Rating: Summary: Fascinating Review: I read the book on a plane trip home and from take off to landing, couldn't put it down. The characters were interesting and believable. I was shocked to learn of The Mole People and the tunnel system under New York. It added history to this story making it more interesting. I have ordered the book to read. I was a little concerned about the portrayal of the SEAL's, however, if you went in to something like this totally unaware, well who knows. Overall - great reading.
Rating: Summary: I loved it and am eagerly waiting for the next one! Review: Although the new book did not surpass Relic (what could beat a background of the American Museum of Natural History?!), I found this book to be extremely interesting and full of suspense. Having grown up in NYC, I found the whole concept of the Mole people and the Wrinklers to be fascinating as well as horrifying. At the authors' suggestion I have gone ahead and read 'The Mole People' which was an incredibly enlightening book. In their books, Preston and Child have created some of the most likeable characters I've ever encountered (my favorite of course being Pendergast!). I hope they bring them back very soon! Anyone wanting to learn more about the American Museum of Natural History should go ahead and read Mr. Preston's 'Dinosaurs In The Attic'. I have and it's a non-fiction great read.
Rating: Summary: Good, but faults keep it from getting more stars. Review: Reliquary is good (though if you havn't read the first novel then you should read it first) but it's not really that good. One problem I am beginning to notice with the Relic books is what I'm beginning to call the "Relic Sydrome." It's basically that in the book, all the characters who are primary characters are always right, and those who aren't are always wrong. Another thing, when the Monsters wiped out the team of Navy SEALs, I was on the verge of throwing the book away. Relic did the same thing with the SWAT team. I simply don't understand how an FBI agent, an overweight Detective, a bum who hasn't seen combat since Vietnam, and a Museum Scientist can kill tons of these creatures, while a team of highly trained Navy SEALs gets slaughtered in a matter of moments. Ending didn't have nearly as much impact as the first one either.
Rating: Summary: a must read Review: I've only read a few books over the years that truly transported me to another reality. While some of the characters could have been fine tuned a bit, and the plot perhaps tweaked, such criticism is irrelevant. The point is this book opens up a world that is both fascinating and scary. I took the authors' hint and also read The Mole People, by Jennifer Toth, which, though non-fiction, is every bit as interesting and almost makes Reliquary seem less a work of imagination than a roman a clef. The only negative to either of these books is the sense of guilt one gets from being thrilled and fascinated by a reality that some people cannot escape and have not chosen freely. Nonetheless these books tap into an archetype as old as Hades or the Minotaur and as modern as a ride on the E train. IHMO, these are two companion must reads.
Rating: Summary: Reliquary is good, but can't live up to Relic. Review: When I began to read Reliquary, I thought it was going to better thean Relic. That's where I was disappointed with the book, it didn't surpass Relic in any way. The authors in the book write like you should know the exact layout of New York City, as well as the underground part of the city. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child use better description in the first book than Reliquary. Also, the suspense of the novel wasn't at as high of a level as in Relic, you knew about most of the questions asked in the second book if you read the first novel. The best part was when D'Agosta, Margo, and Pendergast (my favorite character) teamed up to go underground in the final part of the book. Overall, this novel is okay if you didn't read Relic, but is a disapointment if you did.
Rating: Summary: Very suspenseful...unusual Review: Read relic and this book was definitly more exciting. Loved all the characters & was intrigued by the mole people. I read it every chance I got. The ending was what I never expected even though it did fizzle out a bit. When are they making a movie???!!!
Rating: Summary: Excellent, can't put the book down reading!!!! Review: I read Reliquary and was pleasantly surprised at how much it kept you in suspense from the beginning when they were diving in the festering waters of New York to the end. Ofcourse the Mole people were so believable. The one problem with the book was the way the relationships evolved. Not too many writers are as good as Dean Koontz in this area. But...the potential is there and I know if both of these authors put their heads together this book would be a 5 stars regardless of who reads it! Maybe the next book will be a 5 star!
Rating: Summary: Excellent sequel to Relic. Review: Contrary to other reviewers, I felt that the sequel was just as good as the original Relic. It was exciting from beginning to end. I would highly recommend it. All the characters entertained me.
Rating: Summary: Don't read unless you're a devoted fan of these writers. Review: I loved "Relic" and was hoping the sequel would measure up. But, while Preston and Child dredge up many of the same characters from their terrific debut novel, this one is amazingly lacking in style or energy. Characters like Margo, Pendergast and Kawakita -- so well drawn and genuinely surprising in Relic -- are tired and less interesting here. So are the monsters. Throughout Relic, the authors revealed a strong sense of the monster and its character, even while they protected the mystery of it. The foul-smelling snuffling creature, roaming the halls of such a well-known building, was a fantastically weird image. But in Reliquary, the reader never gets a sense of what these monsters are like. Besides that, the writers can't really match the museum setting with all their subways and deep sea septage diving. In all, I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief. And because the story was so boring, I didn't really want to.I wouldn't say Reliquary is a total f! ailure. The writers do try to introduce some new ideas, and some were interesting. I was intrigued by the phenomenonon of the mole people, for instance, and the difficult-to-read Anette Wisher was a good character -- but the writers don't follow these people to satisfying conclusions. I hope their next venture is more in keeping with their Relic success.
Rating: Summary: Is there EVER a bad book read by Dick Hill? Review: I can't really tell if I would have liked this book if I had read it. I have listened to about a dozen diverse audio books read by Dick Hill, and every one has been fabulous. This book was no exception. I actually enjoyed the experience better than the reading of Relic, although I'm sure that was probably the better book. Excellent listening, I hope there are more by this author/narrator combination.
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