The Twelve-Fingered Boy

by John Hornor Jacobs

Hardcover, 2013

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Carolrhoda Books (2013), Epub, 280 pages

Description

Fantasy. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: Fifteen-year-old Shreve Cannon doesn't mind juvie. He's got a good business dealing contraband candy, and three meals a day are more than his drunk mother managed to provide. In juvie, the rules never change and everyone is the same. In juvie, Shreve has life figured out. Then the new fish shows up. Jack's a quiet kid. Small. Cries himself to sleep too. He's no standard-issue titty-baby, though. There's his hands�??more specifically his fingers, all twelve of 'em. And when he gets angry, something weird happens. The air wavers. You feel a slight pressure in your chest. And then...well, best take cover. Jack isn't the only new face in juvie. There's Mr. Quincrux. Quincrux has an unusual interest in Jack and Shreve, and it quickly becomes clear that innocent bystanders aren't going to get in his way. So Jack and Shreve bust out. On the lam, they quickly discover that Jack has abilities�??hell, superpowers�??that might just give them a fighting chance against Quincrux, if they can stay alive long enough to figure them… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member spuriouscarrie
I think this would be described by the publisher or author as an homage of sorts to the X-men comic series/movies; I saw it as a blatant rip-off. Mentioning the comics within the story is sort of an ass-covering move, and ultimately weak. It also seems like a mild Stephen King rip-off (always
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mentioning the nosebleeds seemed like near-constant referencing to King's Firestarter).

Definitely not a surprise to learn it's part of a trilogy as there are definitely more questions than answers, but it's not compelling enough for me to want to find the answers. This was highly recommended by Cory Doctorow, and to be fully honest, I am not a fan of Doctorow's writing, so I guess it's not a surprise I didn't like what he recommended. I keep on trying to like him, but...... I bet people who love Doctorow's stuff will like this though. Just not for me.
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LibraryThing member dmerrell
This was an excellent book. The characters were interesting, the action intense and the story well-developed. I highly recommend!

Language

Physical description

280 p.; 7.6 inches

Local notes

Shreve Cannon doesn't mind juvie. He's got a good business dealing contraband candy, and three meals a day are more than his drunk mother managed to provide. Then Jack shows up. Jack's a quiet kid. But there's his hands--more specifically his fingers, all twelve of 'em. And when he gets angry, something weird happens. And Mr Quincrux has an unusual interest in Jack and Shreve, and it quickly becomes clear that innocent bystanders aren't going to get in his way. So Jack and Shreve bust out. On the lam, they quickly discover that Jack has abilities that might just give them a fighting chance against Quincrux, if they can stay alive long enough to figure them out.
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