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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
Tyrannosaur Canyon, Gideon's Sword, and the Lost City of the Monkey God are all Preston/Childs books that I could not finish. But I'll tell you why.
Preston and Childs have a number of series, each with a different lead character. I read Beyond the Ice Limit which was the intro to Gideon Crew for me. I wanted to read this book because I read Ice Limit and enjoyed it. Then I followed the journey to Gideon #1.
I was prepared to the like the heck out of Gideon. He was a great force in BTIL and I was ready for that to open up into a fabulously interesting persona. But not so much. He is strong armed into the mystery, by a character that I have decided to avoid at all cost. And he starts out his mission with lies and deceit. Turns out, his background is art thief, with a moral compromise. Yeah, possible Thomas Crown vibes, or Neal Caffrey ("White Collar") good looks, maybe even some John "The Cat" Robie (Cary Grant "To Catch a Thief")
No such luck.
One of the problems with several of the P/C books is that the ingenuity and brilliance of these adventurers is kept private. We see the plan unfold along with everyone else. And that's great, because giving away too much will null the actual event. Buuuuut, keeping everything a secret is like watching black and white when you could have techno-color.
Preston and Childs have a number of series, each with a different lead character. I read Beyond the Ice Limit which was the intro to Gideon Crew for me. I wanted to read this book because I read Ice Limit and enjoyed it. Then I followed the journey to Gideon #1.
I was prepared to the like the heck out of Gideon. He was a great force in BTIL and I was ready for that to open up into a fabulously interesting persona. But not so much. He is strong armed into the mystery, by a character that I have decided to avoid at all cost. And he starts out his mission with lies and deceit. Turns out, his background is art thief, with a moral compromise. Yeah, possible Thomas Crown vibes, or Neal Caffrey ("White Collar") good looks, maybe even some John "The Cat" Robie (Cary Grant "To Catch a Thief")
No such luck.
One of the problems with several of the P/C books is that the ingenuity and brilliance of these adventurers is kept private. We see the plan unfold along with everyone else. And that's great, because giving away too much will null the actual event. Buuuuut, keeping everything a secret is like watching black and white when you could have techno-color.
Reading the reviews of this book made me laugh. People were upset by the absurdity of the plot-- it's a Preston and Childs novel, all of their plots are absurd! And while of course they vary in quality (I had a hard time with The Ice Limit, but Thunderhead and some of the Pendergast books are great) their plots are generally impossible. I mean their first book was about a monster eating people in the Natural History Museum-- yes it was "science-y" but it was no less absurd than this book
So anyway, the long and short of my review-- this should definitely not be the first Preston and Childs book a person reads. Start with one of their better one's (i.e. Still Life with Crows or Cabinet of Curiosity)and learn their writing template: murder related to a vaguely-scientific or spiritual issue + lots of gruesome and silly deaths (think Final Destination) of tangential characters + inexhaustible funds + flawed but earnest protagonist = fun! Then once you are a semi-convert to the writing style and character building they do, you'll find this book fits right into the bunch. It may not be as weighty or serious as the others, but it was still pretty fun.
I liked the character of Gideon he was like a fusion of Pendergast and Smithback.
So anyway, the long and short of my review-- this should definitely not be the first Preston and Childs book a person reads. Start with one of their better one's (i.e. Still Life with Crows or Cabinet of Curiosity)and learn their writing template: murder related to a vaguely-scientific or spiritual issue + lots of gruesome and silly deaths (think Final Destination) of tangential characters + inexhaustible funds + flawed but earnest protagonist = fun! Then once you are a semi-convert to the writing style and character building they do, you'll find this book fits right into the bunch. It may not be as weighty or serious as the others, but it was still pretty fun.
I liked the character of Gideon he was like a fusion of Pendergast and Smithback.
Love the new character, Gideon Crew! Started out a little slow but really picked up. Looking forward to #2 in the series.
A new series from my favorite suspense authors. Too good to put down!
This was my first Preston & Child read.
Mix a half cup of humor with a smattering of sensical explanation, stir in three cups unbelievability, and toss well with two cups of action. Bake for 20 minutes. Wait til cooled to enjoy, ideally with a glass of Coke or Mountain Dew or coffee so you can finish it in one sitting since you probably won’t want to return to it.
Pros:
• fast-paced (I read it over the course of an afternoon; finished half of it alone while at LaRosa’s waiting for my calzone to finish cooking)
• action. Lots of action. Felt like an adult version of Alex Rider or Magnus Chase or any of the other adventure-packed middle grade books.
• I liked the disguises.
Cons:
• confusing. I’m 99% sure I couldn’t explain the plot to someone in its entirety.
• not believable even with suspension of disbelief.
• so many convenient twists.
• what was with his relationship with Orchid? Happened so quickly!
• Magical Chinese martial arts. Trope city. ‘Nuff said.
• That ending. Not quite a cliffhanger but also kind of annoying and obviously leading into book 2.
Mix a half cup of humor with a smattering of sensical explanation, stir in three cups unbelievability, and toss well with two cups of action. Bake for 20 minutes. Wait til cooled to enjoy, ideally with a glass of Coke or Mountain Dew or coffee so you can finish it in one sitting since you probably won’t want to return to it.
Pros:
• fast-paced (I read it over the course of an afternoon; finished half of it alone while at LaRosa’s waiting for my calzone to finish cooking)
• action. Lots of action. Felt like an adult version of Alex Rider or Magnus Chase or any of the other adventure-packed middle grade books.
• I liked the disguises.
Cons:
• confusing. I’m 99% sure I couldn’t explain the plot to someone in its entirety.
• not believable even with suspension of disbelief.
• so many convenient twists.
• what was with his relationship with Orchid? Happened so quickly!
• Magical Chinese martial arts. Trope city. ‘Nuff said.
• That ending. Not quite a cliffhanger but also kind of annoying and obviously leading into book 2.
I'm a little ticked off that the final book to meet my GR challenge is a DNF, but I can't even with this book. It's utterly ridiculous. I'm on page 80 of over 300 and I am getting a headache from rolling my eyes.
I’ve been a huge fan of writing duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child ever since I read Cabinet of Curiosities featuring the brilliant and eccentric FBI agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast. I’ve since read all the books in the Pendergast series, most of their stand alone books and a few of the authors’ solo projects.
In Gideon’s Sword, the authors introduce their new character Gideon Crew. Gideon witnesses the death of his father when he’s a teenager. Years later at his mother’s deathbed, he learns the real circumstances of his father’s death and promises his mother that he will revenge his father. Gideon completes his mission to avenge his father but he’s then approached by a mysterious outfit that wants to hire him for a dangerous op. Gideon takes the job and the roller coaster ride begins!
I enjoyed the book and fans will certainly have fun with the appearance of familiar characters but I don’t think it’s up to par with their previous efforts. The book is fast-paced but I felt most of the plot was taken up by the main character making rash decisions with sometimes dubious results that I felt didn’t move the story along. I’s surprised that the revenge story line wasn’t more prominent in the book. I also would have liked more background information on Gideon Crew but of course this is a calculated move by the authors to entice us to read any future books in the series.
Bottom-line, if you are already a fan of Preston & Child, it’s worth a read. If you’ve never read any of the Preston & Child books, I suggest you start with the books featuring Agent Pendergast.
In Gideon’s Sword, the authors introduce their new character Gideon Crew. Gideon witnesses the death of his father when he’s a teenager. Years later at his mother’s deathbed, he learns the real circumstances of his father’s death and promises his mother that he will revenge his father. Gideon completes his mission to avenge his father but he’s then approached by a mysterious outfit that wants to hire him for a dangerous op. Gideon takes the job and the roller coaster ride begins!
I enjoyed the book and fans will certainly have fun with the appearance of familiar characters but I don’t think it’s up to par with their previous efforts. The book is fast-paced but I felt most of the plot was taken up by the main character making rash decisions with sometimes dubious results that I felt didn’t move the story along. I’s surprised that the revenge story line wasn’t more prominent in the book. I also would have liked more background information on Gideon Crew but of course this is a calculated move by the authors to entice us to read any future books in the series.
Bottom-line, if you are already a fan of Preston & Child, it’s worth a read. If you’ve never read any of the Preston & Child books, I suggest you start with the books featuring Agent Pendergast.
Definitely not a Pendergast novel, nor one of their rip-roaring standalones, this one is buttery, salty popcorn. I didn't love it. I did like it. I am kind of hoping it all starts to tie in somewhere, what with Garza and Glinn being in this one.
Few of the new characters really seem to matter, at least the ones that make it. Which I found odd.
Few of the new characters really seem to matter, at least the ones that make it. Which I found odd.
I love this new character. I flew through this book because I was just so intrigued by the storyline and set up.