Twelve
Author: Jasper Kent
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Publishing Date: 2010
Pgs: 446
Dewey: F KEN
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
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REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
1812, Napoleon’s empire marched on Russia, rolling the Russian army before him to the gates of Moscow. And then, stops. A Russian cadre of spies dogs the French army’s steps across the steppe. A Russian cadre that has called for help from an old friend of one of their number, an old Wallachian ally from the Carpathians. A call that was answered by the 12. 12 who hunt by night. Fight like ten men. Can move quiet through city streets or the fields and pastures. And who kill with no mercy and a certain delight. And drink the blood and devour the flesh of their enemies. And in some instances make their victims into creatures like them. Aleksei Danilov, one Russia’s premier spies and agent provocateurs has discovered what his new allies are. And he must make a choice between damnation and damnation.

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Genre:
Historical Fantasy
Action
Adventure
War
Russia
Vampires
Horror
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Why this book:
Vampires in a historical setting.
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Favorite Character:
Dominiika. She seems to be the only character with a level head that Aleksei can actually communicate with. Everyone else seems trapped inside their own version of life, only dealing with the outside through their own filter. Toward the end of the book, her character seems to wander a bit. Though whether that’s the author’s fault, me placing my version of the character over his, or the character’s own growth is a quibble.

Favorite Scene:
The Aleksei scenes with Dominiika aren’t what I expected them to be. Overplayed cliche with the hooker with a heart of gold, but still well done.

Favorite Quote:
Maks’ view of faith was a fool’s paradise; living in happy ignorance for fear of discovering the truth.

Favorite Concept:
Vampires and Russians vs Napoleon...awesome.

Meh / PFFT Moments:
BS. The Ophyryniki wouldn’t be cut down that easily. Dmitri and/or Vadim are in league with them, possibly hoping that they will be made like them.

After the action of some of the scenes, the climax with Aleksei and Iuda under the bridge on the frozen river is a bit non-action oriented.

The Sigh:
Uhm...seems like the Ophyrniki would recognize that one of their own isn’t one of their own. But maybe that’s just something that one such as Zemeyevich would recognize with age and wisdom.
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Last Page Sound:
So it ends, but it’s not really an ending.

Questions I’m Left With:
Iuda is a question in and of himself.
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It’s 1812 and Russia faces dark days, as Napoleon’s great army sweeps eastward, pushing all before it. Some are even beginning to wonder whether they might see the ultimate sacrilege: a French invasion of Moscow. For four daring young soldiers, resistance is the only answer. Plucked from their regiments, Vadim Fyodorovich, Maksim Sergeivich, Dmitry Fetyukovich and our narrator Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov form a special ops unit – and are waiting for some reinforcements to join them very shortly. Dmitry has enlisted the help of a band of men with whom he fought against the Turks some years earlier, whom he nicknames the ‘Oprichniki’ after the bloodthirsty bodyguards of Ivan the Terrible. The Oprichniki certainly prove their worth, striking by night and leaving the French forces depleted and terrified – but Aleksei begins to feel that something isn’t quite right. Who are these mysterious warriors from the dark fringes of Europe? And just what kind of bargain has Dmitry Fetykovich made with them on Russia’s behalf?

For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2018/09/19/twelve-jasper-kent/ ( )

A round of applause to Jasper Kent for this oddball but weirdly effective novel, in which Count Dracula (or Zmyeevich, as he is known to his Russian allies) and his undead minions turn up in Russia in 1812. Their aim is to help the Russian army drive back the invading French, and their methods are, shall we say, unconventional. Stated as baldly as that, it sounds hilarious. Actually, Twelve is atmospheric, creepy and, apart from anything, a fine read.

The narrator is Aleksei, a Russian soldier and spy who unwittingly helps to bring this group of vampires to Russia. At first he thinks they’re just Wallachian mercenaries, but it’s not long before he realises that there’s something decidedly odd about his new chums. When he discovers that they’re vampires he’s horrified and – former allegiances notwithstanding – sets about destroying them.

A fine story, and well-told. Naturally, there are a few flaws – Aleksei, for example, is sometimes unbearably self-absorbed, often to the point of being self-obsessed. The vampires provoke a great deal of moral outrage and soul-searching in him, yet he’s hardly a paragon of virtue himself. The vampires – the ‘Twelve’ of the title – are supposedly brilliant, cunning killers, but they are without exception rather one-dimensional and stupid. The ending falls a bit flat; it feels like it goes out on a whimper rather than a bang.

Still, when you’ve enjoyed a novel so much recounting its flaws in this way feels like griping for the sake of it. This is a great read and, while it’s never really frightening, there are some chilling, very effective moments. One of the most unnerving parts of the novel is the part where Aleksei’s friend and comrade Dmitry recounts his first meeting with Zmyeevich, while he was fighting against the Turks in Wallachia. The creepy old castle, the wild Carpathians, the thick atmosphere of menace and gathering dread … it’s reminiscent of Stoker, but with a greater emphasis on Dracula’s historical role as a soldier, a fighter against the Turks and, from a Romanian point of view, a brutal, terrifying saviour.

Five stars.
( )

A slow start, that lays the background and sets the scene with well researched authenticity. The villains of the piece are villainous indeed and their true horrendous nature is detailed at some length in one particularly gruesome scene.

These bad guys are vampires who are very strong and can move with incredible speed. This makes the seemingly easy dispatch of some of them by our hero, one Captain Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, somewhat unbelievably fortuitous in many cases. Also, a bit tiresomely, Danilov's philosophising on many occasions in the last third of the book, had me turning pages unread.

Get rid of about twenty pages and this would be an “unputdownable” book. It wasn't so bad though, that it will stop me reading the sequel "Thirteen Years Later" now on my wish list. ( )

Forse contrariamente a quanto affermato in copertina Tolstoj non avrebbe scritto un libro di vampiri (vedrei meglio Gogol'o Bulgakov) ma l'ambientazione e la cura della narrazione mi hanno piacevolmente riportato alla mente i ricordi delle letture dei Grandi Russi, con quella gradevole attenzione al folklore, ai luoghi, alla storia. Notevole anche la costruzione dei personaggi, non complessa (o ampollosa come spesso capita nei tomi russeggianti) ma molto attenta a dipingere con pochi tratti precisi caratteri non troppo stereotipati. Ho apprezzato molto la scelta della figura del vampiro, non il solito vampiro moderno (bello e maledetto, fragile, tendenzialmente umano) ma la creatura del folklore, legata alla paura del'ignoto, alla violenza inspiegabile, alla morte, al predatore crudele per eccellenza: l'uomo. ( )