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A review by ruthlessreads
Relic by Douglas Preston
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
2.0
As an overall rating, I’m giving this a 2–it’s filled with positive references to colonialism, casual racism & ableism, and is mostly pro-police. (No clue where the authors currently stand on these issues)
However, considering that this book was written by white dudes in the 90s, I knew to expect those issues and was reading because I want to read the whole Pendergast series. It doesn’t excuse those things but does explain them.
That said, I found it quite slow and got a little bored. About 3/4 of the way through it really picks up and ended on a really interesting note. So if I was going by plot/pacing/writing technique etc, I’d give this a 3.5. I liked Pendergast and I’m interested to see how his character develops. Maybe I won’t read the whole series but this is a good start.
However, considering that this book was written by white dudes in the 90s, I knew to expect those issues and was reading because I want to read the whole Pendergast series. It doesn’t excuse those things but does explain them.
That said, I found it quite slow and got a little bored. About 3/4 of the way through it really picks up and ended on a really interesting note. So if I was going by plot/pacing/writing technique etc, I’d give this a 3.5. I liked Pendergast and I’m interested to see how his character develops. Maybe I won’t read the whole series but this is a good start.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Death, Racism, and Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexism, Gaslighting, and Colonisation