Thunderhead (Preston and Child novel)

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Thunderhead
Thunderhead-book.JPG
Softcover edition
Author Douglas Preston,
Lincoln Child
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Thriller, Science fiction novel
Publisher Grand Central Publishing
Publication date
July 1, 1999
Media typePrint, e-book, audiobook
Pages496 pp. (Hardcover)
ISBN 0-446-60837-8
OCLC 44194046
Preceded by Riptide  
Followed by The Ice Limit  

Thunderhead is a thriller novel by American writers Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The book was published on July 1, 1999 by Grand Central Publishing. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot synopsis

Anthropologist Nora Kelly 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 states that he had found the lost city of gold, Quivira. Kelly organizes an expedition into a harsh, remote corner of Utah's canyon country. A portion of the team learns that the city of Quivira held not gold, but micaceous, golden colored pottery, and that it also was a center for an Aztec death cult, which had enslaved the native Anasazi people. The Aztec rulers used black magic, aided by a powder of the fungus Coccidioides immitis which could kill by causing coccidioidomycosis. Kelly's teammate, Sloane, attempts to kill Kelly to be the sole person who can claim the find, not suspecting what Kelly has learned about the fungal infection, and neither parties realizing until very late that they are being tracked by contemporary practitioners of the cult, who have enhanced their ability to stalk and fight with traditional hallucinogens such as psilocybin, mescaline, and datura.

Background

The character of Nora Kelly is modeled on the amateur archaeologist and writer Nora Benjamin Kubie, grandmother of Lincoln Child. [3]

Continuity

Bill Smithback, the journalist hired to chronicle the expedition, previously appeared in Preston and Child's Aloysius Pendergast series, and is revealed to have achieved some level of fame based on his novelization of the events depicted in Relic and Reliquary . Nora Kelly later appears as a supporting character in the Pendergast series, starting with The Cabinet of Curiosities in 2002, and her final appearance being in Cemetery Dance in 2009. Then gets her own novel series starting with Old Bones in 2019.

Related Research Articles

Lincoln Child is an American author of techno-thriller and horror novels. Though he is most well known for his collaborations with Douglas Preston, he has also written seven solo novels, including the Jeremy Logan series. Over twenty of the collaborative novels and most of his solo novels have become New York Times bestsellers, some reaching the #1 position. Child and Preston's first novel together, Relic, was adapted into a feature film. Their books are notable for their thorough research and scientific accuracy.

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<i>The Cabinet of Curiosities</i> 2002 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

The Cabinet of Curiosities is a thriller novel by American writers Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, released on June 3, 2002 by Grand Central Publishing. This is the third installment in the Special Agent Pendergast series.

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<i>Reliquary</i> (novel)

Reliquary is the 1997 New York Times best-selling sequel to Relic, by American authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The legacy of the blood-maddened Mbwun lives on in Reliquary, but the focus is shifted from the original museum setting to the tunnels beneath the streets of New York City. The book is the second in the Special Agent Pendergast series.

<i>The Book of the Dead</i> (novel) 2007 novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

The Book of the Dead is a novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child published on July 1, 2007, by Warner Books. This is the seventh book in the Special Agent Pendergast series. Also, it is the third and final installment to the trilogy concentrating on Pendergast and his relationship with Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta in their pursuit to stop Pendergast's brother, Diogenes.

<i>Dance of Death</i> (novel)

Dance of Death is a novel by American authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, published on June 2, 2005 by Warner Books. This is the sixth book in the Special Agent Pendergast series. Also, this novel is the second book in the Diogenes trilogy: the first book is Brimstone, released in 2004, and the last book is The Book of the Dead, released in 2006.

<i>Still Life with Crows</i>

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<i>The Ice Limit</i>

The Ice Limit is a techno-thriller novel by American authors Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The book was published on July 18, 2000 by Grand Central Publishing.

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<i>Cemetery Dance</i> (novel) 2009 novel by Lincoln Child

Cemetery Dance is a thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child released on May 12, 2009 by Grand Central Publishing. This is the ninth installment in the Special Agent Pendergast series. During production, it was known by the pre-release title Revenant. The preceding novel is The Wheel of Darkness.

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<i>Two Graves</i>

Two Graves is a thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It was released on December 11, 2012 by Grand Central Publishing. This is the twelfth book in the Special Agent Pendergast series and also the third novel in the Helen trilogy. The preceding novel is Cold Vengeance.

<i>White Fire</i> (novel)

White Fire is a thriller novel by American writers Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It was released on November 12, 2013 by Grand Central Publishing. This is the thirteenth book in the Special Agent Pendergast series. The preceding novel is Two Graves.

<i>Blue Labyrinth</i> 2014 book

Blue Labyrinth is a thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The book was released on November 11, 2014, by Grand Central Publishing. This is the fourteenth book in the Special Agent Pendergast series.

<i>Crimson Shore</i>

Crimson Shore is a thriller novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The book was released on November 10, 2015, by Grand Central Publishing. This is the fifteenth book in the Special Agent Pendergast series.

<i>The Obsidian Chamber</i> Thriller novel - Special Agent Pendergast series

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References

  1. Thunderhead Paperback – 2000. January 2000. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
  2. "Thunderhead by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child". goodreads.com . Retrieved 2015-01-03.
  3. Wanchoo, Mihir (2009-05-21). "Interview with Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child". Fantasy Book Critic. Retrieved 2010-05-30.