You know it's a bad sign when you keep flipping to the end of the book to see how much further you have to slog 'til the end. I consider myself a fan of the Lincoln-Child (LC) books. At the time of this writing I've read seven Pendergast books back-to-back earlier this year. Although I wouldn't categorize them as tomes of High Literature I do find them well-written (especially for the thriller genre), suspenseful, interesting, and almost always entertaining. Having blazed through those seven co-authored books, I wanted to try out each author "on their own" in some of their solo books to see how they fared. Judging solely from this slapdash novel I'd say that the two authors together are far greater than the sum of their parts. I suspect that working together sets up some friendly competition resulting in more complex novels, propelling their stories to greater heights. Coincidences, or "Haven't I Seen You Somewhere Before?"It's stunning -- some would say "astonishing" -- how many similarities appear in this book. Here are a few that have been dragged out of previous books which Douglas Preston co-authored.1. The feisty, under appreciated -- but highly intelligent -- female museum worker.2. The sleazy, uptight, bug-up-his-butt museum director.3. The dark chase in the deserted museum basement. You know the one: a terrified character is running down aisles, knocking stuff over in the dark, hiding from a mysterious killer who -- against all odds -- knows a shocking amount of detail about the museum and its security. (See LC's "Dance of Death", I believe, and a few others if I'm not mistaken -- reading seven Pendergast series books back-to-back earlier this year has caused some of them to blur together).4. Unmistakable shades of Pendergast in the government uber-agent who appreciates the finer things in life, has a superhuman past and a wife who was murdered, and, as the story begins, is holed up in a remote monastery. 5. The dark chase through the tunnels of an abandoned mine (see the LC book "White Fire"). What's this fixation Douglas Preston has with mines?6. The dizzying number of time the word "astonished" (or astonishes and astonishing) is used. Well, mystery solved, I guess: now we know which of the two authors, Child or Preston, manages to jam the word onto every page.(view spoiler)[Problems and Questions1. Is it really believable to think that anyone would be so stubborn as the character Tom is about the "promise from a dying man" -- even as the reasons keep piling up why he should break that promise? I suppose this was needed so that the story and all its implausibilities could begin stacking up.2. How is it that Wyman Ford happens to be a few minutes' drive away, is an expert code breaker, and happens to be in a vulnerable state of mind to be drawn into action?3. The improbable coincidence of this near-complete T-Rex's remains being found in Tyrannosaur Canyon is actually pointed out by a character in the book (as in, "wouldn't that be a kicker if it ended up being found there?") -- then the book actually goes there!4. We are given an ex-con caricature of a man with the "world's most biologically accurate T-Rex tattoo" who refers to every guy as a "son of a bitch" and every woman as a "bitch". World's most biologically accurate... Uuumm. Yeah.5. Why doesn't anyone clear that damn sticky blood smear off the dead prospector's notebook? Lysol wipe, people.6. Minor gripe here but can someone explain to me why Weeder buys a coffee and a slice of pizza at the convenience store, pays with exact change, then goes outside to dump the coffee and throw the pizza onto a cactus7. Hackneyed action sequences abound like the protagonist jumping out of a flaming truck before it flies off the road to explode in a canyon and another scene where one of our bad guys rises from the flames of a crashed chopper to fire away at the good guys before falling over dead.8. Why does Weeder keep Sally alive in the cave when he is obviously going to kill her? She doesn't end up serving as bait to Tom or any other purpose and the fact that she is chained to a wall to be "Dealt With Later" is obviously just a ham handed plot device to try to introduce some kind of tension to the book. (hide spoiler)]
A thriller by Douglas Preston, copyright 2005. It must have been reasonably good, because I couldn’t put it down. Mind you, I am a sucker for mysteries and/or thrillers that involve the science of paleontology.I found the pacing excellent—the point of view changed regularly, but there was no confusion about whose POV each chapter captured. There was a perfect number of characters. I could keep them all straight and their names did not blend together to perplex me.The book begins with the moon landing and some rock samples brought back to earth, one of which mysteriously disappears. And then the matter isn’t mentioned again until close to the novel’s end. I had truthfully completely forgotten that opening and had to go back and renew my memory to make the connection. But it did work to bring the book full circle.I’m always interested in the portrayal of academics in popular culture—this author has worked for the American Museum of Natural History, so no doubt has some personal experience. This leads me to wonder who inspired the character of Dr. Iain Corus, the academic mastermind behind one of the major conspiracies. Corvus’s misuse of the lab assistant, Melodie, was believable, as senior researchers have been taking advantage of junior staff for centuries, if not millennia. His association with a convicted felon was less “real” to me, but it worked for the purposes of the book. Having set Corvus up as a complete creep, it is satisfying to see his plans come apart as the book progresses.Another “amazing coincidence” is the proximity of three ex-CIA operatives in the same remote community. I guess you can get away from your stressful past in the desert and canyon country as easily as anywhere else—and once again, it worked for the purposes of the novel. Preston obviously has a sense of humour about the whole jaunt, though, that doesn’t take his book too seriously. He plays on both the anti-intellectual bias of American culture and the current popularity of conspiracy theories to hook his readers into the plot. I loved at one point when an art gallery employee tells the bad guy, Jimson Maddox, “I know bullshit when it walks in the door and you’re so full of it you’re leaving tracks.” So far, so good, a firm 3/5 star book.Preston gets a fourth star from me for his treatment of the lab assistant, Melodie Crookshanks. She has her PhD in paleontology and plenty of intelligence, yet has been unable to find a tenured position. Reduced to working as a technician in a gloomy basement lab at the AMNH, she is paid less than the cleaning staff. Her redemption, through following her own suspicions (which prove to be right on the mark) and by taking a calculated risk, change her life very much for the better. Thank you, Douglas Preston, for championing the under-recognized female in academic culture!Plus, the paleontology is well written. It’s a constantly changing science, so a few details may not hold up over time, but that is not the author’s fault. What was cutting edge in 2005 may be debatable in 2013.A thoroughly enjoyable book, suitable for a quick, fun read.
What do You think about Tyrannosaur Canyon (2006)?
I picked this book up expecting to be entertained. I'm perfectly able to suspend disbelief if they story is good enough. Oh my was I disappointed. This book was about as interesting as watching paint dry. This author is - according to the blurb "...hailed by "Publishers Weekly" as 'better than Crichton'." My ass. I've read most of Cricthons books and although not all of them were to my liking, not one of them came close to this in sheer stupidity.If you hate something you're supposed to be specific. I'll give it a shot. I still feel mildly sick that I bothered to finish it. Anyway, a man who has discovered something big, something he calls "a treasure" is murdered on a visit to it. A vet living nearby hears it and goes to explore. He finds the man, badly wounded, hears his dying words and is entrusted a notebook that he must give to the dying man's daughter. Right. So far so good. The "treasure" turns out to be an extraordinarily well-preserved t-rex fossil. Complete with inner organs and feathers. Wow. I mean, you hear about the odd mammoth mummy turning up in the tundra in a pristine state, but a FOSSIL including skin and organs? Come on! It is not the same thing at all. Sure, soft organs are sometimes "imprinted" in the rock, but that's not what the case was in this book. The follies do not end here, but I shall not reveal "the twist". It does not redeem the book in anyway regardless and does not deserve mentioning.So yes, there are numerous scientific cock-ups that even the most average lay person can detect. This could have been forgiven if the characters had been interesting, but they are not in the least. It is Tom, the vet and his wife Sally. The latter gest hunted down while Tom is away, by a man who wants the notebook. There is a student who examines a sample from the fossil for the biggest crook in the book. There's the former CIA agent, now a monk, who cracks the code in the notebook. None of them are particularly intersting or entartaining, I did not give a hoot as to what happened to any of them.I must finish this review now, because the more I think about the content of this book, the more annoyed I get at having wasted my time on it.Please, please PLEASE let whatever I read next be better than this!!!
—Tanja Berg
After finishing Impact, I was intrigued enough to try another book by Douglas Preston. I selected Tyrannosaur Canyon on the basis of the reviews on Goodreads.I felt Tyannosaur Canyon was a much better book -- even though it was written before Impact .I loved the irony of the plaque in Beezon's office of a minnow in the belly of a fossilized fish, itself in the belly of an even larger fossilized fish. It cleverly foretold of predators chasing victims in the plot only to become the victim of even larger predators.As before, I believe Douglas Preston's writing style is excellent and his pace keeps the reader completely absorbed in the story. His descriptions of characters, scenes and actions portray vivid images yet do not bog down the story.I liked many of the characters including Tom Broadbent and his wife, Sally. I particularly enjoyed the character of Wyman Ford trying (and failing) to escape his demons by entering a monestary. The villains were dramatically nasty and the poor police detective seemed to always be behind the curve in his chase.I also liked the genre of what I call "real world" science fiction. No little green men but instead plausible, scientific extensions of our current world. I can easily recommend this book
—Daniel
Fast moving and complex, Tyrannosaur Canyon kept me on the edge throughout. It was hard to stop reading since every chapter left the characters in dicey situations and you wanted to know what happens next. Preston uses Crighton's technique of short chapters, moving among 3-4 major characters. Unexpected new developments kept happening right up until the climax. The last few intense action scenes were over the top, I kept wondering how the characters could keep functioning and stay alive after all they had been through. Plot elements were well woven and foreshadowing well used. In a couple of instances things fell together a bit too nicely, seemed an unlikely coincidence, but I didn't mind because I cared about the characters and wanted things to work out. Overall, an exciting page-turner with lots of science among the action. Recommend it for anyone drawn to dinosaur stories.
—Leonide Martin
