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Mount Dragon

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 7,031 ratings · 175 reviews

Mount Dragon: an enigmatic research complex hidden in the vast desert of New Mexico. Guy Carson and Susana Cabeza de Vaca have come to Mount Dragon to work shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest scientific minds on the planet. Led by visionary genius Brent Scopes, their secret goal is a medical breakthrough that promises to bring incalculable benefits to the human

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Paperback, 512 pages

Published August 1st 2005 by Tor Books (first published 1996)

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Aug 09, 2012 Jan Derksen marked it as to-read · review of another edition

'Zijn oog. Dat was ook zoiets: ze hadden allemaal bloeddoorlopen ogen gehad.' In de afgelegen woestijn van New Mexico doet een groep briljante genetici in het diepste geheim experimenten met het meest voorkomende virus ter wereld: het griepvirus. Het farmaceutische concern GeneDyne denkt enorme winsten te behalen met een middel om griep te voorkomen. De remedie: het manipuleren van het menselijke DNA. Guy Carson, een jonge, ambiteuze wetenschapper ontdekt echter dat genetische manipulatie niet z...more

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Feb 21, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

Mt. Dragon was an interesting read. I thought it was going to be a very predictable bio-disaster catastrophe and then discovered that the writers were using that as a hook, only to set the hook with a very different series of problems to be solved. Yes, the world teetered on the brink of disaster, but the real danger wasn't the bio-hazard, exactly, though that played a part.

The characters in Mount Dragon were quite interesting. The evil corporation owner (isn't there always one) is a computer ge...more Mt. Dragon was an interesting read. I thought it was going to be a very predictable bio-disaster catastrophe and then discovered that the writers were using that as a hook, only to set the hook with a very different series of problems to be solved. Yes, the world teetered on the brink of disaster, but the real danger wasn't the bio-hazard, exactly, though that played a part.

The characters in Mount Dragon were quite interesting. The evil corporation owner (isn't there always one) is a computer genius who is watching the every move of his employees from cyberspace. His opponent, a former partner and one-time friend, is busy pointing at the dangers of research. Guy Carson is part Native American, but some reason (his father's attitude) doesn't want to admit his heritage.. His lab partner is a knockout babe, but has a caustic attitude that makes her unattractive in other ways. The head of security is an Englishman, bent on proving that he can run such an installation, having a terribly huge failure which looms from his past. The security head is also an expert at desert survival, which plays a part in the story.

The story has several branches.. Carson dealing with the goings on at the Mount Dragon facility while Levine attempts to stop the corporation and eventually enters Cyrberspace (in a very real manner) in order to communicate with his former partner. This makes the story seem to suffer from multi-personality disorder as it switches back and forth in the climax. One can almost surmise that one author dealt with the desert installation portion of the story while the other worked on the outside angles. For me, this did not blend terribly well, though it made sense.. and therefore, I was not as thrilled with it. also, some of the computer stuff is quite outdated, though it would have been leading edge when first published. (dialup internet, etc.)

I did not like the conclusion\climactic stuff in the desert.. small spoiler.. Carson and the chick get it on!!! and after all of the animosity, it just didn't seem to fit. However, the showdown between Levine and the evil corporation owner was remarkably interesting, as they resolve their differences in an odd, but interesting manner that seemed very fitting.

I think fans of Michael Crichton would enjoy this novel of Science being abused and biological\ethics questioned... Still, it falls well short of greatness whil being entertaining.
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Jun 12, 2012 Gretchen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Mount Dragon" has all of the elements that I've come to anticipate from a Preston/Child novel. It feels exceptionally well-researched and educates the reader on the subject at hand, which, in this case is genetic engineering, without bogging the reader down with the heaviness of the science. The protagonist fits the typical Preston/Child mold --- young, smart and resourceful, at the beginning of what could be a promising career. It is fast paced and interesting throughout.

However, I found myse...more

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May 05, 2012 Kristin Lundgren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: megalomaniac, thriller, biological-weapon

I have read all of Preston/Childs works, but this one I don't recall. That could be my very faulty memory, or, since it was one of he earlier books they wrote, I simply never read it. So it was a new book for me. Frabjous day! The book starts out with the usual opening - a crazy man is placed in a psych ward, and while he seems sane now, he quickly reverts. Turns out he was a famous scientist, working at the secretive and remote Mount Dragon facility of GeneDyne, located inside the White Sands M...more I have read all of Preston/Childs works, but this one I don't recall. That could be my very faulty memory, or, since it was one of he earlier books they wrote, I simply never read it. So it was a new book for me. Frabjous day! The book starts out with the usual opening - a crazy man is placed in a psych ward, and while he seems sane now, he quickly reverts. Turns out he was a famous scientist, working at the secretive and remote Mount Dragon facility of GeneDyne, located inside the White Sands Missile Testing Grounds. Next up is our hero, Carson, who is hired by GeneDyne to be a scientist in their Boston facility, but is quickly recruited to work on a secret project that could benefit mankind at the New Mexico location. He arrives at the complex, and is given the tour. Hee will be working in a Level-5 zone, a highly controlled environment where they have to wear a type of haz mat suit at all times, since the most lethal pathogens in the world are worked on here. But the bulk of the work is on the new product - a gene therapy that could eradicate the flu by creating a change to the gene that creates an antibody, making it able to carry on to successive generations. But there are currently lethal side effects. Tested on monkeys, they always die shortly after symptons appear which can be up to 21 days. It is a horrible death. Carson was brought on to figure out what is wrong with the viral transport they are using. But slowly he begins to see that things are not quite what they seem, and after a co-worker is exposed and dies a horrific death in front of him, suddenly he and his assistant are locked in a battle for their lives, and that of the world. Exciting, scientific, and well-paced, my only complain is the lack of much in-depth characterization of Carson. But that is sort of the P/C signature -action and thrills, and even horror over characterization. A fun book. It only took me so long to read because I was going through a rough patch with my CFS, and kept falling asleep shortly after my reading hour began for several days (I read from 11:pm to about 2:30am or so).(less)

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Jan 27, 2013 A.R. Voss rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed-books

First off I must say that it was a very good book; in depth storyline, well researched and well written. However, I don't see it as one of their best works. I am a huge fan of their "Relic," / "Pendergast" series and this novel reminded me of more in style of Crichton, which in whole is not a bad thing, except I read Preston and Child for their unique subject matters. There are many books that rush the story, keeping the writing simple (perhaps too simple like Paterson) to keep the reader inter...more

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Dec 15, 2011 Jen rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book and would categorize it as a thriller. Though it had bits of ethics, biotechnology, and romance thrown in, it really was more about the adventure than anything else. The ethics were dealt with in the most superficial way, the biotechnology was horribly simplified and important steps were altogether eliminated, and the romance seemed forced, but the adventure ... The adventure was fabulous. This is basically a story of someone protecting the entire human race while doin...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of the early books written by the co-efforts of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. A young man named Guy Carson works for a drug company on the East coast in a mundane assignment. In school he was a star student in genetic engineering. One day he gets a call from the owner of the company and he is offered a job working at their secret lab in the deserts of New Mexico. He is told it is for the alteration of the flu gene and the company wants to alter the gene so they can create a flu vaccine...more

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Sep 26, 2010 Lize rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2004

An isolated Level 5 New Mexico lab, a particularly virulent strain of influenza, artificial blood, and the most fabulous VR world anyone's ever seen. Plot-tastic, with extra cheese!

The down sides, though, were formidable, and ultimately insurmountable. For one, I simply couldn't stand one of the main characters: a stiff PC bitch with a real chip on her shoulder who, like all female characters written by these authors, is, of course, a real hottie. (Stick to the technical stuff, guys--your femal...more

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Jul 04, 2010 Loraine Alcorn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I do not know why I never read Mount Dragon before now but I think its one of my favorite books from Preston and Child .I know I have a lot of favorites but this one really entertained me and I was talking about it to everyone I know . If you're like me and am interested in biotechnology than this is the book for you -I had heard this compared to outbreak but its nothing like that and way better . This book was a joy to read and I would recommend it to anyone who is fascinated by biology , biote...more

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Jul 31, 2009 Shannon rated it 1 of 5 stars

I've always been a fan of Preston and Child books, but I'm afraid this one falls short for me. First of all, I can usually run through one of their books in a day - it was almost a week for this one. It just wasn't exciting enough to keep me hooked. It was probably about 100 pages too long, and the real action didn't start until about page 300. I found the entire thing rather predictable, and I never liked Susana, one of the main characters. I found her character annoying and one-dimensional, an...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Frank rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: thrillers-mystery

Another good thriller from Preston/Child. I always enjoy their books and this one is no exception. This is a combination sci-fi/thriller/western. It includes elements of all of these genres including the main story of the development of a way to change the human genome to eliminate the possibility of getting the flu. Well, this is all good, right? But along the way a nasty mutant flu virus is manufactured that could wipe out mankind (shades of The Stand by Stephen King). This virus came about th...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Tory Wagner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aventure, science-fiction

I really enjoyed the descriptions of New Mexico with the desert and the mountainous areas. The scenario of a deadly flu seems very realisitic. I know through some geneology research that epidemics such as flu and diphtheria have been very common throughout history. The description of a virtual world that was created displaying scenes and people sound like technology that is currently available perhaps on a more sophisticated level. Alot of action and some interesting characters make for a good a...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action-adventure, preston-child-novels, scifi, science

The title of the book refers to a fictional genetic research lab hidden in the desert of New Mexico. The protagonists, Guy Carson and Susana Cabeza de Vaca are working on what promises to be a medical breakthrough for the human race, but instead turns into a nightmare that may herald extinction for the human race. The book is well researched and written (as always) with the exception of a pointless, gratuitous sex scene near the end. Generally, these writers shy away from plot devices like this...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Stephen Holmes rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was a little apprehensive about this book to begin with. Having read all of the Pendergast books and loved them, I didn't know how this would work out without him. I was pleasantly surprised.

I enjoyed the interplay with the characters and they all felt well flushed out. I never felt bogged down in the story and the pace never went too quickly. I think the only thing I would have liked is a longer book. Some of the scenes ended a little quickly and could have been explored more. That aside pic...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Tina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was one of the authors' earlier novels and delved into the subject matter of altering our human genome. I had initially thought the novel would be horribly outdated since technology has evolved so much since the publication date (1996), but it didn't feel as dated as I expected. Like all Preston/Child novels, it has lots of action with a few twists and turns, and they always do a great job of researching to ensure the science is accurate. It was definitely an enjoyable book - certainly not...more

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Dec 19, 2009 Deb Mjaatvedt rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was my first Preston/Child book. I had high hopes based on the reviews of this work and their others, but it was pretty disappointing. Entirely too much scientific and computer jargon for my feeble brain to deal with, and of course, the hero and heroine end up together. I'm a hopeless romantic, but seriously. Does every book in this genre need to bring together the main male and female characters? Couldn't people just be friends? I'll look for another book by these authors because I have he...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Trisha added it · review of another edition

Inhoud: Zijn oog. Dat was ook zoiets: ze hadden allemaal bloeddoorlopen ogen gehad.
In de afgelegen woestijn van New Mexico doet een groep briljante genetici in het diepste geheim experimenten met het meest voorkomende virus ter wereld: het griepvirus.
Het farmaceutische concern GeneDyne denkt enorme winsten te behalen met een middel om griep te voorkomen. De remedie: manipulatie van het menselijk DNA.
Guy Carson, een jonge, ambitieuze wetenschapper ontdekt echter dat genetische manipulatie niet zo...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Traummachine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Preston and Child are the authors who got me into reading thrillers. Now, again, I don't consider myself a fan of thrillers, but there are 4 authors out there that I really like. I started reading books by these authors because of a few titles which were more like Horror/Action hybrids than thrillers. Preston and Child's Relic and its sequel, Reliquary were my first forays into this odd genre, followed by James Rollins' Subterranean, and Jeff Long's tour de force, The Descent, which is probably...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Meredith rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, audio, betrayal, bromance, daddy-issues, fiction, intrigue, medical, morality-tales, resourceful-women, road-trip, romance, suspense, thriller, unlikely-hero, psychological-breakdown, resourceful-men, surving-by-ones-wits, misogyny

In many ways I liked the story. The question of genetics and what can we change versus what should be change. I thoroughly enjoy a story of surviving by one's wits, as Guy and Suzanne do toward the latter half of the story.

However, there were a couple things that bothered me. Part of it was the covert and overt misogyny as well as being overweight equals negative character traits.

Guy's first boss is described as overweight and basically mean little pencil pusher of a man.

At the Mount Dragon si...more In many ways I liked the story. The question of genetics and what can we change versus what should be change. I thoroughly enjoy a story of surviving by one's wits, as Guy and Suzanne do toward the latter half of the story.

However, there were a couple things that bothered me. Part of it was the covert and overt misogyny as well as being overweight equals negative character traits.

Guy's first boss is described as overweight and basically mean little pencil pusher of a man.

At the Mount Dragon site, there is only one scientist who is described as obese, and she's a woman. The hero of the story thinks and says disparaging comments related to her weight. Once, out loud and accidentally overly a open comm to all the scientists. I have no problem with flawed characters, as Guy is flawed, struggling with his own short temper and unsettled feelings about his family and ancestry. However, the other male scientists chuckle. Even his supervisor basically says, "Don't do it again." However, considering that this book was originally published in 1996 (IIRC), perhaps that behavior was a fairly accurate reflection of the culture.

I also couldn't get myself to think of Scopes and Levine being the same age. I could imagine Scopes as mid-30s, as I recall him being described. And yes, Scopes has obvious social stunting due to his ability to wrap himself in his own world where he gets what he wants. However, Levine is has done major work Holocaust related advocacy, and his parents were Jews harmed by the holocaust, his father not surviving. I just couldn't get it to add up, even knowing this book was written in the mid-90s.

Plus, (view spoiler)(less)

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Mar 13, 2013 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, thriller

In Mount Dragon, talented scientist Guy Carson is given the opportunity of his dreams when he is asked to work in GeneDyne’s Mount Dragon facility, where he will be doing meaningful work, not just grunt labour beneath his abilities. His new goal: find a way to render the world’s deadliest virus harmless so that humans can become genetically immune to the flu. Everything seems fine at first—until disaster strikes, and one of the team members succumbs to the disease. Carson receives word that...more In Mount Dragon, talented scientist Guy Carson is given the opportunity of his dreams when he is asked to work in GeneDyne’s Mount Dragon facility, where he will be doing meaningful work, not just grunt labour beneath his abilities. His new goal: find a way to render the world’s deadliest virus harmless so that humans can become genetically immune to the flu. Everything seems fine at first—until disaster strikes, and one of the team members succumbs to the disease. Carson receives word that GeneDyne may not be all that it appears, and if they do not figure out what’s going on, more than their consciences will be at stake.

I did not expect to enjoy this book. In fact, I opened up its pages expecting to give it 2 stars (3 at most). My friend gave me this book several years ago, and now I’ve finally read it. I normally dislike thrillers. They give me the “heebie jeebies” and do not make good bedside books. I also harbour a fear of pandemics, so anyone working with potentially disastrous diseases sets me on edge. This book, however, hooked me from the start (despite a few gruesome details here and there) and didn’t let go. In fact, within the span of a few hours I read the last 200 pages with only bathroom breaks.

I’m no scientist, so I cannot speak for the accuracy of the science presented in this book, but it seems that the authors did a phenomenal amount of research. However, it was not slammed in our faces in blocks of prose. I did not feel like I was being lectured. Their scientific procedures felt very, very real. Same goes for their description: I could picture the Fever Tank, the desert around Mount Dragon, Scope’s cypherspace world... wow! The characterization is fantastic. Nobody is evil—they just have different morals, different ideals. Greed is a powerful motivator here.

The only part I didn’t like was the “yucky bits.” That is to say, (view spoiler) I suppose that’s par for the course in a novel like this, but it made me shudder.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys sci-fi thrillers. It was not my normal cup of tea, but it was a good read.
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Dec 18, 2012 Kara Jorges rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book just proves that Preston and Child did great work in their early days, following their tried-and-true formula to the letter. Man of science/adventure gets the opportunity of a lifetime working for a well-funded, ambitious organization that lets its singular pursuit of the goal overlook the inevitable, rippling side effects that bode ill for humanity, thereby dooming said project to failure, and teaching us all a valuable lesson about megalomania and science in the process. It worked in...more This book just proves that Preston and Child did great work in their early days, following their tried-and-true formula to the letter. Man of science/adventure gets the opportunity of a lifetime working for a well-funded, ambitious organization that lets its singular pursuit of the goal overlook the inevitable, rippling side effects that bode ill for humanity, thereby dooming said project to failure, and teaching us all a valuable lesson about megalomania and science in the process. It worked in The Relic, Riptide, and The Ice Limit as well as it works here.

In this story, scientist Guy Carson is working a lowly job under a resentful supervisor when he is suddenly whisked away by GeneDyne CEO and founder, Brent Scopes, to do much more important work in the remote desert of New Mexico. Guy’s new job is working with a vaccine that is supposedly going to cure mankind of the flu forever, but instead is vexing the GeneDyne scientists by becoming extremely deadly. Carson’s work is in a Level 5 facility, wearing protective suits and undergoing decontamination procedures. He makes friends with a few of his colleagues, but his assistant, Susana Cabeza de Vaca, treats him with scorn, especially when a frightening accident occurs. Guy and Susana start learning to get along right about the time Guy’s onetime college professor, Charles Levine (Brent Scopes’ most vocal enemy) manages to contact him. Guy and Susana uncover some very scary secrets not only about their own deadly project, but other projects that have taken place at the Mount Dragon Remote Desert Testing Facility before their arrival.

The authors deftly move the story along from constricting laboratories and biohazard suits to desert survival, all while maintaining more urbane surroundings and moving several elements into a heady climax with a bittersweet ending. Grappling with an issue that’s probably even more important today than when it was written, Mount Dragon takes us on a heck of a ride.
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Feb 23, 2012 Rick Ludwig rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-since-retirement

This early Preston and Child book is filled with the elements that have made these authors extremely popular, including an uncanny ability to accelerate throughout and provide a surprising and rewarding conclusion. This time they are exploring the dark side of genetic engineering as perceived in the 1990s. As a molecular biologist, I found flaws in some of the science, but nothing that would disturb the general reader. The characters are richly drawn and the action is well crafted. In the curren...more

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Feb 24, 2008 Lori Whitwam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: techno-thriller

Whenever Lincoln and Child collaborate, it's sure to be an intense, complex thriller. This was written over 10 years ago, so the science may have changed since then. Our main character is a scientist with a top genetic research company and is put on a special top-secret project at a remote laboratory in the New Mexico desert. The company's founder and CEO is a reclusive Bostonian who allows no contact in and out of the lab other than his network access. He monitors everything going on at the lab...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Rick rated it 3 of 5 stars

A real page turner that maintains its interest pretty much the whole way through. The book does require a little suspension of disbelief in places; in common with some of their other stories there are certain individuals who come across as superhuman in how far ahead intellectually they are from us mere mortals. There are several twisting plot lines, although I would say that the love interest does come over as a little forced, however all in all it is a very entertaining way to pass a few hours...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Timothy Ven rated it 5 of 5 stars

This one is scary because it could actually happen. We never know what Pandora's Box we might open when we start tinkering with genes and DNA and the like when it comes to viruses, and this book explores one of the possibilities. It also takes a peek at the darker side of pharma companies in the 'profits over research' attitude.
Given the technology exists today to make this a reality should scare everyone, and make us all proceed with caution

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Aug 05, 2010 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not my favorite Douglas Preston novel but an ok book. For the most part it has a great plot and intriguing characters. A remote desert facility conducting unknown tests unleashes a mystery on all who are there and threatens man kind. It is up to one man (and a side kick) to stop this threat. Then Preston dives into the realm of computer technology and networking and I lost interest in the book. Perhaps b/c the novel is a bit older the description of the technology just doesn't sound plausible an...more

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Mar 31, 2010 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 02, 2013 Teri rated it 2 of 5 stars

Yikes! Didn't you hear me say I'm not a fan of science fiction? Yet, thanks to my neighbor, I found myself reading this book for fun. Fun wouldn't be the right word. Suspenseful. Absorbing. Not fun. And a too-graphic sex scene when I didn't expect it. The fact that its fictional setting is right where my parents lived and worked for years was intriguing. And I never got bored, that's for sure.

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Sep 04, 2010 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mein 2. Buch von Douglas Preston und schon nach den ersten Seite war ich wieder mitgerissen. 1996 das erste mal erschienen erstaut es mich doch ein wenig, wie die beiden Autoren es geschaft haben eine Mischung aus Wissenschaftsthriller, Karl-May, und Second-Live zu schaffen, von der ich auf ein aktuelles Verfassungsdatum geschätzt hätte. Das Buch kann ich nur empfehlen.

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May 07, 2013 S. Lynham rated it 4 of 5 stars

Preston & Child.....I anxiously await everything these 2 write...this is one that I picked up and basically never put down (good thing it was a Friday night)...these guys have great imaginations and their writing is tight...to me, every one of their books is a good book to read on a beach or beside the fire on a wintry night...escapism?...sure...but why the heck not?

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About Douglas Preston

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 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 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...(less)

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Books by Douglas Preston

The Cabinet of Curiosities (Pendergast, #3)

Brimstone (Pendergast, #5; Diogenes, #1)

The Book of the Dead (Pendergast, #7; Diogenes, #3)

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Mount Dragon

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