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The Book of the Dead (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Book of the Dead is a novel
by Douglas Preston
and Lincoln Child
. It is the third and final installment to the trilogy concentrating on FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast
and his relationship with Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta
in their pursuit to stop Pendergast's brother, Diogenes.
Preston and Child call these books the Diogenes trilogy. The three books in the trilogy start with Brimstone in 2004 and continue with Dance of Death
in 2005. This final book was released on May 30, 2006 and has been on the New York Times Best Seller list
, reaching as high as #4 on the list.
Concurrently, the New York Museum of Natural History has re-opened an old tomb, closed down decades ago. Rumours abound of the tomb being cursed, but most tombs do have a curse on them as a matter of course, as a protection against grave robbers. Not much is thought of the curse until a lighting technician is found disembowled. Later, a British Egyptologist goes mad and attacks a colleague; security is forced to shoot and kill him. When a replacement Egyptian specialist turns out to be the one woman Pendergast is in love with, his friends begin to suspect something even more horrible is going on than originally suspected.
ceous Anasazi
potsherds and begins to plan an expedition to find their source. This references Thunderhead
.
which picks up very shortly following the events depicted here.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Douglas Preston
Douglas Preston
Douglas Preston is an American author who has written seventeen popular techno-thriller and horror novels, four alone and the rest with Lincoln Child...
and Lincoln Child
Lincoln Child
Lincoln Child is an author of seventeen techno-thriller and horror novels. He often writes with Douglas Preston. Many of their novels have become bestsellers, and one, Relic, was adapted into a feature film...
. It is the third and final installment to the trilogy concentrating on FBI Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast
Aloysius Pendergast
Aloysius Xingu L. Pendergast is a fictional character appearing in novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. He first appeared as a supporting character in their first novel, Relic, and in its sequel Reliquary, before assuming the protagonist role in The Cabinet of Curiosities.Pendergast is a...
and his relationship with Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta
Vincent D'Agosta
Detective Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta is a fictional character appearing in the novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. He is an Italian New Yorker and a main character in several different storylines.-Fictional character biography:...
in their pursuit to stop Pendergast's brother, Diogenes.
Preston and Child call these books the Diogenes trilogy. The three books in the trilogy start with Brimstone in 2004 and continue with Dance of Death
Dance of Death (novel)
Dance of Death is a 2005 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It is the second book in a trilogy: the first book is Brimstone, released in 2004, and the last book is The Book of the Dead, released in 2006.-Synopsis:...
in 2005. This final book was released on May 30, 2006 and has been on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
, reaching as high as #4 on the list.
Synopsis
Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast is the focus of this novel as his evil brother Diogenes puts several plans into effect. One plan involves targeting Aloysius's dearests friends...and casual acquaintances.Concurrently, the New York Museum of Natural History has re-opened an old tomb, closed down decades ago. Rumours abound of the tomb being cursed, but most tombs do have a curse on them as a matter of course, as a protection against grave robbers. Not much is thought of the curse until a lighting technician is found disembowled. Later, a British Egyptologist goes mad and attacks a colleague; security is forced to shoot and kill him. When a replacement Egyptian specialist turns out to be the one woman Pendergast is in love with, his friends begin to suspect something even more horrible is going on than originally suspected.
Connections to other works by Preston and Child
Near the beginning of the book, Nora Kelly studies yellow micaMica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
ceous Anasazi
Ancient Pueblo Peoples
Ancient Pueblo People or Ancestral Pueblo peoples were an ancient Native American culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of the United States, comprising southern Utah, northern Arizona, northwest New Mexico, and southern Colorado...
potsherds and begins to plan an expedition to find their source. This references Thunderhead
Thunderhead (novel)
Thunderhead is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child about a woman named Nora Kelly who finds a letter that was written sixteen years ago, but mysteriously sent to her only recently. The letter is written by her father, long believed dead. The letter talks about a lost city of gold that...
.
Sequel
Though this novel ends the trilogy, Agent Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, appear next in the novel The Wheel of DarknessThe Wheel of Darkness
The Wheel of Darkness is a 2007 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It entered The New York Times Best Seller list at number two on September 16, 2007, and remained on the list for five weeks.-Plot summary:...
which picks up very shortly following the events depicted here.