The Twelve

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 27. 8. 2012

Bestseller Cronin s bloated apocalyptic thriller, like many a trilogy s middle book, falls short of the high standard set by its predecessor, 2010 s The Passage. The struggle for survival between humanity s last hope, personified by Amy Harper Bellafonte, and vampire-like virals comes across as watered-down Stephen King, short on three-dimensional characters as well as genuine scares. The action shifts from the present five years after the First Colony, a refuge, has fallen to the virals to Year Zero, when the virus that caused the catastrophe was unleashed, but the value added by the flashbacks isn t obvious. A prologue surveys the events of The Passage in biblical prose ( And a decree shall go forth from the highest offices that twelve criminals shall be chosen to share of the Zero s blood, becoming demons also ), but fails to bring readers adequately up to speed. A dramatis personae at the back listing more than 80 names is scarcely more helpful. 15- to 20-city author tour.