viljaneito's review against another edition
3.0
Luin kirjan noin päivässä ja se oli erinomainen lukujumin nitistäjä. Ei minusta fania tullut, mutta viihdyin teoksen parissa erinomaisesti ensimmäiseltä sivulta viimeiselle.
meemster725's review against another edition
4.0
The book had a slow start, but I like how Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child go through and build the characters & the scenery. I was trying to predict the ending, but it was definitely not what I thought. I thoroughly enjoyed the book & will definitely be reading more Pendergast books.
I read this book on the recommendation from one of my friends.
I read this book on the recommendation from one of my friends.
airforcesister's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookkat's review against another edition
4.0
When the remains of 36 people, dating back over a 100 years ago, are found while excavating for a new building in New York City, Agent Pendergast is intrigued. And how does this connect to a modern serial killer called The Surgeon. As this is an old case, Nora Kelly,
an archaeologist from the Museum of Natural History is brought on the case.
This is a lengthy story, written in such a way to engage the reader. You are given plenty of time to get to know the characters and feel at home in this world. This is not a book for the faint of heart as there is detailed torture and killing.
an archaeologist from the Museum of Natural History is brought on the case.
This is a lengthy story, written in such a way to engage the reader. You are given plenty of time to get to know the characters and feel at home in this world. This is not a book for the faint of heart as there is detailed torture and killing.
jrobles76's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked this book. Pendergast is very much a Sherlock Holmes character down to the mind palace. Look forward to reading the entire series.
ash_dromeda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
marco5599's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
From monster mayhem to, well, a different kind of monster mayhem. More of a (multiple) murder mystery this time, with a historical touch, and I'm totally fine with that. Swiftly paced, high on thrills and chilling and gruesome when it can be.
One of the key elements; the little note, written in blood, inside the dress. So effective. It doesn't just get certain characters moving, it had me too. And those characters, they are a delight. All a bit weird, nuts or otherwise noteworthy. Once met, impossible to forget, this loud bunch. Smithback is such a hot mess. The harder he tries, the bigger the chaos. O'Shaughnessy is the one I connected with the most, as he (re)discovers his drive.
And the sheer stupidity of some of the side characters, the sardonic humor they bring, is simply delicious. The bigger their mouths, the dumber they act, the better their failure, the bigger the grin on my face. Escapism with a capital E.
One of the key elements; the little note, written in blood, inside the dress. So effective. It doesn't just get certain characters moving, it had me too. And those characters, they are a delight. All a bit weird, nuts or otherwise noteworthy. Once met, impossible to forget, this loud bunch. Smithback is such a hot mess. The harder he tries, the bigger the chaos. O'Shaughnessy is the one I connected with the most, as he (re)discovers his drive.
And the sheer stupidity of some of the side characters, the sardonic humor they bring, is simply delicious. The bigger their mouths, the dumber they act, the better their failure, the bigger the grin on my face. Escapism with a capital E.
justinsdrown's review against another edition
2.0
Each book in this series has been worse than the one before. Relic is a suspense novel that respected the bounderies within suspension of disbelief. Reliquary was a natural progression that felt uninspired. Now this book...this book. Oh boy.
All attempts of natural progression within the series established universe has been tossed out the window. The suspension of disbelief is snapped. Pendergast has went from the series Sherlock Holmes stand in to a literal practitioner of sorcery. Through meditation he can now TIME TRAVEL. The time travel aspect is thrown in with such abandon that you would assume that the authors just figured time traveling was a standard occurance in everyday life. "Oh time travel? Don't we all meditate our way back in time."
Let's get to the villain. In the previous two novels our antagonist/antagonists weren't entirely out of the realms of impossibility. Hey, who's to say what beasts lurk in the depths of the rainforest. It's not implausible to imagine some undiscovered predator out there. But this book? Oh we're dealing with eternal life baby! That's right. Count em. TWO absurd concepts jammed into the series within the same book.
The craziest part? Judging by the site people were just totally chill about this. "Time travel? Alright. Immortality? Sure." Almost none of the reviews I've seen on here bother to bring it up. I'm going to assume this is because, as far as airport thrillers go, this book is pretty old. So what we have here is reviews of long time fans of the series.
That said I didn't hate the book. It had it's fun moments, even if it treaded into the cliche a lot. I think if I read another book in the series the supernatural elements may feel less jarring. I think it was those elements being so obviously shoehorned in that gave me literary whiplash.
2/5
All attempts of natural progression within the series established universe has been tossed out the window. The suspension of disbelief is snapped. Pendergast has went from the series Sherlock Holmes stand in to a literal practitioner of sorcery. Through meditation he can now TIME TRAVEL. The time travel aspect is thrown in with such abandon that you would assume that the authors just figured time traveling was a standard occurance in everyday life. "Oh time travel? Don't we all meditate our way back in time."
Let's get to the villain. In the previous two novels our antagonist/antagonists weren't entirely out of the realms of impossibility. Hey, who's to say what beasts lurk in the depths of the rainforest. It's not implausible to imagine some undiscovered predator out there. But this book? Oh we're dealing with eternal life baby! That's right. Count em. TWO absurd concepts jammed into the series within the same book.
The craziest part? Judging by the site people were just totally chill about this. "Time travel? Alright. Immortality? Sure." Almost none of the reviews I've seen on here bother to bring it up. I'm going to assume this is because, as far as airport thrillers go, this book is pretty old. So what we have here is reviews of long time fans of the series.
That said I didn't hate the book. It had it's fun moments, even if it treaded into the cliche a lot. I think if I read another book in the series the supernatural elements may feel less jarring. I think it was those elements being so obviously shoehorned in that gave me literary whiplash.
2/5
catbooking's review against another edition
4.0
Much better. There was actually concern that some characters wouldn't survive and a bit of sadness that some didn't in fact survive in the end. So I welcome this uncertainty about a happy ending, even if I know Pendergast has to survive otherwise the series would not have continued.
I will have to say that I found the lengthy descriptions of historic slums boring and unnecessary. And some of the conclusions Pendergast reached, including the final identity of the bad guy, were really far reaching.
Here's to hoping it keeps getting better.
I will have to say that I found the lengthy descriptions of historic slums boring and unnecessary. And some of the conclusions Pendergast reached, including the final identity of the bad guy, were really far reaching.
Here's to hoping it keeps getting better.
deepfreezebatman's review against another edition
4.0
It has been years since I read the Relic books, and I think I was going through Agent Pendergast withdraw. I've heard from a lot of people that "Cabinet" is their favorite book in the series.. and I do have to say that it was pretty fricken awesome. Although I really enjoyed learning more about Pendergast's backstory and the opening scene really blew me away.. I still have a soft spot for "The Relic."