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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
In a nutshell: Dan Brown with better writing skills. So much wrong here, not the least of which is the fact that Gideon is an amateur battling the consummate professional, does a bunch of obviously stupid stuff, and is lucky beyond all belief. YUCK YUCK YUCK. Plus, a stupid premise, a lame ending, and nothing redeeming whatsoever. At least Dan Brown throws some historical research at the wall--here, I got nothin'.
My mother sometimes sends me the pulp fiction books she's enjoyed. This is one of them. Sometimes they're good and sometimes they're not...
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness, Violence
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse
Gideon has turned his life around- he's not stealing anymore, he's got a legitimate job at Los Alamos and he loves fly fishing. Until his mother dies and gives him a mission- find the man who ruined his father's reputation and branded him a traitor. This launches Gideon into a world he didn't know existed- the EES, a high-tech engineering firm that not only builds things, but also studies why structures and vehicles have failed. They have a high-paying, high-risk job for him and some life-altering news. Gideon is the only one for the job.
Preston and Child are a great thriller writing team. They keep the pace high and throw in some good plot twists. This will be a continuing series, from the looks of it. Gideon is a good character and I look forward to reading more about him.
Food: Bugles, crunchy corn snacks with the perfect amount of salt and texture that you can mindlessly eat a whole bag of without thinking. Before you know it, you're hitting the bottom of the bag and you can lick your fingers satisfactorily.
Preston and Child are a great thriller writing team. They keep the pace high and throw in some good plot twists. This will be a continuing series, from the looks of it. Gideon is a good character and I look forward to reading more about him.
Food: Bugles, crunchy corn snacks with the perfect amount of salt and texture that you can mindlessly eat a whole bag of without thinking. Before you know it, you're hitting the bottom of the bag and you can lick your fingers satisfactorily.
*sigh*
Okay, this started out as rather fun, but spiraled a little too far into the rather ridiculous for me. I've got book 2 on audio from the library and while I probably will listen to it, I'm not as excited as I feel I should be.
Okay, this started out as rather fun, but spiraled a little too far into the rather ridiculous for me. I've got book 2 on audio from the library and while I probably will listen to it, I'm not as excited as I feel I should be.
After reading the widely varying reviews about this book, I ventured into the series with concern. Unfortunately, that concern was justified.
Compared to their Pendergast/earlier works, this series is, at times, simple, unsurprising, and awkward to read. The writing is decent but the characters are flat and underwhelming. Wading through the cliches to get to the meat of the story is at times difficult and (so far) barely worth the effort.
At this point in time, I've read the first two books and the writing has not improved. Gideon is a one-trick pony (social manipulation) and is usually making shit up as he goes - to the detriment of innocent civilians around him and the interest of the story. Apparently, his main super-power involves falling into and out of ridiculous sex-based relationships with the first attractive woman he meets - whatever the situation or circumstances. It's painful to read, embarrassing, and completely throws me out of the disbelief state I worked to achieve when starting the book.
Don't get me wrong, I am a _huge_ fan of their earlier work (but not of their individual efforts, blecch) but this stuff reads like fan-lit you'd find online.
Why do I continue with the series??? I'm too anal to skip ahead to Beyond the Ice Limit (the sequel to Ice Limit - my favorite book of theirs). However, I am now dreading that moment because they will have to step up their writing game a lot to match the levels of Ice Limit.
Compared to their Pendergast/earlier works, this series is, at times, simple, unsurprising, and awkward to read. The writing is decent but the characters are flat and underwhelming. Wading through the cliches to get to the meat of the story is at times difficult and (so far) barely worth the effort.
At this point in time, I've read the first two books and the writing has not improved. Gideon is a one-trick pony (social manipulation) and is usually making shit up as he goes - to the detriment of innocent civilians around him and the interest of the story. Apparently, his main super-power involves falling into and out of ridiculous sex-based relationships with the first attractive woman he meets - whatever the situation or circumstances. It's painful to read, embarrassing, and completely throws me out of the disbelief state I worked to achieve when starting the book.
Don't get me wrong, I am a _huge_ fan of their earlier work (but not of their individual efforts, blecch) but this stuff reads like fan-lit you'd find online.
Why do I continue with the series??? I'm too anal to skip ahead to Beyond the Ice Limit (the sequel to Ice Limit - my favorite book of theirs). However, I am now dreading that moment because they will have to step up their writing game a lot to match the levels of Ice Limit.
On 2nd read i was able to push through the parts about the Gourmet food and get to the good parts. It was an enjoyable read
I'll preface this by saying that I've really enjoyed these guys previous work. I've read every novel they've published, both together and independently, and enjoyed most of them.
But, honestly, Pendergast has grown stale over time. The last few of his novels have been decent, but the series unfortunately peaked way back at [b:The Cabinet of Curiosities|39031|The Cabinet of Curiosities (Pendergast, #3)|Douglas Preston|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169235779s/39031.jpg|817317].
So I was kind of pumped to hear that they were kicking off a new series. Though I thought the name was silly, at least there should be a sense of freshness.
Ugh. Even the worst Pendergast story is far, far better than this book. Gideon Crew is a completely flat character that I couldn't care less about. The story was all over the place. Too many characters were introduced only to be done away with a few chapters later. And the story was just dull. It didn't have any of the mystery of their other works.
All in all, this was my least favorite Preston/Child novel. I'll still read the next Pendergast novel, but I hope these guys can find their mojo again.
But, honestly, Pendergast has grown stale over time. The last few of his novels have been decent, but the series unfortunately peaked way back at [b:The Cabinet of Curiosities|39031|The Cabinet of Curiosities (Pendergast, #3)|Douglas Preston|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169235779s/39031.jpg|817317].
So I was kind of pumped to hear that they were kicking off a new series. Though I thought the name was silly, at least there should be a sense of freshness.
Ugh. Even the worst Pendergast story is far, far better than this book. Gideon Crew is a completely flat character that I couldn't care less about. The story was all over the place. Too many characters were introduced only to be done away with a few chapters later. And the story was just dull. It didn't have any of the mystery of their other works.
All in all, this was my least favorite Preston/Child novel. I'll still read the next Pendergast novel, but I hope these guys can find their mojo again.
An ever increasing jenga tower of improbability. Mashed up with a slow motion car crash. I can’t look away.
Not as engaging as other Preston/Child books. Give me Pendergast - you can keep Gideon Crew.