Book Review - Twelve by Jasper Kent

OK I admit it I bought this book under the misunderstanding that it primarily historical with a bit of a fantasy twist, which is OK if after reading it you are a bit more knowledgeable about the events. Twelve by Jasper Kent is subtitled Russia, 1812 and is set at the point where Moscow is threatened by Napolean's army in 1812. The background is a huge canvas with great potential. In essence the struggling Russian army engage the services of twelve mercenaries who claim to be able to turn the tide of the war.

I also admit that I am not a horror fan, in fact the last "horror" book I read was Carrie, and that was in the early eighties, so I was not sure what to expect but I assumed that the thinly veiled gothic twist might re-awaken a forgotten (in me) genre. Sadly it was not to be, the book was so tedious in its execution with the hero moving from Moscow to the front so often it was confusing as to where and why he was where he was. I lost interest in all the characters none of which was appealing and the vampire mercs were just plain boring. As a plus I thinks that the book was well researched but not that there was very much historical context in the story.

As a re-introduction to the genre it was a complete miss, I will stick to the Bernard Cornwall for my historical derring-do.

SiG