Erin S. (nantuckerin) reviewed on 11/5/2009 + 158 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

I'll admit, my interest is more than a little peaked about 2012, and the historical background and predictions surrounding the much-anticipated date. So, 2012: The War for Souls practically jumped off the library shelf and into my eager hands.

I've never read anything by Whitley Strieber, and I was very young when he wrote Communion and received all the attention for the work. So I was even more intrigued by the book.

I really enjoyed the first third of the 2012. I devoured the first 10 chapters, which are like something out of a summer blockbuster disaster movie. The next third of the book started to get a little strange as Strieber's writing returned to its alien-themed comfort zone. And the end third of the tale was just out there.

The book follows writer (Wiley) who finds himself completely engrossed in his new novel. In fact, at times he finds himself compelled to write, as if he's channeling events that are happening in another world. The main character of his story, Martin, is an archeologist who knows too much, caught up in a global disaster and an otherworldly threat that can destroy his family, his career and even his very soul. And the cruel and calculating alien creatures that are killing millions on the Earth in Wiley's unfinished story might soon be coming for his world, too.

I did enjoy Streiber's writing style. His descriptions are colorful and he uses language well to help advance his scariest plot points. He's also masterful at subtle and unexpected humor. Anyone that can work Ann Coulter into a story like that deserves kudos for providing creative laughs. Both primary characters were also very well developed, and likeable.

My biggest problem with the book was that it was just a little too out there -- sorry to repeat, but it's really the only way I can put it. It's one of the wackiest and strangest stories I've ever read. It was well written and engaging, but I know it's not something I'd reread. In fact, I think it may deter me from seeking out any of Strieber's many other books of the alien persuasion. Strieber contends that he is the survivor of an alien abduction, and he certainly writes about the experience with gritty and disturbing intimacy.

In the end, I appreciated the story's creativity, but I can't say I liked it. Parts of 2012 just made me feel like I needed a shower. I now know more about cattle mutilations and anal probs than I ever wanted to. And I wish I was kidding.

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