Rating: 
Summary: Not their best, but still a GREAT read!
Review: Having just recently discovered the works of Preston and Child, I have the perspective of having read all of their book (Thunderhead included) in about a three or four week period. While some of their characters do seem cut out of one book and pasted into the next, i.e. the character whose deviant, greedy side emerges and they turn inexplicably from friend to foe in the turn of a page, other characters, Hatch and Nora among them, are fresh and unique. Bringing Smithback into this story was clever and appreciated. Without that delightful surprise, the whole book might have been very flat from beginning to end. Preston and Child have become among my favorite authors and, so far, I have not been disappointed. The problem with having raced through all of their books recently is that I now have to wait a year for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Their best effort since Relic
Review: This book was fantastic and the best book I have read this early summer. It was the first book I read after being brutally disappointed with *Hannibal*, and what a breath of fresh air. Preston and Child have hit another winner with Thunderhead.You will love Nora Kelly as the sometimes too-good-to-believe heroine. Bill Smithback has risen from the labyrinth under NYC to come to Utah with a flourish. The characters are much more interesting than those in Riptide, and the history lessons are first-rate. I found myself enjoying the story even before the last 150 page, thrilling finale. I would have been content just to read of the expoits of the archeologists and the history of the Anasazi. Without a doubt, this is the best effort from Preston & Child since Relic. While there has been some criticism of their style becoming too "patterned", I think that their writing style and changes of venue give each book a compelling difference. This is a must read. If you have never read these authors, you will enjoy this (but absolutely go read Relic!) and look forward to their next effort.
Rating: 
Summary: These two guys are T-RIFIC story tellers !!
Review: I've read all the novels written by Preston & Child (Relic, Mount Dragon, Reliquary & Riptide).This one is another page turner. It combines archaeology, a little natural history, some very vivid descriptions of the Utah "BADLANDS" and plenty of gooseflesh suspense. I,m hooked on these two. Can't wait for their next bestseller. Hurry up guys !!!
Rating: 
Summary: The pattern has emerged
Review: It had to happen sooner or later (I just wish it was later). On the surface there's nothing wrong with the book. If this is the first or second of their books you're reading, it will probably seem very good indeed. There's action, drama, adventure, etc., all parts of a very entertaining book. The problem is, it so closely resembles the plot of their other books, you get the feeling you've read it before. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, because all four of their other books are very, very good. Apart from being similar to their earlier work, there are two distinct problems with the book that make it more difficult to accept: 1. It is easier to convince a reader of supernatural ideas than super feats of human endeavor and luck combined because of our own experiences. Early in the book, a sequence of events occur, which in real life would be near impossible, let alone be accomplished in the two days as the book describes. That improbability would have worked much better if it was only given a slightly more realistic time frame. 2. The characters, though adequately developed, distinctly lack that certain quality that makes the reader care for them. e.g. Nora, the main character, just happens to know the right skill when the need for that skill arise, which makes the character less plausible, almost as if it was written by Sidney Sheldon. The only good character is that of Bill Smithback, who is brought over to Utah from New York, and The Relic and Reliquary books. Bill actually proves to be the only person worth rooting for in the end, which is ironic, because he's not the sort of person one would like in real life. -- It is with regret that I write: Wait for the paperback. In the meantime, reread The Relic.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome read! I simply couldn't put it down!
Review: I love this book. It is close, but doesn't quite beat Mount Dragon. That was their best book so far. This novel of suspense and archeology is their second. I thought it was great how they brought Smithback back. He is more enjoyable this time than in the Relic. A great, fun read.
Rating:
Summary: An exceptionally thrilling ride
Review: This book delivers explicit history, filled with adventure, and stunning surprises, and twists. Not only a page-turner, but 1 that will keep u up late until the climax is over. A fun read.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, but peculiarly reminiscent of previous work
Review: I like Preston and Child's work so far -- their research is good (if heavy-handed) and their plots are fun. Most of their popular novels involve the same main plot device... some primitive legend that has a modern scientific explanation. This one is no different, although the suspense somehow doesn't match that of RIPTIDE or THE RELIC. What is more disturbing about this book is that it's clear the two authors have only a few character types. There is the enthusiastic and driven hero (RIPTIDE's Hatch was an exception), doggedly pursuing a long shot theory or familial dream. There is the ethnic minority or specialist who gravely prescribes respect for the mysteries of the past (and who, of course, was right all along -- the aura of superiority ascribed to ancient ways in all of P & C's books borders on the insufferable). There is the obsessive and unstable ubermensch-type, who eventually goes nuts and threatens everyone. And then there is the smartass for comic relief. P & C's best books (RELIC and RIPTIDE) include characters who deviate from these stereotypes, and which don't include a lot of unpunished moralizing. This one, disappointingly, has both stereotypes and moralizing, and while I was entertained, I doubt I would read it again or recommend it over their past successes.
Rating:
Summary: Preston/Child - They're all I'm reading right now!!!
Review: Nora Childs visits her old home and is attacked by strange animal-like creatures. She receives a letter from her father dated years ago that leads her on a quest for Quivira, a city of the Anasazi Indians. While the first 150 pages were a little slow, the rest of the book was totally engrossing. Quivira and its archealogical finds are so interesting. The climb up the cliffs and the storm throughout the canyons makes for a very scary read.
I have bought all the Preston and Child books since reading this one. "Codex" is awesome. I love "Cabinet of Curiosities" and "Still Life with Crows." You MUST read these!
Rating:
Summary: Takes you along on the adventure of your life!!
Review: All Preston and Child books are great but this is by far the best.Having an intense interest in Anasazi archaeology and a love for this area of the four corners the story took me right along with the expedition! I have never read another archaeology novel which seemed so real! I've read this book 3 times and enjoy it even more each time.With their knowledge of this subject and area of the southwest I can only hope they will write another similar story before I wear my copy out!!!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Preston-Childs Title
Review: Ok. I had to respond to the nay-sayers. First of all, the character development in this book is fine for an adventure novel. In fact, it's really above par. Sure, they could have puffed it up to a 700 page tome - ala Stephen King - but then the pacing and suspense would have been lost while we're running around in the characters' heads.
Secondly, I found no inconsistent or unresolved happenings, unlike how they left things in "The Ice Limit". Nor did Pendergast pop up at the end and give us a Sherlock Holmes-like explanation for the whole thing. A definite plus. To the reviewer who thought the flood went backwards, you need to re-read that section - you're mistaken. I really enjoy the way the authors always set up a supernatural premise, then through some amazing and ingenious plot twists, explain things in a satisfying way. They accomplish that in Thunderhead.
And for those that thought that the idea of the group getting "gold fever" was implausible, I thought the authors set up the character's motivation nicely. For some it was greed, but for the others - each in their own way - the motivation was glory. I felt they did an excellent job of explaining how important a find it would be - but I guess living in the Southwest for many years gave me some additional background on the history of Cibola.
This book just rocks. I stumbled upon it by accident and was blown away. I've since read it again and it was almost as fun the 2nd time around. After, of course, reading the author's other works. Of their other works, I'd recommend The Relic and Riptide. But any of them are a good, solid summer read. That said, for sheer reading pleasure, Thunderhead is the best of the bunch.
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