Relic (novel)

: "This article is about the novel. For other uses, please see Relic (disambiguation)."Infobox Book |
name = Relic


author = Lincoln Child,
Douglas Preston
country = United States
language = English
genre = Thriller, Science fiction
publisher = Tor Books
release_date = 1995
media_type = Hardcover
pages = 480
isbn = ISBN 0-812-54326-2
preceded_by =
followed_by = Reliquary

"Relic" is a 1995 novel by Douglas J. Preston and Lincoln Child. It received critical praise, and was a New York Times Bestseller. As a techno-thriller, it commented on the possibilities inherent in genetic manipulation, while also being critical of museums and their role both in society and in the scientific community. It is the basis of the 1997 film of the same name.

Plot summary

Set in and around a fictionalized version of New York City's American Museum of Natural History, a few select characters must solve a string of brutal murders that take place inside the museum during the days preceding the opening of "Superstition", a spectacular blockbuster exhibition.

Evidence begins to point suspiciously to a doomed expedition undertaken by the museum several years earlier to the Brazilian rainforest in search of the lost Kothoga tribe. It becomes apparent that behind the murders is Mbwun (translation: "He Who Walks On All Fours")--the Kothoga's crazed lizard god, whose father happens to be Satan, according to Kothoga legend. A relic depicting Mbwun is to be shown for the first time at the upcoming exhibition.

It also appears that several museum leaders had known about previous murders on the museum's premises, and that they had conspired to keep these murders a secret so as not to damage the reputation of the museum (shades of "Jaws").

Characters (novel)

Major Characters

* NYPD Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta, a police officer working to solve the murders.
* Margo Green, a graduate student working at the museum.
* Dr. Frock, her advisor and department head at the museum.
* William Smithback, Jr., an ambitious journalist who is writing a book about the exhibition for the museum.
* Pendergast, a secretive and highly resourceful FBI Special Agent.

Minor Characters

*Dr. Ian Cuthbert, deputy head of the museum; is aware that "something" is in the museum.
*Gregory Kawakita, eventually discovers what/who Mbwun really is.
*Julian Whittlesey, the archeologist who goes looking for the lost Kothoga tribe; has not been heard of since he left for his expedition, although the crates containing his findings did make it to the museum, having been sent back before his disappearance.

Sequel novel

"Relic" was followed by the bestselling sequel, "Reliquary" in 1998.

Pendergast, who is introduced in "Relic", also appears in several of Preston's and Child's following novels, along with Smithback, Green and D'Agosta.

Film adaptation

A film based on the book was released in 1997, but changed several aspects of the book, omitting numerous characters and changing the setting to the Chicago Museum of Natural History rather than the New York Museum of Natural History (fictional but strongly based on the American Museum of Natural History). The film is directed by Peter Hyams and stars Penelope Ann Miller as Dr. Margo Green, Tom Sizemore as Lt. Vincent D'Agosta, and Linda Hunt as Dr. Ann Cuthbert.Key points of the plot are given away throughout the duration of the film. In the novel, the explanation is given in the last few pages, giving the novel a twist ending. Although the movie does also sport a similar twist during its climax, it is the culmination of various plot points which lessens the impact for which the book is so well-known.

Changes from the novel

External links

* [http://www.prestonchild.com/books/relic/ "Relic" page from Preston & Child's official web site]
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