The Wheel of Darkness
by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
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Book Reviews of The Wheel of Darkness
Book Review: Frantic And Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
The Wheel of Darkness is the first Pendergast novel I've read. Thus, I approached the book with no preconceptions or comparisons to earlier novels in this series. So, how did The Wheel of Darkness resonate with this first-time reader? Surprisingly well.
There's little question that Preston and Child have created two wonderfully realized characters in Pendergast and Green. The idiosyncrasies that the authors have imbued on these characters make them both real and memorable. The strong personalities are needed, because Preston and Child almost lose control of the story while trying to conclude several plotlines. Still, the protagonists' strength ground the frantic conclusion, resulting in an entertaining end to the story.
With the combination of an action packed story line and vivid central characters, it's easy to see why The Wheel of Darkness would have strong appeal. Did The Wheel of Darkness' strengths compel me to rush out and buy the rest of the Pendergast novels. Well..no. But, I found enough positives that if I'm browsing the bookstore for an entertaining action/mystery story, I'll strongly consider purchasing another Pendergast story.
Book Review: Disappointed
Summary: 1 Stars
HUGE Pendergast fan. Got hooked the moment I read Relic. I have also read all the other Preston/Child collaborations and enjoyed them. This book, however, was a waste of time. The beginning had some potential but once they got on the boat, it was just bland, ho-hum, run of the mill literary shlock. Pendergast is reduced to some 2 bit detective. I, unlike other people, enjoy the character of Constance Greene but here, she is written in like some throw away character. The other new characters on the boat and their side stories were boring. The "suspenseful" incident to the boat was anything but. Since I didn't care about the characters, I couldn't care less what happened to them. The writing just seemed listless and it translated into the characters and the story. The bit about the casino was pedestrian at best. It was almost bad plagerism from the book 'Bringing Down the House' by Ben Mezrich. So crestfallen. Where is that wonderfully enigmatic brilliant 'FBI' agent? I hope this is just a minor bump in the road and that Cemetary Dance will be better. If not, what a waste of an absolutely fantastic character.Book Review: Please, Please save your money
Summary: 1 Stars
Though I bought this book at a sale price, I still request my money back if I could. Never have I read a book that so intellectually and on a basic entertainment level disappointed me more than this novel. Preston and Child try to combine Sherlock Holmes with any Dan Brown novel you have read. Their ideas are underdeveloped, while they try to pass off the little knowledge they research for the given subject as a complete and thorough researched topic. They randomly pick up topics that are current with whatever they were writing and believe that by not explaining it in the book, they can get away with passing it off as information they extensively looked up. The conversations between characters were so predictable and shallow, that as you are reading it, you are wondering why you haven't finally given up and moved onto a new book. The topic of the book started out as promising, which is why I was attracted to it in the first place, but it failed to deliver on a creative idea. The Wheel of DarknessBook Review: Very interesting read.
Summary: 4 Stars
I've read virtually all of the Preston/Childs books, and every one of the Pendergast series. Why the latter has so seized my fascination to such a degree, I'm not exactly sure. In any case, while I wouldn't call "Wheel" the best book in the series, it certainly is an interesting read. It is entirely consistent with the storytelling trail left by previous books, and leaves its own intriguing trailer at the very end.
Preston/Childs books never, ever, lack for imagination -- that is, in fact, their chief calling card. "Wheel" is no exception in that regard. However, character development definitely gets a short shrift in this tale -- much more so than the other books, wherein we got to examine Pendergast and other main characters at much greater depth. Constance, in particular, seems to have become just a bit more than Pendergast's appendage, with nothing of the remarkableness of her personal story or abilities evident. Hopefully, that will change in future books.
Book Review: ANOTHER GREAT STORY FROM THE BEST!
Summary: 4 Stars
Well, I waited awhile for this book to finally come out in paperback. I've read everything from Preston and Child. They are undoubtedly the best out there and always provide a fun read. They remain consistently good and provide thrills, scares, lots of action, and all-out page turners. I was excited to finally read the book and it starts out well with a fast pace. It has a great mystery that develops into a superb cat-and-mouse pursuit with Pendergast and the villain. Pendergast is at the top of his game in this one and races against the clock to pursue the antagonist. I thought it would end up being one of the best novels but unfortunately the ending seems to be rushed and to me didn't really deliver. The final encounter with the formidable villain and Pendergast should've been so much better, but other than that it was still a great read that I breezed through. Another great one to check out is Final Outcome: An Apocalyptic Mystery Thriller, you won't be disappointed!