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The Wheel of Darkness (Pendergast #8)
FBI Special Agent Pendergast is taking a break from work to take Constance on a whirlwind Grand Tour, hoping to give her closure and a sense of the world that she's missed. They head to Tibet, where Pendergast intensively trained in martial arts and spiritual studies. At a remote monastery, they learn that a rare and dangerous artifact the monks have been guarding for gen...more
Mass Market Paperback, 656 pages
Published
July 1st 2008
by Vision
(first published January 1st 2007)
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This is the latest book in the "Pendergast series" from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It's their superhero FBI agent at it once again, saving lost pieces of art, relics and outwitting everyone all while making you, the reader, feel like you need to go out and start buying Hugo Boss suits and driving around in vintage luxury cars.
Actually, this book is a departure from the usual behavior of Agent Pendergast. He actually becomes a victim of sorts in this book and it'...more
Actually, this book is a departure from the usual behavior of Agent Pendergast. He actually becomes a victim of sorts in this book and it'...more
After a leaving their last book soaked with uncertainty, Preston and Child return with a very disappointing conclusion. Many a thread are left untied with the conclusion of this book. In their past books they have treated the unknown with science and explanation, but here they delve way too deeply into the supernatural. The ending is remenicent of the deus ex machina endings of ancient Greek theatre. The authors build up the suspense, but then take the easy way out by having very improbable ...more
There are two types of people who rate this book highly. Those that have never read the rest of the Pendergast series and those whose understanding of the rest of the Pendergast series is skin deep.
This book is an insult to the rest of the series. I wonder if Preston and Child just got to the point where they said "I bet we can write any piece of garbage and put our names on it and put the name Pendergast in it and people will still love it"
Anyway, you could e...more
This book is an insult to the rest of the series. I wonder if Preston and Child just got to the point where they said "I bet we can write any piece of garbage and put our names on it and put the name Pendergast in it and people will still love it"
Anyway, you could e...more
I love most of what these guys Douglass Preston and Lincoln Child write together. But I esecially love the story line of FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast and his "ward" Constance Greene.Yeah the books are a bit over the top and Agent Pendergast gets away with ALOT of stuff no Real FBI agent would, but the books are great. Always some end of the world /Crazy person with a venetta to destroy everything plot , and yet always different and fresh. This one takes place on a brand new Ocean Line...more
Needing a rest from the wrath Diogenes Pendergast bestowed upon them FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, seek peace of mind at a remote Tibetan monastery. The abbot asks Agent Pendergast to recover a stolen relic, the cryptic Agozyen, which in the wrong hands, could wipe out humanity. Constance joins Aloysius as y follow the trail to a luxury cruise ship, the Britannia which is making its maiden voyage. Brutal murders suggests the relic's evil might already have been re...more
I'm sorry, no. I loved the Relic and the Reliquary (there really are folks who live in the undergound subway tunnels, and it is a fascniating study). There was a possibility of truth to both, because there possibly are plant chemicals that could warp your brain and turn you into a monster.
But this?
I have never thrown out a book, until I read this. For long and long, it seemed Preston and Child wrote things that bordered on paranormal, but still had a logical explanation. ...more
But this?
I have never thrown out a book, until I read this. For long and long, it seemed Preston and Child wrote things that bordered on paranormal, but still had a logical explanation. ...more
The eighth novel in the Pendergast series pits the modern Sherlock against an evil that even his pedantry and self-discipline cannot defeat. One might class even a portion of this novel as emulating Greek tragedy since the nemesis proves, in many ways, to be one’s own ego. That portion of the mystery is fascinating, even though the careful reader can see the two authors (Preston and Child) placing the tendrils to the web early and often. I particularly liked the use of Constance Greene in this n...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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This is the first book by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child that I have read. Had I read any of the authors previous novels, I would have instinctively known who the hero was, but without that prior knowledge, it was a little fuzzy up until the end. Because of this, at first I was mildly disenchanted because I could not figure out who the hero or the villian was, although I knew from the way the story was written that both had to exist. Since the chapters were short, I kept plowing through. ...more
I didn't realize this was one of a series of books. I got it on
CD from the library and listened to it in the car.
I couldn't quite figure out Pendergast. He seemed more like a
superhero than an FBI agent. How does he have so much money that
he can pay $50,000 to a couple to give up their suite on a ship?
And how can he get the captain of the ship to turn back after he
and his friend, Constance, miss it? And how can he narrow down his
suspects...more
The Wheel of Darkness, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have written another exciting, spellbinding and upsetting book, one that I didn't want to put down from the beginning to the end. It was interesting engaging. Special agent Pendergast of the FBI and his ward, Constance Green are weary of the world after their last upsetting adventures, and go to a Tibetan Monastery to be healed. But someone has stolen the dangers Agogen which could destroy...more
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have written another exciting, spellbinding and upsetting book, one that I didn't want to put down from the beginning to the end. It was interesting engaging. Special agent Pendergast of the FBI and his ward, Constance Green are weary of the world after their last upsetting adventures, and go to a Tibetan Monastery to be healed. But someone has stolen the dangers Agogen which could destroy...more
The story begins as Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his young side-kick, Constance Greene, climb a perilous Himalayan mountain path to an ancient Tibetan monastery where the monks need some help. Their inner sanctum has been violated and a dangerous treasure has been stolen. The artefact must be recovered before it wreaks havoc on the human race.
The trail takes the agents on a maiden voyage cruise aboard the world's newest, biggest ocean liner. The sophistication of the on-boa...more
The trail takes the agents on a maiden voyage cruise aboard the world's newest, biggest ocean liner. The sophistication of the on-boa...more
This story breaks from past Preston/Child tales in that there is no gruesome and puzzling murder in the opening scene. The pacing is rather slow and I had to force myself to continue reading. The chase leads to an ocean liner at which point the story felt like an episode of "Murder She Wrote" and I couldn't help but picture Angela Lansbury as Pendergast. Pendergast breaks a card counting scheme in the casino, but not much else of interest occurs until the end of the book. The ship g...more
One thousand years ago, a box was delivered to the Gsalrig Chongg monastery in Tibet. Inside the box was the Agozyen, which means "Darkness". It has been safeguarded by the monks, never opened. After his harrowing adventure and the death of his brother, FBI Agent Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene have traveled to Gsalrig Chongg to rest and recuperate. Two weeks before they are due to leave, Pendergast is summoned by the monks, who reveal that someone has stolen the Agozyen. Th...more
i have been a big fan of Preston & Child ever since their first book together, "Relic", which was a fantastic action novel. the movie was good, but, as they say, the book was better... :) "The Wheel of Darkeness", continues with the Agent Pendergast story line started in Relic and carried on through about 10 books already. i had let this one sit on the shelf for a long time because i had found the last 3 books in the series, which the authors call the Diogenes trilogy, som...more
It was ..different. I was jonesing for some more Pendergast/Diogenes history [which I have since tasted in bk 10 — note that I have bk 9 and haven't read it yet.]
But I do like Tibet, and I still loved the Pendergast action therein, although it seemed a bit OOC for him. (I've learned to accept that when Constance is involved, anything goes with Pendergast; I think that's part of his mystery).
However, Constance herself doesn't get the same pass. While I might have wanted...more
But I do like Tibet, and I still loved the Pendergast action therein, although it seemed a bit OOC for him. (I've learned to accept that when Constance is involved, anything goes with Pendergast; I think that's part of his mystery).
However, Constance herself doesn't get the same pass. While I might have wanted...more
So this is one of those books that you might want to read in order from the Pendergast series (it's book #8), but you don't have to. I read this for a brand new book club I just joined and was a tad bit lost on parts where they refer back to events in other books, but it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. Pedergast's character is basically a Bruce Wayne. He's ridiculously rich, he can do whatever he wants cause he has the money to, he's a great detective, he basically knows everything abou...more
Kind of like an old boyfriend who I'm tired of but keep hanging out with out of guilt. This book had it's moments of fun, and Pendergast is always great to read about. Problem is, he didn't really DO much in this book. It had a really good premise, but just got lazy and ended with a fizzle. Did I love it? No. Will I read the next Lincoln-Child bit of fluff that comes out? You betcha.
The book starts off well enough..gathering momentum as the characters get on to the ocean liner and things start to heat up with grotesque murders and suicides. Pendergast and Constance play their bit well until the 'apparition' arrives. After that, the book begins to lose its way. It starts to feel that the authors (yeah, there are two!!) want to put so much stuff into one single story. So you have the monks of Tibet, a scary painting, ocean liners and opulence, murders, gambling, FBI style for...more
I'm still reading this all out of order. Got this one from the library sale (apparently, it fell in the tub or was left in the rain or something since it was badly water damaged). Even though I missed out on something momentous in the last book, that really didn't impact my ability to follow this one.
It opens with FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast heading to a monastery in Tibet with his ward, Constance Greene. They're there to heal from whatever happened last book and Constance, i...more
This book has a moderate amount of suspense and a big dash of the surreal that in the end, is speculated about scientifically.
Pendergast and Constance are requested by an isolated Buddhist monastery to find a stolen artefact that has the power to cleanse the world of all humanity. Pendergast follows the trail to a ship on its maiden Voyage, the Britannica, where mayhem ensues owing to the presence of a psychopathic killer.
Perdergast is an intriguing protagonist, and the perso...more
Pendergast and Constance are requested by an isolated Buddhist monastery to find a stolen artefact that has the power to cleanse the world of all humanity. Pendergast follows the trail to a ship on its maiden Voyage, the Britannica, where mayhem ensues owing to the presence of a psychopathic killer.
Perdergast is an intriguing protagonist, and the perso...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
When I realized that this was the only one of Preston/Childs' Pendergast novels that I had not read, I added it immediately to my list. Suffice to say, the only disappointment is that I will now have to wait for another one!
In this story, Pendergast and his ward Constance visit a Tibetan monastery for a retreat. There, they are informed that a precious artifact has been stolen from the monks ... and the two of them set out to find it. As is the case with all of the other Pendergas...more
In this story, Pendergast and his ward Constance visit a Tibetan monastery for a retreat. There, they are informed that a precious artifact has been stolen from the monks ... and the two of them set out to find it. As is the case with all of the other Pendergas...more
I read this book bc it was given to me along with a pile of others that I typically would not read. (But hey, they are here, and I am going to read them!)
It was a slow start, but all and all, not too bad of a book. I've read some really great books recently, and it didn't quite match my current reading expectations but it was a interesting none the less.
It's a murder mystery book that takes place mostly on a cruise ship, there are some Titanic like moments, and I could s...more
It was a slow start, but all and all, not too bad of a book. I've read some really great books recently, and it didn't quite match my current reading expectations but it was a interesting none the less.
It's a murder mystery book that takes place mostly on a cruise ship, there are some Titanic like moments, and I could s...more
Ryssa Edwards
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle-library-reads,
forty-eight-by-oct-2012
I got this from the library for my Kindle.
This really didn't have the typical almost "X-File" feel to it of all the P&C Pendergast stories I've read to date. This book was more like a cross between the Poseidon Adventure and Sinking of the Titanic.
There was a lot of action, a lot of suspense and very, very little of Pendergast's usual "Sherlock Holmes" tactics of figuring out who's behind the killings. In fact, the murderer and motive were revealed in an o...more
This really didn't have the typical almost "X-File" feel to it of all the P&C Pendergast stories I've read to date. This book was more like a cross between the Poseidon Adventure and Sinking of the Titanic.
There was a lot of action, a lot of suspense and very, very little of Pendergast's usual "Sherlock Holmes" tactics of figuring out who's behind the killings. In fact, the murderer and motive were revealed in an o...more
1. Preston, Douglas, and Child, Lincoln. (2007). The Wheel of Darkness. Vision: New York. ISBN 0-446-61868-3.
2. While on a soul searching journey at the Gsalrig Chongg monastery in Tibet, Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, are called upon by the inner monastery to retrieve the Agozyen; an indescribable object that has been protected by the monastery for ages that could wreak havoc on the world. Little is known of the inner monastery or of the missing artifact; howe...more
2. While on a soul searching journey at the Gsalrig Chongg monastery in Tibet, Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, are called upon by the inner monastery to retrieve the Agozyen; an indescribable object that has been protected by the monastery for ages that could wreak havoc on the world. Little is known of the inner monastery or of the missing artifact; howe...more
Mais uma espectacular aventura de Aloyius Pendergast!
Adorei! Foi um belo cruzeiro :)))
Agora que a Constance saiu da sua "toca" tudo se tornou ainda melhor.
Confesso que depois do desfecho do ultimo livro,quando iniciei este fiquei um pouco apreensiva, pois no inicio mostra-nos que as decisões de Constance após o confronto com Diógenes e tudo o resto (que não posso contar) iriam dar um pouco de melancolia a estas aventuras, mas ainda bem que não foi assim ;)
Espero...more
Adorei! Foi um belo cruzeiro :)))
Agora que a Constance saiu da sua "toca" tudo se tornou ainda melhor.
Confesso que depois do desfecho do ultimo livro,quando iniciei este fiquei um pouco apreensiva, pois no inicio mostra-nos que as decisões de Constance após o confronto com Diógenes e tudo o resto (que não posso contar) iriam dar um pouco de melancolia a estas aventuras, mas ainda bem que não foi assim ;)
Espero...more
I have read every single book by this duo, but this one has been sitting on my shelf since 2007, unopened, and somewhat ignored. I think this happened because I had grown weary of the character of Agent Alyosius Pendergast and the battle with his intellectually-equal brother, Diogenes. I felt Pendergast had peaked for me in the excellent "The Cabinet of Curiousities." I was no longer interested, so I turned to other authors. I decided to read this book because I wanted to see what Pres...more
Red
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Adventure fans
Shelves:
audio-books,
fiction-general
Pretty good adventure story. Mostly set on board a cruise liner. A good introduction to the Pendergast series for me, even though it's not the first book. It was good enough that I would listen to another audio version, great mind endgager while driving.
Another entry in the long-running series about Agent Pendergast. This one continues the threads left over from the previous trilogy, although it seems pretty accessible for newcomers.
As always, this is a mix of action, philosophy, and science fiction, told in an accessible and compelling style. While not up to the standards of the best in the series (RELIC and CABINET OF CURIOUSITIES, in my opinion), I still found it a compelling page-turner.
While recovering from the even...more
As always, this is a mix of action, philosophy, and science fiction, told in an accessible and compelling style. While not up to the standards of the best in the series (RELIC and CABINET OF CURIOUSITIES, in my opinion), I still found it a compelling page-turner.
While recovering from the even...more
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Douglas Preston was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1956, and grew up in the deadly boring suburb of Wellesley. Following a distinguished career at a private nursery school--he was almost immediately expelled--he attended public schools and the Cambridge School of Weston. Notable events in his early life included the loss of a fingertip at the age of three to a bicycle; the loss of his two fr...more
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Jun 17, 2010 03:14pm