return to home  
Join   |  Gift   |  Member Login   |  Library Login
BookBrowse Mobile
twitter Bookmark and Share mail to a friend Email
   Summary and Book Reviews

The Traveler: Summary and book reviews of The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks, plus links to an excerpt from The Traveler and a biography of John Twelve Hawks.

The Traveler

The Traveler
The First Novel of the Fourth Realm Trilogy
by John Twelve Hawks
Hardcover: Jun 2005,
464 pages.
Paperback: Jul 2006,
464 pages.

Publication information
Read an Excerpt
Reading Guide
Reader Reviews

Author Biography
Author Interview
Books by this Author
Critics' Opinion:   very good
Readers' Rating:  Three Stars
About BookBrowse Rankings
Buy This Book
Themes Members Only Read-Alikes Members Only Add to Reading List  Members Only BookBrowse Review  Members Only

BOOK SUMMARY

award image

A world that exists in the shadows of our own.

A conflict we will never see.

One woman stands between those determined to control history and those who will risk their lives for freedom.

Maya is hiding in plain sight in London. The twenty-six-year-old has abandoned the dangerous obligations pressed upon her by her father, and chosen instead to live a normal life. But Maya comes from a long line of people who call themselves Harlequins—a fierce group of warriors willing to sacrifice their lives to protect a select few known as Travelers.

Gabriel and Michael Corrigan are brothers living in Los Angeles. Since childhood, the young men have been shaped by stories that their late father was a Traveler, one of a small band of prophets who have vastly influenced the course of history. Travelers are able to attain pure enlightenment, and have for centuries ushered change into the world. Gabriel and Michael, who may have inherited their father's gifts, have always protected themselves by living “off the Grid”—that is, invisible to the real-life surveillance networks that monitor people in our modern society.

Summoned by her ailing father, Maya is told of the existence of the brothers. The Corrigans are in severe danger, stalked by powerful men known as the Tabula—ruthless mercenaries who have hunted Travelers for generations. This group is determined to inflict order on the world by controlling it, and they view Travelers as an intolerable threat. As Maya races to California to protect the brothers, she is reluctantly pulled back into the cold and solitary Harlequin existence. A colossal battle looms—one that will reveal not only the identities of Gabriel and Michael Corrigan but also a secret history of our time.

Moving from the back alleys of Prague to the heart of Los Angeles, from the high deserts of Arizona to a guarded research facility in New York, The Traveler explores a parallel world that exists alongside our own. John Twelve Hawks' stunningly suspenseful debut is an international publishing sensation that marks the arrival of a major new talent.

BOOK REVIEWS

Media Reviews

Very Good  Kirkus Reviews
As if Carlos Castaneda and Robert Ludlum had collaborated for a surefire bestseller.

Very Good  Booklist
Starred Review. The pace is fast, the characters intriguing and memorable, the evil dark and palpable, and the genre-bending between fantasy and thriller seamless.

Very Good  Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Powerful, mainstream fiction built on a foundation of cutting-edge technology laced with fantasy and the chilling specter of an all-too-possible social and political reality.

Very Good  Razor
In his breathtaking debut novel (think The Matrix meets 1984), Twelve Hawks offers a thrilling, wholly original take on the suspicion we all feel, at least a little, that our lives are being manipulated by powers we cannot even imagine. After this book, already being turned into a feature film, it's hard to imagine Twelve Hawks will ever be anonymous again.

Very Good  Newsday
Picture The Matrix crossed with William Gibson and you'll have a sense of the The Traveler...The writing is compelling, and my main complaint is that the book feels unfinished--because the story will continue in two more volumes. I can't wait to read them.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Mr. dave
average
This book has great potential, but stumbles and falls short.



Rated 1 of 5 of 5 by Yeremenko
Cliches cliches and more cliches
This is an awful book. The characters are all sad stereotypes and it is so predictable. Some of the plot holes are massive. One of the great untouchable Harlequins who stayed off the grid his entire life has his security cam in the open and...   Read More

Lists of books with similar themes


Read-Alikes


Other books by John Twelve Hawks
Buy This Book:

Become a Member
Click Here
Editor's Choice
  •  Feb 05 
  •  Feb 02 
  •  Jan 30 
Ragnarok
A.S. Byatt
Ragnarok Jacket War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
No One is Here Except All of Us
Ramona Ausubel
No One is Here Except All of Us Jacket A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Below Stairs
Margaret Powell
Below Stairs Jacket Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
The Printmaker's Daughter
Katherine Govier
The Printmaker's Daughter Jacket Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
Why We Broke Up
Daniel Handler, Maira Kalman
Why We Broke Up Jacket Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up.
BookBrowse members say ....
Recent Reader Reviews
The Healing by Jonathan Odell
I read The Healing in two sittings it is a fascinating story of plantation life at the beginning of the Civil War. Granada, a slave newborn child... read more
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
This book is one that will not disappoint. Although it may seem like it is "cliche" or "dull", it is not. The wonderful first... read more
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
The Uncommon Reader is a novella by novelist and playwright, Alan Bennett. The story starts with the Queen coming across the mobile library van... read more
RSS RSS feed More...  
Most Viewed This Week
Book Club Recommendations
Take Me Home
by Brian Leung
Paperback (Nov/11)
City of Tranquil Light
by Bo Caldwell
Paperback (Oct/11)
Keeper
by Andrea Gillies
Paperback (Oct/11)
The Maid
by Kimberly Cutter
Hardback (Oct/11)
More...
First Impressions
Members read and review books often months before they're published. See what they think in First Impressions!
A Good American
by Alex George
4.5 Stars            (Feb/12)
Three Weeks in December
by Audrey Schulman
4.5 Stars            (Jan/12)
Defending Jacob
by William Landay
4.5 Stars            (Jan/12)
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
by Katherine Boo
4.5 Stars            (Feb/12)
No Mark Upon Her
by Deborah Crombie
Five Stars            (Feb/12)
More...
   Most Recent Blog Entries
What Do a Pedophile, a Polygamist and a Tattooed Girl Have in Common?
12 Debuts to Cozy Up with This February
McDonald's Giving Away 9 Million Books With Happy Meals
Why I Read by Eva Stachniak
rss  RSS   rss  subscribe
  Latest BookBrowse News
Arizona bills Amazon for $53 million in uncollected sales tax (Feb 06 2012)
The ongoing sales tax battle between many US states and large online retailers, most notably Amazon, continues with a thrust from Arizona which, last week,... Full Story
Amazon rumored to be opening bricks and mortar stores (Feb 03 2012)
There are mumblings in the blogosphere that Amazon is to open bricks and mortar stores. Launch.it offers four possible scenarios:

The first... Full Story
rss RSS feed More...
 
BookBrowse Poll
Q: How do you find out about new books? Choose all that apply
Recommendations from friends/family
Bookstore/library staff recommendation
Advertising
Search engines
Professional book reviews in print or online
Reader reviews online
Blogs
Social networks
Select Any That Apply
Search: Title or Author
Free Newsletters

Online Book Club

More about
The Healing
Join the discussion!


Win This Book!
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

The Kitchen House jacket

Enter To Win Now!

wordplay
Solve this clue:
"O M's M is A M's P"

and be entered
to win....
frame top
New Author
Interviews
Isabel Allende
Michelle Moran
Audrey Schulman
William Landay
frame bottom
HOME Submissions | Advertising | Libraries | Media Inquiries | Reviewers | Contact Us