Book Review: The Wheel of Darkness

FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast decides to return to the Tibetan monastery where he trained years earlier accompanied by Constance Greene, his ward who claims to have aborted a baby sired by Pendergast’s evil-minded brother. It is hoped the monastery will accept Constance as a student despite the fact that the monks have never allowed a woman to study with them. Any relief Pendergast may have felt at her acceptance into the monastery is quickly eroded away when the monks request his assistance in tracking down the Agozyen, a stolen artifact they are unable to describe as none of them have ever seen it. The Agozyen is an object of darkness, capable of obliterating humanity if it should fall into the wrong hands so naturally, Pendergast begins pursuing the thief leaving Constance safely behind. The trail leads him to the maiden voyage of the Britannica, a massive cruise ship bound for New York. Constance and Pendergast team up again in time to board the liner where, with the crew’s help, they begin to weed out suspects but it soon becomes clear the Agozyen’s power has been awakened. Amidst petty casino crimes, something more sinister is at work as passengers begin disappearing and before long, the ship comes under the control of the Wheel of Darkness.

Pendergast is pitted against one of the strongest adversaries he has ever faced in this follow-up to The Book of the Dead. The long descriptions, while interesting enough, tend to slow down the pace but the exciting ending certainly makes up for it. Look for the continuation of a couple of subplots as Constance’s character is developed a bit more although she remains for the most part, a sounding board for Pendergast’s theories. Ocean liners aren’t utilized as a plot device much anymore so it’s nice to see Preston and Child twist it to their purposes but compared to some of their other work, they could have done more with it.

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ZBOct 29th, 2007 - 22:45:13

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! IT WAS AMAZING!!! READ THIS BOOK NOW, IT IS THE BEST OF THE SERIES. THE END PART IS ESPECIALLY GOOD!

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JRDec 13th, 2007 - 03:55:28

I disagree. I found it a real disappointment in comparison to the other Pendergast novels.

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KAJan 16th, 2008 - 02:45:12

I enjoy all the Pendergast books and found this one to be lacking some of the pizzaz that the other books have. It was an okay read but much slower and not as hard to put down.

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RobOct 11th, 2008 - 23:05:28

Resorting to magic as a plot device spoils the series... The books have always hinted at supernatural abilities to give our hero his quirky appeal and richness of character and skill, but having him openly turn into Harry Potter and use Tibetan mind-over-matter trances to command a demon to save the day is truly dire.

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Book Review: The Wheel of Darkness

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