Brimstone
by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
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Book Summary Information
Author: Douglas Preston, Lincoln ChildEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-05-20
ISBN: 0446696501
Number of pages: 640
Publisher: Warner Books
Book Reviews of Brimstone
Book Review: Despite it all, Pendergast is thankfully still on fire
Summary: 5 Stars
(No major spoilers)
If Brimstone will be your first Agent Pendergast novel and you're intimidated by its length and/or negative reviews, wait to read it after you've experienced Relic, Reliquary, Cabinet of Curiosities and Still Life with Crows. Doing that just might save you from misjudging and missing out on a fantastic series of novels with a wonderful connecting network of characters.
I first listened to Brimstone on cd, so the tedious length was lost on me. Looking at the novel, however, does bring out the wordiness that should be cut back for a cleaner read. There are truly some cons to be noted for this book. Though this is a technicality, I have major gripes with the language of not only Brimstone, but all the earlier Pendergast novels. There is often repeated use of exactly the same descriptive words within a page or two, sometimes even in the same sentence; too many -ly adverbs that underestimate the reader; too much beating over the head with Pendergast's personality. He's my favorite character and one of my favorite literary heroes, but even I get tired of hearing, from 10 different perspectives, about his unnerving gaze, slim fingers and mellifluous voice. Even a new reader will appreciate his awesomeness without it being overdescribed in each book.
Specific to Brimstone, I felt the raunchy scene was out of place. Also, the preacher preached way too much. Lengthy sermons were forced on the reader through him when there are better ways to show his fanaticism. On the other hand, though his sidestory was unrelated to the "real" plot, it stayed true to the multi-dimensional element of all the Pendergast novels.
About the borrowing of the Count, the authors make a clear statement about their motives for that action in their Aside.
As for pros, I found the confusion of the case intruiging rather than daunting. There are a lot of false leads that're followed helter-skelter up until the true confrontation is realized, but as this is a mystery, a straight beeline to the end would be pointless. I was also relieved that the mysterious elements of the murders were not glibly attributed to their appearances, which would have been cheap and disappointing. The authors' continued attitude of realistically explaining strange events is great when they could have went the easy way and shrugged it all off to the supernatural. There was nothing particularly unreasonable or ridiculous about any of the chases/escapes/conclusions in this book (maybe only at the end, though it depends how it's explained in the next novel. "Cabinet," while delivering a larger adrenaline rush, had more too-perfect results than Brimstone did.)
Overall, the action scenes in Brimstone are still excellent and like the other novels, continue to keep me on edge in a way that no other mystery or adventure novel has done to date. For making me unable to stop listening late into the night, even with my multiple complaints, I give my high rating for this book. I'm looking forward to the next, not so lengthy novel.
Summary of Brimstone
A body is found in the attic of a fabulous Long Island estate. There is a hoofprint scorched into the floor, and the stench of sulfur chokes the air. When FBI Special Agent Pendergast investigates the gruesome crime, he discovers that thirty years ago four men conjured something unspeakable. Has the devil come to claim his due?Horror Books
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