Reviews for The Third Peregrination

The average rating for The Third Peregrination based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-03-22 00:00:00 Deborah Monk After vanquishing the evil empress Wu Tze-t'ien, Rowden Gray and Nick Battle believed the Jade Owl to be forever tamed. But both are wrong. One year has passed and Nick receives an artifact, an opal ring, which awakens these ancient relics. Once again The Jade Owl and Joy of Finches are drawn to one another but this time things are much different. Interacting with a silken banner depicting life of long ago China, they unlock a hidden message. Learning this banner is one of seven sisters, they set off on an adventure to find the remaining sisters and solve yet another China mystery. However, it is not only the relics that have changed, but Nick and Rowden as well. Something is happening to them. Haunted by dreams and mental glimmers which direct their path forward, they soon realize they are not just solving a mystery but are carrying out an ancient prophecy - a prophecy which could destroy the world. In The Third Peregrination, Edward C Patterson continues The Jade Owl series. This installment brings back the wonderful characters introduced in the first book but also offers some new comers including Rowden's ex-wife. These characters add to the adventure by providing appropriate emotional conflict and story arcs to augment the driving fantasy mystery they are to solve. Where the first book was more cerebral and even paced, this 600 plus page novel really amps up the action and fantasy elements. As always, Patterson's accomplished technique and writing style are spot on. His characters are real and descriptions vivid. Similar to the first novel, I enjoyed the historical fiction and cultural lessons imparted throughout this novel. This is the second of a multiple book series and while the ending is completely satisfying, Patterson introduces the thread which teases at the next installment. The Third Peregrination is a great read - 5 stars!

Review # 2 was written on 2015-02-01 00:00:00 Robert Burchill I am a big fan of this author's work ... which is what makes this book so disappointing for me. It is probably telling that it took me two months to finish it. The "China Hands" of San Francisco's Asian Art Museum are once again drawn into a supernatural mystery because of the Jade Owl and some related artifacts. They all head off to China to try to procure some additional paintings that are related to the mystery ... and of course all hell breaks loose, both literally and figuratively. What disappointed me about this book (enough so that I'm not going to finish the series, although there are some other books of Patterson's that I plan to read) was the radical changes to the characters ... changes that did not make sense to me as a reader. Certainly it is Patterson's prerogative to do anything he wishes with his characters, but I just didn't find them likable anymore.