The Obsidian Chamber by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
A TRAGIC DISAPPEARANCE
After a harrowing, otherworldly confrontation on the shores of Exmouth, Massachussetts, Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast is missing, presumed dead.
A SHOCKING RETURN
Sick with grief, Pendergast’s ward, Constance, retreats to her chambers beneath the family mansion at 891 Riverside Drive–only to be taken captive by a shadowy figure from the past.
AN INTERNATIONAL MANHUNT
Proctor, Pendergast’s longtime bodyguard, springs to action, chasing Constance’s kidnapper through cities, across oceans, and into wastelands unknown.
BUT IN A WORLD OF BLACK AND WHITE, NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS
And by the time Proctor discovers the truth, a terrifying engine has stirred-and it may already be too late . .
Ok let’s just start by saying there’s no such thing as a bad Pendergast novel. There’s just degrees of greatness.
The Obsidian Chamber was not one of the greats. But…
SPOILER ALERT
and this is hardly a spoiler if you read the damn book jacket, but I’ve never liked any of the books about Diogenes and this was no exception. Some people I guess really love Diogenes, but I don’t. I am unhappy he’s been resurrected.
END SPOILER
I’ve liked Constance through most of the series, but my patience for the direction her character is going in was wearing thin in the last book. This book really tried my patience.
I loved Proctor’s adventure though! So nice to see Proctor get some time in the spotlight after so many books (16!) as a shadowy figure.
And D’Agosta made an appearance in this book! I hope he’s more central in the next book, I miss him. Love Laura, too.
This book was much slower than the previous one in the series, Crimson Shore, and nowhere near as crazy…but then, that book was pretty crazy. I would put this book on par with the Helen Trilogy…not as good as some of the recent standalones like White Fire, Blue Labyrinth, and Crimson Shore.
For all its faults, The Obsidian Chamber is head and shoulders above the mess that was Gideon’s Sword. And for that I’m very grateful!
