The Wheel of Darkness
| Company type | Publisher |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Books |
The Wheel of Darkness is a novel authored by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, published on August 28, 2007, through Grand Central Publishing. This work represents the eighth entry in the Special Agent Pendergast series. Upon release, it entered The New York Times Best Seller list at the second position on September 16, 2007, maintaining its presence there for a duration of five weeks.
Plot summary
After the storyline of The Book of the Dead, Agent Pendergast and his ward, Constance Greene, find themselves recuperating with Buddhist monks in Tibet. During their stay, a malevolent Tibetan Mandala artifact—known for its ability to corrupt any observer—is stolen from the monastery. The monks request Pendergast’s assistance in retrieving the stolen item.
His investigation leads him across China, Rome, and London. Upon discovering that the initial thief has been killed and that the artifact has changed hands again, Pendergast traces the new possessor to an upscale ocean liner named Britannia, which is heading toward New York City.
While aboard the ship, Pendergast narrows down suspects and earns the trust of the ship’s security personnel by helping them detect and prevent cheating in the casino. Meanwhile, a series of passenger murders creates widespread fear, compounded by sightings of an enigmatic shadow figure. The ship’s captain refuses to make a stop at the closest port, heightening onboard tensions.
Prioritizing passenger welfare over financial gain, the crew stages a mutiny and appoints a female commander. Upon locating the current bearer of the artifact, Pendergast experiences a psychological transformation after viewing it—his darker persona surfaces, perceiving humanity as flawed and deserving purification. The new captain, similarly affected by the artifact’s influence, locks down control of the bridge and directs the vessel toward 'Carrion Rock,' intending to deliberately sink it as retribution for being overlooked for promotion.
The original captain withholds vital access codes, dooming those aboard. The shadow figure is unveiled as a Tulpa—a thought-form generated from the artifact’s psychic energy—that assaults Pendergast in an attempt to consume his life force. Retreating into his own consciousness, Pendergast confronts a mental projection of his deceased brother Diogenes, who encourages him to resist. Pendergast retaliates by turning the Tulpa against those tainted by the artifact’s power. This act purifies his corruption and eliminates the rogue captain, who manages to restore bridge access before dying. The crew averts catastrophe by steering clear of Carrion Rock; however, prior damage results in approximately two hundred fatalities.
Subsequently, the monks disclose their intention: to identify their temple leader’s reincarnation through this crisis. They reveal a prophecy stating that this guardian will return the artifact after its theft. The leader is identified as Constance’s child—conceived with Diogenes—which she had initially planned to terminate but ultimately chose to carry to term.