Book Review: The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks

Yeah, I'm a book reviewer now.

The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks (and yes, that's his real name) is the second book in the Fourth Realm trilogy (it sounds very confusing with all those numbers). The first book is The Traveler. I stumbled onto it by accident through a book club and loved it. It follows the adventures of a "traveler" called Gabriel and his brother Michael. Travelers have the ability to visit other dimensions, or "realms". The author cites other famous travelers like Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and a list of mystics and people from all walks of life and religions. You may not agree with the theology here, but it helps with the story.

When these travelers return from their other-worldly visits, they come back with secret knowledge and words of wisdom that go against life here in this realm. Over the years, a group has risen to dispose of these people and keep the world in order. These people are called the Brethren. They know everything and are very, very bad. Very bad.

There's also a group called Harlequins. They protect the Travelers at any cost, and therefore are very lonely, disturbed, heroic people. The lead of the novel is Maya. She is sworn to protect Gabriel and Michael, who have just discovered their powers.

The story is set up as a Matrix-type narrative: The world can be a better place, but the powers that be don't want it to change and will do anything to silence those who desire change. The difference here is that the changes aren't technological or biological as in the Matrix. The changes in The Traveler and
The Dark River are spiritual and psychological. While the driving force of the current realm is to buy more, the Travelers tell their followers to live simply and consume less. This is a dangerous message to a consumerist, post modern society. I found myself resonating with that message through both books.

Even though most may recognize the Matrix parallels, there are enough twists and turns in individual storylines to keep it very interesting. And the chapters from the other realm visits are very weird. Mr. Twelve Hawks (or is it just Hawks?) does a great job of letting the reader know that they are in a different place. They're both fun reads too.