The Relic

Rating:
Summary: 'Alien' meets 'Jurassic Park' in this terrifying thriller
Review: Lets get one thing clear from the start: the novel of 'The Relic' should not be tarred with the same brush as the film. Book-to-film transitions are rarely spectacular, and the film should have been made as a collaboration between Ridley Scott and Stephen Spielberg, but it wasn't, so the less said about it the better. The book, a union between writer Lincoln Child and scientist Douglas Preston, is the cutting edge of the Michael Crichton style techno-thriller, and at the same time a jolly good horror novel to boot. The balance between science, suspense and action is superbly orchestrated, and at no point does it fail in its narrative. The characters are exceptionally well drawn, the settings, especially the museum and its underlying catacombs, vividly conceptualised, and the issues of grant money, museum and city politics, and FBI/police differences always enthralling and adding an oddly realistic air to the otherwise horrific proceedings.

The book begins as it means to go on, dark and sinister, with guards and children butchered early on in particularly nightmarish scenes. The build up towards the gala opening of the museum's new, eerily consistent Superstition Exhibition and the attempt by the museum officials to let nothing get in the way of its fund raising is both gripping and intriguing. As Margo Green's investigations into a previous exploratory expedition unfolds, and she briefly encounters a terrifying creature in the dark, cynical cop Lieutenant D'Agosta makes headway in his investigation of the killings. The level-headed Agent Pendergast, reminiscent of the unshakeable Agent Cooper from 'Twin Peaks', is a welcome addition to the cast, sparking up various witty repartees with the aforementioned police officer. The climax erupts on the gala night more than one hundred pages from the end, exploding into a gruesome and fast-paced pressure-cooker scenario in which a monster hunts down a group of the gala-night revellers through the crypt-like interior of the museum. What separates 'The Relic' from a million other such novels is that, rather than building to a ten-page climax, the nerve-racking, climactic atmosphere is phenomenally maintained for almost a quarter of the book. While D'Agosta and the irascible reporter Smithback lead the survivors deeper and deeper underground through creepy, water-filled tunnels, Green and Pendergast rush to discover the true nature of the creature in what is certainly the most terrifying and gripping dénouement I have ever read.

The one criticism I would have is that the epilogue is of a completely different tone to the rest of the story and seems tagged on merely to provide food for a sequel, which it indeed did in 'Reliquary'. That aside, it is one of the most atmospheric and well-thought-out novels ever written, at once exciting, terrifying and intelligent, combining the mainstream writing techniques of high-concept thrillers and combining them with the scientific captivation of author Richard Preston, brother of the co-author here. If only Lincoln Preston's other books were as good, Michael Crichton would have a run for his money.

Rating:
Summary: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child RULE!
Review: I remember the first time that I ever read this book: I was 15 years old- and thought it was the coolest book ever written. Now- five years later- I've become the biggest Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child fan in the world! (sorry to those that think they are the biggest fans) I think the reason that so many people love these authors' books is because they are SO complex- yet are easy to read, and everything is aways explained in the end. In the Relic- the authors actualy make it seem like you are a character in the book! You're walking down a dark hallway in a museum knowing that the beast can get you at any moment! You hear a noise- then a smell hits you- you want to run- but then all is quiet. Your flashlight suddenly stops working. You turn around- only to face your death. You then realize your sitting in your bed shaking with fear- but you just can't put the book down! So you keep on reading all night long and finally at 3 AM you go to sleep. You can't wait till the next day when you'll be able to read the next chapter! Once you're done with this book- you move on to it's sequel- then you read all the other books written by these talented authors. Once you've read all five of their books, you start all over again- knowing that this Summer they'll have another great novel coming out!--- That's what makes me the BIGGEST Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child fan.

Rating:
Summary: A real page turner!
Review: I flew through this book. Suspensful, fast paced, full of wonderful characters. A must read

Rating:
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.

Rating:
Summary: Great stuff
Review: WOW! Cool! Fantastic! those are just SOME of the words that come to mind while pondering how great this book really is. Forget the comparisons between Jurassic Park and 'Relic' since they are so different, it's difficult to even compare, let alone be fair. Also, if you have seen the movie, DO NOT LET IT KEEP YOU FROM READING THIS SUPERIOR STORY. The movie, well, let's not mince words, it SUCKED. It was fodder for those who have absolutely NO imagination (my apologies for those who actually enjoyed this drivel--but compared to the book, that is truly what it is). Read this book and be totally enthralled with the characters and the situations they are in, and you just cannot help but realize how downright freaky and terrifying the location of this story really is. Oh, by the way, the sequel is trash compared to this. I have read everything by these authors thus far, and 'Reliquary' is the ONLY book to this point that isn't completely captivating.

It's okay, though (read it first, even though its a sequel, you won't lose too much). READ THIS BOOK! Thank me later (you WILL). Let me know what you thought [e-mail] Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Debut title for author duo... One of the best books out
Review: Not much to say other than this was one of the best conceived and written books of its kind I have ever read. Preston and Child do not write with such a "sterile" style as Crichton, and that really gives them the edge.

This is a scary damn read. Very much so.

Rating:
Summary: Their Best Work!
Review: What a fantastic tale! The Museum is about to launch a splashy new exhibit in an effort to regain audience and save their institution from long-declining revenues. When a chain of grisly murders threaten to shut down the celebration scheduled to debut the exhibit, an intense investigation begins while Museum official pull strings to ensure that the party will go on. Human mistakes lead to a disasterous failure of Museum security features, and the hunt is on. These two authors have delivered many superb books, but this was heads and tales above the rest. The plot is well put together, and endlessly suspensful. The setting is perfectly creepy, from the long dusty back halls of the museum to the tunnels and sewers below that provide a haven for the museum beast and ultimately an escape for the unfortunate characters that are being ruthlessly hunted. The movie was no comparison to the book itself. Wonderful read!

Rating:
Summary: Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child RULE!
Review: I remember the first time that I ever read this book: I was 15 years old- and thought it was the coolest book ever written. Now- five years later- I've become the biggest Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child fan in the world! (sorry to those that think they are the biggest fans) I think the reason that so many people love these authors' books is because they are SO complex- yet are easy to read, and everything is aways explained in the end. In the Relic- the authors actualy make it seem like you are a character in the book! You're walking down a dark hallway in a museum knowing that the beast can get you at any moment! You hear a noise- then a smell hits you- you want to run- but then all is quiet. Your flashlight suddenly stops working. You turn around- only to face your death. You then realize your sitting in your bed shaking with fear- but you just can't put the book down! So you keep on reading all night long and finally at 3 AM you go to sleep. You can't wait till the next day when you'll be able to read the next chapter! Once you're done with this book- you move on to it's sequel- then you read all the other books written by these talented authors. Once you've read all five of their books, you start all over again- knowing that this Summer they'll have another great novel coming out!--- That's what makes me the BIGGEST Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child fan.

Rating:
Summary: Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston--The Relic (1995)
Review: Although a fairly blatant spoof of the Michael Crichton formula, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's "The Relic" is a superb, fast-paced suspense/horror read that is one of the best of its kind produced in the middle 1990's. The authors use excellent characterization, an in-depth look at museum politics, some soft humor, and stupendously eerie sequences that will have readers' hair standing straight up.

Preparing for a special new exhibit at Chicago's Natural History Museum, scientist Margo Green receives some unusual crates with incredible artifacts from the Kothoga indian tribe. Inside many of the crates is a strange plant and nothing more, which seems awfully fishy to the scientist and she researches the relics further. As she gets closer to the truth and the the museum gets closer and closer to the grand opening of their new exhibit, a horrific monster begins to terrorize the building. With the help of her long-time friend Mr. Frock and a rogue FBI agent who investigated similar murders in New Orleans, Margo Green fights for her live against a creature that embodies more secrets than she could imagine.

Preston and Child produce a tremendous tale, splicing several genres together that will satisfy fans of Koontz, Crichton, Grisham, King, and Deaver. Stylishly scary, eloquently written, and a fantastic, whoulda-thunk it finale that will astonish. Adapted into a very well-made motion picture a couple years after its release--the book is far better, emphasizing the personalities of the main characters to their entirity and adding numerous extra plot twists. Simply excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Debut title for author duo... One of the best books out
Review: Not much to say other than this was one of the best conceived and written books of its kind I have ever read. Preston and Child do not write with such a "sterile" style as Crichton, and that really gives them the edge.

This is a scary damn read. Very much so.