Twelve Hawks, John [A pseudonym]

PERSONAL:

Male.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

"FOURTH REALM" SERIES; NOVELS

The Traveler, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2005.

The Dark River, Doubleday (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

John Twelve Hawks is the name adopted by the reclusive author of The Traveler, the first book of a projected trilogy. The setting is the near future, and the plot grows from the fact that the United States has become part of the Vast Machine, which collects the data on citizens, breaching all privacy. The system is controlled by the Tabula, a group opposed by the Travelers, who are protected by the Harlequins. The female protagonist is a warrior Harlequin named Maya who protects two Travelers, Michael and Gabriel, the latter of whom lives "off the grid," as does Twelve Hawks himself. In an interview featured on the publisher's Web site, Twelve Hawks said, "For me, living off the grid means existing in a way that can't be tracked by the government or large corporations." Twelve Hawks, who keeps his actual identity secret, said that he communicates with his agent and editor by satellite telephone or online.

A Publishers Weekly contributor called The Traveler "powerful," adding that it is constructed "on a foundation of cutting-edge technology laced with fantasy and the chilling specter of an all-too-possible social and political reality." Lisa Kay Greissinger, writing in People, observed that "this novel's a stunner." Carisa Richner, writing on the Mostly Fiction Web site, commented "that the ending was unsatisfying and a little unbelievable." Richner added, however, that she "was pleasantly surprised when this novel turned out to be more than just a plot centered conspiracy novel." Jonathan Zabel, writing on the Blogcritics Web site, remarked that the novel "functions mainly as an Orwellian cautionary tale with some Matrix-esque fight scenes and metaphysical speculation thrown in." A contributor to the SF Signal Web site mentioned that "what The Traveler ultimately does is provide a fast, engrossing read that forces you to consider the societal impact of surveillance technology. The satisfying ending sets the stage for a sequel." Booklist contributor David Pitt concluded: "Needless to say, after finishing the book, readers will wait in breathless anticipation for the next installment in this gripping blend of fantasy and crime fiction."

Two years later Twelve Hawks published its sequel, The Dark River. The book opens with Maya struggling to help Gabriel and several of his allies escape from New York before the Tabula finds him. Throughout the novel, a romantic relationship between Maya and Gabriel develops and Gabriel learns that his infamous father is actually alive.

Rod Smith, writing on the Time Out New York Web site, stated: "Never let it be said that John Twelve Hawks can't write a thrilling sequel." A contributor to Publishers Weekly warned that "given the complicated plot and complex setting, readers are advised to read The Traveler first." Patrick A. Smith, writing in January Magazine, remarked that "despite some intriguing character development, though, The Dark River can't escape a certain episodic sameness, the cuts from scene to scene contrived rather than coming as part of the story's flow, as if the whole thing were already story-boarded for Hollywood." Smith also commented that "Twelve Hawks' pacing balances edge-of-the-seat chases and lethal fights with engaging characters (notwithstanding a few cardboard villains), though even the action scenes can be herky-jerky. One false move, a couple of lapsed passages or a few lines of loose dialogue, and the characters play out their roles against a blue screen: two-dimensional, dull, lifeless. But for the most part, this book is neither dull nor lifeless." Smith concluded that "whether Twelve Hawks can cut the bullseye in the finale remains to be seen. A lot of readers in the Fourth Realm are waiting—and hoping." Writing in the New York Times Book Review, Janet Maslin observed that the novel "ends with an effective cliffhanger and the promise of a continuing battle between good and evil. With any luck Mr. Twelve Hawks, whose blunt fervor remains undiminished, will get himself off autopilot and rejoin this fight with renewed vigor." Nancy Fontaine, reviewing the novel on the Curled Up with a Good Book Web site, commented that "there are major cliffhanger elements, which is both frustrating and admirable. We'll just have to wait on pins and needles for John Twelve Hawks' next installment to find out how they are resolved."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 2005, David Pitt, review of The Traveler, p. 1540; July 1, 2007, David Pitt, review of The Dark River, p. 34.

Bookseller, November 18, 2005, Paul Mark, review of The Traveler, p. 13.

Entertainment Weekly, June 24, 2005, Gregory Kirschling, review of The Traveler, p. 170.

January Magazine, August 21, 2007, Patrick A. Smith, review of The Dark River.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2005, review of The Traveler, p. 507; June 1, 2007, review of The Dark River.

Library Journal, May 15, 2005, Joy St. John, review of The Traveler, p. 108.

New York Times Book Review, July 26, 2007, Janet Maslin, review of The Dark River.

People, July 18, 2005, Lisa Kay Greissinger, review of The Traveler, p. 50.

Philadelphia Inquirer, August 10, 2005, review of The Traveler.

Publishers Weekly, May 9, 2005, review of The Traveler, p. 46; May 28, 2007, review of The Dark River, p. 36.

San Francisco Chronicle, July 17, 2005, David Lazarus, review of The Traveler, p. F4.

Shots, July, 2005, L.J. Hurst, review of The Traveler.

USA Today, June 27, 2005, Carol Memmott, author interview.

Washington Post Book World, July 4, 2005, Patrick Anderson, review of The Traveler, p. C2.

ONLINE

Blogcritics,http://blogcritics.org/ (October 15, 2005), Jonathan Zabel, review of The Traveler.

BookBrowse.com,http://www.bookbrowse.com/ (February 18, 2008), author interview.

BookLoons,http://www.bookloons.com/ (February 18, 2008), Martina Bexte, review of The Traveler.

Bookreporter.com,http://www.bookreporter.com/ (February 18, 2008), Alexis Burling, review of The Traveler.

Curled Up with a Good Book,http://www.curledup.com/ (February 18, 2008), Luan Gaines, review of The Traveler; Nancy Fontaine, review of The Dark River.

Fantasy Book Spot,http://www.fantasybookspot.com/ (February 18, 2008), Gabe Chouinard, author interview.

Internet Writing Journal,http://www.internetwritingjournal.com/ (February 18, 2008), review of The Dark River.

John Twelve Hawks Publisher Home Page,http://www.randomhouse.com/features/johntwelvehawks (February 18, 2008), author profile.

Mostly Fiction,http://www.mostlyfiction.com/ (July 15, 2005), Carisa Richner, review of The Traveler.

Random House Web site,http://www.randomhouse.com/ (August 29, 2005), author interview.

SFFWorld.com,http://www.sffworld.com/ (December 4, 2005), Rob Bedford, author interview.

SF Signal,http://www.sfsignal.com/ (February 18, 2008), review of The Traveler.

Time Out New York,http://www.timeout.com/newyork/ (July 5, 2007), Rod Smith, review of The Dark River.