Kelly Bragg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, but I didn't like the abrupt ending. Guess I am now supposed to read the sequel!

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book how ever I do wish the author had done more to make it more interesting. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.

[Douglas Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast read. simple plot, interesting characters, engaging story line.

[Nicholas Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Twelve Stones, written by RJ Johnson, pulled me into a world of adventure, mystery, and humor I didn't expect. The vivid descriptions of the characters immersed me into the hearts and minds of the characters. The characters, themselves, were likable. The bad guys had no redeeming qualities (which I loved) and the good guys had multiple imperfections, which made them easy to relate to. I enjoyed the story all the way to the end of this first installment, and look forward to continuing the ride.

I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 only because of grammar issues such as repeated words or sentences, and frequent use of the same phrasing in subsequent paragraphs. But, it's nothing a little editing polish won't fix.

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book one in The Twelve Stones series, The Twelve Stones introduces the reader to certain stones that have certain magical properties it can bestow on its bearer. At the beginning of the book, we meet two friends, Alex and Scott, who discover a strange rock that ultimately saves them, and is then taken into Alex’s father’s possession. Years later, Alex returns home, much different as an adult with scars from his time in the military. His reunion with his father, who returns the stone, is short lived as his father is killed by Rupert Kline, a man who will stop at nothing to possess all 12 stones. As Alex seeks to exact revenge for his father’s murder, he is reunited with Scott and discovers the powers of the stones, driving his desire to not only avenge his father but to keep all 12 stones out of Kline’s possession.
At its heart, The Twelve Stones is a cat and mouse kind of story with a clueless protagonist seeking revenge for his father while the man who killed his father is seeking the protagonist for his stone. There was tension early on in the story that was closely followed by literal conflict. Action sequence followed action sequence, which helped drive the story forward towards its ending clash that also sets the stage for another book. Since this book felt more like the story of a son seeking vengeance for his father, the overarching story of the 12 stones was poorly constructed. While they were important to the story, I failed to see this book as anything more than an introduction with the next book hopefully fleshing out the story of the stones.
Reading this book requires something called willing suspension of disbelief. All reality needs to be out aside to get through it. You must be willing to believe the story Johnson paints, and the world even though it is our own. A great deal of artistic license was taken, especially when it came to travel times and speeds. A lot of the story was grounded in facts, but Johnson took some leaps, likely to keep the story moving. Also, in a book with so much destruction and chaos, where are the police and military? Finally, the gadgets described at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) seemed more fantastical than real, So it’s hard to know if they are completely made up of grounded in fact.
What drove me nuts, though, was the characterization. Alex and Scott are 12 at the beginning, but felt some years younger in their behavior. Most 12 year olds I’ve known have been more mature and self-sufficient. Years later, they are 30, but act much younger, like wide-eyed young twenty-somethings. As a 30 year old myself, I can see some men being this immature, but, for the lives they lead, I would expect Alex and Scott to be a little more mature. Also, I was sorely wishing for at least some flashbacks to Alex’s life after he left home. I sense those were some very formative years for him and he behaves the way he does because of what happened to him, but we get nothing. Oddly, many secondary characters get extended backgrounds even though some are seen only once. But not all secondary characters are thus treated, making it a little confusing as to who to pay attention to. Siobhan, in particular, was given a lengthy background, a story of her life from 400 years before. But her story lacked authenticity of the times and featured no colloquialisms. The story was essentially a flashback, but felt anything but. The villian, for his part, was suitably villianous, but maybe too much so for Alex to overcome him.
The Twelve Stones is an action-packed book. Something was almost always happening, but I wish it had been told in a more active voice to really help to get the reader into it. Some showing would have been helpful, as this was all tell and no show, which made it a little boring to read. I don’t want to be told everything. It was also a little clunky with the information bits being poorly woven in, though Johnson did display some nice science knowledge. There were also inconsistencies that bothered me, like Alex noting his father had more energy than before despite not seeing his father for 6 years (or was he secretly spying on his dad?) and a long hand cut Alex received that was never mentioned again. And don’t forget Emily being so calm and cool in tense situations, but freaks at the end, causing her to drop the stone Alex told her to not lose under any circumstances so Kline could sweep in and grab it. A little too convenient. The whole ending was like that; all convenience for the story’s sake with too many coincidences. No wonder the reader needed to be told everything. So much was very uncharacteristic. But all the action was nice. Something was always happening…
Overall, the writing could have been crisper and could have done with more editing. As someone who has an ongoing love affair with the comma, I was sorely let down to see there were constantly missing commas and commas in the wrong places. There were also missing words and word order problems that disrupted the flow of reading. My major problem with the writing, though, was the constant switching of POV from paragraph to paragraph. When done properly, I don’t mind this, but, please, make it clear that it is being written from another character’s POV at the beginning.
The Bottom Line: Okay, not a terrible book. While it had plenty of action sequences, it was still more of an eh book to me. Character, writing, and plot problems definitely detracted from my interest, but there was always something happening, so that was nice. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t interesting or good enough for me to pick up the next book, but if you enjoy action-packed fantasy books, take a look at this one.

This review can also be found on my blog https://katpersephone.wordpress.com

[Paul Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written but I found it tricky to get around the cultural differences. There were several references to models of car which may well be popular in the US but I'd never heard of them so the name alone meant nothing. There also seemed to be a tendency to paint British people in a poor light all the way through. Being British, this grated somewhat, but that's just a personal point and not a criticism of the writing.

Good start to the series, leaving plenty of fascinating questions unanswered and, even though I disliked some of the abilities endowed by the stones (I'm more of a hard sci-fi fan I suppose), the overall scenario was good and the characters were engaging.

[Rene Averett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to abandon this book. It just didn't appeal to me enough to invest my time reading it. It has a lot of military/mercenary action and it just wasn't what I was expecting. It's rare that I don't finish a novel and I regret that this one didn't interest me more. Readers who enjoy a mercenary type story with the mercenaries serving a very rich bad guy would probably like this. not my cup of tea.

[DJ Dycus · Rating 1 out of 5]

If a friend gave me this manuscript and told me he had written it, I would be impressed. This isn't bad at all for a rough draft. But, I guess that's what you get when you try an independent author publishing an e-book.

It has potential--Johnson just needs some direction. Some of the inconsistencies are so glaring, though, that I wonder if he even bothered to reread what he had written.

[Heather McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book... Some of the elements could have been enhanced to make a better story but overall, the characters are likable and the plot is good! Didn't like the cliffhanger ending too much but at least the 2nd book is available!

[Wolfsong Thepoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it would make a good comic book . . . the story premise was okay and actually good in some ways but ultimately the characters were shallow and cartoonish. I won't be reading the rest of the series.