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meme_too2's review against another edition
5.0
This is book two, so as series go, it is when everything goes wrong and looks hopeless. This book is so intriguing and so different. I can't wait for the other books to come out.
cheesygiraffe's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as The Traveler but still very interesting. And it ended in a cliff hanger! Ugh!
emheld's review against another edition
3.0
Ugh. This too way too long for such a short book. Thinking back to the first book, I have to wonder if this "trilogy" was really one book that was forced into three parts (by author or editor). What we have here isn't a fully complete story, just the middle of the Fourth Realms narrative. J12H should re-edit these three into one for future releases!
hanklyhank's review
3.0
I've mostly enjoyed this series so far. Seeing as I was raised by hippies and have run around in the punk scene for most of my adult life, I know plenty of paranoid/tinfoil hat types who prefer to live off the grid. The big bads in this book could have sprung forth from their deepest fears. That's not a complaint - it's a frightening situation, one that all of us in the first world can feel breathing down our necks. Even if we don't believe that we're being watched at all times, I think we're all aware that we do seem to be headed in a surveillance-heavy direction. (Speaking of, ever heard of the Surveillance Camera Players?)
But that sort of thing is a dime a dozen in the world of dystopian literature. What I particularly like about Twelve Hawks' world is the Harlequins, raised from birth to set aside their humanity for the good of the whole, charged with protecting the Travelers no matter what. Against lover, child, friend, or foe. There's something about Maya's journey, her attempts to throw off her responsibilities before embracing the life of the blade, her belief that she can balance a personal life and devotion to a cause if she just does it right, that I find fascinating. The idea of giving up everything for a single obsession is something I'll never wrap my mind around, but I keep wanting to try.
I'll admit, I rolled my eyes more than a few times while reading this. More so than with The Traveler. Some of the more comic booky/action moviey bits didn't work for me. Gabriel's time with the free runners, for example, seemed written just to be adapted to screen or video game. Also, I wouldn't mind seeing the plot turns progress past Gabriel meets person/people >> Gabriel learns something important >> Gabriel has to escape quickly >> the people he met get killed/attacked/brutalized >> repeat. But the good outweighs the bad, and I'll pick up The Golden City when I see it on the rack.
PS: Look up the author - he's semi-anonymous. Claims to have never met his author. No one knows he real identity. I love that shit.
(http://epicdystopia.blogspot.com/2011/05/dark-river-by-john-twelve-hawks-aka.html)
But that sort of thing is a dime a dozen in the world of dystopian literature. What I particularly like about Twelve Hawks' world is the Harlequins, raised from birth to set aside their humanity for the good of the whole, charged with protecting the Travelers no matter what. Against lover, child, friend, or foe. There's something about Maya's journey, her attempts to throw off her responsibilities before embracing the life of the blade, her belief that she can balance a personal life and devotion to a cause if she just does it right, that I find fascinating. The idea of giving up everything for a single obsession is something I'll never wrap my mind around, but I keep wanting to try.
I'll admit, I rolled my eyes more than a few times while reading this. More so than with The Traveler. Some of the more comic booky/action moviey bits didn't work for me. Gabriel's time with the free runners, for example, seemed written just to be adapted to screen or video game. Also, I wouldn't mind seeing the plot turns progress past Gabriel meets person/people >> Gabriel learns something important >> Gabriel has to escape quickly >> the people he met get killed/attacked/brutalized >> repeat. But the good outweighs the bad, and I'll pick up The Golden City when I see it on the rack.
PS: Look up the author - he's semi-anonymous. Claims to have never met his author. No one knows he real identity. I love that shit.
(http://epicdystopia.blogspot.com/2011/05/dark-river-by-john-twelve-hawks-aka.html)
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the first book in this trilogy, THE TRAVELLER, when I read it several years ago. I kept my copy on the Keeper Shelf, something I rarely do. I was happy to see the audio version of book one and two available from Recorded Books/Simply Audio and added them to my wishlist. Both arrived in the mail at the same time. I wanted to see what the second one would sound like before re-reading (listening) to the first one. I might shoulda not done so. I didnt' enjoy book two nearly as much. I don't know if it was the time when I'd read it in the past, or the narrator for book two was off, or that this was an abridged version. I hate abridged and would not have listened to it if I'd known ahead of time. I didn't find out until the end credits. I should have realized while listening as scenes felt incomplete.
I am going to read my actual copy that is on my shelf and I know that will be a better effort. I admire John Twelve Hawks after only reading THE TRAVELLER back in the day. I am listening to it now (unabridged thank you very much) and enjoying the revisit with Michael and Gabriel and Maya.
I know I will recommend THE DARK RIVER once I read it as a handheld print or find it unabridged.
I am going to read my actual copy that is on my shelf and I know that will be a better effort. I admire John Twelve Hawks after only reading THE TRAVELLER back in the day. I am listening to it now (unabridged thank you very much) and enjoying the revisit with Michael and Gabriel and Maya.
I know I will recommend THE DARK RIVER once I read it as a handheld print or find it unabridged.
gordcampbell's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure why, but I had a hard time getting into this one. I think it was because the Traveler was so fresh in my mind that the backstory-fill was annoying. It's still a good yarn, but doesn't flow as well as the first.
bbboeken's review against another edition
3.0
Wel, ik lees dat graag. Goed geschreven, zonder pretentie, en spannend. Als u het zou lezen, begin met deel één!
let_the_wookie_read's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rodakor09's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0