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Summary and Reviews of The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks

The Traveler

The First Novel of the Fourth Realm Trilogy

by John Twelve Hawks
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (13):
  • First Published:
  • Jun 28, 2005, 464 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jul 2006, 464 pages
  • Rate this book

About This Book

Book Summary

The Traveler explores a parallel world that exists alongside our own. 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.

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.

PRELUDE

Maya reached out and took her father's hand as they walked from the Underground to the light. Thorn didn't push her away or tell Maya to concentrate on the position of her body. Smiling, he guided her up a narrow staircase to a long, sloping tunnel with white tile walls. The Underground authority had installed steel bars on one side of the tunnel and this barrier made the ordinary passageway look like part of an enormous prison. If she had been traveling alone, Maya might have felt trapped and uncomfortable, but there was nothing to worry about because Father was with her.

It's the perfect day, she thought. Well, maybe it was the second most perfect day. She still remembered two years ago when Father had missed her birthday and Christmas only to show up on Boxing Day with a taxi full of presents for Maya and her mother. That morning was...

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Maya has been trained since childhood to be a Harlequin, yet she chooses to live a normal life. What aspects of her upbringing play the largest part in her decision? In what ways does her relationship with Thorn exemplify the conflicts any daughter might have with a strong, distant father?

  2. Are Thorn’s demands on Maya justified? Under what circumstances, if any, do children have a responsibility to renounce their own way of life and dedicate themselves to their parent’s cause? Why does Maya ultimately decide to honor her father’s request?

  3. Discuss the meaning and ramifications of the Harlequin motto, "Damned by the flesh. Saved by the blood" [p. 22/mm 23*]. What familiar moral percepts ...
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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

As action adventure goes, The Traveler is difficult to fault - it's the first in a planned trilogy that is partly a cautionary tale of modern life and partly a psychological thriller with strong sci-fi overtones (think 1984 meets The Matrix). The Traveler is guaranteed to raise the paranoia levels of any conspiracy theorists to breaking point, but it also offers a valuable wake up call to all of us who buy into the convenience of modern day life without thought for where our increasing reliance on computerized everything could lead us!..continued

Full Review (92 words)

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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

Media Reviews

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Reader Reviews

Peter's Fourth Life

Too Close
I'm not surprised John12Hawks lives off the Grid. I'm suprised he's still alive. Too near or possibly spot on the truth. Govs will probably try and protect their myths as the CC are alleged to do in DaVinci Code. You feel you are reading about ...   Read More
carol

Traveler stimulates
I found this book, listened to in the audio form, to be stimulating in ideas and quite in line with ideas I have contemplated. I am excited about it being the first of a trilogy although it certainly can be read alone. It is a bit of a blend of ...   Read More
Z

EAGER
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE READ IN QUITE A WHILE. THE CONCEPT OF TRAVELERS IS AN ORIGINAL IDEA TO ME AND EVERY LAST CHARACTER PULLS YOU DEEPER INTO THE STORY. I LOVED THIS BOOK AND I'M EAGERLY AWAITING THE NEXT TWO BOOKS.
Dreamer

Makes you think
Although this book may not use the best prose in the world, what is presented makes you think, as opposed to how it is presented. The concept of the Grid is worringly realistic, and not necessarily 'fiction.' It is rare that I find a book I cannot ...   Read More

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Beyond the Book



Who is John Twelve Hawks? According to his editor at Doubleday, Jason Kaufman (who also edited The Da Vinci Code), nobody knows - not even Kaufman. Twelve Hawks claims to live 'off the grid' - meaning that he lives in such a way that the government can't track him - no credit cards, no driver's license and nothing that would allow the government to invade his privacy.

Kaufman says 'we talk quite frequently [by phone], and I believe he always speaks with a satellite phone ... and a satellite ...

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