Twelve

Dec 10, 2012 Justin Newland added it · review of another edition

This was an interesting, unusal book that was recommended to me as a good debut novel by an up-and-coming fantasy author. I was quietly impressed with what I found. I enjoy historical novels, and the setting for this one - Russia in 1812, with the backdrop of the tragic and abortive advance by Bonaparte - was well conceived, and didn't take much to get me interested.
A key point of interest was that it was written in the first person, a tough ask you may say for an debut novel, but the author use...more This was an interesting, unusal book that was recommended to me as a good debut novel by an up-and-coming fantasy author. I was quietly impressed with what I found. I enjoy historical novels, and the setting for this one - Russia in 1812, with the backdrop of the tragic and abortive advance by Bonaparte - was well conceived, and didn't take much to get me interested.
A key point of interest was that it was written in the first person, a tough ask you may say for an debut novel, but the author used all the technical tricks to keep the plot for going stale - most notably letters, as well as a rudimentary morse code scribbled on to walls.
The novel was also written by way of a reflective exercise, in that the narrator was also speaking in the past tense, so there were the odd phrases which if it had been in the 'present tense' so to speak, would not have been allowed, references to future events, for example.
Having read a few fantasy novels now, I must say that the build the plot slowly, and steadfastly. I remember reading perdido street station, and I'm sure the last action sequence of the novel took up about the last third. Anyway, perahps that is an extreme example, but Jasper Kent is also not averse to slowing down the plot.
From early on, it's pretty obvious that the Tweleve referred to in the title are vampires, and yet it takes a good 200 pages before the narrator reveals to the reader that this is actually the case. He does quite a good job of maintaining the suspense and the interest, and of course during that time he does well to build the characters and describe the historical world.
I found that the language was clear and concise, although if I was to set the bar high, I would say that some words and phrases and psychologies were too modern to occupy a humble soldier, albeit a Captain, of the ealy 19th Century Russian army.
This is a problem that all historical novels suffer from, because it's extremely difficult to step into those people's minds and psychologies, and write directly from their historical view-point. Albeit impossible, because the 21st Century reader wouldn't understand it and certainly wouldn't appreciate it. I'm talking about the lost art of mumming, but that's another story.
Anyhow, as it seems with all fantasy novels, this one had an ending that started way too early for my taste. Indeed, it pivoted around the identity of one person in the story, in fact the romantic interest, and seemed to my mind to be elevated to a degree of importance in the novel that was unwarranted. Then there was another twist toards the end with one of the vampires, that was intersting but not stunning.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book. The author's style is easy in the eye, and he does well, particularly in Part One, to keep the page turning. His chapters are long and engaging, and he builds empathy with the central character, and the main supporting characters. With a cast of hundreds of thousands, he does well to keep the number of characters down to a manageable few, at least to the point that it doesn't become confusing.
Clearly, though this is a kind of 'twilight meets Bonaparte at Borodino', a strange ensemble of themes that actually works quote well. Once you get used to the idea of the vampires, the horror element is dealt with, but not overdone. It's this feature and this feature alone which makes it a fantasy novel, because if it wasn't there, you'd be left with a good piece if historical fiction.
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Dec 02, 2012 Brad Middleton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampire-fiction

Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov is part of an elite group Russian spies, working to stem the tide of Napoleon's army as it pillages its way across the Russian landscape en route to Moscow. He soon finds himself fighting alongside a group of twelve highly-skilled Wallachians who call themselves the "Oprichniki," savage fighters who prefer close combat and only work at night -- and who claim they can halt the invasion of the French troops. Although Danilov questions how only twelve men can turn...more Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov is part of an elite group Russian spies, working to stem the tide of Napoleon's army as it pillages its way across the Russian landscape en route to Moscow. He soon finds himself fighting alongside a group of twelve highly-skilled Wallachians who call themselves the "Oprichniki," savage fighters who prefer close combat and only work at night -- and who claim they can halt the invasion of the French troops. Although Danilov questions how only twelve men can turn the tide of the war, he soon discovers just how efficient these mercenaries are, but begins to have doubts about the motives of this secretive group. But after discovering the horrible truth about the Oprichniki, Danilov decides that his new allies are actually a threat to all of mankind, and it's left up to him to rid the world of these legendary creatures of nightmares.

With the invasion of Napoleon's army into Russia as a backdrop, Jasper Kent weaves an interesting tale about a conflicted soldier who would do anything to protect his homeland from the French army. But the man soon realizes that his new allies, with their inflated expectations, are too good to be true. The tale infuses folklore about these "voordalak" mercenaries, a group of traditional vampires who are born to kill -- and who definitely do not sparkle in the sunlight. (Nor do they see humans as anything beyond being a food source.)

The story itself is a little slow moving up until Danilov discovers the truth about the Oprichniki, but then moves at a quicker pace as he hunts them down one by one. The main issue I have with this book is just how easily Danilov manages to kill these savage bloodsuckers; many times it seems like there's a little too much divine intervention going on. The man himself spends quite a bit of time reflecting on the events around him; it's hard to imagine that a soldier caught up in such carnage and horror could be so much of a philosopher. Ultimately I found the secondary character of Maks to be much more interesting. It is nice to see vampires that are more traditional and less cuddly, however one particular scene with the Oprichniki is straight out of a "torture-porn" film, and seems very out of place in a novel that otherwise keeps most of their exploits hidden in the shadows. I'm all for a big reveal of the horrors they commit, but I believe this scene goes a little too far.

For those who enjoy historical fiction, "Twelve" will be a worthwhile read, especially for those who are tired of vampires being so cute and cuddly. The story continues in the sequel "Thirteen Years Later."
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Nov 29, 2012 Scott Fabel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book as been on my "Reading" shelf for a long time. I have recently made an effort to finish some of those books, and this was the first one that I've completed. It took me a long time to finish this book because I kept putting it down--and I struggled to pick it back up again. I think that there are several reasons for this: First, it was the very first novel that I ever purchased on the Kindle app for my iPad. I had never really read a novel as an e-book before, and it kept taking me some...more This book as been on my "Reading" shelf for a long time. I have recently made an effort to finish some of those books, and this was the first one that I've completed. It took me a long time to finish this book because I kept putting it down--and I struggled to pick it back up again. I think that there are several reasons for this: First, it was the very first novel that I ever purchased on the Kindle app for my iPad. I had never really read a novel as an e-book before, and it kept taking me some effort to get used to holding my iPad instead of a book. Over time, I started purchasing other e-books--and reading them--so I was finally able to get used to reading from my iPad. Second, the book is long. It is 480 pages long. In itself, this is not insurmountable. (After all, I have read War and Peace more than once.) The challenge for me was that many of these 480 pages were too dull. There were long, introspective passages that did very little to move the narrative along. I think that this became the primary reason that I had trouble picking up the book again after I had put it down. Fortunately for me, I would read the book in chunks. Many of the chunks were incredibly exciting and engaging, which kept me reading. When it reached a long, dull passage, I stopped--and had trouble starting again. In the end, I was finally able to overcome both of these challenges and finish what turned out to be an excellent novel.

I was first introduced to this book by a friend of mine, Shannon, who picked up the book while we were browsing Borders. (Oh, how I miss Borders!!) The book is billed as "the First Napoleonic Historical Vampire Novel." That alone intrigued me. I have an inexhaustible interest in all things French and all things Russian, and I thought it would be incredibly interesting to hear about Napoleon's invasion of (and subsequent retreat from) Russia as a vampire novel. Crazy, right? Yes, but it works. (By the way, this is a classic vampire novel; it is not a sparkly, love-stricken vampire novel.)

The novel centers on the life of Aleksei Ivanonvich Danilov, a spy in the Russian military who is working to defeat Napoleon. Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812 provides the backdrop for a far more intriguing tale. This is not a novel about war; instead, the war provides the context for the story. (Incidentally, Jasper Kent does a wonderful job of weaving actual historical events, like the battle of Borodino, into the narrative.) As part of Danilov's spy work, he engages with a group of 12 people (hence the name of the book) called Oprichniki, who are unusually adept at dispatching entire battalions of the French army. For nearly half of the book, Danilov and his friend do not even realize that these Oprichniki are the vampires from their childhood folk tales; however, when it is revealed to him that they are, the narrative takes on a new form. At that point, Danilov need to work against both Napoleon and the vampires.

The story has a great and satisfying ending. Even so, it's not really the end! This book is the first in what is to be a quintet of books that follow Danilov and his family from 1812 to the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. I have not yet read the other books, but the next one, Thirteen Years Later, is on my reading list for 2013. (less)

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Jul 26, 2012 Cosmicharry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm normally quite skeptical about vampire stories, as they have become sexy mysterious beings that are swooned over and not viscous man eating nightmares as depicted by Bram Stoker himself.

So, I was happily surprised when a read Jasper Kents portrayal of the Napoleonic conflict in Russia. The story follows a group of Russian soldiers who are trying to sabotage the French invasion of Russia by any means necessary and through desperation employ a band of ruthless mercenaries. The book follows th...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Bluefly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fra le tre e le due stelline. L'elemento meglio riuscito di questo romanzo mi è sembrato l'ambientazione storica, originale e suggestiva. Ma si tratterebbe di un horror, e la parte "horror" non è all'altezza del suo nome. Poca suspense, perché i vampiri, che dovrebbero essere cattivissimi, mi sono sembrati più un gruppo di sfigati che si fa eliminare con una facilità disarmante. Molte riflessioni del protagonista su qualsiasi cosa, ma che non lo rendono comunque una figura interessante, casomai...more

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Jan 08, 2012 Curtis Jobling rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not usually a fan of historical fiction, I was a little wary when picking up TWELVE. I needn't have been. A wonderful blend of period drama and dark fantasy, it gave the vampire, or vordalaak, a fresh infusion of blood. While the vampires (for the most part) were one-dimensional and bestial (as was the author's intention I suspect), the human characters were all complex, believable figures who were struggling with what was right: what was right for themselves, for Russia and humanity (the three...more

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Dec 23, 2011 Algernon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

Good one, I had moments when I really felt captivated and involved in the fate of the characters, but at other times something felt off.

the good points:
- the historical setting - the incursion of la Grande Armee into the Russian steppe, the occupation of Moscow and the subsequent winter retreat are well rendered and add an epic scope to the personal struggles cpt. Danilov
- the dialogue and some of the moral struggles are convincing and prove the author is in good control of his technical tools,...more

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Oct 04, 2011 catwoman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was given to me and to be reviewed for the Transworld Book club.
This was a book I wanted to read for a while after catching it on a BBC TV show about books that are bought in read in Airports, which was part of a series for World Book Night. Vampres and Historical fiction. What more could Catwoman ask for?

I struggled with this book to begin with. It was slow. I struggled to get any feel for the characters apart from the man character who I didn't particularly like. As for the vampires....more

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Jun 26, 2011 Terence rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror-gothic, historical-fiction

Caveat emptor: I picked this off the New Books shelf at one of my libraries because it sounded intriguing – a desperate group of Russian officers recruits a band of voordalak (vampires) to help defeat Napoleon’s Grande Armée only to realize that Bonaparte is the least of their worries.

The idea is still intriguing and it might make a good novel but this isn’t it.

The writing is dull and turgid, giving neither a sense of place nor a sense of dread, and the info-dumps are painful (I’m still nursing...more

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May 29, 2011 Libby rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a disappointment to me in several ways. First of all, it is an enormous thick book, therefore I was primed for an event-filled, detailed read. Sadly, not so. This book is set in Napoleon's Russian campaign with the battle of Borodino (like the 1812 Overture!) the sack and firing of Moscow and the nightmare march of the Grande Armee back to the West. How could it possibly be boring and slow-paced? Oh! Let me count the ways! This is a first person narrative, not in itself a bad thing, but...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Kyle Hendrickson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kyle Hendrickson
Ms. Campanella
English 3, Period 5
28 February 2011
The book Twelve by Jasper Kent was an extraordinary Historical fiction book about a man, Aleksei Danilov, a captain in the Russian army with a small unit that specializes in odd jobs has to stop a certain 12 vampires from killing one too many people. The Setting is in 1812 in the start of the vicious Russian winter Napoleon Bonaparte was closing in fast on Moscow and it would take some kind of miracle for his army to be stopped....more Kyle Hendrickson
Ms. Campanella
English 3, Period 5
28 February 2011
The book Twelve by Jasper Kent was an extraordinary Historical fiction book about a man, Aleksei Danilov, a captain in the Russian army with a small unit that specializes in odd jobs has to stop a certain 12 vampires from killing one too many people. The Setting is in 1812 in the start of the vicious Russian winter Napoleon Bonaparte was closing in fast on Moscow and it would take some kind of miracle for his army to be stopped. When Aleksei’s friend Dmitry Calls for the help of only 12 men who call themselves the Oprichniki, whom Aleksei has never heard of he thinks perhaps his comrade has lost his mind, but later finds out what these twelve men are capable of and actually thinks they have a chance of stopping Napoleon and perhaps even beating him. When Aleksei first meets the twelve he is greeted by their leader who does not join them on their quest but has the breath of a thousand rotting corpses and the look of a dead man, there brief meeting leaves a lot of questions in Aleksei mind that the stubborn and determined Russian must find out. On their first mission Aleksei tries very hard to see why these men are so valuable and supposedly are going to turn the tide of the entire war in their favor, but gets nothing as he is knocked out in the first few moments of their first scuff only to wake up in mid day, with his “comrades” nowhere in sight. The next fight he is told to just spy on a camp and he meets up with his other friend from the regiment. When he meets his friend he is scared out of his mind and was going to tell him something but the Oprichniki show up before he could so he told Aleksei a time and a place not knowing the Oprichniki have herd. When Aleksei finds the place where there are to meet up he finds the Oprichniki have beat him there so his comrade can not tell him the whole secret just what the Oprichniki what him to hear, but being the curious man Aleksei is he wants to find out the truth behind these men. Later that day …….he does and its not a pretty sight. The conflict could be describe as (man vs. supernatural) but perhaps later you might find it to be (man vs. man). The supporting characters on Aleksei side were Dmitry Fetyukovich Aleksei’s best friend, Vadim Fyodorovisch, and Maksim Sergeivich were all part of the special unit the Aleksei leads. The protagonist Was the entire Oprichniki but mainly Iuda the head Vampire.
The Author Jasper Kent is a very descriptive and enticing writer whom captivates your attention form the first sentence with the strange but very good use of an old Russian Folk Tale.
The book is action packed and littered with blood and gore and intense fight scene and others in which, without giving to much away, Aleksei goes on a very high octane, suspenseful hunt for the Oprichniki. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good action packed book and doesn’t mind the fact that the Antagonist are vampires with the whole Twilight craze going around I assure these vampires are nothing like the traditional neat and maniacal vampires of the past but more resembling wolves, vicious blodd-thirsty wolves. I give this book 5 out f 5 stars .
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Dec 27, 2010 Kassy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very interesting book. My brother got it for me for Christmas and, I won't lie, I was not entirely excited. In our family, my brother is really the vampire buff; I've just been exposed quite a bit. However, this book was different than the campy, bandwagon fiction that's popped up to ride along on Twilight's coat-tails. First, the question of the vampire's humanity is not the primary issue. There are no condemned but good vampires trying to regain their immortal souls. I like the idea...more This was a very interesting book. My brother got it for me for Christmas and, I won't lie, I was not entirely excited. In our family, my brother is really the vampire buff; I've just been exposed quite a bit. However, this book was different than the campy, bandwagon fiction that's popped up to ride along on Twilight's coat-tails. First, the question of the vampire's humanity is not the primary issue. There are no condemned but good vampires trying to regain their immortal souls. I like the idea of questioning what is good and what is evil, but I find the "good vampire" trope to be a little exhausted and boring. So it was refreshing to once again have clearly evil vampires who took joy in causing death and pain. Second, the book is a historical fiction set in 1812 in Russia. It's not a time and setting that I think of when I think of vampires--also refreshing. I got to learn a bit more about when Napoleon thought he could take Russia. Third, the historical fiction was not overwhelmed by the fantasy elements--vampires. The vampires seemed plausible and rather unfantastic. Don't misunderstand, they were terrifying but they weren't tabloidy or ostentatiously fantastic. Kent struck an excellent balance: the horror of the vampires was not in their impossible abilities, but in their lack of conscience, specifically their inhumanity. The vampires seemed--for all that they were actually vampires--real. Finally, the main character--who becomes a vampire hunter--was complex and interesting. The question of his soul and his goodness was far more interesting than the vampires ever could be. For the most part I enjoyed every second of the book. I did have a mini-baby problem with the manifestation of the ultimate antagonists goals--It seemed rather cliche and that was upsetting. However, the focus of his goals was quite sinister and different. I appreciated that. The ending itself was a little vague and fast, but I did like the ending message (possibly the overall message, though I didn't see it til the end)--that faith is what allows us to be certain in an uncertain world. And faith that's been thought about is better than blind faith.

All in all quite a refreshing and thought provoking book, also a good read. It felt like 1812 the whole time but the language was easy and smooth (not stilted).

=) I recommend it (if you like historical fiction, complex characters, and some downplayed elements of fantasy that all together really make you think)(less)

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Jan 09, 2012 Alytha rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The plot in summary: a group of Russian spies during the Napolenic war recruit a group of mysterious strangers to help kill the French in missions behind enemy lines. The strangers turn out to be vampires, and not the nice sparkly kind, so the main character, Aleksey, decides to kill them all.

Unfortunately, I'm not really impressed. There's several problems with this book:

The first problem is the total and utter lack of suspense. Both the prologue, and the text on the cover tell you exactly what...more The plot in summary: a group of Russian spies during the Napolenic war recruit a group of mysterious strangers to help kill the French in missions behind enemy lines. The strangers turn out to be vampires, and not the nice sparkly kind, so the main character, Aleksey, decides to kill them all.

Unfortunately, I'm not really impressed. There's several problems with this book:

The first problem is the total and utter lack of suspense. Both the prologue, and the text on the cover tell you exactly what is going to happen, which makes it all rather tedious. Ok, there's one small surprise towards the end, but you should see it coming before the character in question does, and it doesn't really do anything to change the outcome of the situation in general.

(spoiler: Iuda is not a actually a vampire, just a very sick human psycho who pretends to be one. And incidentally the only interesting character in the book.)
spoiler over

The other is that Aleksey, the main character is an utter and total idiot. Imagine the following situation: you are watching a house with a vampire in it, whom you want to kill. You have the following info: there is one superhumanly strong vampire in the basement, but two coffins, so there will be another one soon, as day is approaching. From your granny you learned vampire myths (and as usual, all myths are true), and you strongly suspect that vampires are allergic to light.
What do you do? Wait for the second vampire to come home, the sun to rise, and both of them to be helplessly asleep? No, because that would be silly. you charge in just before dawn, get into a messy fight with first one vampire, then the other, get an innocent bystander killed, and finally through sheer luck, manage to kill both vampires.

The other problem I have with Aleksey is that his moral compass is totally off. He displays an extreme hatred towards the vampires. To be fair, the vampires are rather at the monstrous end of the spectrum, and like rather brutally butchering people and keeping bodies to snack on in their houses, which is admittedly rather disgusting. On the other hand, Aleksey is a professional soldier and spy, thus not far away from mass murderer. There's a huge war going on, and people are dying like flies anyway, especially with the dubious hygienic conditions. Also, he has a relationship with a whore that very strongly reminded me of that between Tyrion and Shae in A Song of Ice and Fire, and almost ended in the same way. He's also married, and has a young son, by the way. The thought that having a prostitute as a mistress might be kind of immoral never crosses his mind. Through his pathetic hatred of the vampires and one-man vendetta commando, he sets in motion events which are going to get all his friends and a lot of innocent people killed, as the vampires want revenge, understandably enough.
I don't really know how to explain it, somehow I just felt that his hatred was way out of proportion in contrast to what the vampires did within the general situation, and their contract, which turned him into a kind of mindless fanatic. His general idiocy doesn't help.
Or maybe I just like vampires too much, even if they're the kind who like to torture people. (These ones aren't very charismatic though, except perhaps Iuda)

Another thing that was alienating to the flow of the book was the incongruous use of neologisms and Russian expressions. It is implied that all characters speak Russian or French, which is translated for the reader's benefit, which is no problem in itself. However, though almost all words are translated, the random expression "verst" (a bit more than a kilometer) keeps popping up, while on the other hand, people say OK from time to time. It's just not a smooth experience of language.

The only way to save this book would be to take Aleksey's declaration that he'll force himself to believe that the version of reality that is preferably to him is actually real to its logical extreme and say that he is an unreliable narrator, and has been in some kind of psychotic mania ever since he was tortured by the Turks, and the things in the book only happened in his own mind, or that he actually did some of them.

All in all, I'd give this one a 5/10, and don't feel much like getting the sequel. From the prologue which is included in Twelve, there's just more of the same, just from an even more fanatic p-o-v.(less)

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Jan 15, 2011 Kasey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paperback, series, pnr-uf, historical

This book turned out to be quite surprising.

I was prepared for a mix of history (it was there), fantasy/fiction (was there too), and horror (your mileage may vary with that one). What I got was more of a psychological thriller/adventure/fiction/historical in my opinion. That said, it was really good.

In fact, it felt like a constantly boiling cauldron whose contents were always on the verge of spilling over...and yet, they never really did. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It means that...more

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Jan 19, 2009 Mark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Twelve by Jasper Kent
Published by Transworld Publishers/Bantam, January 2009.
ISBN: 9780593060643
480 pages (ARC Copy received)

http://www.twelvethenovel.com/

You know, I’m not sure exactly what the overlap of readers between the Fantasy genre and historical novels is, but I’m sure there’s a lot. Often one of the attractions of the Fantasy novel, for me at any rate, is that submergence into an ancient world, an older world. This can also work with historical novels, too. Bernard Cornwell seems to h...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Lainy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't normally like war books but as this is part of the Transworld review books I thought I would choose something I wouldn't normally pick for myself.

A group of Russian officers ask for help from twelve mercenaries who say they change help win the war against France. It seems unlikely however before long they have proved themselves and then some. The way they take down the French is unknown although it is in such marked numbers people fear it is some plague that is effecting only the french....more

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Jan 30, 2013 Anachronist rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: those-pesky-three-stars

What I liked:

The Napoleonic Wars, especially the disastroud and ill-guided invasion of Russia, are always a very colourful canvass for any novel; personally I like that period very much. This book didn't disappoint me either. Although I found some minor historical errors (like the narrator speaking of Poland which officially didn't exist at that time - just the ephemeral Grand Duchy of Warsaw, created by the Napoleon to appease the Poles and make them join his army). Ok, I know, it is not a hist...more

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Aug 04, 2010 Hazel rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, historical-fiction, never-finished

I'm not enjoying this. True, I can't help thinking of War and Peace, but I don't expect Kent to compare with Tolstoy. But a vampire story set during the Napoleonic march on Moscow should be thrilling. A vampire story with the premise that desperate Russian agents recruit vampires to fight the inexorable French should be full of horror and pathos. What I expect is edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting stuff! Or at least something chilling and grim.

This is rather dull. Kent has done his research, and na...more

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Mar 12, 2010 David rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dry. I have a new appreciation for such a description having endured this novel. The authors knowledge of geography is impressive, as is his grasp of the tactics of battle and legion deployment, but, my God, is he boring.
I am at a loss to explain how a story about vampires set during the Napoleonic wars could produce such emotional stagnancy that I almost had to stick my finger in the light socket to keep myself awake reading this.
I felt that I could have replaced any of the characters with any...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Mel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, vampires, historical, russia

Set at the time of Napoleon invasion of Russia, the story pulls you straight into the time and place – and it’s an era and a country I don’t much about, but there are plenty of details that put me right into the thick of it. Following the adventures of Danilov and his three compatriots as they attempt to use guerrilla warfare to slow down and spy on the French army – a seemingly hopeless task until they recruit twelve mysterious mercenaries who’s skills with butchering and sending fear into the...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Frank Hintz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A nice change of pace in the deluge of vampire books available. Perhaps its odd that vampire fiction is now breaking into sub genres, but I digress. In my opinion, this book gets back to the original themes of "Dracula", such as what does it mean to be human, how does one become a monster, where do you draw the line, can that line change, etc. Overall, the tale does a great job asking those questions and also addressing the broad topic of loyalty. I also enjoyed the setting of 1812 Russia, which...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Jacqui Talbot rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the tale of Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, a Russian officer. It’s the autumn of 1812, and Napoleon’s army is advancing across Russia. In desperation, Aleksei and his comrades enlist the help of the Oprichniki – twelve mercenaries from the Carpathian Mountains, who claim that they can turn the tide of the war. It seems an idle boast, but the Russians soon discover that their new comrades are quite capable of fulfilling their promise. Because the Oprichniki are voordalak, – vampires –...more This is the tale of Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, a Russian officer. It’s the autumn of 1812, and Napoleon’s army is advancing across Russia. In desperation, Aleksei and his comrades enlist the help of the Oprichniki – twelve mercenaries from the Carpathian Mountains, who claim that they can turn the tide of the war. It seems an idle boast, but the Russians soon discover that their new comrades are quite capable of fulfilling their promise. Because the Oprichniki are voordalak, – vampires – and they won’t just stop at killing the French.

Besides the vibrant and realistic setting, the best thing about this book was that all the main characters were very human, especially Aleksei. Even though I didn’t always like or approve of him, I still found myself empathizing with this flawed but decent man as he suffered through bouts of mental and physical hardship, self-loathing, love and loss.

I especially liked the vampires. Shabby, filthy, and disrespectful, the Oprichniki are not the stuff of paranormal romances. They are traditionally evil bad asses that must be hunted down and killed at all costs. A refreshing change from their modern day, romantically inclined brethren.
Fair warning: be prepared to squirm. There are some genuinely gruesome moments in this book. (We are dealing with vampires, after all.) My biggest issue is that Aleksei’s self-absorbed narration tends to run long in places, slowing the pace to a painful crawl.

Still, I can’t deny that Twelve is a breath of fresh air and a great example of classic vampire horror.

Favorite Line/Image: Moscow was as full of life as a cadaver on the embalmer’s table. The fluids and chemicals that had been introduced into it’s veins can engorge it sufficiently to give it some vague semblance of the living creature that it once was, but they would never have the ability to provide the vital essence that once made that body a man. The image brought to my mind the Oprichniki. They passed themselves off physically as men, but I had never seen in any one of them a hint of the desires and loves and anguishes of living beings.

Did the French occupiers, I wondered, perceive themselves as parasites feasting on the corpse of a once-great city, or did they believe that they were the vanguard of a new wave of life that had revitalized al the rest of Europe and was now supplying the physical reality of the Enlightenment to Russia? I think that Bonaparte himself probably believed that, but I also think he was deluding himself.

What I Learned: Jasper Kent’s meticulous research and attention to detail adds a layer of richness and detail to this novel that makes it shine. Then there’s the heady combination of history, fantasy and folklore. Somehow, Kent managed to bring a sense of classic horror to something completely original.

Bottom Line: A dark and entertaining historical fantasy novel.
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Sep 24, 2011 Bogdan Gavriliuc rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

I liked this all the way through, initially because i liked the history between the french and the russians. I liked the military comeradery between the main characters.
The book goes through different phases where the main character, Aleksei, reveals different sides of himself.

Afterwards, the overlapping actions kept me fairly interested and turning pages.

Although I am irritated by the behaviour of pretty much every character at some point or another, I don't find them unrealistic or unrelata...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An interesting work, though a problematic one for me. Jasper Kent weaves a tale of the Russian military, embroiled in battle against Napoleon's Grande Armée, the arrogant narcissist at the center of the conflict, and the Oprichniki, a gang of mysterious mercenaries. There's a lot to like about this book, but there's also a lot that doesn't work very well. Let's start with the negatives, because I'd like to end the review with some well-deserved praise.

The above mentioned arrogant narcissist is...more An interesting work, though a problematic one for me. Jasper Kent weaves a tale of the Russian military, embroiled in battle against Napoleon's Grande Armée, the arrogant narcissist at the center of the conflict, and the Oprichniki, a gang of mysterious mercenaries. There's a lot to like about this book, but there's also a lot that doesn't work very well. Let's start with the negatives, because I'd like to end the review with some well-deserved praise.

The above mentioned arrogant narcissist is Aleksei Sergeivich Danilov, an officer in the Russian army who is attached to an elite espionage and sabotage unit, consisting of himself and three other officers. A spy, in other words. Aleksei narrates the story, and his viewpoint and opinions inform our own view of the work's universe. He is also the biggest stumbling block to my recommending this work wholeheartedly, being almost aggressively unlikable. He is, not to put too fine a point on it, an enormous tool. He's not exactly a bad man, but he most certainly is not a good one; and his constant philosophizing and relentless self-obsession become, by the end of the book's 450-odd pages, very wearying.

This leads us to the book's second critical problem: the length. I am not at all opposed to very long novels, when the work has enough substance and energy to sustain itself over the length. Twelve does not. I firmly believe that Kent could have eliminated a great deal of Aleksei's endless internal monologue without damaging the integrity of the book at all. With, perhaps, fifty pages of introspection trimmed, the book would have been a much leaner, tighter and more well-defined work.

That being said, there's a lot I liked about this novel as well. Kent captures the atmosphere, language and attitudes of early 19th century Russia wonderfully. The descriptions of landscapes, cityscapes, peasantry and soldiers are all marvelous.

My favorite thing about the book was the strange mercenary company, the Oprichniki. We the readers immediately recognize their true nature, although the book's protagonists do not: they are vampires. However, these are a far cry from Anne Rice's glamorous tortured souls; and have even less in common with the whitewashed do-gooders of so much of today's vampire fiction. The Oprichniki are brutal, savage and bestial. They possess none of humanity's finer qualities, having no sense whatsoever of empathy, camaraderie or love. They are in fact almost devoid of personality (save for Iuda, their charismatic leader), having few definable traits aside from hunger, sadism and a dim, black sense of humor. The latter is perhaps best demonstrated in our initial meeting with the Oprichniki, in which they mockingly name themselves after the twelve disciples of Christ, with their "father" taking the name of Zmyeevich, the "son of the serpent." The book explores the nature of these monsters quite deeply, and this is the most satisfying aspect.

In closing, Twelve is a novel well worth reading, with a few caveats. I'd recommend it to dark fantasy and horror fans, or even to adventurous readers of military historical fiction, but probably not to lovers of the modern, de-fanged vampire. (less)

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Apr 13, 2013 Huda Sarkowi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: military, paranormal, war, historical-fiction, vampires

It took me some times to finish it.

The premises were promising though. A story about a group of vampires assisting the Russian against French armies. It could have been great, but there were some moments during reading it that made me wonder where is this book taking me actually? What was or were the motivation(s) for Aleksei to start killing the Oprichniki so determinedly? I just couldn't quite understand his motives.

I appreciate how the writer has done his research in building the setting of...more

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May 07, 2012 Robin Carter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural

How can you lose with a plot like this, Vampires during Napoleons invasion of Russia!
There were times when i thought that Jasper Kent was going to screw this up, the first few chapters were a little on the slow side and there were a few places where the pace of the plot got bogged down, but in the main this was a good read, dark, moody, full of menace, palpable cold from the frozen wastes of Russia, i think the author has a real love for this time and place, but im not so sure about the vampires...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, vampires, supernatural, napoleonic-war

Vampires done right: they don't sparkle, and they aren't romantic, sexy figures who entice the reader into the darkness ... they are monsters, undead beasts who live by torturing the living and feasting on their flesh. Also, there's a brief cameo by the vampire himself: you know who I mean!

One of the most interesting things about this book, besides its combining two great literary tastes that turn out to go great together (vampires! the Napoleonic wars!), is the objectively unlikeable narrator,...more

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Apr 27, 2010 Owen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was definitely one of those books where I was looking forward to the end; not to find out what happens, but rather to be done with the blooming thing.

Somehow despite endless internal monologues, Aleksei remained a shallow character. The author falls into the classic telling-instead-of-showing trap. There is no mystery about what the protagonist is doing or thinking, and the more we know about what's going on in his head, the more idiotic and unsympathetic he becomes.

I was sold on the concep...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An enjoyable read that had enough to set it apart and make it memorable, but lacking those intangible qualities that would have set it above rather than just apart.

The story begins as the Russians are falling back from Napoleon's relentless onslaught in the War of 1812, and we are introduced to a small group of elite soldiers skilled in espionage and harrassing the enemy behind their lines. The entire novel is told through the point of view of Alexei Danilov, one of the four soldiers in this gro...more An enjoyable read that had enough to set it apart and make it memorable, but lacking those intangible qualities that would have set it above rather than just apart.

The story begins as the Russians are falling back from Napoleon's relentless onslaught in the War of 1812, and we are introduced to a small group of elite soldiers skilled in espionage and harrassing the enemy behind their lines. The entire novel is told through the point of view of Alexei Danilov, one of the four soldiers in this group. As the plot develops, we find that a military arrangement has been made by one of his compatriots with a group of twelve Wallachian guerrillas (thus the title) to assist the small band in their efforts to disrupt Napoleon's advance. Not much information is given about these guerrillas except that their fighting prowess beggars belief.

The author is careful not to tip his hand to any of the plot details for an impressive length of time. To say any more would really be to spoil the enjoyment of the novel, so I will leave that to marketing departments and perhaps over-eager reviewers. The slow reveal of so many different aspects is indeed one of the greatest strengths of this novel, and it happened on many different levels. I unfortunately found the payoff of the suspense to be middling, but that didn't stop me from being impressed with the storytelling technique. This is one of those books where I know others will be gobsmacked as plot points are revealed, but I can only seem to appreciate the talent from a distant remove without becoming emotionally involved.

Although I would be hesitant to recommend this book outright, I would certainly encourage readers whose interest is already piqued to give it a spin. The writing is lucid and intelligent, and the story moves at a quick enough pace that the pages almost turn themselves. For myself, I already have the next book in this series bought and in my reading queue. That should at least be praise enough for the quality of this book despite my mostly lukeroom review.(less)

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Jul 15, 2011 Timothy Finucane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that, if what you are looking for is an edge of your seat horror story, this is not it. But, I did not find that to be a bad thing; the book has enough good parts to make it a very interesting read. Essentially what we have here is an historical fiction with a good plot, good historical research, and serious character development, particularly of the main character. The story is told from the first person perspective of the main character, and has a good deal of self refle...more

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Twelve (The Danilov Quintet #1)

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