The Twelve is an extraordinary and unforgettable novel about a most unusual man. As a child, Max lives in a world of colors and numbers, not speaking until the age of six. As an adult, Max ventures on a journey of destiny to discover the secret behind the ancient Mayan prophecy about the end of time, foretold to occur on December 21, 2012.
When he is fifteen years old, Max has a near-death experience during which he has a vision that reveals to him the names of twelve unique individuals. While Max cannot discern the significance of these twelve names, he is unable to shake the sense that they have deep meaning. Eight years pass before Max meets the first of the twelve.
With this, Max's voyage of discovery begins, as he strives to uncover the identities and implications of "the twelve"—individuals he will meet during his journey toward truth, all of whom seem connected, and all of whom may hold the answer to what will happen at the exact moment the world may end. A series of global adventures culminates in a revelation that explains why and how Max and the twelve are destined to unite to discover the magnitude of the meaning of December 21, 2012. Only the twelve can provide the answers, as the fate of all humanity rests in the balance.
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"This book is a delight - filled with the perfect mix of adventure, entertainment, and timely messages of transformation. Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down until I got to the very last page. I loved this story about the hero Max, who came alive in this book to show us the unique crossroads we and our planet face."
— Selacia (4 out of 5 stars)
“Serendipitous encounters with the twelve will strike many readers as…magical.”
— Publishers Weekly" Interesting story, but I was disappointed that the story was told to me. There was hardly any dialog between characters and not much character development or depth. "
— Diana, 1/31/2014" Probably the first and last book I will read about 2012 and the rebirth of humanity...time is better spent elsewhere. "
— Harry, 1/30/2014" An interesting story about the end of the Mayan calendar. This was a debut novel. Everytime I thought that I would stop reading it, the author would renew my interest in seeing where he was going with the story line. All in all a good debut novel even though I had problems with the female to male ratio of the twelve and a few other points which I will not talk about as I don't want to give away the whole plot and thus spoil it for others. "
— Penny, 1/27/2014" I've always been fascinated with the concepts of the Mayan calendar and the 2012 end date. I'm certain that's what drew me to this book. It's a work of fiction, but has many informative aspects about different cultures, sacred sites, and the 2012 mythos. However, I found it all a bit rushed and coincidental as far as plot progression and character interactions. It only took me a couple hours to read. If you're looking for a book that's quick, generally informative, and filled with hope for the direction the world is going, then I'd recommend this. Just be forewarned that it is a little cheesy and a bit far-fetched. "
— Mandy, 1/23/2014" This sucked! Poor writing - poor story line - big suck time. "
— Bonnie, 1/22/2014" I read this because this is my daughter's first birthday. I felt it was going to be more exciting. The more I read the more bored I became. At the end, the epilogue sounded like a fantasy. "
— Jenn, 1/17/2014" I forced my way through this book. Which is very unusual for me. It was just to many unnecessary details. Max was a wonderful character, but I did not need to know about every detail about every paper he wrote in college, job and all of it's duties. Most of the other characters other than the twelve I did not need to know about. I would not recommend this book. In the end we got world peace, that scientist can not answer how. I'm upset with myself for pushing my way through, and with the author for including way to many details that do not increase the value of the story. "
— Yvonne, 12/30/2013" Eh, I was wondering what the author would do with the date the Mayan Calendar ends and it wasn't very exciting. Oh well. "
— Kayleen, 12/27/2013" Cliches of the new age, but at least the world is not physically destroyed. "
— Victoria, 10/17/2013" Interesting concept, but not as engaging as the The Celestine Prophecy. "
— Ellen, 10/6/2013" Well written, excellent book. This is a book that will be read over and over. "
— Christine, 10/2/2013" This book grabs your interest in the beginning, slows down in the middle, and the end is anticlimatic. It was okay but I don't think I'd recommend it to anyboby. "
— Kat, 5/31/2013" It kept my attention. It was good and would recommend to friends "
— Ashley, 5/11/2013" I thought the concept and the storyline were unique and interesting, but I did not like this author's writing style. I would be drawn in and be really involved in the story and then the scene would end and break the mood. It was really disappointing as the story telling, I felt, was lacking. "
— Kim, 10/24/2012" I was intrigued by the premise and continued reading hoping it would get better but it didn't. It wasn't Celestine Prophesy bad but the story just didn't gel for me. As interesting as some elements were, it just wasn't enough to work. "
— Ginny, 9/1/2012" Would have enjoyed it more if not for the left wing propaganda making the entire work hypocritical. "
— Shannon, 8/12/2012" An interesting premise, but too simply written; was it supposed to be a fairy tale for adults? Long build-up, then a quick ending. I read another review that it was like walking across a wide, shallow lake, with a quick drop in the center. I felt the author was 'writing down' to me. Disappointing. "
— Laurie, 3/29/2012" The book was a fast read & didn't have a lot of depth & character development but I did like the discussion of many of the spiritual places around the world as a reference for more research on my part. I also liked the more uplifting interpretation of Dec 21, 2012 & the end of the Mayan calendar. "
— Sandy, 2/6/2012" A good concept, but it fell flat. I had expected a good Mayan calendar/end-of-the-world thriller, but it veered off into something very different and became much too "New Age-y" for my tastes. "
— Rob, 1/6/2012" Very repetitive with a dry ending... Meh... "
— Jay, 7/14/2011" An interesting story about synchronicity and 12-21-12. "
— Carol, 4/19/2011" Good read - very interesting but a bit "out there" and the ending was rather a let-down. "
— Debby, 3/14/2011" It kept my attention. It was good and would recommend to friends "
— Ashley, 1/3/2011" Good read - very interesting but a bit "out there" and the ending was rather a let-down. "
— Debby, 10/16/2010" Cliches of the new age, but at least the world is not physically destroyed. "
— Victoria, 9/23/2010" so far this book is terrible. The writing style is not interesting. Their is no character depth, I feel no connection with any of the characters in the story. The story itself is unoriginal. I don't think I will finish this dribble. <br/>I finished it and it didn't get any better. "
— Marcelina, 8/9/2010" Very repetitive with a dry ending... Meh... "
— Jay, 7/26/2010" Probably the first and last book I will read about 2012 and the rebirth of humanity...time is better spent elsewhere. "
— Harry, 4/11/2010" Interesting story, but I was disappointed that the story was told to me. There was hardly any dialog between characters and not much character development or depth. "
— Diana, 11/22/2009" I thought the concept and the storyline were unique and interesting, but I did not like this author's writing style. I would be drawn in and be really involved in the story and then the scene would end and break the mood. It was really disappointing as the story telling, I felt, was lacking. "
— Kim, 11/11/2009William Gladstone majored in Spanish literature at Yale University and cultural anthropology at Harvard University. He also received an advanced degree in literature from the University of Salamanca in Spain. Gladstone has worked at the highest levels of book publishing, created the Waterside Technical Book Conferences, and has been involved in the creation of several digital publishing enterprises, including the first print-on-demand book publishing company, the first digital e-book company, and several current cutting-edge online book marketing companies. He lives in Cardiff, California.
Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.