Amy and her friends are busy trying to destroy the remaining Twelve–the vampires who were death row inmates, who were supposed to be soldier’s for the military–an experiment that went horribly wrong.
One hundred years into the past, four plots are going on at once: Lila Kyle becomes frantically disillusioned about the world around her, going crazy in her body’s attempt to keep her safe.
A man by the name of Kittridge is the Last Stand in Denver, a guy taking on the end of the world at the end of a gun’s scope, shooting virals–the term for vampires in this universe.
Lawrence Grey, the janitor introduced in The Passage, wakes up in a hotel room changed from the bite in his neck. He’s now one of Babcock’s Many, one of his vampire horde.
Danny, an autistic man who drives a school bus, encounters two kids by the name of April and her younger brother Tim while driving the deserted, gory streets.
Horace Guilder, a dying federal government persona, is desperately trying to deal with America falling apart around him.
As these people’s lives intersect and fill in the blanks about what happened during the past, the book jumps about 75 years ahead, filling in more blanks about the lives of the aforementioned General Vorhees from The Passage and his friends when they were much younger. In a field, virals attack, revealing the fate of Vorhees’ wife and children, as well as the fate of his friends.
In the future, Amy and her friends are desperately trying to end the lives of the Twelve, the vampires who are now loose upon the world.
As loyalties are tested, friendships are made and remade in The Twelve. Peter and his friends Michael, Alicia, and Amy all go their separate ways. The question remains: Can Amy and her friends destroy the virals? Can they change the world around them?
These people are some of my favorites, characters that I’ve grown to care about, people who feel real in the chaos and craziness in the aftermath of an apocalypse. The quick pacing helps surge the narrative forward, gripping the reader as new situations and challenges arise. There are wonderfully odd moments, like Lila trying to find the right kind of paint for her baby’s room. Even though she goes a little crazy, she remains human. This novel is full of little remembrances of what it means to be human, as well as the memories of humanity.
If you like books about vampires that don’t sparkle, Justin Cronin’s The Passage trilogy is for you.
The Nerdy Nook 
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