Thunderhead

by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston

Book Overview

Archaeologist Nora Kelly is adrift in her career and her personal life when a violent, inexplicable incident leaves her in possession of a mysterious letter. Written by her father, who vanished sixteen years ago in the remote desert, the letter reveals the location of a legendary site hidden in the red rock canyon country of southern Utah: Quivira, the Anasazi Indians' wondrous lost city of gold.--BOOK JACKET. "Convinced that her father truly had...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446523372
• ISBN13: 9780446523370
• Release Date: July 1999
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 496 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

An exciting read that has a satisfying ending

This book contains story elements from other media that I enjoy, such as the video game Uncharted, suspense from the book "And then there were none", and creatures from modern day tales such as Creepypastas. The story never feels rushed and the ending is one I think Nora, the main protagonist, thoroughly deserved.

What they do best

Like most of Preston's and Child's books, this is a very entertaining read. In addition to presenting an adventure with a mysterious twist, Preston and Child do what they do best--take interesting modern discoveries in science and make them the cornerstone of their adventure. I remember reading just a few years ago a controversial article that posited cannibalism by ancient peoples by the condition of excavated human bones (burnished on the ends by "pot polish"), and darn if that article doesn't fuel one of the twists in this book! It really is a pleasure to see how these writers come up with wild and innovative ideas that are grounded in science. What fun! I can also recommend another of their books starring Smithback and Nora--"Cabinet of Curiosities"--for another fun read.

Need a great summer page-turner? This is your book!

Child and Preston have created their best novel to date here, a combination of archaological/anthropological fact and mystery thriller fiction that is hard to put down once begun. The southwestern setting, specifically the canyon country of the Colorado basin is skillfully (and for the most part, accurately) drawn, and there is enough actual historical information about the Anasazi and their mysterious legacy to render the book "educational," to a degree. Also noteworthy is the improved character development the authors have provided this time around. Whereas in *Riptide* just about all of the characters were of the carboard-cutout type, the people who animate *Thunderhead* actually display a few internal conflicts and contradictions. Tolstoy it's not, but for a quick summertime read, I don't think we should raise the bar TOO high. The ending, while filled with interesting twists and turns, is manically theatrical, perhaps too much so. But given the grandiose and dramatic plot lines that develop throoughout the preceding hundreds of pages, a Hollywood-type ending is surely forgivable here. If you want Great Literature, look elsewhere, but if you want a fun and absorbing read, this book might just be for you.

WILDLY ENTERTAINING! A PAGE-TURNING ADVENTURE!

Finally! A thriller that lives up to the hype! "THUNDERHEAD", from the dueling PC's of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, delivers a chilling, nail-biting story in the tradition of the Indiana Jones series--with the danger factor turned up to full-tilt! Nora Kelly is an assistant professor at the Santa Fe Archeological Institute, feeling quite burned out with her academic life. Her heart's passion is to be out in the wilderness making great discoveries in the name of bettering humankind. Her father, an archeologist as well, but better known as a man with dreams bigger than facts could support, mysteriously disappeared sixteen years earlier while pursuing the mythical Quivira--an ancient lost city rumored to contain the world's wealth in gold. His disappearance leaves Nora and her younger brother Skip to fend for themselves. Nora has begun to make a name for herself, but her brother battles with his need to drink himself into oblivion. One night, Nora is drawn inexplicably to her family's now-abandoned and delapidated ranch, where she is terrifyingly and viciously attacked by what she at first thinks are wild dogs, but turn out to be somehow human. In her flight to escape her attackers, she happens coincidentally upon a letter, addressed to her deceased mother...from her father. In it, he hints at his discovery of his fabled Quivira, but the letter is more enigmatic than informative. Thus begins one of the most memorable adventure stories of the past decade, as Nora convinces her employer to fund an expedition to locate the lost city, and perhaps answer the questions that have plagued her regarding her father's disappearance. After a harrowing journey with a hastily but well-thought out team, Nora finally stumbles upon the legendary city...but the thrills only begin there. Haunting, chilling, but wildly entertaining...this was definitely a page-turning adventure! Plan on staying up till the wee hours to follow this awesome tale!

Their best ever! ....well almost :)

First I need to say that I've been an avid fan of D.P. and L.C. since the Relic. I own the first HC edition of all their books AND a paperback copy (or two)of each, for travel purposes. Although I've enjoyed all their books, I never thought they would write a book to rival the Relic, I was wrong. Thunderhead goes beyond expectations and delivers an intriguing and fast-paced punch. With another incredible combination of humor, detailed storyline and palpable characters you get pulled right in. I've read the Relic about twenty times, without exageration and Reliquary almost the same. When Thunderhead came out I was in a slump, so to speak, and it alone pulled me out (yeah, I know it sounds corny, but give me a break! I'm a bookaholic). Oh, by the way, if you really loved the Relic & Reliquary you are in for a real treat here.....

Not to Be Missed

With their fifth novel, Thunderhead, Preston and Child may haveproduced their best adventure story yet. And an adventure it is!Thunderhead combines all of the excitement and awe of H. Rider Haggard's lost civilization stories with the mystery and appeal of Tony Hillerman's stories set in the American Southwest. Latching onto the enignma of the Ancient Ones, the Anasazi-- those prehistoric Indian dwellers-- Preston and Child have created a novel of almost unbearable suspense, archeological lore, and excitement.Throughout much of the first two-thirds of Thunderhead readers almost have to remind themselves that the book is actually fiction, it seems so real. Thunderhead is extremely well researched. Throughout the novel readers will be treated to a wealth of knowledge about the ancient Anasazi culture: everything we do know about them, don't know about them, and the latest scientific controversy-- did the Anasazi engage in cannibalism? The history and geology of the area plays an important role in the story as does other American Native beliefs and religion. A lot of attention is given to Indian beliefs as they pertain to witchcraft: skinwalkers and plants that produce hallucinogenic drugs. Indeed, in an afterward, the authors site the fact that Douglas Preston traveled and lived among the southwestern Indian people and has written about them. There are repeated references to Howard Carter's discovery of King Tut's tomb, Schliemann's discovery of Troy, and the Wetherill brothers' discovery of the ancient cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, Colorado. The last portion of Thunderhead becomes more of a traditionally plot-driven adventure thriller with catastrophe, death, murder, and evil running amuck. Thunderhead is one of the best adventure novels to see the light of day for quite sometime. Readers who have any knowledge of or have ever ventured to the Southwest and have fallen under the allure and mystic beauty of the area, especially of the ancient cliff dwellings, will have their imaginations rekindled anew. The nearly 500 pages of Thunderhead will flow through the reader's fingers as swiftly as the current in the waters of a flashflood headed for the Colorado River. And like those flood waters, it is a roller coaster ride filled with thrills and surprises until the very satisfying conclusion. This is a tale not to be missed. END