About the Author Dustin Thomason co-wrote the number one International and New York Times Bestseller, The Rule of Four. He earned his BA in Anthropology from Harvard College and his Medical Degree from Columbia University. He has written and executive produced the American television series The Evidence and Lie to Me. He lives and works in Los Angeles. 12.21 is Dustin's first solo novel.
R**!
Not bad but not great.
A man named Gutierrez brings an old Mayan artifact to Dr. Chel Manu. It is obviously stolen and she knows she should report it. But this artifact is like nothing she (or anyone else) has ever seen. Meanwhile, a prion disease has appeared (think mad cow) and the doctors are desperately searching for the source. People are dying and as 12/21/12 approaches, some people are saying it is the end of the world.Okay, so I went into this book blind (having no idea what it was about, though maybe I should have guessed from the title). I do this often, with varying results. This book was fine. The mystery of what caused the disease is pretty obvious to the reader early on. But watching the characters try to figure it out is interesting. The book moves at a slow pace overall with a few surprising and exciting moments. There are several points of view, including the writings from the artifact which detail the life of the scribe who wrote them.Not my favorite "virus causes the apocalypse" book but not bad.Recommended to:I know there are more interesting books out there, but if you like ancient history and stories about out of control viruses, you might like it.
J**T
Science Rules!
WOW, what a story, not sure what I was expecting, but man, this story had it. I really liked how developed the characters were and how they interacted even though trust was shattered almost immediately. I also liked how even thought there were many story lines developing that they did not go down all the rabbit holes as some of them were kept right where they needed to be. I did thoroughly enjoy all the details of the Maya civilization and ancient works. I also found it nice to not get into all the gory details of death even though that was what was happening.
M**O
An intriguing novel about a medical mystery, an ancient race and the end of the world
A dynamic and puzzling story about a rare disease and its invented variant affecting major cities in the US. A love story between a brilliant medical researcher and a Mayan linguist and curator in the middle of a chaotic and controversial epidemic. The setting is the end of the human race or the start of a new generation of human beings as predicted by the ancients. A fascinating and enjoyable novel very well written and researched.
F**T
Death is in the Air
I was not at all excited by the first chapter in this book - it just didn't catch my attention. After putting the book aside for several months I returned to it and made it into the 2nd chapter = and then read almost non-stop until I finished the entire thing. A strange new disease is found in LA, which causes rapid death and spreads quickly. It is up to a bold group of scientists to find where it came from and how to stop it.
M**T
12.21 ; A Novel
This would have made a decent movie for late Fall.Part historical fiction(mostly accurate as admitted by the author),part medical/political thriller, this doomsday-type story will keep you guessing.The end of the Mayan calendar is two weeks away as the story begins.Calm reigns,but not for long. Soon there is a strange but familiar sounding case for a doctor with the CDC to deal with,an ancient,never before seen Mayan artifact surfaces, and from there all hell breaks loose.Soon LA is in full quarantine as the good doctor and an Mayan culture expert struggle to contain a deadly virus, and track down an antidote before it's too late.I liked the two main characters, and found it easy to get into the story line. The middle bogged down some and there is some stuff in there I would have left out, but hey,it's not my story.I really liked how the story played out, for me a very satisfying ending.
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
5 days ago
