Reading Brimstone by Preston and Child...?

Question

The main charachter is Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, I'm curious to know what Aloysius means? I'm good with latin but this definitely deviates away from the roots towards french...

Also curious as to what order I should read them in. I've already read "The Cabinet of Curiousities," and "Still Life with Crows," suggestions?

Answer 1

they are written in order so start with the oldest one and work your way up. i started reading their books but haven't finished. i kindof got side tracked. relic and reliquary are the first two i believe.
(from babynames.com- The meaning of the name Aloysius is Fame Warrior. The origin of the name Aloysius is Latin. From the same roots as the name Louis

(i found the following on wikipedia)
Relic (Pendergast's First Appearance) -- Pendergast investigates a series of strange murders and rumors of a murderous beast in the New York Museum of Natural History. Includes reporter Bill Smithback and Vincent D'Agosta.

Reliquary -- Pendergast returns to New York when a new string of murders surfaces resembling those of the Museum Beast case. He is again teamed with Margo Green, Dr. Frock, William Smithback Jr., and Vincent D'Agosta (all of whom were in the previous book) and introduces the character of Laura Hayward.

The Cabinet of Curiosities -- Pendergast is drawn to the remains of a 19th century charnel house, unearthed at a construction site in New York and finds himself investigating a new series of 20th century copycat killings. He is joined by William Smithback Jr. and Dr. Nora Kelly.

Still Life with Crows -- Agent Pendergast travels to midwestern Kansas to the dying farm town of Medicine Creek to investigate a series of brutal and ritualistic killings. He teams up with a teenage malcontent, Corrie Swanson, to solve the case.

The Diogenes Trilogy
Brimstone (Book One) -- Agent Pendergast and Vincent D'Agosta team up once more to investigate brutal murders of a seemingly supernatural origin. Their investigation takes them from high society New York to old world Italy and into the dark heart of an age-old conspiracy. Vincent D'Agosta, Laura Hayward and Bill Smithback's nemesis, reporter Bryce Harriman (mentioned often in the previous books) make a reappearance. In this book the reader is introduced to Pendergast's brother Diogenes and D'Agosta catches his first glimpse of Diogenes.

Dance of Death (Book Two) -- Aloysius Pendergast faces off against Diogenes in an attempt to stop his diabolical brother before he can complete the perfect crime. All of Pendergast's old compatriots find themselves in danger and old friends band together in the race to prevent an almost certain disaster. The novel features an all-star cast for Preston-Child fans and includes cameos from all of the books even going so far as to include characters from the authors' non-Pendergast novels. The book also hints at a sequel to The Ice Limit.

The Book of the Dead (Book Three) -- The final book of the Pendergast Trilogy. The Book of the Dead picks up immediately following the conclusion of Dance of Death, with Diogenes Pendergast continuing his work towards the completion of his master crime. The majority of the action centers around the opening of the long closed (and cursed?) Tomb of Senef at the New York Museum of Natural History. The pursuers become the pursued, and the novel builds to a thrilling conclusion.

Co-author Douglas Preston has said that a new book featuring Pendergast is currently being written. The title of the forthcoming novel has been confirmed as The Wheel of Darkness. In the novel, Pendergast and Constance will travel to Tibet, although details of their travails there have not yet been released.[3]