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alice2000's review against another edition
4.0
I have so far enjoyed every Pendergast book very much and this one was no exception. The authors always manage to find creepy situations within seemingly benign settings- small town America, Manhattan, Italian countryside.
Returning characters are, as always, entertaining and their paths a little shocking. Looking forward to future endeavors.
Returning characters are, as always, entertaining and their paths a little shocking. Looking forward to future endeavors.
shelflife's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite character EVER, Pendergast! Who could not love him? I am addicted to these wonderful books by Preston/Child and usually give them highter marks. However, I am devasted by the loss of a beloved character. I totally didn't believe it. Right to the bitter end, I thought it was a ploy, a joke, a hoax. Alas, it was not. It's going to take me awhile to forgive them for that one :)
The storyline was solid for the most part, with everything naturally coming together in the end. The center of this mystery is about an animal sacraficing religious cult that lives, not exactly legally, in the middle of New York in an unused church of a sort and do things that are basically against the law, however nothing ever really happens to them. They can't evict them, they get to kill animals and other strange and questionable behaviors that I would think is illegal. So I feel unresolved about the ending. Since they were only used to shield what was really going on. I felt the ending could have been better.
With that said, I did like this book, just didn't LOVE this book.
The storyline was solid for the most part, with everything naturally coming together in the end. The center of this mystery is about an animal sacraficing religious cult that lives, not exactly legally, in the middle of New York in an unused church of a sort and do things that are basically against the law, however nothing ever really happens to them. They can't evict them, they get to kill animals and other strange and questionable behaviors that I would think is illegal. So I feel unresolved about the ending. Since they were only used to shield what was really going on. I felt the ending could have been better.
With that said, I did like this book, just didn't LOVE this book.
jaxboiler's review against another edition
4.0
Another fun Agent Pendergast adventure. It had some nice twists and turns with the normal sprinkling of supernatural. This one kept me entertained on my daily walks.
tbr_the_unconquered's review against another edition
3.0
I have been following the Preston-Child series on Aloysius Pendergast for quite some time now. Seems I have read almost a good majority of the books except Reliquary & Still Life With Crows (which I am still looking for). In a series devoted to Pendergast, this is the ninth book in the line.
The tale begins with one of the most well known characters in the Pendergast tales getting murdered and from then on moves to a Zombii cult, an illegal settlement,murder and general mayhem. One thing that adds on to the quick pace of the tale is the fact that none of the chapters are more than 6 pages long and there isn't a lot to ponder over. Compared to the other tales from the same stables, it is my gut feel that The Wheel of Darkness and Cemetary Dance were the weakest links in the chain. While the other tales were cliff hanger ones that kept me reading late into the night, these two were ones in which I could more or less predict the plot outline from miles off.
Pendergast's character too is not given much exploration in the tale as a whole, for it moves from one Zombii attack to another at a swift pace. The closing chapter has a reference wherein we learn that we have not heard the last of Pendergast's adventures and from the author's site i get to read that another work is in the offing for mid 2010. Well, that will be one to look out for.
I wouldn't much recommend this book. It would be much better to start off with Relic and work your way down to this....
The tale begins with one of the most well known characters in the Pendergast tales getting murdered and from then on moves to a Zombii cult, an illegal settlement,murder and general mayhem. One thing that adds on to the quick pace of the tale is the fact that none of the chapters are more than 6 pages long and there isn't a lot to ponder over. Compared to the other tales from the same stables, it is my gut feel that The Wheel of Darkness and Cemetary Dance were the weakest links in the chain. While the other tales were cliff hanger ones that kept me reading late into the night, these two were ones in which I could more or less predict the plot outline from miles off.
Pendergast's character too is not given much exploration in the tale as a whole, for it moves from one Zombii attack to another at a swift pace. The closing chapter has a reference wherein we learn that we have not heard the last of Pendergast's adventures and from the author's site i get to read that another work is in the offing for mid 2010. Well, that will be one to look out for.
I wouldn't much recommend this book. It would be much better to start off with Relic and work your way down to this....
gawronma's review against another edition
4.0
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are back to the old form. It was such a great improvement over their last book. It was sad to the end of a great series character.
jennifercrowe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
4.0
loubelle17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
drireneadler's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75