Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Book Reviews
Book Review: The Wheel of Darkness
By Sandy Amazeen
Sep 10, 2007, 21:37 GMT

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.