Matthew Reilly

The Great Zoo of China is one of the worst books I've had the misfortune to read. It is, in my opinion, a rip-off of Michael Crichton's classic Jurassic Park, only instead of dinosaurs, it has dragons.

The unoriginal tale (which annoyed me for its borrowing of Crichton), is not improved by wooden dialogue, unlikely scenarios, and an almost-constant barrage of nearly fatal incidents. The author does not seem to have paid any attention to spacing events, so that the reader is under a relentless barrage of poorly-written action.

I could not finish the book, so unimpressed was I, and I would not recommend it.… (altro)

Fast paced and action packed, the latest Jack West Jr instalment does not disappoint.

**minor spoilers ahead**

Once again, Matthew Reilly masterfully puts reimagines ancient myth, legend and history, and crafts it into an action thriller that barely gives you time to take a breath. There really are some incredible highs and lows, both literally and figuratively, and although there are a few reflective breaks in the middle, mostly in the form of flashbacks or catch-ups, the duration of the plot can be measured in hours, if not minutes. It’s almost ironic that the one of the villains’ masterful schemes involves putting entire cities to sleep, because it seems like Jack West and his team just never get, nor indeed need, any!

I think it became obvious to me quite early on that though the Supreme Labyrinth was the objective everyone was gunning for, it wasn’t going to be the focal point of this book, so in many ways this was just ‘how everyone got to the Labyrinth’. Which is fine - to quote another series I’m currently reading, Journey before Destination - but it does make it the second book in a row where there’s not a real conclusion. I’m glad Matthew Reilly addresses this in his interview and calls it essentially a three-part story leading to the Omega Event, and it gives him more of an opportunity to do it justice.

All in all, the The Two Lost Mountains manages to lay the groundwork for the grand finale of the series by really bringing out the desperation but also the determination of Jack and his team. With so many players in the game and literally the entire universe at stake, I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up.… (altro)