Relic, a Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child thriller that introduces FBI Special Agent PendergastJust days before a massive exhibition opens at the popular New York Museum of Natural History, visitors are being savagely murdered in the museum’s dark hallways and secret rooms. Autopsies indicate that the killer cannot be human…But the museum’s directors plan to go ahead with a big bash to … with a big bash to celebrate the new exhibition, in spite of the murders.
Museum researcher Margo Green must find out who–or what–is doing the killing. But can she do it in time to stop the massacre?
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My favorite horror novel of all time. It’s the one that kept me up for days.
Relic is the first book in the Pendergast series co-written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. I’d heard of the books and knew they were highly recommended, but I never dove into them. Recently, a blogger friend suggested I give the series a chance (thanks Mae), so I ordered Relic from the library and read this 1995 hit. Now I need to watch the movie, although I hear they dropped a key character. What!?! This first book combines a bit of supernatural/evolution with science, thriller and suspense fiction, and I’m glad I took the chance on it. Let’s dive into a few details…
Relic starts out with a mysterious jungle scene. Some objects have been stolen from a local tribe. A few team members are missing. We learn they’re from NYC’s Museum of Natural History, and they’re trying to get back home with this amazing find. Fast-forward a bit… it seems everyone from the trip has died in the last few years. Now, in present time, the crates from their expedition finally arrive at the museum, and a new exhibit will open with some of the objects. That’s when the murders start happening again… and the creature killing people has strange claws for a modern beast. Is it human? Is it an animal? Is it the end of the world?
We follow 4 or 5 key museum employees trying to figure out all the connections, then the FBI agent Pendergast comes in. And he’s quite a hoot. What a great personality! Loved him… but he needs to be even more over-the-top. I am curious how he evolves in future books. I’m so glad he has a chance to battle the other FBI agent, Coffey, a painfully awful (but well written) character. I also found myself thrilled by the setting. A majority of the book takes place over a week in the museum. While learning about history and many of the other artifacts, we also learn about how the building was remodeled and connects underground. Very cool stuff.
I enjoy that the books were co-written. It felt seamless to me. I liked many of the characters and the chase / murder scenes. You have to suspend a little disbelief at the creature’s birth / process for coming to life, but that’s the fun aspect. Rather than a straightforward thriller, there is an evolutionary fear happening, and if there’s a monster that might have some supernatural capabilities, I’m all for it. I am really psyched for how the book ended. Although the plot is resolved for how it all came together, a nice little monkey wrench was thrown in, setting up book two… the subplot might be even more important than the first one. I can’t tell if the hint at the end will turn the entire book upside down or just give us another intense mystery.
Looking forward to reading more, seeing if I am fond of the series, the writing, the style, or all of it. Based on other input, it keeps getting better… will be back again soon with #2!
This was the very first book by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston that I ever read and I would read it again and again. I have since read everything they have written together as well as the books they wrote alone. If you like mystery mixed with a little bit of science fiction these are great books for that. I love them all!
Could NOT put this book down. I had happy things in life happening, and I wanted to blow them off so I could keep my nose in this book. Fascinating story, an unbelievably good setup to a thrill ride of an ending. Super interesting characters…undaunted storytelling. If you dig thrillers, and you haven’t picked up this gem yet, discover it! It’s awesome!
I loved it! I read book #14 (Blue Labyrinth) and I loved it, so I decided to start with book #1 (Relic) and read the series. The characters are easy to bond with, the atmosphere is rich, the story is fast-paced, and it’s full of mystery and suspense.
This is a great introduction to the characters, especially very Special Agent Pendergast, and sets up a world that is just a hair off of ours but that could exist just beyond our recognition. The story leads us through the recovery of artifacts and into the preeminent museum in New York where strange occurrences and murders begin. Definitely one of my favorite series.
I was in the mood for some monster mayhem, and THE RELIC has long been a favorite movie, so I finally got round to the original book, and I’m glad I did.
It’s a fine example of the genre and reads a bit like an extended monster-of-the-week episode of the X-Files, with some added gore and thrills. The claustrophobic nature of the museum at night is a great venue for the jump scares and the monster itself is well realized, and suitably nasty in its habits.
There’s an unfortunate sag in the middle ‘what are we dealing with here’ section, with too many talking heads and point of view characters – the movie did away with that by dropping some characters all together and merging others into each other. But it’s a minor quibble in what is a great creature feature that rattles along nicely apart from that.
The prose is direct and straightforward, there’s little character development, but really, that’s not the point of a tale such as this. You’re in a museum, at night, locked in with a ravenous beast that will eat your brain. At such times, it’s not literary quality that you’re thinking about.
There aren’t many books worth re-reading, but this is one of them as are the other books authored by Lincoln and Childs.
Very good read
This is really scary. I’m re-reading it, after reading all the Pendergast novels to date. It is probably the best, but there are quite a few sequels. Preston and Child have had great success with the series. Have fun!
An ancient lizard god is stalking the halls of the American Museum of Natural History, but of course nobody really believes it–until too many people turn up dead. Meet Lt. Vincent de’Agosta, who is way sharper than he appears to be, and Dr. Margo Green, assistant curator. But hold your breath when the odd, brilliant, and unique Special Agent Pendergast takes the stage.
Yes, this is an older book, but it’s the first in the series that you’re going to read straight through. Preston & Child gradually reveal him as the series unfolds. Plus, their writing stands head and shoulders above the rest. I have a Ph.D. and I usually learn a new word or two. But this never slows down the story.
Get addicted because a new one is coming out soon.
This is the first book that Aloyisus Pendergast appears and any book that has that character is a winner. There are many many more…
One of the best books I have read. I was introduced to agent Pendergast!
One of the most under-rated in the series.
Great First in the series
The first Childs and Prescott book I read. Have been a fan ever since
I’ve read this book repeatedly. I adore Preston and Child and I’ve read and/or listened to all their “Pendergast” books.
The first Preston/Child book I have ever read and I loved it. They became my favorite authors and are still to this day, 15 years later.
Best book ever
This book started my love of Agent Prendergast and all of the strange and other worldly things that happen around him and his fellow adventurers.