The Dark River

The Matrix meets The DaVinci Code but still manages to be original and compelling! Looking forward to the third book!

First of all, let me tell you that I haven't read the first book in the trilogy. I was in the airport this summer, I forgot my book in the car... and I wanted a book to read for my 14 hour flight... I read the backpage and I thought... "Why not??" The truth is that I read the book in less than a week... If you are an action lover, you definitely cannot stop reading this book... It is a never ending action... Second, you can follow the story even if you don't know what happened in the first book... but it is not an independent book... at the end you get the feeling that... now what??... and I hate to realize that it's been 3 months and there is no answer to my question... because I have to wait the third book... that's the only thing I do not like... I need the book to have some kind of an ending... and this one definitely doesn't have one... Now if you are the type of person that doesn't like action books... you will definitely do not like this, as there is no break on action in it... It lacks some explanations of how the author views some stuff... but I believe it is at the discretion of the author to leaves some mystery around... Finally, the spoiler is that the title makes no sense until.... :) ok I am not going to spoil it... :)

Dark River is a great read, keeping the pace of the Traveler. Great set up for the third book in the series.

The Traveler was a bone chilling scary novel. It increased my paranoia of the computer driven world we live in. It was also thought provoking and I have been watching for this second novel, The Dark River, and anticipating its release. I am not disappointed and got so absorbed in the novel I was glued to my recliner until I finished the book. I simply could not put it down. The Brethern were as "Big Brother" as before but not nearly as threatening. They are not invincible. They are ruthless and guiltless, yes, but their defenses can be breached. Way to go Hollis. There are many different levels in this novel and the flow of the events is rhythmical until the story is set in Rome. Once we move from Rome and the underground clues the story moves on once again. Gabriel is saved by Maya but now who will save Maya? Gabriel or Hollis? Can a Traveler save a Harlequin or is her reason for living diminished by her circumstances? Once again I am waiting for the next novel in the series but I am already mourning the end of the story. I sincerely hope it doesn't end the way the Harry Potter series ended. 5 stars for the artwork on the cover of the novel and on the book itself. I was awestruck when I took the cover off and was caught up in the artist's concept of traveling with the lights. I will treasure this book because of that as well. I don't know who John Twelve Hawks is but I admire his ability to live off the grid and be his own person. He is a visionary, an individual and I hope his literary efforts continue to educate us as well as entertain.

This is the second book in the fourth realm trilogy. I stated of the first book, The Traveler, that it was "the best fiction book I had read in a decade!" This book is a very close second. John Twelve Hawks weaves an unforgettable tale of suspense and drama that will draw you in and captivate you in a way that few other authors achieve. Hawks helps us to look at our world in a whole new light, and gives an entirely new meaning to the term 'Big Brother is Watching'. This book continues a year after The Traveler finished, and once the action starts, it does not end. The action races at breakneck speed and reads like 'a post 9/11 conspiracy theory meets 1984'. Hawks shows a world where people are collectively selling their freedoms for a perceived peace or security. With a story as unique as the Matrix, and the captivating writing unlike anybody else, Hawks serves up a masterpiece. There are four main categories of people in these books: Civilians, who go about their daily lives, Travelers who can send their life force from their body to alternate realms, The Harlequins who are trained warriors dedicated to protecting the Travelers, and finally The Brethren, as they call themselves, who wish to create a system of control over the whole world, a virtual Panopticon. This group is called, 'The Tabula', by their enemies. The Tabula are trying to achieve their Panopticon through computer surveillance - RFID chips in what we buy and in our ID and credit cards. Their only goal is to make the human race homogeneous and dominated by the belief that they must behave a certain way because they are always being watched. For the first time in history, a Traveler, Michael Corrigan, is working with the Brethren and trying to conquer the only other surviving travelers -his brother Gabriel, and his father Matthew, who has been missing for 15 years since the Tabula attacked the family home. Both of the brothers are searching for their long-lost father, both are trying to figure out how to use their ability as travelers, and both believe they are on the right side. Only by reading will you find out what will happen in this battle of wills and battle between light and darkness. This is a book masterfully written that will draw in readers from all walks of life and of all ages. Read it and see if you cannot hardly wait for your friends to read it, so that you can discuss it and debate it. It will also have you looking very differently at all the cameras that capture our images hundreds of times a day. Hawks has written another bestseller that will surprise you, stun you and amaze you, both with the story and the way it is told. (First published in Imprint 2007-07-17 in the book review column.)