« This Year: JLPT | Main | Finished: Final Fantasy »
July 12, 2006
Finished: Book of the Dead
As a long-time fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's books, I've been waiting quite a while for this one, the conclusion of a series which began with Brimstone in 2004 and continued with last year's Dance of Death. Every summer we count on a good page-turner from Preston and Child, and this year's installment, The Book of the Dead, arrived right on schedule.
Preston and Child have a neat practice of introducing characters and then reusing them in later books; this book continues the story of characters who were introduced ten years ago in The Relic and have appeared ever since, along with characters from other books such as The Ice Limit. The bulk of their books center on the adventures of FBI agent Pendergast, with his almost superhuman intelligence and abilities. Many of their books create mysteries which seem supernatural but end up attributable to natural causes (though weird natural causes), while others ride the edge of science fiction. Ever since Michael Crichton stopped writing for his readers and started writing for Hollywood, Preston and Child have taken the page-turner crown.
The Book of the Dead wraps up the story of Pendergast's confrontation with his evil brother Diogenes. Pendergast is locked up in an escape-proof federal prison, charged with murders committed by Diogenes. The New York Museum of Natural History (employer of several recurring characters and itself a recurring center of action) receives its famous diamond collection (stolen by Diogenes in book 2), but ground down to dust. To compensate for the bad PR, the museum decides to reopen an Egyptian tomb exhibit which was closed 70 years ago under mysterious circumstances, not realizing that it's all part of Diogenes' evil master plan. But (soon to be former?) officer D'Agosta realizes that Diogenes is still out there, and starts working out a plan to spring Pendergast from that escape-proof prison.
Ok, so you don't want to read The Book of the Dead first. You need to start with Brimstone and Dance of Death before you read this one. Fortunately you don't have to wait a year between installments like I did. Be prepared for a lot of late nights while you read just one more chapter to find out what happens. Because I'm not going to tell you.
The Book of the Dead kept me up late turning pages, as do all of Preston and Child's books. But I have to say that I'm glad to see this story end (but does it really?). When the books only come out once a year, three books take too long to wrap things up. I'd much rather have seen another standalone Pendergast book (like Still Life With Crows) than have the Diogenes series dragged out into 3 books. And the long-hidden secret of what drove Diogenes to the dark side, along with Diogenes' master plot, seemed a little too far-out. Granted, it's far better than the exploding toilets you'd find in a Stephen King book, but in the end The Book of the Dead falls just a bit short of greatness.
But honestly, that's what makes Preston and Child books what they are. I've read them all. They're not Great Literature. They're not near-realism like The Andromeda Strain. They don't try with a straight face to convince you that black is white because you're too stupid to know better (Da Vinci Code). Preston and Child write books with interesting stories that keep you turning the pages, and when you finish you're satisfied that you've had a good, fun adventure. The Book of the Dead is no exception.
Permalink | Posted by Joe at July 12, 2006 02:40 PM
Comments
Okay, I agree with you on one thing; FBI Special Agent Pendergast is an amazing character and makes the Preston/Child books what they are!
But, to mention that awful (icky, really) 'Crows' book as a good Pendergast stand-alone? No way! Too much horror and not enough purely psychological thrills!
Better Pendergast books? ANY!
How about 'Cabinet of Curiosities'?
Yes, the 'ick' element runs through all Preston/Child novels, but so balanced with the mental hoops they have you jumping through its all okay by the last page.
; )
Posted by: Kay at August 8, 2006 04:40 PM
Sorry, but for pure Pendergastian coolness you can't beat "Crows". It's not one of the better books, but he gets a lot more personality than he does in more recent books, especially this last one.
Posted by: Joe at August 9, 2006 10:02 AM
Yes, you are right, Pendergast's personality quirks do shine through in 'Crows' as in few others, but still, its just so plain old icky!
I say give me any Pendergast book for fun and thrills, and, yes, throw in gore, too, if you must, but, please, keep it from getting too filled with gross things and instead throw the psychological thrills at me as fast as you can! After all, its Pendregast's brains, as well as his personality, that make the books so much fun!
Posted by: K at September 14, 2006 02:34 PM