A frantic race to save a long-lost Traveler.
An epic battle for freedom.
Two brothers whose power puts them on a collision course . . ....
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Sep 16, 2010
Alex
rated it: 
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
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Aug 17, 2007
Starshine
rated it:
I absolutely LOVED "The Traveler", as can be seen by my 5-Star rating. I couldn't put it down, and I was actually greatly torn between going on to "The Dark River", or reading Book 7 of Harry Potter. Yes, that's how good "The Traveler" was. Harry Potter won out, naturally, but as soon as I put it down (and recovered), I picked up "The Dark River".
I have to say, I was let down. The story no longer felt as compelling, the pace seemed to slow, More...
I have to say, I was let down. The story no longer felt as compelling, the pace seemed to slow, More...
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May 13, 2008
Topher
rated it: 
I am completely fascinated by this series. It has such a dark paranoid feel to it....in some ways, a flashback to my mentality in college and previous career. I'd say the series is well worth reading, if only because anything that talks about ubiquitous monitoring of our lives (ie, police cameras in Baltimore and London, ATM cameras, store cameras) as well as parkour deserves to be read by more people. The fact that the author is anonymous, and that Neal Stephenson and Stephen Hawking have been
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Feb 28, 2010
Matt
rated it: 
Another great book from John Twelve Hawks - this one a followup to the first one in this series The Traveler. These books really give you the creeps when thinking about how our privacies really are quickly vanishing.
Publisher's Summary
The Dark River opens in New York City with a stunning piece of news. Gabriel's father, who has been missing for nearly 20 years, may still be alive and trapped somewhere in Europe. Gabriel and his Harlequin protector, Maya, immediately mobilize to escape New York More...
Publisher's Summary
The Dark River opens in New York City with a stunning piece of news. Gabriel's father, who has been missing for nearly 20 years, may still be alive and trapped somewhere in Europe. Gabriel and his Harlequin protector, Maya, immediately mobilize to escape New York More...
Jan 05, 2012
Ricky
rated it:
What a place to end a book! This was, by far, the most abrupt ending of a book that I've read in a long time. I'm amazed at the terseness and hopelessness of the last two pages, even though I was expecting a cliffhanger. But this was much more than that--it was a chapter ending in which the next chapter is the beginning of the next book. Maya takes center stage, and her continuing modification of her own values proceeds through this middle part of the story. She is a Harlequin, and she can't
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Jan 03, 2011
Shilpi
rated it: 
After reading The Traveler - book one of the Fourth Realm trilogy, The Dark River was a let-down. One of the things that I really liked about The Traveler - the absence of loose-ends that lend a book that is part of a series the ability to stand-alone - is missing in this book two of the trilogy. The loose ends keep you dangling and they are like an abrupt and irritating turn on an otherwise straight road.
The plot, basically, has not developed any further than it had in The Traveler. More...
The plot, basically, has not developed any further than it had in The Traveler. More...
Jul 24, 2009
Chris
rated it:
Paranoid characters can be interesting. Paranoid books can be a fascinating journey into the heart of a whole different world. This thriller which is launched as an attack against the Machine that is dominating our world is filled with paranoia that starts on the first page and will stick with you after the last page. In comparison to the first novel though he forgot that the characters still drive the story and that you have to care about the story and that the bad guys have to strike some s
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Dec 23, 2010
Paul 'Pezski'
rated it: 
Oh dear.
Following on from The Traveler, 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 th More...
Following on from The Traveler, 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 th More...
Aug 05, 2007
John
rated it:
The author has presented an interesting world view and created a fascinating world in which his characters play out their drama. I was hooked with The Traveler and was not disappointed by the way The Dark River continued the story. This book is very much a chapter in a continuing story. I found it satisfying, but it leaves the characters in a fix you will have to wait for the next book to resolve.
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Jun 17, 2010
Alice
rated it:
2 stars? 2 1/2 stars? 3 stars? I can't decide, because although this was definitely not as good as the first one, at this point I'm addicted and will be plodding my way through the rest of the series. I do think Twelve Hawks lays everything out a little too clearly and obviously, whereas the first one had a lovely paranoid mystery about it. Still, if you liked the first book in this series, you'll HAVE to read this one to find out what happens, so there's not really much of a point to reviewing
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Aug 23, 2009
Swanbender2001
rated it:
This is the second in a series by this mysterious writer and the mystery surrounding the writer is a bit much for me...
THE DARK RIVER opens in New York City with a stunning piece of news. Gabriel’s father, who has been missing for nearly twenty years, may still be alive and trapped somewhere in Europe. Gabriel and his brother search for their father with very different agendas.
The race moves from the underground tunnels of New York and London to ruins hidden beneath Rome and Berlin, More...
THE DARK RIVER opens in New York City with a stunning piece of news. Gabriel’s father, who has been missing for nearly twenty years, may still be alive and trapped somewhere in Europe. Gabriel and his brother search for their father with very different agendas.
The race moves from the underground tunnels of New York and London to ruins hidden beneath Rome and Berlin, More...
Feb 20, 2011
Dave
rated it:
Remember when Michael Jordan retired? I mean, the first time? He made that amazing, game-winning shot, and left at the top of his game. When he returned from retirement, I was disappointed. I felt it would be almost impossible for him to improve on his amazing success.
John Twelve Hawks' first book in the Fourth Realm Trilogy, The Traveler, was suggested to me by a friend and fellow science-fiction lover. I was immediately impressed with the freshness of the idea, and completely pla More...
John Twelve Hawks' first book in the Fourth Realm Trilogy, The Traveler, was suggested to me by a friend and fellow science-fiction lover. I was immediately impressed with the freshness of the idea, and completely pla More...
Mar 05, 2011
Jeff
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 13, 2011
Sisimka
rated it:
This sequel was a long time in coming. And for all the wait, its too short, more like a 'chapter' in the story rather than the next adventure. While this series has never 'traveled' in the direction I'd like it to go, its still oddly intriguing and I'm interested enough to wait around for the third installment.
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Feb 05, 2009
To say that John Twelve Hawks-the pseudonym of the popular and reclusive author of the Fourth Realm trilogy-struggles under the burden of his success with the 2005 best seller The Traveler (**** Sept/Oct 2005) might be a bit of an exaggeration. Still, The Dark River tends to lack the punch and originality of the earlier novel. True to Twelve Hawks's vision, however, the second installment has enough gee-whiz moments and intense fight scenes to keep readers going-particularly those who enjoyed th
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Oct 24, 2011
Jen
rated it:
I picked this up on a whim at the library because I needed an audiobook while I was canning. What a fun discovery. It's a really cool premise of people trying to survive "off the grid" in a Big Brother kind of world that basically already exists (everyone losing their privacy and rights, ostensibly so government can fight terrorism), which is freaky to contemplate.
My only complaints: I felt like it lost steam and direction when Gabriel went to the 1st Realm. Also, it's a bi More...
My only complaints: I felt like it lost steam and direction when Gabriel went to the 1st Realm. Also, it's a bi More...
Jul 27, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
The overall storyline picks up the complexity developed in the first and enhances it. I enjoy the idea of the secret Brethren, Harlequins, and Travelers battling out humanity's future. However, two things kept this from being a five-star book for me. First, Twelve Hawks interrupts various storylines to jump to others at very odd moments right when I'd be very into the current one. I get it that he's trying to tell what's going on in various places at the same time, but how he does it is inef
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Aug 04, 2009
Hans
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 11, 2011
Julia
rated it:
I'll admit it's been a while since I read the first in this series and remebered thinking it had promise, but from what I am getting from this book, I am not sure I even remember it that clearly. So, the Travelers can bring enlightenment by traveling to other realms...but the realms aren't exactly where I would think you could find enlightenment. For example going into a realm that is essentially what is understood to be hell doesn't exactly seem as if it will change the world. And if I can be s
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Aug 05, 2011
Jan
rated it:
I was a big fan of The Traveler, but at some point in The Dark River, I just popped right out of the plot. The polarization. The good guys--the "elect." The evil other guys. They'll bring the world as we know it to an end. Fight that evil wherever you find it (& it's always in the other guy). The conspiracy. The need to hide! (and etcetera). Wouldn't the true heroes just walk transparently in the light, among the dangers, walk on water, or between the raindrops? And what is th
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May 19, 2011
Hank
rated it:
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 al
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Dec 01, 2008
Eli
rated it:
This sequel to The Traveler was entertaining, but the uneven pacing failed to keep the momentum of its predecessor. The first half of the book moves forward at a rather meandering pace, and the end of the book has so much wrapping up so suddenly that it feels half-assed. That's not entirely true. The very end was a blatant cliffhanger, which failed to wrap one particular storyline up, and it failed so utterly that the cliffhanger had me rolling my eyes rather than thinking, "I can't wait fo
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May 12, 2011
Gooddeeds
rated it:
Great book - 2nd of a trilogy that warns of a danger posed by too much government observation - something I can agree with!
The level of paranoia is high, and tiring to think about but makes sense as usual as there are few goodies v. loads of baddies with all the power. The bad guys computer systems seem very vulnerable though considering how important they are to their dreams of ruling the world.
And there's a shocking death rate in this!
QUOTE: If privacy had a headstone More...
The level of paranoia is high, and tiring to think about but makes sense as usual as there are few goodies v. loads of baddies with all the power. The bad guys computer systems seem very vulnerable though considering how important they are to their dreams of ruling the world.
And there's a shocking death rate in this!
QUOTE: If privacy had a headstone More...
Jul 09, 2009
Duke
rated it:
What is a guilty-pleasure read when it is not pleasurable? Why didn't I get off my ass and procure a book I would enjoy more? Why do I find myself compelled to read the third volume of this trilogy? What dark powers, John Twelve Hawks, are you using that I find myself opening up your novel, written at a sixth-grade reading level, the story a cheap rip off of The Divinci Code meets the Matrix ? I guess it's easy, like in ordering-off-the-dollar-menu-at-McDonald's easy rather than firing up th
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Mar 11, 2010
Dr.
rated it:
I liked The Traveler a ton more than I was expecting too when I picked it up. Seriously a great and exciting story; wheres the movie!?
The Dark River on the other hand was awful and a total letdown. The story is advanced but all of the really awesome themes that I loved from the first one seemed to be becoming watered down. Most of the intelligence and character building was replaced by more ass kicking. Which is cool I guess if it were in fact a movie and not a novel i had to dedica More...
The Dark River on the other hand was awful and a total letdown. The story is advanced but all of the really awesome themes that I loved from the first one seemed to be becoming watered down. Most of the intelligence and character building was replaced by more ass kicking. Which is cool I guess if it were in fact a movie and not a novel i had to dedica More...
Jan 08, 2011
Hilcia
rated it:
This book, although good enough as a continuation to The Traveler, did not live up to expectations in many ways. It definitely suffered from "middle-book syndrome." I would not recommend it be read alone and that readers wait for that last book. There's a huge cliffhanger. The story itself seems to lack some of the excitement and uniqueness/freshness that I experienced in The Traveler. The characters are not evolving and the depth is not there. I will read that third book -- I want to
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May 07, 2011
4evagreen
rated it:
The second book in the Fourth Realm trilogy. As so often happens in trilogies the middle book tends to be not as good as the first and hopefully the last, this was no exception. The repetition of what had gone on before was over long IMHO and overall I felt that I learnt nothing new about the main characters, in fact it rather muddied the waters somewhat. However, that said whereas the goodies in the first book were rather submissive at least in this book the at least show some aggresion and at
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Sep 20, 2011
Christina Stind
rated it:
If privacy had a gravestone it might read: 'Don't Worry. This Was for Your Own Good.' (p. 362)
I'm a bit confused. I'm not quite sure what I think about this book and I find it very different from The Traveler, the first book in the trilogy.
Whereas The Traveler had action, it also had some thought behind the action. It went into details with John Twelve Hawks' thoughts on privacy, surveillance and the world we live in. This book has none of that - except a short speech by Gabriel. Wh More...
I'm a bit confused. I'm not quite sure what I think about this book and I find it very different from The Traveler, the first book in the trilogy.
Whereas The Traveler had action, it also had some thought behind the action. It went into details with John Twelve Hawks' thoughts on privacy, surveillance and the world we live in. This book has none of that - except a short speech by Gabriel. Wh More...
Jul 31, 2010
Ryun
rated it:
I read John Twelve Hawks first book, THE TRAVELER, with optimism. Where others saw tedium, I saw setup. Where my elders spied rehashedness, I saw variations on a theme. “It’s all going to pay off in the next book,” I said to the critical masses. “You’ll see.”
Now we finally have the next book in the ultra-reclusive Hawks’ “Fourth Realm Trilogy,” THE DARK RIVER, and as rare as such a thing is, I have to admit I was wrong.
More: http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/t... More...
Now we finally have the next book in the ultra-reclusive Hawks’ “Fourth Realm Trilogy,” THE DARK RIVER, and as rare as such a thing is, I have to admit I was wrong.
More: http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/t... More...
Feb 14, 2010
Frostling
rated it:
The heroes of the first book “The Travellers” are back for new adventures against the Brethen/Tabula - the organization that wants to control the world.
Both factions go through 509 pages of various ups and downs. Sadly, once the very first scene is gone, it takes about 200 pages to read some real action and reach a faster pace. Before that, the story plods along between America, England and Germany.
On the plus side, the splicers (a cross between a baboon and a dog), the H More...
Both factions go through 509 pages of various ups and downs. Sadly, once the very first scene is gone, it takes about 200 pages to read some real action and reach a faster pace. Before that, the story plods along between America, England and Germany.
On the plus side, the splicers (a cross between a baboon and a dog), the H More...
