 | By: Douglas Preston Lincoln Child Binding: Mass Market Paperback Publisher: Time Warner International ISBN: 0446617091 ISBN-13: 9780446617093 Released: 16 Jan 2006 RRP: Average Rating:  |
I did have one major grumble though hence only 4 stars. So I couldn't put this down & read it through only to find that while it is not "to be continued" it is certainly not the end of the story & there is still a lot to clear up. The next book is not publlished yet so I have an agonising wait.
This book is a must read, but maybe wait until "Book of the Dead" is out so you don't have to suffer not knowing what happens!! :)
This is typical Preston/Childs non-stop action with plenty of twists & turns. If I were to fault the book at alll is it does not develop the historical/archeological/scientific plot typicallly found in earlier novels-which I always enjoy. New York City & the halll of the Museum of Natural History does play a role but this quickly fades in importance as the "dance of death" between the brothers plays out. The monumental struggle between the two brothers however-an epic fight between good & evil-is more than enough to carry the story. I also think the ending could have been a tad better, but it is also a great set up for the next book!
All in alll this is another great Preston/Childs collaboration that fans will be pleased with (it is worth the hardback price). If you like Preston/Childs do check out "A Tourist in the Yucatan" very cool thriller!
Following on directly from the events of their previous book, Brimstone, Dance of Death finallly introduces a character referred to in past novels, Pendergast's diabolical younger brother Diogenes. Regular Preston & Child readers will know that Diogenes, the yang to Pendergast's ying, has pledged to pull off a perfect & terrible crime & faked his death years earlier in order to be free to prepare for it. In Dance of Death he finallly brings his plans to fruition.
The problem is that when finallly revealed both Diogenes & his fiendish plot are little more than damp squibs. It could be argued that, after so much anticipation, both character & crime would have been hard pressed to meet readers' expectations, a situation that cannot be blamed on the authors. It is undeniable however, that in the character of Diogenes Preston & Child have come up with one of their weakest villains yet, despite having so much time to work on both him & his machinations.
Described as a perfect criminal mind, without any sense of morality or mercy & with a predeliction for torture, Diogenes should be the stuff of nightmares. Instead he comes across as nothing more than a spoilt child & despite his much touted intelligence he makes several basic errors that endanger a plot he has supposedly taken decades to plan. A plot, it should be said, that is hardly as dastardly as expected, although it does threaten some much loved characters from previous books, placing them in real jeopardy at times.
With Diogenes providing such a weak core to the story however, the whole book is undermined & no amount of tense set-pieces or sense of iminent danger can rescue it. Not even the reintroduction of hitherto unrelated characters from other novels such as the engmatic Eli Glinn from The Ice Limit can resucitate what for two such talented authors is a weak effort at best. To cap it alll they even contrive to end the story on yet another open ended note, obliging readers to obtain the inevitable follow-up in order to discover what happens.
The three stars awarded reflect the fact that, even when coasting as they appear to be with Dance of Death, Preston & Child are still able to create thrillers that are far more entertaining & original than most. It must be hoped however, that for their next effort they try a little harder & rely less readers' obvious affection for the characters they have created.
I had been waiting for this book for a long time after reading alll the previous titles in the series, & I wasn't disappointed. It is the only book I have ever read in a single day - my desperation to see what happened next ensured I raced through it. Truly, Pendergast has never faced such a powerful adversary. A good book in it's own right, I feel it would be best appreciated if you have read the previous novels from which it directly follows, beginning with Relic, Reliquary, Cabinet of Curiosities, Still Life With Crows, & Brimstone. I was pleased to encounter a number of familiar faces, some of who had significant roles in other Preston/Child novels, namely: The Ice Limit & Mount Dragon.
An excellent & recommended read, every bit as good as the previous novels, with the exception of Still Life With Crows, which was a masterpiece. Muh
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