Relic is the first book in the twenty-four book Pendergast series. It is exactly what the hype promises: a melange of mystery, thriller, horror and science fiction set in the Museum of Natural History in New York City. Starting with the murder of two young boys, the bodies start piling up with amazing rapidity, all with deep chest wounds and missing their heads. Officials conclude that a monster is living in the deepest bowels of the museum. Margo Green, a researcher, attempts to piece together clues ranging from a journal from a Museum-sponsored mission to the Amazon to search for a missing tribe (sent there for a little cultural appropriation), clues from DNA, and an AI-generated list of what this monster should look like.
This is an atmospheric book, rich with details of the museum, and with good characterization for the most part. This is a fun quick read, not great literature, but definitely a respite from some of the heavier books I’ve been reading. The science fiction aspects, now nearly twenty years old, seems pertinent today, and I was able to suspend disbelief. I had hesitated to read more Preston and Child because I read Extinction by Douglas Preston and was really grossed out by his treatment of the female protagonist, Frances Cash, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s agent in charge. She is an atypical female in modern fiction: overweight but fit, sharp-tongued, and outspoken. However, Preston seems overly concerned about her diet and size. Relic has only a few instances like this, one of which is: “she’s supposedly an expert on big cats. Dr. Matilda Ziewicz. Some name, huh. Sounds fat.” I will probably read more of the Pendergast series.
If you like Michael Crichton, you’ll enjoy Relic.
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Relic(Forge Books, November 27, 2007) is available through:
Your local independent bookseller | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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You can read my review of Extinction here.
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