Thunderhead by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Thunderhead
Book Review: A Real Page Turner!
Summary: 5 Stars
I did not want to put this book down! I did not want to go to work or anywhere else while reading it. I have enjoyed all of their books! Keep up the good work!Book Review: A bit of a letdown
Summary: 2 Stars
I listed to the unabridged audio edition of Thunderhead, and considered it to be an average listen. It is one of those formulaic suspense/horror reads where every character who isn't the main character is picked off or killed by an insane bad guy, while the good guys are running around trying to escape. If I had known that would be the plot, I would've not bothered, but I was intrigued by the archaeological elements and the promise of a long lost city.
The main character is a woman named Nora who receives a letter from her long dead father. The letter points to the existence of a mysterious lost city. After receiving the letter, Nora becomes obsessed with finding the city, and recruits a nerdy young man named Holroyd who works for a space program to take satellite shots of the area. With his help, she uncovers a missing trail which leads to the ruin. Unfortunately, the story becomes bogged down with the presence of evil shapeshifting skin walkers who are intent on preventing Nora from reaching the city, and who attack her and stalk her several times. Nora, unbelievably fails to report these personal attacks, seek medical attention for the bite of a wild dog, or catches on that her missing dog might be part of the scheme to terrorize her/intimidate her. I found Nora's attitude very unrealistic, and at some times TSTL (too stupid to live), and this just bugged me. Further the skin walker thing was very poorly motivated, and the skin walkers themselves were just not scary and more annoying. I was further annoyed by the way the archaeologists were portrayed. Things quite simply weren't that bad for them to be breaking down psychologically like they were. The star archaeologists were also way too whiney and dramatic with Nora being one of the only normal ones.
Finally, Towards the end, the elements of political correctness went into overload, with the triumph of superstition over science, the noble savage native shaman complete with pithy advice for our heroes, and the revelations of what them OH so EVIL Aztecs were up to in the ancient ruins. The characterization of an entire society as being purely evil by a group of scientists who study ancient history was a bit out there. Likewise the villainization of Sloan, Black, and the death of Holroyd just were all too convenient and trite tropes that just annoyed rather than entertained.
This was an low average read with the monster elements detracting from what otherwise might have been an entertaining scientific thriller
Book Review: A different kind of Western
Summary: 5 Stars
Loaded with Native American myth, mysteries, and ruins, Thunderhead takes you on a horseback journey into discovery, treachery, and death. Spooky, informative, and consistently thrilling, Thunderhead is a must read.
Book Review: A great adventure novel
Summary: 4 Stars
Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston know how to write a good book. Anyone who has ever read "Relic" can attest to that. They know how to write great characters and convincing plots and scenes that will have you holding tight to your pillow as you read them in bed. They know what scares us.
And they know what excites us. Thunderhead is exciting. It's Indiana Jones exciting! It's the sense of adventure in a dangerous place. Searching for a lost city made of gold! The cast of characters is great - especially with Bill Smithback back for more Preston/Child fun. This a great read that will leave you eager to do a little exploring of your own.
FYI: If you are a fan of novelists who drop their characters from one book into other books (i.e. Stephan King), then you should check these guys out. Read `em in this order: Relic, Reliquary, Thunderhead, Cabinet of Curiosity, Still Life with Crows, Brimstone, and Dance of Death (brand new).
Good reading!
Book Review: A great read!
Summary: 4 Stars
A great tale that includes journey, purpose, discovery, clashing egos, character, suspense and is everything ever wanted in one book! This novel informs, entertains, and triggers the imagination all at once! While action filled, the book also contains quiet depth and wonderful insights. I particularly liked how the authors defined evil, not only perpetrated by malignant spirits, or easily identified monsters, but also accomplished in everyday life by every day people. It is a small quiet point near the end but one that shows the depth and intellect of the authors.
The breathtaking landscape (hostile, beautiful, secretive, and dangerous) scripted with such incredible detail that the reader sees, feels, and experiences it in a way that exceeds imagination. Both the landscape and the intriguing cultural aspects are rich in detail and as important to the story as the diverse talents and personalities of the book's characters. The story instantly comes alive with intrigue that educates and entertains all at once. It is without tiresome or tediously presented background, and skimming is not even a temptation. If the only scene in that book were the flash flood, it would be utterly enough.
The one criticism I did have involved female characters and a reliance on cliché "crucial timing - dumb decision" as a tension builder especially when it seemed out of character. However infrequent, it does happen. Nora never seeks help when wolf-people are OBVIOUSLY after her, not imaginary, and indeed following her. A reasonably smart terrified heroine in OBVIOUS need of help who cannot tell the whole truth is way more believable/interesting than a person who appears to be a stoic idiot in the face of spectacular insanity. Two guys dressed like wolves, who growl, smell like flowers, can nearly outrun a speeding car, and she just goes about her normal day? I doubted her intellect. Her situation would escalate from reasonable fear right straight to irrational terror and should have. In reality the police could not have helped fast enough. The aggressor has to commit a proven physical crime against the victim before they can really do anything beyond paperwork. Then there was the business of both intelligent physically fit females climbing up to escape murderous enemies and they (TWICE!!!!) throw the ladder down where the bad guys ARE (duh???) while cutting off their only means of escape (huh???)! Oh sirs, oh sirs. If the bad guy(s) were half way UP the ladder, I could see it but a one story wooden ladder is not going to be too heavy to pull up and keep.
That is absolutely the only criticism I can offer and it is a nit-pick when compared to the seat-of-your-pants novel in its entirety. This book was a tremendously rewarding read, written with rich detail, complex believable characters (except for that ladder bit, ahem), a universal theme involving both spectacular setting and circumstance. A GREAT READ!