Book Description
FBI Special Agent Pendergast is taking a break from work to take Constance on a whirlwind Grand Tour, hoping to give her closure and a sense of the world that she's missed.They head to Tibet, where Pendergast intensively trained in martial arts and spiritual studies. At a remote monastery, they learn that a rare and dangerous artifact the monks have been guarding for generations has been mysteriously stolen.As a favor, Pendergast agrees to track and recover the relic.A twisting trail of bloodshed leads Pendergast and Constance to the maiden voyage of the Britannia, the world's largest and most luxurious ocean liner---and to an Atlantic crossing fraught with terror.
Customer Reviews:
Just Plain Silly.......2007-10-19
To begin, I'm a big fan; I've read or listened to virtually everything Preston and/or Child have/has written. Additionally, I have the utmost ability to "suspend my disbelief" and go along for the ride. Try as I might, though, I couldn't accept the silly premise, the structure, and the surprisingly bad writing.
From the beginning, Preston/Child left their tried and true formula of bringing us a shocking event and then leading us to a face-to-face encounter with what we fear. Instead, we glide into the story at an unhurried pace and never find the emotional energy to care about what unfolds.
Without giving anything away, the preposterous scenes aboard ship -- everything from physics to emotional verisimilitude are tossed out -- left me incredulous. Oddly, the supposedly-scientific basis for the central horror is actually introduced in the epilogue. By that point it was far too late.
Plot structure isn't the only weak element. Even the writing-editing is faulty. Occasional misuse of the language is a tiny complaint compared to the consistent derogatory portrayal of all of the elderly characters. Preston/Child never miss an opportunity to describe the distasteful appearance of "sagging" older characters. This juvenile perspective made me wonder if P/C let their kids write some of the chapters.
Skip this one.
Another Pendergast triumph.......2007-10-18
Most fans of the previous novels starring FBI agent Pendergast will enjoy this book as well. It follows a similar theme of some of the earler novels, such as Still Life With Crows, or Relic. What seems like a muder mystery aboard a Titanic-like ocean liner, becomes tinged with something of the supernatural, like the earlier Pendergast novels. I can't say this is the best of the Pendergast series, but it is still a worthwhile read for any fan of this series by Lincol and Child.
Mystery is gone.......2007-10-17
I liked Pendergast more when I knew less about his past and each book that comes forward now seems to take away the mystery of Aloysius.
The dynamic duo has done it again.......2007-10-16
The dynamic duo has done it again.
In THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS, their eighth supernatural thriller, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child give us another fast-paced, riveting mystery featuring the seemingly unflappable Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his young ward Constance Greene, and the elements of the unknown.
The book picks up in the aftermath of THE BOOK OF THE DEAD, with Constance recovering, we suspect, from an aborted pregnancy (the father: Pendergast's villainous younger brother). Constance and the good agent seek solace and solitude through escape. They are drawn to Gsalrig Chongg, a monastery in Tibet, where women historically have not been accepted as students. Recognizing something special about Constance, she becomes the exception to the rule and is welcome by the brotherhood. (Her name, it turns out, translates to "Green Tara," the moniker of the mother of all Buddhas. This revelation forecasts something big to come.)
It is, of course, no coincidence that the stoic agent and his frail ward end up amongst the monks. Instead of moving past the tragedy they had just survived, they find themselves drawn into yet another puzzling and harrowing mystery.
The monks' sacred trust for generations --- the Agozyen --- has been discovered missing during an annual ritual. Guarded daily and accessible by only a single key, its disappearance is mind-boggling. And terrifying. The treasure holds a deadly secret akin to Pandora's box being opened.
The trail of minimal clues leads to Jordan Ambrose, an American rescued and nursed back to health at the monastery when he appeared, half-dead, on the Nepalese border mountain range. Unable to describe the never-seen icon, the monks dispatch Pendergast to bring it back, warning that it is powerful if released and not to be reckoned with.
What ensues is pure Preston-Child magic. The maiden voyage of a transatlantic cruise ship is the terrifying setting of the search for the relic. And what could be more frightening than a claustrophobic ship, with its over-arching sense of being trapped in the middle of the ocean with an unknown, undefinable force preying on and menacing the entire crew and guests? Bodies are reduced to mush, others disappear whole-cloth. Panic sets in, mutiny is threatened and control of the ship is lost, all while Pendergast sets about his methodical unraveling of the mystery of the Agozyen and its all-encompassing powers.
THE WHEEL OF DARKNESS has the classic clash of good versus evil, the inescapable comparison of East versus West, and the unanswerable questions of coincidence versus fate. A surprise at the end will surely delight all fans of Pendergast and Greene, Preston and Child, and will leave us asking ourselves "What's next?" Surely, there has to be more from these two master storytellers!
--- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara
darkness could have been darker................................2007-10-16
Love Preston & Child. Have read all thier books and have to say that they never disapoint.Cabinet of curiosity is their all time best book.
I love the mystical/spiritual aspect of this new book. I do think that the book could have been a little longer, around 430 pages.
Pandergast was lacking a little action in this book. Still I highly disapprove the one star rating few readers have given to this book. This book was a page turner like their other books. C'mon! these writers are better than koontz, Stephen King etc.I dont know why they don't have more name recognition and movie deals. They are deserving by all means.
Diogenes ! we are waiting for your entry in the next book.
Average customer rating:
- You might not sleep well at night
- Hang on for the ride!
- Cabinet of Curiosities
- The fourth one I've read...
- The horrors of a search for anti-aging secrets.
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The Cabinet of Curiosities (Pendergast, Book 3
Douglas Preston , and
Lincoln Child
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
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ASIN: 0446530220 |
Book Description
In an ancient tunnel underneath New York City a charnel house isdiscovered.Inside are thirty-six bodies all murdered and mutilatedmore than a century ago.While FBI agent Pendergast investigates theold crimes, identical killings start to terrorize the city.Thenightmare has begun. Again.
Download Description
THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, like The Relic, takes place in and around New York's Museum of Natural History. FBI agent Pendergast, journalist Bill Smithback, and archaeologist Nora Kelly return in this harrowing thriller.The story begins with the gruesome discovery in downtown Manhattan of an underground charnel house containing the bones of dozens of murder victims. Research reveals that a serial killer was at work in New York's notorious Five Points neighborhood in the 1880s. But when a newspaper story on the old murders appears to spark a new series of horrifyingly similar killings, panic overtakes New York City, and far too many clues seem to lead to the conclusion that the original murderer may still be alive.
Customer Reviews:
You might not sleep well at night.......2007-09-16
A doctor turned serial killer on the loose in New York City, vivid descriptions of human dissection while the victim is still alive and conscious, a diabolical prescription for prolonging human life - not the sort of stuff I usually read. But this book was a gift, and so I began reading, thinking that after a few pages I'd set the book down for good. But I found myself being sucked into the dusty basement archives of the New York Museum of History where the mystery begins some 130 years prior, being sucked in and glued to the spot. The Cabinet of Curiosities is a very explicitly told tale, rich in texture, mood, and historical fact, with bizarre characters, some of whom readily fit the bill as whodunit suspects. So I read on, read about the terrible plight of a teenage girl in the nineteenth century, imprisoned by the mad doctor. Knowing she would soon die, she writes a note in her own blood and conceals it in the lining of her dress. 130 years later, the note comes to light when a gruesome charnel pit containing 36 bodies is unearthed revealing the heinous crime. Despite the ghastly subject matter, I could not put this damn book down. Authors Preston and Child are very skilled at their craft, conjuring up detailed imagery of the Cabinets, the dusty archives, the icy cold of the killer's laboratories. They keep the pace and tension going throughout. When all is said and done though, a few of the players of this large cast exit without giving the reader total satisfaction. The throwaway lines summing up the ridiculously stupid Captain Custer, for example, did not quite do it for me. Still, if you're looking for a well written page turner, this is definitely worth reading. Review by David Marsh, Sea Chest Books
Hang on for the ride!.......2007-09-14
After reading the first three pages of "The Cabinet of Curiosities", I rushed to the library and checked out every Preston/Child book there was. A week later, my family was sulking, the house was a wreck and I missed several events I was supposed to attend, but I'd finished all eight books. I still think it was a week well spent.
Not one book disappoints and each can stand alone. The plot twists are unpredictable even to this jaded reader, and for more than a few pages in more than a few books, the hair deliciously stood up on the back of my neck--a very rare experience for me.
These books have elements I always hope for but rarely find in contemporary fiction. They're smart! Bits of arcane trivia, hints of the supernatural, a cast of colorful and likeable characters, dark foreshadowings of evil to come and sometime FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast, who knows things no one else does--no, no, REALLY no one else does. Trust me when I say Aloysius Pendergast is worthy of comparison with Sherlock Holmes and Lord Peter Wimsey. While reminiscent of both, he's much more. The reader finds out...no, I'm sorry, you'll just have to read it yourself.
"The Cabinet of Curiosities" is THE perfect thriller, but every one of the Pendergast novels is great; each is very different from the others. Just don't start reading until you have time to finish--I'll be catching up on chores for weeks, though the family seems to have gotten over it.
Cabinet of Curiosities.......2007-08-24
Book arrived in excellent condition...I have not read the volume yet but am listening to an abridged version on tape and it's unusual, entertaining and very imaginative.
The fourth one I've read..........2007-06-25
Cabinet of Curiosities was the fourth book I've read by Preston and Child, and I'm reading my fifth one right now (Riptide). These guys know how to write gut-wrenching, stomach turning thrillers! FBI agent Pendergast, a great though unbelievably talented character, is back, although police detective D'Agosta is not in this one. As in the other books, Pendergast always escapes from hopeless situations, but that's no spoiler, since Preston and Child surely wouldn't kill off their best character.
For sheer suspense, I rate these authors on a par with Nelson DeMille. Cabinet of Curiosities can be pretty gruesome at times, and if you live alone, it's probably not the best choice for reading on a dark, stormy night unless you like being scared out of your wits.
If you've read other books by Preston and Child, Cabinet of Curiosities is as good or better than any of them. If you haven't read any of their books, I recommend starting with Relic and going through them in order so you can see the various characters introduced.
The horrors of a search for anti-aging secrets........2007-05-07
While preparing land for a development, the skeletons of children long dead are brought to light--buried within the walls of the foundation. The solution to the crimes involves the staff of the Museum of Natural History and a man's search for long life. Each chapter is a cliff hanger--it is impossible to put down once you begin! Look for its prequels as well.
Average customer rating:
- Highly suspenseful, frightful read
- Fabulous read!!!
- Reliquary
- Better than the first one...
- Reliquary
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Reliquary (Pendergast, Book 2)
Douglas Preston , and
Lincoln Child
Manufacturer: Tor Books
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ASIN: 0812542835 |
Book Description
Hidden deep beneath Manhattan lies a warren of tunnels, sewers, and galleries, mostly forgotten by those who walk the streets above. There lies the ultimate secret of the Museum Beat. When two grotesquely deformed skeletons are found deep in the mud off the Manhattan shoreline, museum curator Margo Green is called in to aid the investigation. Margo must once again team up with police lieutenant D'Agosta and FBI agent Pendergast, as well as the brilliant Dr. Frock, to try and solve the puzzle. The trail soon leads deep underground, where they will face the awakening of a slumbering nightmare.
Customer Reviews:
Highly suspenseful, frightful read.......2007-10-17
"Reliquary" is the rarest of sequels, superior to "Relic" in every way. Character development is exceptional, and the setting beneath Manhattan is a fascinating undiscovered country full of terror and intrigue. Preston and Child even teach us something in this suspenseful novel about New York's Mole people, and our responsibility to help them. The book is a scary as it is suspenseful, and is a superb effort in every way. Highly recommended.
Fabulous read!!!.......2007-09-14
I've gotten hooked on the Preston/Child colaborations since reading "The Ice Limit".I saw the movie "The Relic" and wasn't too thrilled about reading the book. I knew I needed to read it before I could read "The Reliquary". Hollywood can really trash a good book while translating it to film. In this case-very rare-the sequel blew me away. I've ordered another book to learn more about the underground dwellers in N.Y. city-fascinating! I plan on reading all of their books.
Reliquary.......2007-07-20
Great book! Preston & Child have done it again. I loved Relic and Reliquary is just as thrilling.
Better than the first one..........2007-07-12
OK, I'd seen the movie of Relic a couple of times and enjoyed and was tempted to start reading this series at this novel, but I went back and started at Relic, and I'm glad I did. Relic the novel is substantually different than Relic the movie. (Pendergast is excised from the movie, for example). I enjoyed this book more than the first one. It is much more over the top, bigger, broader and more threatening. Start with Relic, and then read this one.
Reliquary.......2007-07-05
This book is typical of the intensity and mystic writting of Douglas Preston. He has many twist and continues to engage the reader with his story of the unexplainable that he bring to the real world.
Book Description
Two brothers.One,top FBI Agent, Aloysius Pendergast. The other, Diogenes, a brilliant and twisted criminal.An undying hatred between them.Now, a perfect crime.And the ultimate challenged: Stop me if you can.
Customer Reviews:
A very silly book.......2007-09-25
If this weren't the only audiobook on my iPod at the moment, I'd have bailed on it. Everything in "Dance of Death" is a cliche or stolen from some other, better specimen of genre fiction: Sherlock Holmes, Hannibal Lector, etc.. All of the research is bogus. The authors are very keen to let their readers know how "classy" everything they write about is, from the rolls driven by their ludicrous hero to the fact that one character is supposed to be a reporter for the New York Times. But they obviously have never even read the Times themselves, since they have this poor sap chasing a sensational murder case as the "big story" of his career, when that stuff is strictly tabloid fodder. Maybe it'd make the Metro section, but that's about it. Everyone in the Times scenes behaves like extras in an old '30s newspaper movie, nothing like the Ivy League types that actually work at the paper. Plus, movie stars don't go to openings of Natural History Museum exhibits. I'm sure the stuff based on other professions is equally preposterous. Besides the total lack of originality, it's the nose-pressed-up-to-the-glass wannabe-ism of this book that makes it kinda painful to read. At least Rene Auberjonois seems to realize that it's pure kitsch and reads it with a lot of campy brio.
What happened?.......2007-08-17
Is it just me, or is Pendergast starting to get a little boring? Perhaps it's because we have the full story of he and his brother, and I'm certain we have not seen the last of Diogenes, but somehow we've lost that mysterious edge to him. I fully appreciate the authors commitment to making their story a three part series and giving us the detail that they did, however they missed so much and took shortcuts in other ways. Where has Diogenes been? What has he been doing all those years that Pendergast was looking for him? Why is it that Constance tracked him down in a heartbeat and left Pendergast in the dust? I'll stop there, no need to be totally negative. I still enjoyed the ride for the most part and I'm looking forward to the next installment, Wheel of Darkness, hopefully a change of pace, environment, and villian will spark a new passion. P.S. - Absolutely HATE Pendergast's love interest, Viola, she is sooooo not interesting in any way. Would love to see someone who could kick Pendergast's butt, make it a little interesting, shall we?
Dance of Death a Slow Predictable Two-Step .......2007-08-09
Perhaps since I read Preston and Child's "Dance of Death" out of sequence and was well aware of the outcome before the actual events transpired throughout the novel, I found this contribution featuring the reoccurring characters of Special Agent Pendergast, police lieutenant D'Agosta, New York Times reporter Bill Smithback, Nora Kelly, Margo Green and the rest of the Museum of Nature History team not up to the coauthors' usual page-turning standard.
It's not as if the novel excites the reader with fresh scenarios or ideas; certainly Smithback, Pendergast and D'Agosta have moments that seem all too familiar. Nevertheless this novel does bridge "Brimstone," the first novel featuring Pendergast's deranged brother, Diogenes with "The Book of the Dead," the culmination of this trilogy whose overall theme pits the ingenious siblings against each other. Perhaps this explains to a degree why the action seems stalled and rather hackneyed.
Plot, in this one, seems to be sacrificed for further character development, the inclusion of a love interest for white knight Pendergast interjects some emotion to an otherwise rationally, educationally and intellectually developed human machine whose lack of reaction and intuitiveness sometimes seems uber human. That Diogenes would utilize Pendergast's personal weakness to his utmost advantage comes as little surprise. In fact, what is lacking in this novel is just that: the bombshell twists and turns that one has come to equate with a Preston/Child novel fizzle like dud firecrackers wet-blanketing the reader with about fifty cents of bang for his/her expected buck.
"Dance of Death" attempts to assemble some Pendergast family history for us while tunneling further into the deep dark secret that Pendergast has hidden even from himself with regard to his brother's lack of humanity. Because of this, unlike "Relic", "Reliquary", "Thunderhead", etc., this novel does not rely on unique state-of-the-art scientific factoids to explain initially nebulous events that occur throughout the plot. Instead of baffling and then educating the reader with fascinating archaeological or forensic scientific tidbits that eventually formulate the basis for a tightly crafted tale, "Dance of Death" relies on the reader's built up interest in the characters themselves. The entire galaxy of players cultivated from "Relic" on appears in this the writing team's tenth work. Knowing and understanding the actual interrelations between the different personalities enhances an otherwise mundane kidnapping/chase storyline with this genre of writing's glib and sometimes senselessly predictable dialogue.
Bottom line? The bridging nature of "Dance of Death" necessitates it being read in the correct sequence. The second in the Diogenes trilogy of novels, its success depends on the reader's knowledge of characters that Preston and Child have developed in the first nine of their popular thrillers. Although I enjoy the Pendergast saga and would like to see this develop further, I prefer to see this author collaboration inject more scientific/technical data to give their adventure more teeth. Recommended to those who like Agent Pendergast and enjoy a Cain versus Abel type romp through New York City and its environs.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"
Meanwhile, back at the museum.......2007-07-22
This here's the 6th Pendergast novel, and is the strongest since Reliquary. The unbelievably well prepared and impossibly well informed Pendergast takes on his evil twin. (Well, ok his younger brother.) Many plot twists worthy of a Victorian melodramatic Gothic ensue, and some plots twists are about that old. It's rather silly if enjoyable pulp fiction, that's saved by the more interesting and more believable supporting cast. While not as reliable or interesting as Wilson's Repairman Jack series, it's fairly decent summer reading.
Much to do about lilttle.......2007-07-22
I probably read two to three books a week. And I could not get past page 22 of this one. Dialogue is trite, and plot seems convoluted. My wife bought the hard cover at 7.99 in the bargin bin. Its probably not worth that. Certainly not in the same league as Crichton, Patterson, Connelly or Dunning. Will donate to the local library. Maybe someone will find it enjoyable.
Average customer rating:
- For Pendergast fans
- How to read Preston/Child
- Good But Tangled
- Another Triumph for Preston and Child
- Excellent
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Brimstone (Pendergast, Book 5)
Douglas Preston , and
Lincoln Child
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ASIN: 0446612758 |
Book Description
A body is found in the attic of a fabulous Long Island estate.There is a hoofprint scorched into the floor, and the stench of sulfur chokes the air.When FBI Special Agent Pendergast investigates the gruesome crime, he discovers that thirty years ago four men conjured something unspeakable.Has the devil come to claim his due?
Customer Reviews:
For Pendergast fans.......2007-09-24
Our inscrutable FBI agent takes on a worthy adversary in this mind bending whodunit wrought with occult images and religious uncertainties. Hateable bad guys, exotic locales, and believable supporting characters are crafted into a chilling and irresistable murder mystery.
Another Preston & Child MUST READ!
How to read Preston/Child.......2007-09-15
Preston/Child are such marvelous writers, it's important to do them justice. You want to make sure you get the full effect of Diogenes' (dare I say it) diabolical plot.
Here's how it should go. Get "Brimstone", "Dance of Death", and "Book of the Dead". Put them by your reading chair, but do not open them.
Clear your calendar--call in sick, take vacation days, whatever you need to do. Check for sufficient provisions for several days--whatever your reading food of choice is. Make peace with your family, insure they have enough food and clean laundry to tide them over, (does not work with young children) and explain that you will be incommunicado for a while. If necessary, go shopping. Have a talk with your pets (does not work with cats) and make arrangements to have them fed and watered.
Now, with a clear conscience, open "Brimstone". Enjoy
Good But Tangled.......2007-09-06
This book had alot of promise with a great story line but it just did not flow from begining to end. Too many lose ends and not clear on how the main detectives came to their conclusions.
Another Triumph for Preston and Child.......2007-08-08
I have read following novels by Preston and Child. They include: RELIC, MOUNT DRAGON, RELIQUARY, THE CABINET OF CURIOSITIES, STILL LIFE WITH CROWS and THE BOOK OF THE DEAD. BRIMSTONE is the first in the series of a trilogy ending with BOOK OF THE DEAD. I, of course, read BOOK OF THE DEAD first. Big mistake! I knew who wasn't going to die - which spoiled BRIMSTONE. Publishers need to include warning labels on trilogies.
There is an advantage to reading the last book first. Normally, I would have quickly read through chapter 43. It is slow moving. However, since I read the last book first, I immediately was alerted to the fact that chapter 43 lays the foundation for an important dimension of the storyline in the second and third novel.
Like Detective D'Agosta, I am a first generation American whose parents came from Italy prior to World War II. In chapter 50 (hilarious), D'Agosta speaks Italian that no Italian can understand. He, as I have learned, is speaking a dialect that no longer exists. The authors explain the death of Italian dialects by the influence of Italian TV. That is, Italians slowly evolved into speaking a unified language as a consequence of needing to follow TV programs. However, I understand the Mussolini was responsible. On many occasions, I have been told that Mussolini's contribution to Italy was twofold. First, he made the trains run on time (however, they didn't when I was in Italy); and second, he demanded a unified Italian language. Perhaps, TV had an influence, but clearly Mussolini was the catalyst. TV sustained a unified Italian language, but nothing was able to nurture the trains to continue to be on time.
Preston and Child write GREAT stories. They are vivid and force me to lose track of time. When I finish writing review, I will begin to read the second novel in this trilogy -- THE DANCE OF THE DEAD. There is no greater compliment to an author.
Excellent.......2007-06-20
The character of Pendergast is a calm, collected, masterful character such as is rarely seen in literature or movies these days. He is the sort of hero that it is a delight to identify with. Make no mistake- he struggles with the adversities he faces, but no matter how insurmountable the obstacles he keeps a "cool head." He is reminisent of the classic James Bond, Superman, or Phileas Fogg.
The story is intruiging and the characters are extremely well done. Preston and Child blend mystery/supernatural with modern concepts and technology brilliantly.The same holds true for all of their works that I have had the pleasure to read. Bravo, gentlemen!
Average customer rating:
- Relic
- This will be a classic thriller.
- Quite different than the movie
- A long out-of-print delight
- Fantastic
|
The Relic (Pendergast, Book 1)
Douglas Preston , and
Lincoln Child
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Child, Lincoln
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Reliquary (Pendergast, Book 2)
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The Cabinet of Curiosities (Pendergast, Book 3
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Still Life With Crows
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Brimstone
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Thunderhead
ASIN: 0812543262
Release Date: 2003-12-30 |
Amazon.com
A series of bizarre and brutal murders is taking place in the halls of the New York Museum of Natural History, only days before a massive exhibition is set to open. Margo Green knows that the killer is something not human, something that's not even supposed to exist. Where did it come from, how did it get into the museum, and how can it be stopped?
Book Description
Just days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum's dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human....But the museum's directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.Museum researcher Margo Green must find out who-or what-is doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?
Customer Reviews:
Relic.......2007-09-09
This book is the first in the cases of FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast, and is the really terrifying one. A very disturbing book in many ways, mostly because it reflects a human as an involuntary monster, whose sad human eyes perceive other humans as victims and as necessity to keep the monster alive. And it all takes place in a museum, one place one would never expect such events to happen.
Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston are very talented authors and it is always terrific to read their books. (Separately or togther)
Linda Sheean
This will be a classic thriller. .......2007-07-15
You gotta love a book who's premise is that every million years or so a quirk of evolution emerges to weed out the weaker (once dominant)species. You also have to love FBI Agent Pendergast, a genuinely different character, full of secrets as dark as those he endeavors to reveal during his gruesome assignments. He's a quirky James Bond, only cooler. Lots of tension in this book--among characters, among twists in the plot line, and in homo sapiens' place in the world.
Heart pounding action....blood and gore...a great cast of characters, an original "monster", and dark scary places....what else could you want?
Quite different than the movie.......2007-07-14
OK, this here's the beginning of the Pendergast series, and was the basis of a movie by the same name in the 90s. I wanted to check out this series but had seen the movie a couple of times, and was tempted to start with the sequel. I'm glad I started here. The books is much different than the film. Pendergast doesn't appear in the movie. A very enjoyable read, and the sequel, Reliquary is even louder, more exciting and more threatening than the first.
A long out-of-print delight.......2007-05-13
Until March 2007 it was impossible to find Relic in audiobook format. This unabridged recording makes available once again the first novel written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It's the first book to feature Special Agent Pendergast (there are seven total), and it's a terrific novel. And the audio recording, while not the highest sound quality, is a great performance by David Colacci. The only downside to this book is that the sequel, Reliquary, is only available in printed format (not audiobook). I hope that changes soon!
Fantastic.......2007-04-10
Doug Preston & Lincoln Child are fantastic writers.
I own and have read all of their books.
Exceptional mystery and suspense with high tech information thrown in.
I recomend all of their books.
Book Description
A brilliant FBI agent, rotting away in a high security prison for a murder he did not commit. His brilliant, psychotic brother, about to perpetrate a horrific crime. A young woman with an extraordinary past, on the edge of a violent breakdown. An ancient Egyptian tomb about to be unveiled at a celebrity-studded New York gala, an enigmatic curse released. Memento Mori
Customer Reviews:
Unlistenable.......2007-10-12
I got the 12-CD edition from my library, and found the reading by Scott Brick so awful I quit before the end of the first disk. From what I heard of it, the story is good and deserves better treatment than it get.
So Good I Had To Wait to Read It!.......2007-10-06
I Love the AgentPendergast Stories So much that after "Brimstone" I couldn't bear to read the "Diogenes Trilogy" until it was completed!
WOW!!! These guys NEVER MISS!!
Now I just have to read the Lincoln Child spook stories!
Bliss!
More than a museum thriller!.......2007-10-03
Another action filled adventure with the strange but compelling Agent Pendergast at the center of it all. The authors keep your attention rivited as the characters weave in and out of the main story line. The descriptive narrative keeps you looking over the shoulder of each person while you hold your breath at the suspense when the evil Diogenes is at his worst and you are waiting for the brilliant Aloysius to save Constance. Loved having D'Agosta back in the middle of it all!
Starts out strong, fizzles at the end.......2007-09-27
As David Spade would say, I like this book better the first time I read it, when it was called "Relic." Preston and Child can turn out potboilers, guilty pleasures that aren't literary masterpieces but make with the page-turning fun, but they also aren't without their flaws. Too often, they drop arcana into a situation that doesn't call for it (anybody can Google up a ton of trivia on any subject, and besides, you shouldn't try to impress your reader by your mastery of obscure facts). Agent Pendergast is again perfect in every way. Need a safe cracked? He knows the metallurgy necessary to pick the weak point in the lock. Not to give away a plot point, but in this book he McGuyvers up one particularly necessary element in a manner that's just too convenient.
And convenience is the downfall of this book, and of most P&C books. What could be a situation fraught with drama is instead defused by Pendergast's godlike abilities, including the ludicrous "memory crossing" technique that is P&C's way of conveniently explaining away anything they don't know how to write into their books.
Chop off a few chapters, give Pendergast at least one or two flaws, and drop the attempts to dazzle the reader with trivia, and this would be a five-star summer read. As it is, it's just laughable and tedious.
Best thriller / Detective novels in the past 20 years.......2007-09-26
New to the Preston/Child series of novels, I started with Brimstone, then Dance of Death and then the finale, Book of the Dead. The "Diogenes" trilogy.
Extremely well written, and eloquently poised, the imagery and characterizations blend to create the perfect thriller. Preston and Child contribute the perfect combination of talent, to be indistinguishable as more than one author.
Agent Pendergast and the collaborating cast of characters are so real, so carefully created, that they bring to life the story, and draw you into the reality of the novels. The obviously well documented, and researched background information gives a vivid backdrop to the plot and your imagination builds the elaborate scenes for every location.
I will be buying more of the authors' past books and will be eagerly anticipating more of the Pendergast saga as it unfolds.
HIGHLY recommended reading, you won't be disappointed. A thinking man's thriller.
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The Vietnam War (Defining Moments)
Tom Pendergast
Manufacturer: Omnigraphics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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A Thousand Splendid Suns
ASIN: 0780809548 |
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U-X-L Graphic Novelists: Profiles of Cutting Edge Authors and Illustrators Edition 1. 3 Volume Set
Tom Pendergast , and
Sara Pendergast
Manufacturer: U·X·L
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1414404409 |
Book Description
Graphic novels -- novels merging pictures and rich language to create a unique experience of literature and art -- are enjoying a renewed popularity, especially with students and young adults. U·X·L's Graphic Novelists introduces researchers to the authors and illustrators behind these works, taking care to define and explore the distinction between comic books and graphic novels. Printed in full-color and covering approximately 75 authors and illustrators in detail, this new set also includes a cumulative table of contents, words to know, timeline, list of works and a detailed cumulative general index.
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Building good speech
Kathleen Pendergast
Manufacturer: Stanwix House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 0870768557 |
Books:
- Timothy Leary: Outside Looking In: Appreciations, Castigations, and Reminiscences by Ram Dass, Andrew Weil, Allen Ginsberg, Winona Ryder, William Burroughs, ... Huston Smith, Hunter S. Thompson, and Others
- Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future
- Vanished Splendors: A Memoir
- WACK!: Art and the Feminist Revolution
- Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
- 10 Simple Solutions to Adult ADD: How to Overcome Chronic Distraction and Accomplish Your Goals (10 Simple Solutions)
- A Guide to Elegance: For Every Woman Who Wants to Be Well and Properly Dressed on All Occasions
- A History of Western Philosophy: The Classical Mind, Volume I (History of Western Philosophy)
- An Encyclopedia of Women Artists of the American West (American Studies Series)
- Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature
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