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The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1)
The Traveler - Fourth Realm, Bk 1
Author: John Twelve Hawks
The time is roughly the present, and the U.S. is part of the Vast Machine, a society overseen by the Tabula, a secret organization bent on establishing a perfectly controlled populace. Alled against the Tabula are the Travelers and their sword-carrying protectors, the Harlequins, a fierce group of warriors willing to sacrifice their lives to pro...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780385514286
ISBN-10: 038551428X
Publication Date: 6/28/2005
Pages: 464
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 74

3.7 stars, based on 74 ratings
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

LMM avatar reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on + 155 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
One of the best books I've read in a while...a great new near future world...with computer surveillance and Big Brother overtones. There are still a few Travelers who can move beyond our realm and change the way others view the world and those who protect them. About halfway through the book I found myself hoping it would be a series and was pleased at the end to find it will be!
reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
Cutting edge fantasy that speaks to the anxieties of an increasing globalized and mediated world.
reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on + 164 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
This was very good! Fast-paced, griping, fun, and interesting! I will definitely be waiting to read the next book to see what happens next! The author has certainly got plenty of things to work with in the next book!

But for all that, I have to say that I was never really drawn into this world. I was always just removed enough to easily put the book down, and occasionally would even think parts of story came off as a little silly. It wasn't the plot, it was a hint of flatness in the writing that did it. Every now and again a weak point would break through my suspension of disbelief, and the writing wasn't quite strong enough to hold me captive in the story when that happened.

It's the action more than anything else that keeps you reading this story, but that is very well done. There aren't any slow segments in the book.

Wow though, I don't envy the Travelers any more than the Harlequins! Their experieces in the fourth realm didn't sound all that great, and the other realms look much worse! I don't think I'd be interested in going back to the second realm, and I'm not sure why they'd want to either. And while visiting such a place would certainly provide a lot of perspective on life back home, I really can't see how it would embue the Travelers with all the spiritual mysticism with which they are accredited. The Travelers' spiritual connections seemed very weakly explained in general.
BobbieH avatar reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 4
This was an interesting, thought-provoking book, and a little disturbing at times. The Big Brother allusions are well earned, but the heart of the book revolves around the Travelers, the people trying to protect them, and the people trying to destroy them. I enjoyed seeing modern tech and The Patriot Act taken to logical extremes, and what we've seen of the realms the Travelers go to are quite inventive. I look forward to the next book. If you like old-school SF or lighter cyberpunk, you'll likely enjoy this book.
Rebemdee avatar reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 3
A very fast read! It was interesting and action packed. The writing is choppy, and the "facts you need to know" could have been introduced in a way that helped character development, rather than seeming like a rattling off of the facts by whichever character was nearby. Still, an entertaining read, and if more books of this series come my way I would read them.
Read All 35 Book Reviews of "The Traveler Fourth Realm Bk 1"

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ATraveler avatar reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on + 193 more book reviews
This is an excellent action-fantasy tale set in the present to immediate future. The "good-guys" are regular people....some with extra training; the "bad-guys" are corruptible regular people that have bought into a Big Brother-like philosophy because it gives them the power.

As the book hooked me early on, I was hoping it would be a series and was pleasantly surprised when I looked up John Twelve Hawks to learn it was the first book in his The Fourth Realm Trilogy.
reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on + 14 more book reviews
Really good science fiction book...can't wait to read the sequel
missy658 avatar reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on + 8 more book reviews
I almost put this book down after the first dozen pages but my rule is I need to read 10% of the book before giving up on it. It has over 400 pages but by the time I hit page 40, I was hooked. I cared about the characters :) There's a touch of sci fi that can be easily believed and much to think about.
wilmasorphans avatar reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on + 3 more book reviews
Traveler was a great read. To really appreciate it you have to read the second and final book in the series. It takes George Orwell's 1984 a couple of steps forward but the premise is the same. Control by technology...
prtyof10 avatar reviewed The Traveler (Fourth Realm, Bk 1) on + 75 more book reviews
Gabriel and Michael Corrigan are two of the last known
Travelers in existence. Like their father, who disappeared during their childhood, they have the ability to pass through various levels of reality in order to obtain enlightenment and use this knowledge to help others do the same.

Because their abilities are so valued and rare, the Corrigan brothers must be protected by Maya, a Harlequin (think twenty-something rogue spy with black-belt
ninja skills), in order to prevent the Tabula (Big Brother) from capturing the two and using their transcendental powers to brainwash the unsuspecting "normal people" (i.e. average,law-abiding citizens) who already are under constant surveillance
through computers, electronic tracking systems, and strategically placed cameras.

In a series of high-speed chases, combat-riddled
action sequences involving swords, and a couple of pulse-thumping cliffhangers, these three groups continue to duke it out until the end, which, of course, is to be continued.

Highly recommend!!


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