The Twelve is a novel written by Justin Cronin and published recently in 2012. Cronin is an author who has written five novels and a trilogy with vampires in it, which The Twelve is the second novel in that series. Cronin graduated from Harvard and taught creative writing at La Salle University for a time period as well as English at Rice University. His writing is highly regarded, as he has won various awards, including the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award, a Whiting Award, and the Stephen Crane Prize.
The Twelve takes place in the present day during a man-made apocalypse. The novel starts out at the start of the plague: the main characters are all strangers to one another. Kittridge is known as “Last Stand in Denver” and is a sniper who was shooting virals but is now on the run. April is a teen who is trying her hardest to guide her little brother safely through the destroyed world, and the two meet Danny, an autistic school bus driver who is still making his rounds. Lawrence Grey is a janitor in the Project Noah complex and finds himself younger and healthier than he used to be; he finds Lila, a doctor who is pregnant but doesn’t realize yet how broken society is as she prepares for her baby, in a Home Depot. As the plague continues, the reader discovers that the enemy has evolved dramatically and that everything has changed. As they fight to save humanity, the hope that arises amidst the sacrifice and fight for survival makes The Twelve a gripping tale.
