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Aloysius Pendergast #2
Reliquary
Hidden deep beneath Manhattan lies a warren of tunnels, sewers, and galleries, mostly forgotten by those who walk the streets above. There lies the ultimate secret of the Museum Beast. When two grotesquely deformed skeletons are found deep in the mud off the Manhattan shoreline, museum curator Margo Green is called in to aid the investigation. Margo must once again team up with police lieutenant D'Agosta and FBI agent Pendergast, as well as the brilliant Dr. Frock, to try and solve the puzzle. The trail soon leads deep underground, where they will face the awakening of a slumbering nightmare.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
2488 people are currently reading
11738 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Preston
216 books13.3k followersDouglas 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 front teeth to his brother Richard's fist; and various broken bones, also incurred in dust-ups with Richard. (Richard went on to write The Hot Zone and The Cobra Event, which tells you all you need to know about what it was like to grow up with him as a brother.)
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
As they grew up, Doug, Richard, and their little brother David roamed the quiet suburbs of Wellesley, terrorizing the natives with home-made rockets and incendiary devices mail-ordered from the backs of comic books or concocted from chemistry sets. With a friend they once attempted to fly a rocket into Wellesley Square; the rocket malfunctioned and nearly killed a man mowing his lawn. They were local celebrities, often appearing in the "Police Notes" section of The Wellesley Townsman. It is a miracle they survived childhood intact.
After unaccountably being rejected by Stanford University (a pox on it), Preston attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, where he studied mathematics, biology, physics, anthropology, chemistry, geology, and astronomy before settling down to English literature. After graduating, Preston began his career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York as an editor, writer, and eventually manager of publications. (Preston also taught writing at Princeton University and was managing editor of Curator.) His eight-year stint at the Museum resulted in the non-fiction book, Dinosaurs in the Attic, edited by a rising young star at St. Martin's Press, a polymath by the name of Lincoln Child. During this period, Preston gave Child a midnight tour of the museum, and in the darkened Hall of Late Dinosaurs, under a looming T. Rex, Child turned to Preston and said: "This would make the perfect setting for a thriller!" That thriller would, of course, be Relic.
In 1986, Douglas Preston piled everything he owned into the back of a Subaru and moved from New York City to Santa Fe to write full time, following the advice of S. J. Perelman that "the dubious privilege of a freelance writer is he's given the freedom to starve anywhere." After the requisite period of penury, Preston achieved a small success with the publication of Cities of Gold, a non-fiction book about Coronado's search for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. To research the book, Preston and a friend retraced on horseback 1,000 miles of Coronado's route across Arizona and New Mexico, packing their supplies and sleeping under the stars--nearly killing themselves in the process. Since then he has published several more non-fiction books on the history of the American Southwest, Talking to the Ground and The Royal Road, as well as a novel entitled Jennie. In the early 1990s Preston and Child teamed up to write suspense novels; Relic was the first, followed by several others, including Riptide and Thunderhead. Relic was released as a motion picture by Paramount in 1997. Other films are under development at Hollywood studios. Preston and Child live 500 miles apart and write their books together via telephone, fax, and the Internet.
Preston and his brother Richard are currently producing a television miniseries for ABC and Mandalay Entertainment, to be aired in the spring of 2000, if all goes well, which in Hollywood is rarely the case.
Preston continues a magazine writing career by contributing regularly to The New Yorker magazine. He has also written for National Geographic, Natural History, Smithsonisan, Harper's,and Travel & Leisure,among others.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/dougla...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,058 reviews
March 15, 2016
If reading Relic was the literary equivalent of eating a hot dog, reading Reliquary is like eating a chili cheese dog with extra onions—it’s more of everything that was good (and also heartburn-inducing) about its predecessor. Higher stakes, a more elaborate (and ridiculous) mystery, crazier science/pseudo-science…heck, it even threw in a Scooby-Doo-esque villain (“I’d have gotten away with it, too, if you meddling FBI geniuses with cloying southern accents hadn’t stopped me!”).
So, chances are, if you’re in the mood for a chili cheese dog with extra onions and are okay with the downside of planting that baby in your stomach (including the inevitable Ron Burgundy-style “Milk was a bad choice!” exclamations you’ll undoubtedly utter when the plot takes a few face-palming turns and/or our characters feast on a delicious roasted subway rat), you’re going to scarf this down and keep coming back for more. Because Preston and Child know how to craft an addictive thriller. They know how to keep pages turning. They know how to create a world within a world within a world in the storytelling play land that is Manhattan. (Bonus points for this story taking place (and having been written) in the nascent days of the interwebs and cell phone technology, when our sleuths couldn’t rely on handheld devices to give them all the answers they needed, which added a layer of delicious, um, relish to the proceedings (I’m running out of hot dog toppings, people).)
I’m looking forward to continuing on with Pendergast and company’s adventures, though I understand from smart people (aka, Steven) that a detour into Thunderhead should be undertaken before opening up The Cabinet of Curiosities…
In the meantime, I’m going to go take some antacids. And brush my teeth. And maybe eat an entire mint plant. (Though I’m not sure if any of those things are powerful enough to offset the effects of the mighty chili cheese dog with extra onions and relish. Maybe I’ll just look into a stomach and mouth transplant.)
So, chances are, if you’re in the mood for a chili cheese dog with extra onions and are okay with the downside of planting that baby in your stomach (including the inevitable Ron Burgundy-style “Milk was a bad choice!” exclamations you’ll undoubtedly utter when the plot takes a few face-palming turns and/or our characters feast on a delicious roasted subway rat), you’re going to scarf this down and keep coming back for more. Because Preston and Child know how to craft an addictive thriller. They know how to keep pages turning. They know how to create a world within a world within a world in the storytelling play land that is Manhattan. (Bonus points for this story taking place (and having been written) in the nascent days of the interwebs and cell phone technology, when our sleuths couldn’t rely on handheld devices to give them all the answers they needed, which added a layer of delicious, um, relish to the proceedings (I’m running out of hot dog toppings, people).)
I’m looking forward to continuing on with Pendergast and company’s adventures, though I understand from smart people (aka, Steven) that a detour into Thunderhead should be undertaken before opening up The Cabinet of Curiosities…
In the meantime, I’m going to go take some antacids. And brush my teeth. And maybe eat an entire mint plant. (Though I’m not sure if any of those things are powerful enough to offset the effects of the mighty chili cheese dog with extra onions and relish. Maybe I’ll just look into a stomach and mouth transplant.)
December 18, 2018
”Aloysius Xingu Leng Pendergast is generally described as being stoically aloof and eccentric, though his ineffable politeness and unerring intellect imbue him with an irresistible charm or enigmatic sense of danger if the occasion should call for it. Well-learned in many subjects, he converses easily with doctors, scientists, intellectuals, vagabonds, highly specialized masters of specific disciplines, and people of a wide variety of language and culture alike. He is a master of psychological manipulation, disguise, and improvisation.
Pendergast appreciates the finer things in life, including expensive cuisine and wines. Food and drink he enjoys include Château Pétrus wine, antipasto, green tea of only the purest and most spiritual kind, gelato, and steak tartare. He has a great distaste for opera.” Wikipedia
The survivors from the first book in the series, Relic, have returned in another monster mash adventure that will take them deep into the underground, beneath the streets of New York City. Pendergast is back, still in his supporting role, but for me he is always the star of the show. He is a man I could see myself spending some time with at his fabulous apartment, sipping a fine wine and discussing books and the theater. I might even convince him to give opera another chance. I’d probably also try to get him to spend some time outdoors. His pale, corpse-like appearance could use a healthy dose of natural vitamin D.
The monster from Relic may have perished, but due to the mad workings of a desperate scientist, there are these human hybrid creatures called Wrinklers who are growing in numbers deep in the bowels of the underground.
”’No! No!’ Waxie yelled in desperation, trying to kick away the grasping hands of the closest figure and knocking back its hood in the process. Smithback jerked his head back instinctively at the sight, but not before his brain had registered something out of his worst nightmare, worse for being vague in the dim light: narrow lizard’s pupils, thick wet lips, great creases and folds of extra skin. It suddenly dawned on him that these must be the Wrinklers….”
The Wrinklers crave the same plant life that was brought back from the Brazilian jungle to the National History Museum. This plant was the catalyst for the horrific events in the first book, Relic. Now, the problems have spread from the tunnels beneath the museum to the rest of New York. Homeless people, called moles, who have “elected” to live beneath the city, are starting to show up dead, but not only dead...the headless variety of dead. When Wrinklers can’t get enough of the plant they need, the next best source of food for them is the human hypothalamus.
Unfortunately, they have to go through the skull to get what they crave.
It will take all the powers of their combined intellects to quell this insidious invasion of the truly monstrous creatures concocted by an unexpected supervillain. This was lots of fun, not as tight and cool as the first book. It is just hard to beat a monster in the museum plot, but the writing is top notch, and the suspense keeps ratcheting up as our valiant characters do everything they can to derail the tragedy that is trying to unfold. I’m looking forward to the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities, when Pendergast finally gets his first lead acting role in a novel. The wonderful thing about this series is there are currently seventeen entries and counting so I won’t have to worry about running out for a long time.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
Pendergast appreciates the finer things in life, including expensive cuisine and wines. Food and drink he enjoys include Château Pétrus wine, antipasto, green tea of only the purest and most spiritual kind, gelato, and steak tartare. He has a great distaste for opera.” Wikipedia
The survivors from the first book in the series, Relic, have returned in another monster mash adventure that will take them deep into the underground, beneath the streets of New York City. Pendergast is back, still in his supporting role, but for me he is always the star of the show. He is a man I could see myself spending some time with at his fabulous apartment, sipping a fine wine and discussing books and the theater. I might even convince him to give opera another chance. I’d probably also try to get him to spend some time outdoors. His pale, corpse-like appearance could use a healthy dose of natural vitamin D.
The monster from Relic may have perished, but due to the mad workings of a desperate scientist, there are these human hybrid creatures called Wrinklers who are growing in numbers deep in the bowels of the underground.
”’No! No!’ Waxie yelled in desperation, trying to kick away the grasping hands of the closest figure and knocking back its hood in the process. Smithback jerked his head back instinctively at the sight, but not before his brain had registered something out of his worst nightmare, worse for being vague in the dim light: narrow lizard’s pupils, thick wet lips, great creases and folds of extra skin. It suddenly dawned on him that these must be the Wrinklers….”
The Wrinklers crave the same plant life that was brought back from the Brazilian jungle to the National History Museum. This plant was the catalyst for the horrific events in the first book, Relic. Now, the problems have spread from the tunnels beneath the museum to the rest of New York. Homeless people, called moles, who have “elected” to live beneath the city, are starting to show up dead, but not only dead...the headless variety of dead. When Wrinklers can’t get enough of the plant they need, the next best source of food for them is the human hypothalamus.
Unfortunately, they have to go through the skull to get what they crave.
It will take all the powers of their combined intellects to quell this insidious invasion of the truly monstrous creatures concocted by an unexpected supervillain. This was lots of fun, not as tight and cool as the first book. It is just hard to beat a monster in the museum plot, but the writing is top notch, and the suspense keeps ratcheting up as our valiant characters do everything they can to derail the tragedy that is trying to unfold. I’m looking forward to the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities, when Pendergast finally gets his first lead acting role in a novel. The wonderful thing about this series is there are currently seventeen entries and counting so I won’t have to worry about running out for a long time.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
March 2, 2012
Oh the humanity…the expectation-murdering ugh of the dreadful sequel to the quality original. Unfortunately they happen. Some are a menace to the phantoms of our youthful memories:
…others make us long for murderous Revenge on the studio that spawned it from their retched, greed-dripping Jaws.
Some sequels have plot/acting/directing so loaded with mockery- needed fail that we are transformed into staunch proponents of the virtues of franchise euthanasia:
…and some sequels are just big, bloated, ego-filled piles of worthless SHAT:
Finally…there are sequels for which this reviewer has no words:
*convulsive shudder*
Relic, the first book in the Pendergast series was a lot of fun and I thought did a great job of taking the murder/mystery thriller and accessorizing it was an “X-file” like supernatural element grounded it plausible scientific explanation. It’s junk science but it completely allows for the suspension of disbelief.
That non-standard plot device and the introduction of a very engaging main character, Aloysius Pendergast, the brilliant Southern FBI agent with an open-mind for the bizarre. The story was engaging and I had a very good time with it.
Thus, I was really looking forward to this sequel.
U
N
F
O
R
T
U
N
A
T
E
L
Y
...
The story turned out to be a lifeless, potentially series-killing disappointed for me. It had none of the charm or attempted credibility of the first novel.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The story takes place about 18 months after the events of Relic and reunites the reader with many of the original players along with some new faces to solve a series a brutal murders being committed against the homeless population living under New York City. The condition of the bodies and the nature of the injuries leads to speculation that something unusual (i.e., non-human) may be committing the crimes.
Like so many pooch-screwing, shark-jumping sequels, this story suffers from trying to be so much bigger and louder than its predecessor. It fails and the result is simply a story that loses all sense of focus and narrative suspense. The characters are denied any opportunity to display any depth and become mere “caricatures” of the people I liked so much in the original.
Now, on the positive side, Pendergast is still an engaging character and when he is on the page he makes the story better. However, he’s not around enough to help out, let alone save, what is an otherwise very uninspired story.
Hopefully, this is just an anomaly and future stories in this series will get back to the formula that worked so well in the first book. It has made me cautious about continuing the series and I am certainly not going to jump right into book 3.
Still…memories fade…pain lessens…forgiveness is possible.
I may be back.
2.0 stars.
…others make us long for murderous Revenge on the studio that spawned it from their retched, greed-dripping Jaws.
Some sequels have plot/acting/directing so loaded with mockery- needed fail that we are transformed into staunch proponents of the virtues of franchise euthanasia:
…and some sequels are just big, bloated, ego-filled piles of worthless SHAT:
Finally…there are sequels for which this reviewer has no words:
*convulsive shudder*
Relic, the first book in the Pendergast series was a lot of fun and I thought did a great job of taking the murder/mystery thriller and accessorizing it was an “X-file” like supernatural element grounded it plausible scientific explanation. It’s junk science but it completely allows for the suspension of disbelief.
That non-standard plot device and the introduction of a very engaging main character, Aloysius Pendergast, the brilliant Southern FBI agent with an open-mind for the bizarre. The story was engaging and I had a very good time with it.
Thus, I was really looking forward to this sequel.
U
N
F
O
R
T
U
N
A
T
E
L
Y
...
The story turned out to be a lifeless, potentially series-killing disappointed for me. It had none of the charm or attempted credibility of the first novel.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The story takes place about 18 months after the events of Relic and reunites the reader with many of the original players along with some new faces to solve a series a brutal murders being committed against the homeless population living under New York City. The condition of the bodies and the nature of the injuries leads to speculation that something unusual (i.e., non-human) may be committing the crimes.
Like so many pooch-screwing, shark-jumping sequels, this story suffers from trying to be so much bigger and louder than its predecessor. It fails and the result is simply a story that loses all sense of focus and narrative suspense. The characters are denied any opportunity to display any depth and become mere “caricatures” of the people I liked so much in the original.
Now, on the positive side, Pendergast is still an engaging character and when he is on the page he makes the story better. However, he’s not around enough to help out, let alone save, what is an otherwise very uninspired story.
Hopefully, this is just an anomaly and future stories in this series will get back to the formula that worked so well in the first book. It has made me cautious about continuing the series and I am certainly not going to jump right into book 3.
Still…memories fade…pain lessens…forgiveness is possible.
I may be back.
2.0 stars.
April 7, 2021
Beneath Manhattan hides an elaborate maze of tunnels. Homeless have lived their for decades. More than a dozen different levels exist, and depending on how far you go, the evil that lurks increases. Headless corpses are found above ground near various subway stations. Did the museum team not kill the beast in the first book, Relic, by Douglas Preston and Lee Child? It seems something in their plans went awry, and what us readers thought happened is not the truth. In Reliquary, it all comes flooding forward, literally... when the water system in NYC is tainted with the same drug that formed the savage killer in Relic.
I enjoyed this book. It was a solid alternative to the cozy mysteries and archaeological thrillers I've been reading lately. Pendergast and Margo are back, as well as a few of the prior detectives and scientists. One or two of them have been keeping secrets. Figuring out the motive and the culprit is the focal point of this book, and it kept me intrigued the whole way through. When it finally came to light, I shook my head. Oh, sneaky sneaky!
I was shocked to learn about the NYC tunnels. I knew some existed but not that thousands of homeless lived down there. How does this happen? Seeing the gritty side of the NYC police department from the early 2000s is mind-altering too. I know there are other types of people out there, but how can people really behave the way they did? I'm not sure I'd survive... I'd walk away the first time someone tried to berate me in front of others. It's not that I don't know how to fight back, but it's a waste of my time. This book showcases different personality types and reminds readers that they sometimes live in a cloistered world.
Some of this is truly imagination. Other parts are treated with a heavy hand. But at the core is a story I can support and immerse myself in. I felt the slice of each throat. I guffawed at the potential disaster hitting my hometown. My very own block and building was named! Yikes, hitting close to home... in a good way. I enjoy the creativity and style in the books and can easily let them take me away to a world I don't quite know enough about. That's why I'll be reading the third book next month. I must catch up before the newest release, perhaps next year?
I enjoyed this book. It was a solid alternative to the cozy mysteries and archaeological thrillers I've been reading lately. Pendergast and Margo are back, as well as a few of the prior detectives and scientists. One or two of them have been keeping secrets. Figuring out the motive and the culprit is the focal point of this book, and it kept me intrigued the whole way through. When it finally came to light, I shook my head. Oh, sneaky sneaky!
I was shocked to learn about the NYC tunnels. I knew some existed but not that thousands of homeless lived down there. How does this happen? Seeing the gritty side of the NYC police department from the early 2000s is mind-altering too. I know there are other types of people out there, but how can people really behave the way they did? I'm not sure I'd survive... I'd walk away the first time someone tried to berate me in front of others. It's not that I don't know how to fight back, but it's a waste of my time. This book showcases different personality types and reminds readers that they sometimes live in a cloistered world.
Some of this is truly imagination. Other parts are treated with a heavy hand. But at the core is a story I can support and immerse myself in. I felt the slice of each throat. I guffawed at the potential disaster hitting my hometown. My very own block and building was named! Yikes, hitting close to home... in a good way. I enjoy the creativity and style in the books and can easily let them take me away to a world I don't quite know enough about. That's why I'll be reading the third book next month. I must catch up before the newest release, perhaps next year?
July 3, 2017
What a fun and suspenseful book to read! Fans of Relic will enjoy Reliquary. All the same characters from Pendergast, Margo to D'Agosta are in this sequel. You'll enjoy a few new characters such as Hayward (a badass woman cop for NYPD) to the chief of police that's the typical narcissistic politician that makes bad decisions. (Woah, sounds familiar, huh?) 🤔😉 hahaha
It's got a great setting for a book, the NYC tunnels. This was so fascinating since it's based on facts and the community that live below New York City.
I really loved this part of the book besides all the science information Dr. Margo Green has to solve.
Anyway, I love this series! The books are gripping, suspenseful and have a wonderful quality of great characters to love and hate. The books are very entertaining and honestly, isn't that what you want while reading a book? Uh, yes please!
Thanks to my awesome friend Terry for doing a buddy read with me on this book. Looking forward to tackling book #3 with you!!
It's got a great setting for a book, the NYC tunnels. This was so fascinating since it's based on facts and the community that live below New York City.
I really loved this part of the book besides all the science information Dr. Margo Green has to solve.
Anyway, I love this series! The books are gripping, suspenseful and have a wonderful quality of great characters to love and hate. The books are very entertaining and honestly, isn't that what you want while reading a book? Uh, yes please!
Thanks to my awesome friend Terry for doing a buddy read with me on this book. Looking forward to tackling book #3 with you!!
April 25, 2022
Margo Green, Agent Pendergast, and NYPD Detective Vincent D'Agosta return when corpses start appearing that look like the crime scenes from The Relic. This is a worthy successor to the first book. It doesn't have the same thrills as the first novel as there is some "Haven't we seen this before?" moments. I think the series does get even better once the authors move completely onto new cases involving Agent Pendergast. If you enjoy reading these and plan on continuing, do yourself a favor and read Thunderhead first. Pendergast does not appear but it is the 3rd book set in this universe and does have characters that will cross over.
August 5, 2018
A great sequel to the first of the Pendergast series, Reliquary is an absorbing, page-turner that is better than its predecessor.
Seeing updates of this book popping up in my feed recently was a good reminder that I've been intending to continue with this series. Reliquary is the sequel to Relic with the same cast of main characters who survived the horrors at the Museum of Natural History, after a time-gap of about eighteen months.
I find that it is not easy writing reviews for thriller novels. The enjoyment is always in not knowing much about the book in the first place. So if you want to know about the plot, you'll not find it here. All I can say is that if you have read Relic and its Epilogue, the mystery is not so mysterious after all. As for the plot, it is predictable but entertaining. This is a series about Agent Pendergast, so you know he is going to survive, right? And he better damn well does as I really enjoyed the Pendergast character. He is eccentric, learned, calm and competent. Despite his strangeness, this Southern gentleman is not to be trifled with. I love how he exudes this threatening presence without ever needing to raise his voice or point a gun at his intended target.
This is not to say that the other main, and even supporting, characters are shabby too, each having a distinct personality suited to their respective role within the story. I have to admit that there are some typical annoying individuals that always seem to appear in these stories. You know, the incompetent police captain who does nothing but whine and always try to either claim glory or blame others to his advantage or the chief who is more concerned of his political standing over doing what is right. Characters like these are the one cliche that I could seriously do without as they infuriate me to no end. Notwithstanding, the fact that I want some individuals to live and some others to die a less than peaceful death only shows that the book is thoroughly engaging me.
Reliquary takes the story out of the Museum of Natural History into the underground tunnels of New York City; from one atmospheric and creepy location to another setting that is even more sinister. The real history of NYC has it that there is a massive web of underground tunnels - a significant portion of which are still unmapped - which are inhabited by people. The author took inspiration from the published stories of these inhabitants who are called "the mole people" to shed light on the plight of these underground homeless.
The geek in me has always enjoyed a bit of scientific investigation, whether it is steeped in real theories and discoveries, or not. This book reminded me both of Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta and Crichton's Jurassic Park series as forensic science meets evolutionary biology. Between these interesting laboratory scenes and the great action ones in the underground tunnels, I find myself unwilling to put down the book when I had to. And one thing's for sure though, Preston & Child know how to write a suspenseful climax.
This review can also be found at Booknest
Seeing updates of this book popping up in my feed recently was a good reminder that I've been intending to continue with this series. Reliquary is the sequel to Relic with the same cast of main characters who survived the horrors at the Museum of Natural History, after a time-gap of about eighteen months.
I find that it is not easy writing reviews for thriller novels. The enjoyment is always in not knowing much about the book in the first place. So if you want to know about the plot, you'll not find it here. All I can say is that if you have read Relic and its Epilogue, the mystery is not so mysterious after all. As for the plot, it is predictable but entertaining. This is a series about Agent Pendergast, so you know he is going to survive, right? And he better damn well does as I really enjoyed the Pendergast character. He is eccentric, learned, calm and competent. Despite his strangeness, this Southern gentleman is not to be trifled with. I love how he exudes this threatening presence without ever needing to raise his voice or point a gun at his intended target.
This is not to say that the other main, and even supporting, characters are shabby too, each having a distinct personality suited to their respective role within the story. I have to admit that there are some typical annoying individuals that always seem to appear in these stories. You know, the incompetent police captain who does nothing but whine and always try to either claim glory or blame others to his advantage or the chief who is more concerned of his political standing over doing what is right. Characters like these are the one cliche that I could seriously do without as they infuriate me to no end. Notwithstanding, the fact that I want some individuals to live and some others to die a less than peaceful death only shows that the book is thoroughly engaging me.
Reliquary takes the story out of the Museum of Natural History into the underground tunnels of New York City; from one atmospheric and creepy location to another setting that is even more sinister. The real history of NYC has it that there is a massive web of underground tunnels - a significant portion of which are still unmapped - which are inhabited by people. The author took inspiration from the published stories of these inhabitants who are called "the mole people" to shed light on the plight of these underground homeless.
The geek in me has always enjoyed a bit of scientific investigation, whether it is steeped in real theories and discoveries, or not. This book reminded me both of Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta and Crichton's Jurassic Park series as forensic science meets evolutionary biology. Between these interesting laboratory scenes and the great action ones in the underground tunnels, I find myself unwilling to put down the book when I had to. And one thing's for sure though, Preston & Child know how to write a suspenseful climax.
This review can also be found at Booknest
March 24, 2024
Review to follow
October 11, 2022
I think I have read too many of these books in too short of a period of time. This sequel to the first book in the series, Relic, turned out to be almost beyond belief and sort of boring. We begin 18 month after Relic ended and we discover that there are murders being committed in which the victims heads are cut off. Enter most of the same characters from Book 1, with the addition of a new Transit Authority cop and eventually this group discovers the culprits live beneath the city in the bowels of the subway system. They are homeless or people who just want to escape society, but even they are stalked by others living deeper underground and who appear to have genetically evolved like the monster in Book 1. For me there is too much unbelievable action, firepower and a hokey solution to the problem. The police are inept except Lt. D'Agosta, Margot Green figures out science matters too quickly, we still have a slimeball reporter and there is not enough FBI agent Pendergast. One must hope that the future books in this series rise to the level of Book 1.
March 2, 2012
I didn't care for this one quite as much as I did the first (Relic). Pendergast is still a good character but the story wanders a little farther into the suspension of disbelief area.
There is one point in this book that disappointed me particularly, but to go into what would require a notable spoiler. So, the book is still readable and enjoyable, Pendergast is still a good character (aside from the "Gary Stu" aspects. He is somewhat of a superhero.)...but I still didn't care for it quite as much as its predecessor.
The book here is still fun and an "actioner" but it's built on the last story and wobbles a bit not being as well plotted or constructed. Read it to fill in the Pendergast saga, it's a quick read and if you plan to follow the entire "series" (as Andy Griffith said in his Hamlet routine) "you will need it later".
I would say don't let it put you off as later parts of the Pendergast saga are much better.
There is one point in this book that disappointed me particularly, but to go into what would require a notable spoiler. So, the book is still readable and enjoyable, Pendergast is still a good character (aside from the "Gary Stu" aspects. He is somewhat of a superhero.)...but I still didn't care for it quite as much as its predecessor.
The book here is still fun and an "actioner" but it's built on the last story and wobbles a bit not being as well plotted or constructed. Read it to fill in the Pendergast saga, it's a quick read and if you plan to follow the entire "series" (as Andy Griffith said in his Hamlet routine) "you will need it later".
I would say don't let it put you off as later parts of the Pendergast saga are much better.
July 4, 2020
A fun read and you should read the prequel, Relic before this. The mystery happens below the streets of Manhattan. I find Pendergast early books "strange" with horror feel than the recent ones... in a good way.
February 28, 2022
2/28/22-now have audio version
***********************************
4.5
Just in case, may be spoilers .. minor ones. Though I think they are in the synopsis on the book.
This book was scary, or gave me a few shivers but for entirely different reasons than Relic. This one took place mostly under the city of NY and again in the NY Museum of Natural History.
I’ve always loved hearing about the Paris catacombs, cenotés and cave systems— so this was a bonus mystery underworld waiting to be discovered. The thing is, there are these tunnels, with all of these homeless: vets, mentally disturbed, current and ex drug users, ex convicts, current law dodgers, people who don’t feel like they can be above, and many more types; all there- under New York. THAT is what gave me the shivers. Thousands of people living that way. A lot of them harmless, but some really dangerous types mixed right in.
Some of them never come to the surface. The book wasn’t all fiction. The fact in the book chilled me as much as the fiction.
The plot was great once it got going and I had my suspicions of what might happen. I kept making audible sounds at the book. I would also set it down and shake my head for a min, then continue.
Captain Waxie and a few other characters .... they just annoyed me so very bad! I love how D’Agosta and Pendergast and Co. dealt with them, though. It was perfect and, to me, hilarious.
I also love how this (ok real spoiler ) (don’t read this sentence ) picked up right where the first book, Relic left off. In the end here, we find out even more about what happens with Kawakita’s experiments and what became of the drug he made. It rounded it off nicely for me.
(End spoiler )
There was a lot of suspense in here and I was on pins and needles. Time was really of the essence in here. I just loved it.
I also have to say Pendergast made me laugh a lot in this one. This one was great. This one showed what the agent really was like.
Ah, one last thing. I was not happy about who the main antagonist was in the end. It was plausible, but I don’t have to like it.
***********************************
4.5
Just in case, may be spoilers .. minor ones. Though I think they are in the synopsis on the book.
This book was scary, or gave me a few shivers but for entirely different reasons than Relic. This one took place mostly under the city of NY and again in the NY Museum of Natural History.
I’ve always loved hearing about the Paris catacombs, cenotés and cave systems— so this was a bonus mystery underworld waiting to be discovered. The thing is, there are these tunnels, with all of these homeless: vets, mentally disturbed, current and ex drug users, ex convicts, current law dodgers, people who don’t feel like they can be above, and many more types; all there- under New York. THAT is what gave me the shivers. Thousands of people living that way. A lot of them harmless, but some really dangerous types mixed right in.
Some of them never come to the surface. The book wasn’t all fiction. The fact in the book chilled me as much as the fiction.
The plot was great once it got going and I had my suspicions of what might happen. I kept making audible sounds at the book. I would also set it down and shake my head for a min, then continue.
Captain Waxie and a few other characters .... they just annoyed me so very bad! I love how D’Agosta and Pendergast and Co. dealt with them, though. It was perfect and, to me, hilarious.
I also love how this (ok real spoiler ) (don’t read this sentence ) picked up right where the first book, Relic left off. In the end here, we find out even more about what happens with Kawakita’s experiments and what became of the drug he made. It rounded it off nicely for me.
(End spoiler )
There was a lot of suspense in here and I was on pins and needles. Time was really of the essence in here. I just loved it.
I also have to say Pendergast made me laugh a lot in this one. This one was great. This one showed what the agent really was like.
Ah, one last thing. I was not happy about who the main antagonist was in the end. It was plausible, but I don’t have to like it.
April 25, 2023
Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is a sequel to their novel Relic. While the book does continue the story of the previous novel, I found it to be somewhat lacking in comparison. While the premise of the story is still interesting, the execution fell a bit short for me.
One of the things that I found to be lacking was character development. While the characters from the previous book were still present, I didn't feel like they were given enough depth or growth in this installment. Additionally, the plot felt a bit convoluted and at times, difficult to follow and a bit far-fetched. The story centered around a hidden underground city beneath New York City, which seemed a bit too fantastical for my taste. Additionally, I found the story to be repetitive in some parts, with characters revisiting the same locations and events multiple times.
Another disappointment for me was that the book leaned more towards an action novel rather than the mystery and suspense that I enjoyed in "Relic." While there were certainly thrilling moments, I missed the sense of intrigue and puzzle-solving that made the first book so enjoyable.
While the book still had some exciting moments, overall, I didn't enjoy Reliquary as much as Relic.
January 12, 2021
”Aloysius Xingu Leng Pendergast is generally described as being stoically aloof and eccentric, though his ineffable politeness and unerring intellect imbue him with an irresistible charm or enigmatic sense of danger if the occasion should call for it. Well-learned in many subjects, he converses easily with doctors, scientists, intellectuals, vagabonds, highly specialized masters of specific disciplines, and people of a wide variety of language and culture alike. He is a master of psychological manipulation, disguise, and improvisation.
Pendergast appreciates the finer things in life, including expensive cuisine and wines. Food and drink he enjoys include Château Pétrus wine, antipasto, green tea of only the purest and most spiritual kind, gelato, and steak tartare. He has a great distaste for opera.” Wikipedia
The survivors from the first book in the series, Relic, have returned in another monster mash adventure that will take them deep into the underground, beneath the streets of New York City. Pendergast is back, still in his supporting role, but for me he is always the star of the show. He is a man I could see myself spending some time with at his fabulous apartment, sipping a fine wine and discussing books and the theater. I might even convince him to give opera another chance. I’d probably also try to get him to spend some time outdoors. His pale, corpse-like appearance could use a healthy dose of natural vitamin D.
The monster from Relic may have perished, but due to the mad workings of a desperate scientist, there are these human hybrid creatures called Wrinklers who are growing in numbers deep in the bowels of the underground.
”’No! No!’ Waxie yelled in desperation, trying to kick away the grasping hands of the closest figure and knocking back its hood in the process. Smithback jerked his head back instinctively at the sight, but not before his brain had registered something out of his worst nightmare, worse for being vague in the dim light: narrow lizard’s pupils, thick wet lips, great creases and folds of extra skin. It suddenly dawned on him that these must be the Wrinklers….”
The Wrinklers crave the same plant life that was brought back from the Brazilian jungle to the National History Museum. This plant was the catalyst for the horrific events in the first book, Relic. Now, the problems have spread from the tunnels beneath the museum to the rest of New York. Homeless people, called moles, who have “elected” to live beneath the city, are starting to show up dead, but not only dead...the headless variety of dead. When Wrinklers can’t get enough of the plant they need, the next best source of food for them is the human hypothalamus.
Unfortunately, they have to go through the skull to get what they crave.
It will take all the powers of their combined intellects to quell this insidious invasion of the truly monstrous creatures concocted by an unexpected supervillain. This was lots of fun, not as tight and cool as the first book. It is just hard to beat a monster in the museum plot, but the writing is top notch, and the suspense keeps ratcheting up as our valiant characters do everything they can to derail the tragedy that is trying to unfold. I’m looking forward to the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities, when Pendergast finally gets his first lead acting role in a novel. The wonderful thing about this series is there are currently seventeen entries and counting so I won’t have to worry about running out for a long time.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
Pendergast appreciates the finer things in life, including expensive cuisine and wines. Food and drink he enjoys include Château Pétrus wine, antipasto, green tea of only the purest and most spiritual kind, gelato, and steak tartare. He has a great distaste for opera.” Wikipedia
The survivors from the first book in the series, Relic, have returned in another monster mash adventure that will take them deep into the underground, beneath the streets of New York City. Pendergast is back, still in his supporting role, but for me he is always the star of the show. He is a man I could see myself spending some time with at his fabulous apartment, sipping a fine wine and discussing books and the theater. I might even convince him to give opera another chance. I’d probably also try to get him to spend some time outdoors. His pale, corpse-like appearance could use a healthy dose of natural vitamin D.
The monster from Relic may have perished, but due to the mad workings of a desperate scientist, there are these human hybrid creatures called Wrinklers who are growing in numbers deep in the bowels of the underground.
”’No! No!’ Waxie yelled in desperation, trying to kick away the grasping hands of the closest figure and knocking back its hood in the process. Smithback jerked his head back instinctively at the sight, but not before his brain had registered something out of his worst nightmare, worse for being vague in the dim light: narrow lizard’s pupils, thick wet lips, great creases and folds of extra skin. It suddenly dawned on him that these must be the Wrinklers….”
The Wrinklers crave the same plant life that was brought back from the Brazilian jungle to the National History Museum. This plant was the catalyst for the horrific events in the first book, Relic. Now, the problems have spread from the tunnels beneath the museum to the rest of New York. Homeless people, called moles, who have “elected” to live beneath the city, are starting to show up dead, but not only dead...the headless variety of dead. When Wrinklers can’t get enough of the plant they need, the next best source of food for them is the human hypothalamus.
Unfortunately, they have to go through the skull to get what they crave.
It will take all the powers of their combined intellects to quell this insidious invasion of the truly monstrous creatures concocted by an unexpected supervillain. This was lots of fun, not as tight and cool as the first book. It is just hard to beat a monster in the museum plot, but the writing is top notch, and the suspense keeps ratcheting up as our valiant characters do everything they can to derail the tragedy that is trying to unfold. I’m looking forward to the third book, Cabinet of Curiosities, when Pendergast finally gets his first lead acting role in a novel. The wonderful thing about this series is there are currently seventeen entries and counting so I won’t have to worry about running out for a long time.
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
August 4, 2021
The author's sequel to Relic picks up about 1.5 years after the events chronicled there and like Relic, Reliquary packs a punch. Relic left off with an epilogue where George, one of the scientists at the museum, was experimenting with the plant that the Museum Beast craved (leaving plenty of room for this follow up novel). Turns out, the drug he concocted may have not induced quite the same changes (e.g., creating another Museum Beast) but some serious changes nonetheless...
Reliquary starts off with a bang and just never lets up. In some ways, this is an improvement over Relic-- better (more consistent) pacing for sure. We also have some returning MCs: the seriously erudite FBI agent Pendergast of course, the jaded cop D'Agosta and the newly minted Ph.D. Margo Green, who is now assistant curator at the museum. We also have a host of new and good supporting characters, including one I hope to see more of-- officer Hayward, who works as a 'rouster' in the vast underground labyrinth under NYC proper.
It is a little hard to point a finger at exactly just what makes this series so addicting; I definitely love the twisty plots that make Reliquary almost a mystery thriller, good characters (although I am hesitant to call this a character driven story), and lots of exiting action and great bad guys-- here, a swarm of underground mutated folks. You could call this a mystery thriller, an action thriller, or even a horror thriller; perhaps that explains why it is such an intense read.
I will not go much into the plot here, but safe to say, a year and a half after the Museum Beast was killed, a cop diver looking for drugs in a pestilent tributary of the Hudson river finds instead some dead bodies. The medical examiner finds that one of the bodies (skeletons really) has some strange mutations; that, and the missing heads seems to a few wary individuals that perhaps the Museum Beast 'story' may not be over after all. Hence, a team (most of the survivors from the first novel Relic) are hastily assembled to look into what ever the skeleton implies; add to that some complaints from the 'mole people' living under the city that something is preying upon them and we have a story...
Over all, a really fun, fast paced read! Highly recommended for anyone out for an exciting thriller. Even though this is over 20 years old, it has not lost a bit of luster. 4.5 stars!
Reliquary starts off with a bang and just never lets up. In some ways, this is an improvement over Relic-- better (more consistent) pacing for sure. We also have some returning MCs: the seriously erudite FBI agent Pendergast of course, the jaded cop D'Agosta and the newly minted Ph.D. Margo Green, who is now assistant curator at the museum. We also have a host of new and good supporting characters, including one I hope to see more of-- officer Hayward, who works as a 'rouster' in the vast underground labyrinth under NYC proper.
It is a little hard to point a finger at exactly just what makes this series so addicting; I definitely love the twisty plots that make Reliquary almost a mystery thriller, good characters (although I am hesitant to call this a character driven story), and lots of exiting action and great bad guys-- here, a swarm of underground mutated folks. You could call this a mystery thriller, an action thriller, or even a horror thriller; perhaps that explains why it is such an intense read.
I will not go much into the plot here, but safe to say, a year and a half after the Museum Beast was killed, a cop diver looking for drugs in a pestilent tributary of the Hudson river finds instead some dead bodies. The medical examiner finds that one of the bodies (skeletons really) has some strange mutations; that, and the missing heads seems to a few wary individuals that perhaps the Museum Beast 'story' may not be over after all. Hence, a team (most of the survivors from the first novel Relic) are hastily assembled to look into what ever the skeleton implies; add to that some complaints from the 'mole people' living under the city that something is preying upon them and we have a story...
Over all, a really fun, fast paced read! Highly recommended for anyone out for an exciting thriller. Even though this is over 20 years old, it has not lost a bit of luster. 4.5 stars!
March 26, 2013
Eighteen months before, she had stared into the face of Mbwun, seen her reflection in its feral red eyes.
First of all: the cover of Reliquary is misleading. I have a vague suspicion that the critter depicted is a rather innocuous and extraordinarily baboon-like depiction of Mbwun, because it certainly isn’t a Wrinkler. It was important for me to get that off my chest, because Reliquary is the first Pendergast novel that I read out of sequence. Why? Well, the closing chapters of Relic and the cover art of Reliquary had me thinking that this was going to be a repeat of the previous novel. Well, it isn’t.
[He] jerked his head back instinctively at the sight, but not before his brain had registered something out of his worst nightmare, worse for being vague in the dim light.
This is a fairly spooky novel, and more than a little gruesome at times, but it doesn’t quite manage to maintain the level of terror that Relic did throughout. It’s basically a “zombie” novel (of sorts) dressed up as a mystery thriller, with elements of Heart of Darkness and The Island of Dr. Moreau. Categorising it is basically impossible.
“There are perhaps more types of underground inhabitants, Dr. Brambell, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
There’s a lot of potential for spoilers here, but the basic premise of the plot is: people are turning up dead with their heads missing. Sound familiar? It should. But (obviously) there’s a twist, and I have to commend the authors on the way they tied the two novels together. Even though there is a Mbwun connection, it is rather unique and not quite what I had expected.
[He] saw, with a sense of eerie unreality, that they were cloaked and hooded.
There is a lot of science in here, and it’s again clear that Preston & Child do a lot of research when writing their novels. That said - this novel requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. More so than Relic or, probably, any of the other Pendergast novels I’ve read. Again: I can’t tell you why, since that would be a spoiler.
The one thing the book does seem to suffer from is too many protagonists. This is the last book that features such a big leading cast, and with The Cabinet of Curiosities, Pendergast takes the lead role for himself, which makes for a much sleeker reading experience.
The good news is: the baddies are well and truly frightening. And I do mean frightening.
There was something bestial about their scuttling that turned his blood to ice.
The action moves from the New York museum (Relic) to the New York City underground. Expect scenes involving sewers, tunnels, subways, shafts… and other even more ominous surroundings. In other words, expect a lot of darkness, claustrophobia and downright terror.
In all truth: this is a 3-star book. It’s not as evenly paced as I would have liked and things get rather melodramatic towards the end. However… the sheer level of dread the Wrinklers evoked at times garners another star.
And then the screams began: ululating, rising louder and louder as they rent the soft summer night.
First of all: the cover of Reliquary is misleading. I have a vague suspicion that the critter depicted is a rather innocuous and extraordinarily baboon-like depiction of Mbwun, because it certainly isn’t a Wrinkler. It was important for me to get that off my chest, because Reliquary is the first Pendergast novel that I read out of sequence. Why? Well, the closing chapters of Relic and the cover art of Reliquary had me thinking that this was going to be a repeat of the previous novel. Well, it isn’t.
[He] jerked his head back instinctively at the sight, but not before his brain had registered something out of his worst nightmare, worse for being vague in the dim light.
This is a fairly spooky novel, and more than a little gruesome at times, but it doesn’t quite manage to maintain the level of terror that Relic did throughout. It’s basically a “zombie” novel (of sorts) dressed up as a mystery thriller, with elements of Heart of Darkness and The Island of Dr. Moreau. Categorising it is basically impossible.
“There are perhaps more types of underground inhabitants, Dr. Brambell, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
There’s a lot of potential for spoilers here, but the basic premise of the plot is: people are turning up dead with their heads missing. Sound familiar? It should. But (obviously) there’s a twist, and I have to commend the authors on the way they tied the two novels together. Even though there is a Mbwun connection, it is rather unique and not quite what I had expected.
[He] saw, with a sense of eerie unreality, that they were cloaked and hooded.
There is a lot of science in here, and it’s again clear that Preston & Child do a lot of research when writing their novels. That said - this novel requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. More so than Relic or, probably, any of the other Pendergast novels I’ve read. Again: I can’t tell you why, since that would be a spoiler.
The one thing the book does seem to suffer from is too many protagonists. This is the last book that features such a big leading cast, and with The Cabinet of Curiosities, Pendergast takes the lead role for himself, which makes for a much sleeker reading experience.
The good news is: the baddies are well and truly frightening. And I do mean frightening.
There was something bestial about their scuttling that turned his blood to ice.
The action moves from the New York museum (Relic) to the New York City underground. Expect scenes involving sewers, tunnels, subways, shafts… and other even more ominous surroundings. In other words, expect a lot of darkness, claustrophobia and downright terror.
In all truth: this is a 3-star book. It’s not as evenly paced as I would have liked and things get rather melodramatic towards the end. However… the sheer level of dread the Wrinklers evoked at times garners another star.
And then the screams began: ululating, rising louder and louder as they rent the soft summer night.
October 14, 2018
4.3 rounded down. A very fun book that is just a tiny step down from the awesomeness that was book 1. The ending was a little too much "Really..?" and "That's who..." for me but not enough so that it took away from the overall enjoyment of the whole thing. I thought it was much more violent than its predecessor, but that is a good thing with me and it definitely had a lot more going on peripherally with many side plots and extra characters. I liked it a lot and it was a good way to spend a couple of days reading time.
May 11, 2022
The second book in the series picks up a little over a year after the first book ended. A pair of headless bodies are found, and one is deformed. The book was written in the mid 90's and has held up well and is only slightly dated. So starts the Mystery. Dick Hill did a fantastic job reading the book and all voices were distinctive. Reviewed many times so I will just add my thoughts. The plot held my attention, and I was really caught up in the progress of the mystery until about 80% and it has a satisfactory ending. Pendergast is a great leader and the other characters from the first book hold up well. Perhaps since this was written in 1997 others have borrowed the plot and I had figured out midway who the villain was. Still, it made for an excellent listen and time flew. Excited to read the next in the series.
February 8, 2020
Seems like a bit of a cash grab. The novel Relic was a huge success and made into a fairly successful, albeit bad, movie.
Naturally, the authors wanted to make a sequel. I don't blame them.
The book seems about half baked, and about ten years behind the times (1997). There's a lot of pseudo-science, but it's like the authors read Bonfire of the Vanities, and tried to shove it into a Jaws rip off. There's even a pompous author's statement about homelessness, as if they didn't realize that homelessness disappeared from the msm's attention from January 20, 1993, to January 20, 2001. The book feels like it was written in the 1980s, but it wasn't.
All in all, not bad, though certainly not great.
Naturally, the authors wanted to make a sequel. I don't blame them.
The book seems about half baked, and about ten years behind the times (1997). There's a lot of pseudo-science, but it's like the authors read Bonfire of the Vanities, and tried to shove it into a Jaws rip off. There's even a pompous author's statement about homelessness, as if they didn't realize that homelessness disappeared from the msm's attention from January 20, 1993, to January 20, 2001. The book feels like it was written in the 1980s, but it wasn't.
All in all, not bad, though certainly not great.
February 19, 2022
The sequel to Relic - the foremost and perhaps only "Museum Beast" horror/sci-fi/suspense/mystery/adventure mashup story of its kind - kicks up the fun a notch by taking us out of the museum and under Manhattan while retaining the general "what could possibly go wrong?" storyline from its predecessor. Some parts drag and meander while the authors set all the pieces in motion, but the pace really picks up in the second half. As with the first book, Suspension of Disbelief is required in large doses.
July 9, 2014
Enjoyable sequel to Relic - it has the same fab characters and the same spooky story but this time set in the underground tunnels of New York. Love all the 'science' bits as before and just think it's a fun creepy story.
To add to the hilarity I listened to this one on audio and the man talking in a girl's voice made me laugh so much and then when they were denoting a thought rather than something said aloud they used an 'echo' effect - heehee! (I am so childish sometimes!)
To add to the hilarity I listened to this one on audio and the man talking in a girl's voice made me laugh so much and then when they were denoting a thought rather than something said aloud they used an 'echo' effect - heehee! (I am so childish sometimes!)
March 3, 2024
While this book was overly long, I still enjoyed the adventure. The story rode the edge between pulp and suspense and mostly did it well. I'm still not sure how I feel about Pendergast, who is a Sherlock Holmes ripoff, since he has been a side character in this book and its predecessor.
February 12, 2015
This was good - not quite as tight of a story as Relic, but I enjoyed the whole thing. It is fun to read (or in this case, listen to) another story with the same characters to see how they grow and change. It starts to make you wonder how far the author will be willing to go with characters you have come to know well . . .
May 13, 2020
Reliquary is the second of long running and very popular Pendergast series - it is the sequel to The Relic. Unlike The Relic it didn’t inspire a Hollywood movie - which is just as well... considering that movie didn’t even have Pendergast in it (what a terrible idea 🤨) This review contains spoilers for The Relic - so please don’t continue if you haven’t already read that one.
The book took off not too much after the conclusion of the first. Margo is back - as is D’Agosta - Smithback is as well. In The Relic most of the mystery is about the Mbwun beast that is loose in the NY Museum of Natural History (the Preston version of the NYC’s actual American Museum of Natural History). That same beast - you discover - was fueled by a toxic plant indigenous to the land surrounding the home of the mysterious Kothoga tribe. This is the same people from which the Mbwun statue was taken. By the end of the story we learn that the plants near the Kothoga tribe had been burned... and Margo destroyed her samples... leaving the world safe from future mutated creatures feeding on the hypothalamus. Well... ok that’s not quite true. You find out in the epilogue that there is a way to genetically sequence the leaves... but only if someone was dumb enough to try to use that for personal gain.
Reliquary takes off with this premise in mind. Headless bodies are discovered In the sewers of NYC. The similarities to the killings of from the Museum lead to the idea that another Mbwun beast is somehow loose in the underground of the city. From the first book - you kinda know who is responsible - and because of the time delay you are thinking it’s just an exercise in finding that person. It isn’t quite as simple as that - and there are some interesting twists and turns along the way.
Part of this discovery process leads to an mysterious society of ‘mole people’ which are groups of homeless that shelter in the vast underground of NYC. When I got to this part of the book and the intricate underground societies were described I immediately thought of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Neverwhere’. Unfortunately, as interesting as Preston’s character Mephisto was... there were no scenes with him playing chess with Mr Croup, meeting with Lord Rat Speaker, or attending the floating market. 😀
In The Relic there was a lot of intermingling of science with the storyline - kind of like Jurassic Park. In Reliquary the scientific aspects take a back seat to the action. It’s more of a straightforward mystery thriller. As in the first book you encounter your share of inept police (the higher you go up dumber they seem to be). There is an interesting ‘take back our city’ - class struggle. Also, the stakes in this book were much higher than the first... a lot was riding on our heroes’ success.
One thing I found fascinating was the descriptions of underground NYC. The tunnel systems- although embellished in the book - are much more elaborate and deeper than I was aware. This includes some abandoned projects like private subway systems for the ultra rich - very interesting.
Although I didn’t find it as ambitious as The Relic, overall it was a fun read and a great addition to this amazing series.
The book took off not too much after the conclusion of the first. Margo is back - as is D’Agosta - Smithback is as well. In The Relic most of the mystery is about the Mbwun beast that is loose in the NY Museum of Natural History (the Preston version of the NYC’s actual American Museum of Natural History). That same beast - you discover - was fueled by a toxic plant indigenous to the land surrounding the home of the mysterious Kothoga tribe. This is the same people from which the Mbwun statue was taken. By the end of the story we learn that the plants near the Kothoga tribe had been burned... and Margo destroyed her samples... leaving the world safe from future mutated creatures feeding on the hypothalamus. Well... ok that’s not quite true. You find out in the epilogue that there is a way to genetically sequence the leaves... but only if someone was dumb enough to try to use that for personal gain.
Reliquary takes off with this premise in mind. Headless bodies are discovered In the sewers of NYC. The similarities to the killings of from the Museum lead to the idea that another Mbwun beast is somehow loose in the underground of the city. From the first book - you kinda know who is responsible - and because of the time delay you are thinking it’s just an exercise in finding that person. It isn’t quite as simple as that - and there are some interesting twists and turns along the way.
Part of this discovery process leads to an mysterious society of ‘mole people’ which are groups of homeless that shelter in the vast underground of NYC. When I got to this part of the book and the intricate underground societies were described I immediately thought of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Neverwhere’. Unfortunately, as interesting as Preston’s character Mephisto was... there were no scenes with him playing chess with Mr Croup, meeting with Lord Rat Speaker, or attending the floating market. 😀
In The Relic there was a lot of intermingling of science with the storyline - kind of like Jurassic Park. In Reliquary the scientific aspects take a back seat to the action. It’s more of a straightforward mystery thriller. As in the first book you encounter your share of inept police (the higher you go up dumber they seem to be). There is an interesting ‘take back our city’ - class struggle. Also, the stakes in this book were much higher than the first... a lot was riding on our heroes’ success.
One thing I found fascinating was the descriptions of underground NYC. The tunnel systems- although embellished in the book - are much more elaborate and deeper than I was aware. This includes some abandoned projects like private subway systems for the ultra rich - very interesting.
Although I didn’t find it as ambitious as The Relic, overall it was a fun read and a great addition to this amazing series.
January 27, 2016
With that tantalizing wrap-up of Relic, I couldn’t wait to revisit the story and characters in Reliquary. I’m glad the authors decided to continue the story of Mbwun right off, although it’s clear after the prologue that much has happened and mutated behind the scenes.
You get a return of the familiar characters, but most have changed a little, partly from the events they survived and partly from the developments which befell them as a consequence of those events. Margo has rounded out to be a little more lifelike, Pendergast still amuses (but is gone a lot), and D’Agosta is fortunately back as well (but missing a little something?).
While this book didn’t capture the intensity of the first, it was ambitious. Child and Preston dug into the fascinating and underexplored theme of the ‘mole people,’ an underground society of human dwellers who adapt to the dark because of how much time they spend in it. A whole other society hidden from ours, many of them the dregs of the former society they belonged to, such as criminals bailing on parole and parents skipping out on the child welfare system. A large group of them, however, were victims of homelessness and had nowhere else to go. The authors conclude this fiction piece by pointing in the afterword to a non-fiction book written about this very subject.
The underground tunnel scenes are intense, creepy, but they never touch the atmosphere of the original. The track rabbit eating scene was one of the grossest I can remember reading about. The end has a surprising villain, didn’t see that coming.
It’s hard to put my finger on why this book doesn’t work as well as the first one. Still, it’s a good book and a worthy sequel. I’m curious on the third, which likely takes on a brand new plot entirely.
February 16, 2018
Reliquary is to Relic what Aliens is to Alien. Both are them are great books (and movies) and while the first book (movie) focuses on a single predator in a closed space, the latter focuses on multiple predators in larger space.
Reliquary, while being as intense as Relic, also manages to have time for character development. In addition to the gang of four we saw in Relic (Pendergast, D'Agosta, Margo & Bill), we have new characters who also have their own unique stories.The great writing as well as the fast pacing carries over from Relic.
In conclusion, Reliquary is a great sequel to Relic.
Reliquary, while being as intense as Relic, also manages to have time for character development. In addition to the gang of four we saw in Relic (Pendergast, D'Agosta, Margo & Bill), we have new characters who also have their own unique stories.The great writing as well as the fast pacing carries over from Relic.
In conclusion, Reliquary is a great sequel to Relic.
December 3, 2017
Please let me never again read a novel about a race of mutated hoboes living underground.
November 12, 2024
MINI REVIEW: A nice follow up to book one that doesn't suffer through the typical sophomoric slump. Yes, the beast is back but in a totally different manner so no real spoilers there. Focus upon the mole people of NYC with some interesting tidbits of American History that go back quite a ways. Dialog and story plotting are particularly well done and new characters come to visit. If you enjoyed the first book then you should enjoy this one as well.
WHEN READ: July to September 2010; MY GRADE: B plus to A minus.
WHEN READ: July to September 2010; MY GRADE: B plus to A minus.
July 3, 2017
Very fun and exicting sequel to Relic. Those who enjoyed the first book would likely enjoy this follow-up, which included several of the original characters. The book is filled with action and science and a great, creepy setting, which is hard to believe is based on reality. I enjoyed very much, and look forward to reading more of the adventures of Pendergast. Thanks to Ginger also, for a great buddy read!
July 23, 2018
Drug fueled cannabalistic secret underground societies? Mass-affluent revenge driven political coups? Battle of wits between Type A NYPD and brilliant minds of Pendergast and company? You’re god damn right! There was not a single dull moment in this book and enjoyed it considerably more than it’s predecessor. I am so happy to have “lucked” into these authors and this series. If there is the slightest hesitation to read these books, stop. Just do it. Yes, I am only on book 2 but cannot wait to continue them.
*petty annoyance - I am far from an evolutionary biologist, however it seems the book was written with thorough research and factual basis which is much appreciated. However, amongst the vivid descriptions and action packed sequences there is gun talk. I am not an extremist in any way, but there is no safety to “switch off” on a glock. A “clip” is only used on belt-fed fire arms. These simple and easy facts to get correct were not.
As I said, this is petty and does not take away from the excitement and brilliance of the book, but in the moment, annoyed me and took me out of the tunnels. I battled with myself on whether I would mention this and couldn’t get away from it, so sorry for the rant . :)
*petty annoyance - I am far from an evolutionary biologist, however it seems the book was written with thorough research and factual basis which is much appreciated. However, amongst the vivid descriptions and action packed sequences there is gun talk. I am not an extremist in any way, but there is no safety to “switch off” on a glock. A “clip” is only used on belt-fed fire arms. These simple and easy facts to get correct were not.
As I said, this is petty and does not take away from the excitement and brilliance of the book, but in the moment, annoyed me and took me out of the tunnels. I battled with myself on whether I would mention this and couldn’t get away from it, so sorry for the rant . :)
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