Relic was one of the first books I remember reading as a kid. I read plenty others, before and definitely after, but it is one that stuck with me for nearly 20 years. I'll say that 15 year old me enjoyed the book, so it does hold a nostalgic place in my dark little heart.
What does 36 year old me think?
Yeah, I still like it.
But, it's not unqualified. There are issues with plot and pacing that did make the second half drag on. And then there's the worse epilogue I've ever seen this week.
Let's start with plot: A beast from South America comes to the New York Museum of Natural History and eats brains. Totally onboard so far. We go about halfway through the book watching scared scientists and cocky police make silly mistakes. I'm onboard with that, too: I love when hubris gets characters into hot water. There are some science-y things about this I take issue with, but I'm not a scientist so I don't know how valid my arguments are. The biggest is the creature's smell. Here is a creature that is an evolutionary marvel, with everything going for it to be the top of the food chain, but it gives itself away by being stinky. Seems to be a flaw that could be taken advantage of, especially since it needs lots and lots of brains to survive.
The pacing was good... Until it wasn't. It seemed like half the book was climax, and when we got to the payoff scene, it was fairly anticlimactic. Yes, Lincoln and Child cornered several groups with no way out to build tension, but when each group finally found a way to succeed, the conflict and tension lifted unceremoniously.
And then there was the epilogue. It took a good story with believable science and a good, believable monster, and kicked it all to the curb. I wish I had stopped at the end of the story and just left the epilogue alone. But sometimes I go against my best judgement.
Relic does introduce one of my favorite modern popular fiction characters: Agent A.X.L. Pendergast. He's a brilliant, Southern, Ivy League-educated FBI agent. When I look at Lincoln-Child books, I always check to see if it's a Pendergast Novel.
Overall, I though Relic was a solid read. No book is ever going to satisfy everybody, but this is one I can honestly say I can re-read once a decade... Hopefully I'll forget about the epilogue again.
I'm pretty much on par with most of your post, and of course I differ on a few. Like you, I loved the book. I was first introduced to Preston and Child by my mentor, Jason Jack Miller. He recommended that I read Cabinets and Curiosities to help me with both my character building and investigative process. From there I went on to read the second book in the Pendergast series, and then Relic. I didnt remember specifics because sometimes when the same protagonists are used in a series, events tend to blend together for me.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with you on the pace. Once we hit Part II, I had a hard time putting the book down. It seems like I never got a breather. I know some say that's not good, but it held my attention. About the only character i grew bored with was the group held up with Margo Green.
I'll agree with you on the epilogue, not sure why they even included it. I could do without knowing the truth about the Mbwun. Anyhow, I think I have a couple more books in the Pendergast series i need to read before rez.
Well I guess I'm the only one who thinks the Epilogue saved this book...sigh, oh well. I still take issue with the stupid going away cake party, sappy garbage. I had problems with the second part of the book. It was rough so it'd be an example of "when it wasn't" working in terms of pacing. I'm not much for mysteries, so maybe that's just me.
ReplyDeleteI wish I liked Pendergast as much as everyone else, but he seemed to damned "perfect" to me. That always bothers me unless its a demi-god-like person in a fantasy tale or myth.
Something about him just didn't work for me. I know his accent didn't help, I changed it to a northern accent after a while because it drove me crazy!
Check out other books he's in, such as Cabinet of Curiosities... He's definitely flawed.
DeleteI read this as a kid too and I looked forward to it as I remembered it the way you did. And I know you commented on my blog that we agreed 100% and obviously we do.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what your concerns were with the science but you were probably right. I had issues with it (that I discussed in my blog)and you seem to be the only other person who found the second half of the book to drag. The final kill was a let down and you made a great point on its stink. I don't know, just not my kind of horror. A good book, sure but there will be no third times a charm with this one.
For me, it was really about his evolution: this creature relies on being able to get close enough to smell it's prey, but it has an overpowering scent itself. Seems coubter-intuitive.
DeleteI also read this as a "kid", about 20 years ago. Ahem. It's kind of a shame that, the more I get into this program, the less I find acceptable out there in book land. Sigh. I look for Pendergast's name whenever I spot a Douglas/Child book, too. I read Cabinets and Curiosities fairly recently. Might actually buy it this time if your mentor is recommending it.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I didn't find the whole "stinky" vibe to be too outlandish. As a predator, he didn't NEED to keep his location as secret. He just needs to be smart enough to hunt upwind of his prey, and/or fast enough so that the reek is the last thing they ever smell.