I've somehow never read a Douglas Preston novel despite it being right up my alley genre-wise. Now I don't think I'm missing much. I was actually excited for this one. It seemed really intriguing, but wow was this awful. 

I'm giving it 2 stars because the plot was sort of entertaining in an "I accidentally clicked on this movie on Netflix and I'm not doing anything else right now" kind of way. 

First, this is what Jurassic Park would've been if Crichton feverishly wrote it on a napkin after having a cheese-induced dream. The book also wants to make abundantly clear that it isn't Jurassic Park because it mentions it a bunch of times, even criticizing the science in it at one point. This is ironic since this book is operating on some out of date information, the most irritating of which is the characterization of pre-Columbian indigenous communities as cannibals, something that is certainly more rare than Preston pretends. I would've easily overlooked the flaws if it hadn't been for that throwaway line taking me out of the story. 

Second, Preston really wants you to know that he detests fat people, apparently. I spent most of the book waiting for a major plot point to revolve around someone's body shape. Maybe they get stuck in a tight tunnel because of Agent Cash's overly wide hips? She definitely shouldn't have inhaled half the mini bar in her room. Nope. It's 2024 after all, surely no one is that blatant. Apparently Preston is. There were so many unnecessary comments about people's weight, particularly the female lead who he made sure to beat into the reader's head that she was somehow fit despite her large body. Other male characters (mostly the 'bad guys to my recollection) also had spare tires. One of the last sentences of the book is "It shot her diet to hell, but she'd make it up by skipping dinner." Zero to do with the plot. But there were so many awkwardly placed comments through the whole thing. I usually don't even pick up on a lot of things like this on a first read if I'm enjoying the story, so the fact that I did literally from the second page should say something. 

Usually I give an author 2-3 books before I write them off, but I'm making an exception this time. He either is an incredibly fatphobic and out of touch person or he's a terrible writer that didn't manage to get a point across after some very clumsy writing. 

I did receive a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review and never have I felt so inclined to be excruciatingly honest before. 

**CW: this one wasn't on the suggested list of warnings, but there is a scene where a gas chamber similar to those of the N@*is is used.**