Reviews

Relic by Douglas Preston

robinwritesallthethings's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

What It’s About: When unusual murders begin happening in a museum, FBI agent Pendergast arrives to investigate rumors of a strange creature living in the depths of the building.

Plot: I would describe this as Michael Crichton meets The X-Files. Those are both things that I love, so I knew this would be right up my alley. Yes, it’s weird, but there’s a completely scientific explanation for the weirdness, and I like that.

Style: Though the book has a lot of science-based conversations and explanations, I found that it flowed so easily. It actually felt a lot shorter than it really was, which I think is a testament to the skill of the writers and the action-packed plot.

Trigger Warnings: Besides the fact that there are obviously some deaths, I don’t remember any other big triggers in this book.

Final Thoughts: I saw the movie that was based on this book when it came out way back when. It was okay, but the book is so much better, in case you were wondering. It’s a shame no one’s made a Pendergast show. I bet it would have a nice Bones vibe that would really work. I’m excited to read more of this series, but I have to wait for my digital hold to be delivered from the library!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Blood

There are law enforcement characters in this book, but that's obvious from the blurb.

bohemiankitten's review

adventurous tense medium-paced

3.75

themysterymaven's review

4.0

I was in the mood for a creature feature, and this novel delivered! It was scary-good-fun being locked away in the New York Museum of Natural History while being stalked by a hungry, brain-devouring lizard/man thing. Somehow cultivated in the dense depths of the Amazon rain forest, it’s a race to determine how to stop this atrocity of science and save hundreds of people.

I’ve watched enough Indiana Jones movies - and further confirmed by this book - that when rare artifacts from mysterious tribes are found in places very few have ever been…just leave it!

readerbakerteacherspy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

holyflpncows's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

wdanielle51's review

1.0

Readable ... but flat. Which is why I gave this book only two stars. It's the first book of this type genre I've read probably since high school or so. Although a breeze of a read, the characters and plot brought nothing to me that I didn't expect. I'll be honest, I went ahead and sat it down after about 60 to 70 percent. I felt confident that there wouldn't be anything at the end to convince me out of my opinions of this work. It's not for everyone, and certainly not for myself.

vmarklund's review

Cardboard characters. A whole lot of scenes that took 10 pages to explain what could be in 3. By the halfway point I realized I didn't care what happened next and so I stopped reading it. 

alikenzie's review

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ajgazin's review

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

oddbirb's review

adventurous mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5