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silvereyedathena 's review for:
Thunderhead
by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.75 stars
One of my biggest complaints about <i>Cabinet of Curiosities</i> was that I couldn't understand why Nora was with Smithback in the first place. Having gone back to read this prequel, I now totally get it. Their romantic feelings develop organically over the course of this book, and at no time in the setup does it feel like the authors are telegraphing the future relationship.
This is my fourth book with Smithback, and I'm still struggling to get a handle on his character. Is he a bit of a hapless himbo who just legitimately doesn't understand how obnoxious or aggravating his braggadocio is? Or is he a smarmy, arrogant muckraker with an ego that supersedes everything else around him?
Part of the issue is the changing audio narrators. In <i>Reliquary</i> he was performed as a sleeze, with a nasally, Jack Nicholson-esque drawl. Here, he's voiced as a romantic lead with a much more vanilla tone. He's much more likeable in this book than in <i>Reliquary</i> or in <i>Cabinet</i> - he's not quite as ego-driven, and he tempers his arrogance with an easy-going self-deprecation that makes him likable despite his pretentious ways.
I was very happy to see a lot more complex female characters and a lot less fatphobia in this book. Though why P&C seemingly backslid on these elements in <i>Cabinet</i> is beyond me.
The comparisons to Indiana Jones are totally warranted, but this book's pacing is a bit less even. It started off and running, dragged periodically throughout the middle, and then picked up again in the final chapters.
Audio performer Scott Brick was fine. His voices for the side characters were distinct, less so for the leads. His in-character lines were fairly well acted, but I wish he'd given more oomph on the descriptive action scenes instead of just mildly recounting what was on the page.
Now, side quests and catch-ups resolved, I can get back to Pendergast.
One of my biggest complaints about <i>Cabinet of Curiosities</i> was that I couldn't understand why Nora was with Smithback in the first place. Having gone back to read this prequel, I now totally get it. Their romantic feelings develop organically over the course of this book, and at no time in the setup does it feel like the authors are telegraphing the future relationship.
This is my fourth book with Smithback, and I'm still struggling to get a handle on his character. Is he a bit of a hapless himbo who just legitimately doesn't understand how obnoxious or aggravating his braggadocio is? Or is he a smarmy, arrogant muckraker with an ego that supersedes everything else around him?
Part of the issue is the changing audio narrators. In <i>Reliquary</i> he was performed as a sleeze, with a nasally, Jack Nicholson-esque drawl. Here, he's voiced as a romantic lead with a much more vanilla tone. He's much more likeable in this book than in <i>Reliquary</i> or in <i>Cabinet</i> - he's not quite as ego-driven, and he tempers his arrogance with an easy-going self-deprecation that makes him likable despite his pretentious ways.
I was very happy to see a lot more complex female characters and a lot less fatphobia in this book. Though why P&C seemingly backslid on these elements in <i>Cabinet</i> is beyond me.
The comparisons to Indiana Jones are totally warranted, but this book's pacing is a bit less even. It started off and running, dragged periodically throughout the middle, and then picked up again in the final chapters.
Audio performer Scott Brick was fine. His voices for the side characters were distinct, less so for the leads. His in-character lines were fairly well acted, but I wish he'd given more oomph on the descriptive action scenes instead of just mildly recounting what was on the page.
Now, side quests and catch-ups resolved, I can get back to Pendergast.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism
Minor: Incest, Sexism, Slavery, Car accident, Abandonment