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Summary: LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: I bought this book on spur of the moment, it sounded like a good setting for a scary story. I couldn't put it down! It's a great book. I've bought all of their books since then and look forward to the next one. Excellent story tellers!
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Summary: One of the Most Spectacular Novels in Existence!
Review: If you haven't read it or seen the movie, read the book and do not, I repeat do not, watch the movie. The movie makes a mockery of this fabulous work. It does have Tom Sizemore, though, and the creature, Mbwun, looks sort of cool, but oh well. The book is excellent. In case you don't know, it is about an explorer from the New York Museum of Natural History who travels to South America, and discovers a hideous legend and a mysterious relic that is a sculpture of the beast in the legend--or at least a sculpture of the beast that anyone who consumes Mbwun becomes. The explorer sends a crate with the relic and some mysterious packing fibers to New York just before he is supposedly killed. Back in NY, a small time scientist named Margo Green is working in a totally different field. In coordination with her curious journalist friend William Smithback, she finds herself investigating the dissapearance of the explorer...and the mysterious murders that have been taking place inside the Museum. Working on the case is cynical NYPD cop, Lt. Vincent D'Agosta. Before long, a curious, intelligent FBI Agent named Pendergast comes along. He is not officially in NY, and is there for his own reasons, but he becomes essential to the investigation. He is one of the best characters in any novel, and you will truly learn to appreciate him. The story develops a bit too slowly, but it is worth the wait. The Museum is plunged into chaos before long, and the beast Mbwun is unleashed upon them all. Everyone should read this book.
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Summary: Addictive.
Review: Most of us have gone on that field trip to the museum as children, standing in small groups with necks craned to take in the exotic and awe-inspiring artifacts reconstructed and displayed for our benefit. The vastness of the foyer; the walls -- painted, perhaps with scenes of natural history or a timeline of man's accomplishments through the centuries -- rising to meet the domed ceilings; the musty smell that, somehow, manages to linger even on the bright shine of the tiled floors and in the clean carpets. Whether this museum houses the skeletons of dinosaurs long dead, the stuffed carcasses of great African mammals, or Egyptian sarcophagi, they all have that scent and that feeling of something ancient brought to life.Now, imagine being there at night. No more crowds of screaming, laughing schoolchildren playing tag beneath the blue whale model. No more groups on tour, listening to headsets as they shuffle from one glass case to the next. No more smiling museum employees wearing their vests and nametags. The bright lights are out, the halls are dark, and it seems to you as though you're the only living thing left in the building. But you're not. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child start off with a whiz-bang of a premise and weave a rollercoaster ride of a thriller from it. Thanks in part to Preston's intimate familiarity with the American Museum of Natural History in NYC, "Relic" is imbued with an authenticity, a very genuine feel that enables you to visit that museum through the pages of the book. At times, it brings back that musty, dusty museum smell as acutely as though you've stepped through the front doors of the Smithsonian. Add to this startling realism the presence of a creature easily as horrifying as "Jurassic Park"'s raptors, and you have in your hands the very definition of "page-turner." Just don't see the movie.
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Summary: Worth the money
Review: Relic was a well developed horror tale that i found to be a truly worthwild book. The plot was complex and engaging along with the characters. The cahracters themselves were multidemensional and likable. Dialogue was entertaing and revealed things about the characters. All in all worth the money and truly entertaing.
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Summary: I never read horror until I read this book...
Review: This book... Wow. Where do I start to tell about my thoughts about this MARVELOUS PIECE OF LITERATURE? Though there are so many aspects to this book (scientific backgrounds, archeological discoveries, botany, gore, etc.), there is one thing that I am not sure that Mr. Preston and Mr. Child are aware of a supreme talent that they sometimes use: the dark. So many scenes in this book--the very best ones, at that--take place in the dark. It makes it so scary! There is one scene that I am especially fond of, but so I don't give away too much, it is when Margo, the wonderful protagonist, is looking for the head of the museum, and she goes into the new exhibit... Never mind. If you have read this book already, you know what I am talking about. If not, just read this book and see for yourself. DON'T SEE THE MOVIE FIRST, THOUGH! It *was* a very good movie, and I saw it before I read the book, but it simply lacked enough of the awe and wonder (and TERROR) of this book. What's more, this book had a sequel (but this is another story--look for my review of that), and the way these books were set up were so that they both formed one large story. The movie concluded the whole story instantly, so I doubt there will be any sequels. This book also has great character development and analysis, and makes you love--or hate--them all. And if you don't believe me on how scary this book is, just think of this: I am 18 years old (though I was 16 when I saw the movie and read the book first), and I am scared of the dark. This book launched me to read other authors (Dean Koontz, Stephen King, James Herbert, etc.), and from reading them I have become more and more scared of the dark. Read this book, and enjoy it. I guarantee you will. Also recommended for dark, scary scenes: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child: Reliquary (the sequel!), Thunderhead. Stephen King: The Shining, Desperation, Night Shift, Skeleton Crew. Dean Koontz: Phantoms, Whispers, Darkfall, Watchers, Strange Highways (this last one is a short story collection, so just this story is the scary-in-the-dark type: Down in the Darkness). Oh, boy, all of these books are scary.
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Summary: A Terrific Read!
Review: I just happened to read this book because a friend recommended it to me ~ I had never heard of Child or Preston prior to reading this book. However, I was instantly hooked and couldn't put this book down! The idea of a monster lurking in the sub-basement of a museum is creepy but fascinating as well! It is suspenseful and every chapter keeps you hooked. The way everything is tied together in the end makes it even better. I have made it a point to read their other novels as well and they are great, too! If you are looking for something different to read, check out "Relic" ~ you won't be disappointed!
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Summary: The best I've ever read
Review: I have never read a book as exciting and adventurous as the Relic. After reading it I've had to read it again and again. It scares me silly, yet I can't put it down. It's one of those books that takes you into the story and doesn't let go. I've recently seen the movie adapted form it and I was extremely disapionted. If you have seen the movie don't let it shape the basis for what you think the book may be.
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Summary: Top notch action thriller
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had just enough science to tantalize my intellect, just enough of a creature to create a sense of urgency, and an upcoming event that brought all the elements together. The setting is wonderful, both modern yet creepy. The characters were pretty good too, although I felt that the supporting characters were stronger than the lead. Still, I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Nothing like the movie
Review: I actually read the book several months before I even knew there was going to be a movie coming out. The book is much more interesting and scarier than the movie. It's a page turner with lots of action and a creepy setting with a creature that is full of surprises even at the end. It is certainly a case of don't judge the book by the movie as there are major differences between the two. Including the location and the appearance of the creature, as well as different endings.
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Summary: Splatter Novel With Brains
Review: I was standing in store reading a movie magazine, studying a list of upcoming movies. The one that stood out was The Relic. It sounded, if it was done right, like a really fun film. I looked up. I was surprised. There, in front of me, was the novel that the movie was to be based on. PAusing only slightly to concider the coincidence, I took the book up to the counter and brought it. At home that night, I read the book, and was impressed. An A-grade splatter novel with brains. It had the thrills and setup of the best Midnight Monster Movies, the scientific musings of a Crichton novel, and the characters straight out of both. The story, if you must know, is about a mysterious monster that lives beneath the New York Museum and likes to eat brains. After it, a young graduate student, a quriky FBI agent and host other police and museum staff. And then there's that big public exhibition coming up... Fun, fast and intellegent, with several memorable characters and some interesting theories thrown in. And the greatest achievent? Reading a novel about a mutated brain-eating monster and being able to take it seriously. Well, seriously enough.
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