The Wheel of Darkness
by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
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Book Reviews of The Wheel of Darkness
Book Review: Holmes and the Tibet Affair
Summary: 4 Stars
I think that some of Preston and Child's fans are missing the whole point of the main character, Pendergast and the series framework.
The whole formula for these series is based on Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. It's simply an updated version of a Holmes-like character functioning in a modern world. Perndergast's physical description and mannerisms are so close to Sherlock's that if they wrote like some slam-bam thriller writers, they would say he was a Basil Rathbone lookalike.
In place of Watson, they feature various cast members from Constance to the NYPD officer. And Constance is the typical demure Victorian era damsel in distress. So the emphasis, unlike their other novels like Relic, is on Pendergast's character and how he uses his "Thinking Machine" mind to solve the crimes. So yes, at times you do get visions of Murder She Wrote because this is first and foremost a mystery rather than a thriller. It's Pendergast's unique and eccentric personality that carries the story line, and the puzzle to be deduced. And like in Doyle's work the explanation comes at the end.
Setting this story on an ocean liner is classic; it's been done before by Agatha Christy and many others. Personally, I like the Ian Fleming like attention to details about the foods, the wines, the art etc.
There is absolutely nothing realistic about Pendergast at all, he's an over the top mystery detective pure and simple.
I admit that I like their action thrillers more, but they do both genres equally well. Their strongest point is their ability to carry off these cross-genre: horror, mystery, action/adventure thrillers.
Book Review: Outstanding!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had been eagerly anticipating this book all year, since I read the last book in the Agent Pendergast series, The Book of the Dead. Although this is obviously not a continuation of the Diogenes trilogy, there are some signs that Diogenes's evil legacy is alive and well, especially in the fragile character of Constance Greene. She keeps her secret until the very last page of the book, which leaves a very welcome opportunity for another sequel. This book is different from many in this series, as it does not take place in New York City, so many of the regular characters are missing. But, like Still Life With Crows, it remains very much connected to the overall story of Agent Pendergast and stands very well on its own. There is also a further exploration of the mind-bending meditation practices that Pendergast uses, and it becomes the central theme of this book: when you leave your mind open, what evil is allowed to enter? And once it's there, how can you conquer it?
In the "basics", this book has intriguing characters, some of whom I hope to see in future novels, and a climax that kept me riveted to each page. The setting on board the Britannia is wonderful and gives an eerie sense of how isolated the characters are. The Wheel of Darkness reads quickly (I read it in two days), which is a shame, because it's one story you wish would just go on and on. There are many surprises in store, even for readers experiencing the partnership of Preston and Child for the first time. For long-time fans, like myself, this books was a superb introduction to life after Diogenes. The only thing left to do now is wait impatiently for the next one!
Book Review: Interesting Story
Summary: 3 Stars
FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, travel to a monastery in Tibet. While there, they learn that the Agozyen is stolen by a mountain climber that the monks rescued a month or so before. The monks, the keepers of the Agozyen, cannot say what it is, just describe the box that it has been kept in. So, Pendergast goes on the hunt for the stolen item followed by Constance when she is done with her teachings.
Pendergast follows the climber to his hotel room where he is found murdered then to the maiden voyage of the Britannia, where he meets up with Constance. On board, everything seems to be going as expected. But you learn that the Captain and the staff captain are at odds for one reason or another but the main problem is the staff captain is a woman and should have been captain on the Britanna. Then a woman disappears. At first security thinks that she is with another male passenger until they find long blonde hairs sticking to the side of the ship.
Then another woman goes missing, a black shadow is lurking on the ship, a murderous passenger needs to be found, and a captain that wants to beat a previous record for crossing the Atlantic despite the circumstances are what comes next.
This was an OK story. It had possibility but I found it lacking. There was some action and mystery that kept me reading but not enough to really want to finish. I was disappointed by several things, such as the situation with the Captain and staff captain. I think this is one of those books that you may or may not like.
Book Review: Action-packed and an oh so fun read
Summary: 5 Stars
The Wheel of Darkness is another beautifully crafted story. If you've read the Diogenes trilogy then you know that FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his ward, Constance Green, are in sore need of a vacation, which they choose to spend at a monastery located high in the mountains of Tibet.
Close to the end of their stay, the monks approach Pendergast with a favor, to recover a precious relic that had been stolen from their inner sanctuary by a previous visitor. What follows is a suspenseful, harrowing tale as Pendergast pursues the thief halfway across the world to Venice and finally ending on the cruise liner The Brittania as she sails to New York on her maiden voyage.
Poseidon is one of my favorite movies and the panic and mayhem onboard the Brittania is reminiscent of that. There are several plotlines going on such as a mysterious force is controlling and corrupting people on the ship. That same force is also behind several murders and also the first officer has sealed off the bridge and is determined to run the ship onto the Carrion Rocks.
I think this is one of my more favorite installments of the Pendergast series. The story starts off a little slow until you get to the Brittania. After that, I couldn't put it down.
Book Review: Just a bit too far-fetched
Summary: 3 Stars
The story begins as Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast and his young side-kick, Constance Greene, climb a perilous Himalayan mountain path to an ancient Tibetan monastery where the monks need some help. Their inner sanctum has been violated and a dangerous treasure has been stolen. The artefact must be recovered before it wreaks havoc on the human race.
The trail takes the agents on a maiden voyage cruise aboard the world's newest, biggest ocean liner. The sophistication of the on-board automation both helps and hinders the pair. There are some strong personalities in this story, but the culprit has to be the weakest character. There are a lot of supernatural twists, but they are too transparent.
Reading this is quite frustrating, because I kept hearing myself say, "That could never happen that way, even in fantasy fiction." I like to be able to believe that there is the faintest possibility that some of the strange events could actually happen. I felt this way when I used to read Dennis Wheatley, and this book reminds me a lot of that style of writing; but, Wheatley out-classes Preston and Child by a long way, in my opinion.
Worth a read if you have the time on your hands.