Douglas Prerston and Lincoln Child
Forge, 1995, 382pp.
A terrific novel in every sense, this crypto-horror tale has a perfect setting (New York’s largest museum), great characters, and an unknown South American creature that seems to have come north with a shipment of crated specimens. First come the rumors of the half-glimpsed Museum Beast hiding in the warren of sub-basements. Then two kids are found dead, then a guard, and then things accelerate as scientists and law enforcement try to accept what’s happening and work out the genes that went into a bizarre hybrid. We know of big, powerful predators adapted for their roles, but what would a perfect predator look like? The science here is well explained and up to date for the time of publication (2026 readers will snort at the “powerful” 200-gigabyte database). The museum is thoroughly authentic, as Preston wrote a book on the real equivalent, the American Museum of Natural History. Genuinely creepy stuff with one of the scariest beasts in fiction and a classic horror twist at the end. A bonus for those who love the authors' Agent Pendergast character: this is his first appearance.
Matt Bille is a wrter, naturalist, and historian in Colorado Springs. His latest novel, the scientific thriller Apex Predator, will be out in February 2027 and is available from all booksellers for preorder.
