Book Review: The Relic (1995)
*SPOILERS*
Daglas Preston and Lincoln Child have collaborated many times in literary works, bringing us fast-paced thrillers and deep characters if you’re willing to commit to a series. Being a fairly slow reader I don’t have the time for that, but I did make sure to check out the first entry of the Agent Pendergast series, the well received monster-horror book from 1995, The Relic.
Things begin interestingly enough in the amazon as an explorer called Whittlesey has ulterior an motive beyond the main objective, namely the Kothoga tribe and their very belligerent protector known as Mbwun. Shit hits the fan, some don’t make it back and so a mystery hangs over the whole expedition.
Switch to a Museum in New York and we’re introduced to a few characters, fairly well written though none really memorable save for Pendergast himself, a cultured, cool-as-ice member of the FBI. Considering the simple plot things take a while to get going as much of the first half is about who has authority over the museum – whether it should be closed for the upcoming exhibition and, when its decided no, how security should be run for this unknown presence which has taken a few lives.
The monster scenes were good. Preston & Child are able to build up something of a claustrophobic atmosphere as everyone must navigate the dim corridors and basement of the museum, but I found the attempted explanations of the monster’s origin and nature more interesting – something that is after a particular hormone that happens to be present in the human brain.
Specifically, Dr Frock forwards his theory of ‘Fractal Evolution’ in which sudden genetic anomalies are a possibility, leading to highly aggressive and intelligent abominations. This brought me closer to the terror than the actual attacks themselves. The idea that Whittlesey himself had become the monster somewhat took me out of the experience but I still appreciated the attempt to try and back this up in its own pseudo-scientific way.
Given the fact it takes a while to get going, and I didn’t care for many of the characters took it a down a peg or two, but Mbwun was a cool creature, there are some effective turns of phrase when things get nasty, and the scientific explanations are fun.
7/10.
