The Twelve [Hardcover]

William Gladstone (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2009

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 towards 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. The novel takes the reader on a series of global adventures, culminating in a revelation of 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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gladstone's meandering debut, the latest thriller tied to the mystical date of December 12, 2012, when Mayan legend predicts the world's end, charts the life of Max Doff, starting with his conception in 1949 in Tarrytown, N.Y. After Max dies briefly at the age 15, he has a vision of 12 people. On returning to consciousness, he begins a decades-long quest to find them. His path takes him to Yale, where his radical philosophical ideas lead to his forced departure from campus. A formulation like 'A is, and is not, equal to A' as the ultimate equation in explaining how to penetrate the impenetrable intellectual domain of 'understanding understanding' is symptomatic of Max's difficulty in getting his message, whatever it actually is, across. Max then begins globe-trotting as part of the production team for a documentary on ancient astronauts. Serendipitous encounters with the twelve will strike many readers as more contrived than magical. (Sept.)
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Review

Eckhart Tolle, author of A New Earth
“Entertaining and inspiring.”

Mark Victor Hanson, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series
“I have never enjoyed a novel more than The Twelve. [William Gladstone’s] theme and message of hope and inspiration is exactly what Jack Canfield and I worked so hard to achieve with our Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Vanguard Press (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593155565
• ISBN-13: 978-1593155568
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #993,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Modern Spiritual Classic, November 7, 2009

By 

Editor at "InfiniteBeing.com" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twelve (Hardcover)

'The Twelve' by William Gladstone is an inspiring novel centered around the 2012 predictions. He weaves prophecy into a global adventure novel about one man's relentless pursuit of the answers to a great spiritual mystery. Eventually, after continuous page-turning suspense, he meets all of the twelve people who are the key to his destiny and that of the world.

Throughout this fast-paced novel, the reader is reminded of the higher connections that all people share if they will only be open to their intuitive guidance. When the hero finally arrives at the crossroads of his ultimate destiny, the biggest surprise of the book unfolds and the chase is finally won.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who would like to treat themselves to a novel of hope, inspiration, and the upliftment of humanity. I'm adding it to my web page of Recommended Modern Spiritual Classics.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, August 28, 2010

By 

Reader Boy "Reader Boy" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twelve (Hardcover)

Found this in a bookstore in Hawaii, and really liked the premise.

Picked it up and read the first few pages: "If you have come upon a copy of this book and are drawn to reading it, then without doubt you are one of the chosen many who may help determine whether these end-times result in planetary destruction or the transformation of all humanity."

Hey, who doesn't want to help transform the world? America, at least to me, no longer resembles the place I loved as a kid. I think we are headed toward some important tipping points as a society. I want to help steer things in the right direction So sure, this is a work of fiction, but maybe it truly offers insight into how we can help bring about "transformation of all humanity."

Ultimately though, we get what I'll charitably call the meandering story of Max -- I mean all over the map literally, figuratively, story line and writing style. It ends with the world being saved because the Twelve, or is it thirteen, or fourteen, come together: "It has been your acts of courage, love, and choice that have brought these times of bliss upon the Earth." And in the Epiloge we read: "None of the Twelve ever revealed the role they each had played in bringing about the great shift...(to type further is to give away a spoiler)."

So, although we are promised to have a role in the transformation of humanity, instead the story is the disempowering message that unless Max and the Twelve get it together there is nothing the rest of us can do. We are interconnected and supposed to wake up to that, but no guidance is offered as to how we might do a better job of it. Instead we leave it to Max and the Twelve to do it for us. Disempowering and disappointing. We need better.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story on the 2012 philosophy...Highly recommended!, February 3, 2010

By 

David Pitcock - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Twelve (Kindle Edition)

I have read many books on the 2012 philosophy. Almost all books that have been written have been simply facts and figures, which are terrific. For someone who really wants to understand these theory's, and with so many opinions out there, it is an absolute treat to read The Twelve. By the end you are so tempted to turn to the end and see what Max is going to do! This is not just for people who are curious about the year 2012, this is for all of humanity that continues to suffer daily in a world of hatred, crime, jealousy and greed...this is a book that will for an instant transform you into a complete feeling of hope...looking forward to when humanity will experience what The Twelve have experienced. It was great to read a novel and story on this subject...very captivating...I simply couldn't put it down!