Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
This was the weak link in the trilogy. A lot of set up with Michael and Gabriel as they really develop their separate paths while discovering their powers as Travels to cross dimensions. Still an okay story but the other two novels work as standalone novels but this one is more dependant on the other two.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh dear.
Following on from [b:The Traveler|14050|The Time Traveler's Wife|Audrey Niffenegger|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1274656075s/14050.jpg|2153746], which was a promising thriller combining some interesting philosophy with a decently written adventure, this second volume takes that groundwork and flushes it down the toilet. The plot becomes ludicrous, the attempts at philosophy become badly thought out individualistic rants and the writing has somehow become painfully bad. Seriously to the point that it doesn't read like the same author. I'm not saying that The Traveler was Dostoevsky, but this is awful. The writer even seems to have lost some knowledge; in the first book he appeared to know his technology, and made excellent use of it both for his comments on the surveillance society and in terms of plot, but here it becomes the kind of badly constructed techno-thriller pseudo-scientific guff you tend to find in bad Tom Clancy knock-offs.
Following on from [b:The Traveler|14050|The Time Traveler's Wife|Audrey Niffenegger|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1274656075s/14050.jpg|2153746], which was a promising thriller combining some interesting philosophy with a decently written adventure, this second volume takes that groundwork and flushes it down the toilet. The plot becomes ludicrous, the attempts at philosophy become badly thought out individualistic rants and the writing has somehow become painfully bad. Seriously to the point that it doesn't read like the same author. I'm not saying that The Traveler was Dostoevsky, but this is awful. The writer even seems to have lost some knowledge; in the first book he appeared to know his technology, and made excellent use of it both for his comments on the surveillance society and in terms of plot, but here it becomes the kind of badly constructed techno-thriller pseudo-scientific guff you tend to find in bad Tom Clancy knock-offs.
THE DARK RIVER BY JOHN TWELVE HAWKS: John Twelve Hawks returns with The Dark River, the second of the trilogy, after The Traveler, in the Fourth Realm series. We last left off with Gabriel on the run from the Tabula with his Harlequin, Maya, having just sabotaged the Tabula’s quantum computer system which was part of the Virtual Panopticon: the Tabula’s effort to create a worldwide system to watch and know what everyone is doing all the time. The Dark River continues the story of this dystopia in our near future as the Traveler fights for survival while the Tabula fights for domination.
The Traveler is a person who can travel to another realm, learning from these others worlds, he or she returns with a heightened knowledge that they can pass onto others. They have existed for millennia; many famous people in history are believed to have been Travelers, including Jesus Christ. Then there is the Brethren, or the Tabula as they are known to Travelers, who are out to kill all the Travelers and have done so since the beginning. Except in the modern age the true power of the Traveler has been realized by the Tabula and they wish to capture Travelers and use them for their own gain. Finally there are the Harlequins, a secret group who have existed just as long, whose sworn duty is to protect the Travelers.
Gabriel and his brother Michael are Travelers. In the first book of the series, Michael was captured by the Tabula and has now become one of them, an enemy to Gabriel. So as the Tabula are both working on the Virtual Panopticon and looking for the Traveler, Gabriel discovers that his father – a renowned Traveler – is alive and goes to England to search for him. He finds his father’s body on an island near Ireland, barely alive, while his father’s consciousness is in another world, another realm. It is now up to Gabriel to travel to this other realm, the First Realm – better known as Hell – to find his father and bring him back. At the same time they most not forget about the Tabula who are desperately looking for them, using every means necessary.
The Dark River furthers the plot along, but falls short of offering up any shocking realizations or reveals, feeling more like a chapter in the great saga of the Fourth Realm series. It ends on a cliffhanger leaving the reader wondering how the enigmatic John Twelve Hawks (which is obviously a pseudonym) will complete the epic and growing series with just one more book to go.
For more book reviews, and author interviews, go to BookBanter.
The Traveler is a person who can travel to another realm, learning from these others worlds, he or she returns with a heightened knowledge that they can pass onto others. They have existed for millennia; many famous people in history are believed to have been Travelers, including Jesus Christ. Then there is the Brethren, or the Tabula as they are known to Travelers, who are out to kill all the Travelers and have done so since the beginning. Except in the modern age the true power of the Traveler has been realized by the Tabula and they wish to capture Travelers and use them for their own gain. Finally there are the Harlequins, a secret group who have existed just as long, whose sworn duty is to protect the Travelers.
Gabriel and his brother Michael are Travelers. In the first book of the series, Michael was captured by the Tabula and has now become one of them, an enemy to Gabriel. So as the Tabula are both working on the Virtual Panopticon and looking for the Traveler, Gabriel discovers that his father – a renowned Traveler – is alive and goes to England to search for him. He finds his father’s body on an island near Ireland, barely alive, while his father’s consciousness is in another world, another realm. It is now up to Gabriel to travel to this other realm, the First Realm – better known as Hell – to find his father and bring him back. At the same time they most not forget about the Tabula who are desperately looking for them, using every means necessary.
The Dark River furthers the plot along, but falls short of offering up any shocking realizations or reveals, feeling more like a chapter in the great saga of the Fourth Realm series. It ends on a cliffhanger leaving the reader wondering how the enigmatic John Twelve Hawks (which is obviously a pseudonym) will complete the epic and growing series with just one more book to go.
For more book reviews, and author interviews, go to BookBanter.
It has been a while since I read the first book which I loved. I found the start of the book a bit slow but it certainly picked up rather quickly. One of the parts of the book I really enjoyed were about the freerunners and I was happy to read that even the Harlequins don't follow their own set of rules mindlessly as we've learned about Maya and Thorn.
Not as gripping as the first book but some good twists and a brilliant cliff hanger. I out this book down and started straight on the next part of the trilogy.
The writing style has me hooked and I can't wait to find out what happens to the characters.
The writing style has me hooked and I can't wait to find out what happens to the characters.
Rating:3,5
It was an intriguing read about trust, duty and human existence. Many dimensions of our world were explored and made the reader look at some things in a certain way.
It was an intriguing read about trust, duty and human existence. Many dimensions of our world were explored and made the reader look at some things in a certain way.
I declared the first book in the series one of the best books I have ever read....and then I read The Dark River....which also became one of the BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ...it was even better than The Traveler.
It takes the brilliance of the Traveler and increases it ten-fold.
This book was so painfully good that I actually hid at work so I could read it.
It takes the brilliance of the Traveler and increases it ten-fold.
This book was so painfully good that I actually hid at work so I could read it.
This is the second book in the Fourth Realm trilogy - yeah, I'm a sucker for sci-fi series. The speedy narrative continues - someone dies, a new Harlequin is introduced, another Realm is explored. This one wasn't as strong as the first book ("The Traveller") - it felt a bit like the set-up for the big finale - but I read this in a day and could not put it down.