Scarecrow

Shane Schofield #3

by Matthew Reilly

IT IS THE GREATEST BOUNTY HUNT IN HISTORY
FIFTEEN NAMES
There are 15 targets, the finest warriors in the world-commandos, spies, terrorists.
And they must all be dead by 12 noon, today. The price on their heads: almost $20 million each.
ONE HERO
Among the names on the target list, one stands out. An enigmatic Marine named Shane Schofield, call-sign: SCARECROW.
NO LIMITS
And so Schofield is plunged into a headlong race around the world, pursued by a fearsome collection of international bounty hunters-including the 'Black Knight', a notoriously ruthless hunter who seems intent on eliminating only Schofield.
The race is on and the pace is frantic as Schofield fights for survival, in the process unveiling a vast international conspiracy and the terrible reason why he cannot, under any circumstances,
be allowed to live
He led his men into hell in "Ice Station.
He protected the President against all odds in "Area 7.
This time it's different.
Because this time Scarecrow is the target.
"Scarecrow is the third book in the Shane Schofield series. With new exotic locations and weaponry, plus a returning cast of old friends from the battlefield, "Scarecrow is set to take the action/adventure world by storm, and leave readers gasping for air. With his trademark style, Matthew Reilly continues to establish himself as one of today's top thriller writers.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Action, Adventure, Military Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

Hardcover

First published October 3, 2003

About the author

Born in Sydney in 1974, Matthew Reilly was not always a big fan of reading. It was only after he read To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies in Year 10 that he realised reading could transport you to another world. Following this revelation, Matthew soon began creating stories of his own and set about writing his first novel, Contest, at the age of 19 while still at university studying law.

Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.

In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson's Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought after collectors' items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!

Matthew Reilly is now the internationally bestselling author of the Scarecrow novels: Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves and the novella Hell Island; the Jack West novels: Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Four Legendary Kingdoms, and The Three Secret Cities; and the standalone novels Contest, Temple, Hover Car Racer, The Tournament, Troll Mountain, The Great Zoo of China and The Secret Runners of New York.

His books are published in over 20 languages with worldwide sales of over 7 million copies.

Since Seven Ancient Wonders in 2005, Matthew's novels have been the biggest selling new fiction title released in Australia for that year.

Matthew has also written several short stories, including Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl, a special free prequel to The Tournament which is available online. Other short stories include Time Tours, The Mine and the hyper-adrenalised romp, Altitude Rush.

He owns and drives a DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous in the Back to the Future movies. He also has a life-sized Han Solo in carbonite hanging on the wall of his office! When not writing or penning a film script, Matthew can be found on the golf course.

Matthew Reilly is currently living in Los Angeles.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Henry Avila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may seem like a Michael Bay action film, but not as bad on steroids, here in print form, however better done. It never lets up if you take a long breathe and your mind wanders a bit, you will be in trouble following the plot and the characters become unknown, are they the good or bad individuals ? Keep alert and eyes wide open not shut, the bullets are constant, duck, quack quack, the descending figures hit the hard ground harder and the fluctuating water is...wet, few expire peacefully, at a frequency incredible to comprehend, relax it's make- believe. Gigantic planes fall to pieces, massive ships sink to the bottom of the deep, dark, cold sea , fabulous expensive cars crunched to oblivion in the worldwide scenes; Afghanistan, America, France, Siberia etc. , speed kills. From Matthew Reilly the Australian writer noted for his over the top comportment and the main protagonist , if I may call him that, American soldier, Marine Captain Shane Schofield is the perfect man for the preposterous exploits with a big assist of the Black Knight, Aloysius Knight call him the former name , cause you no harm. A modern, unfeeling, enigmatic but able bounty hunter for some reason becomes Shane's bodyguard, maybe good friend , yet little doubt he will get paid very, very handsomely. And the usual scumbags that want to destroy the rest of world ( except themselves for monetary benefits) rich, arrogant people mistakenly think they're smarter but not in reality , who you love to hate. Others friends, helpers of Mr. Schofield, warriors, "Mother" a fierce black woman, girlfriend Elizabeth "Fox" Gant , Buck "Book 11" Riley a computer geek, also trying to stop the nuclear holocaust by a gang of billionaires, yes some humans no matter how well off get bored and need stimulation, such as the vicious boss Killian...he would be a great Bond villain. What is better than destroying and paying almost twenty million dollars for the actual heads of your opponents , so fun. One of them is our hopeful hero, if nothing else an entertaining romp of different weapons, quite endless brutality, blood and guts a exercise in how people in books and the real Earth live and die but the novel is fictional, sadly not always the case. The story shouldn't be taken seriously though , thank you. And for the fans of this kind of book, any dull moment will not be found here for sure.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s the world’s greatest man hunt. Bounty hunters all over the world want to take out 15 very highly skilled targets. Scarecrow is one of them.


First things first, I have to admit that I’m not that big a fan of this concept. It feels a bit cheap. I’m sorry, but it does. Though that’s the thing about writing: it’s a skill. And a good writer can write a good story with a cheap idea. That’s exactly what Matthew Reilly demonstrates here. It’s the quality of the execution that matters in this case, not the strength of the concept.


While the concept might not exactly feel original, this story does bring something new to the table. While the previous two books in the series resembled each other a bit too much in terms of the plot structure, this one feels rather different. It’s like the author tried to re-invent himself as a writer to take this book and thus the whole series to a new level. The violence feels a bit more graphic, it's even more over the top, and the action also takes place on a much bigger scale, which makes this story stand out even more from the previous books in the series. Though the story does jump around a bit too much for my liking here. It’s a style the author became better at using later in his Jack West Jr series.


While most scenes are still completely over the top, action-packed to say the least, and a rush of adrenaline from start to finish, the characters themselves feel a bit more important than in the previous books. This story builds up to one of the most emotional and memorable scenes of the series. So this is done with a purpose. And there’s also a new character who’s introduced here, who later appears in Matthew Reilly’s other big series.


It’s a good third book in the Scarecrow series that tries to shake things up a bit. And there’s one scene in particular that really makes this book stand out. I’m still not the biggest fan of this story to be honest, but I appreciate that the author tried to do something different.

[Rizwan Khalil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing style is simple as shit, the suspense is frantic as hell, the action is incredibly ridiculous, and our favorite action-hero Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield is one badass mofo! Just trying to describe it Matthew Reilly-style, complete with swearing.

Schofield escaped from a huge submarine under attack (after he blasted a missile from it) to the tower of a missile silo, which the bad guys destroyed under his feet just as he jumped from the 15-story rooftop to a flying fighter plane that is there to kill him as well, and then he was hanging outside that flying fighter plane, and in the end he hijacked it and just went his merry way flying that plane. And ALL these happened in just the very first chapter! (I didn't even mention the destruction of a massive seawater-gate). Yet another slow day for Scarecrow, because the real action and thrillride hadn't even started.

Any single Scarecrow thriller is like ten big budget, completely bonkers-madcap-off-the-wall bombastic Hollywood summer action blockbusters all rolled into one, and then some. But no one (and I do mean NO ONE) can write such unadulterated popcorn fun-thrill-a-second-nonstop action bonanza like Matthew Reilly. In the end, whatever happens, fear not people, Scarecrow will ALWAYS have his trusty magical Maghook with him to get him out of countless impossible situations by the last seconds, and I'll have Matthew Reilly's insanely outrageous pure FUN Action-Adventures to bring me from my reading-slumber in one mighty grab, and won't let me go till I finish to the last page and grin like an idiot to all the unbelievable "WHAAAA...?!!" situations!

This 'Scarecrow' novel, and by extension the whole Scarecrow series is hands down literally my most favorite frantic adrenaline rush read I've had the pleasure to enjoy, all the while I know this (along with almost all of Reilly's works) is as much a so called 'trash fiction' as its simply junk-food entertainment. That's probably says volumes to my literary taste, and guess what? I don't give even a little shit.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all the improbable things that have happened in this series, I’ve only been surprised once. In this book right here. So many authors imply their characters aren’t safe, but you know they really are. Here?! Oh no. Death really does stalk these pages.

Not only that, Reilly only goes and throws in a whole new (and absolutely outstanding) main character in the mould of Scarecrow-gone-bad. The Knight is the ultimate what if? What if Scarecrow *lost* all those times before? What kind of man would he have been instead?! The answer: brutal as hell. Imagine that.

Having Scarecrow and his dark double rampaging through the bad guys means the body count in this book is HIGH. There’s a ridiculous amount of fighting and chases and beyond the realms of possibility action set pieces. It was pure fun. Read it.

[Garet Wirth · Rating 1 out of 5]

One stormy night, a lonely college junior sat in his starkly lit college dorm room, deciding how best to procrastinate on all things "school." He had recently read "Ice Station," a novel about some badass military dude who shot bad guys, did acrobatic combat tactical !@#$, and killed Orcas like no other. And he did it all while wearing sunglasses, cause he had some sort of eye thing that made him have to wear sunglasses. Honestly, who remembers.

That night, the lonely college junior decided to try reading one of the sequels, titled "Scarecrow." "Ice Station" was a readable book, though it felt like an amateur effort from a first-time author who hadn't actually figured out the whole "be a writer" thing. The lonely college junior decided to give him a second chance, because Jack Bauer wasn't on again till Monday and that was like 4 days away. The lonely college junior needed somebody to shoot somebody in the face while screaming about nukes and The President, and he needed it now.

Thus began his foray into "Scarecrow." He had hoped that the author, Mr. Matthew Reilly, had honed his flailing and alphabets into something forming coherent thought. This was an ignorant mistake. Instead, there were lots of descriptions of guns, lots of italics and exclamation points in the narrative (paraphrasing: "He pulled the knife /out/ of the bad guy's throat!"), and generally read like something a 5-year old would say while playing with his Hot Wheels and GI Joes. But let's not insult the 5-year-olds.

Mr. Reilly had killed several "characters" in his previous effort, but upon sitting down to "write" the sequel, he decided he had really no other ideas for characters and decided to introduce a father of one deceased character with an identical callsign... but with a "2" after it. It was sort of like if JK Rowling had decided to kill Ron in the first novel, then introduced "Ron 2" in the sequel. Rich, compelling stuff.

After slogging through Scarecrow, skimming large portions of it (action scenes went on for many lengthy chapters with literally zero plot development), the lonely college junior sat down and decided that he "could write a better novel than this crap" (actual quote). And so he began his 5-year-long foray into the world of long-form writing, a hobby he retains to this day and enjoys thoroughly.

So yes, "Scarecrow" has the dubious honor of being a book so horrible, so painfully bad, that it inspired a bored college kid to write his own book. Because if Matt Reilly can get published, anybody can. Anybody.

[TK421 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Escapist literature gets a lot of leeway with me. I mean, it’s there for the sole purpose of passing someone’s downtime. Characters are usually walking clichés, and the plot revolves around something along the lines of: “we only have X amount of time to do something or Y is going to happen.” I’m okay with this simplicity. But I do have a problem when authors of escapist literature think that their readers are a bunch of morons. I admit, I may not know all the technical details or the makes and models of all the weaponry, but trust me when I say I don’t really need to know all that. What I do need is nonstop action, a few tense moments, writing that is passable, and possibly even a love scene or two. Other than that, I’ll go to the capital L literary section.

Matthew Reilly seems to know my wants. He creates great characters, a suspenseful plot (even if it is outrageously unbelievable) and enough action that would make any adrenaline junky satiated. ICE STATION was awesome. CONTEST was fun with a sci-fi element. And then there is SCARECROW. This story follows one Shane Schofield, military badass. There is price on his head and some of the other leading heroes and villains of the world. Someone wants them all dead. The story is pretty straightforward: fight, escape, fight some more, escape again in a ridiculously clever way, fight some more, escape, and fight some more…and then Reilly throws a wrench at the reader. HE KILLS OFF ONE OF THE BEST CHARACTERS IN THIS SERIES. Okay, I could go on for hours how stupid it is when an author kills of a likeable character, but I’ll keep my mouth shut. Let’s just say, and I’m speaking directly to you Mr. Reilly, you better write one heck of a follow up to this novel.

Where was I…oh, yes. SCARECROW is a prefect example of escapist literature and one that you will not be sorry for reading. Just don’t get attached to the characters too much.

RECOMMENDED

[Bree T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scarecrow is the third novel in Matthew Reilly’s Capt. Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield series. I’ve read the first one, Ice Station and it reads like a Hollywood action blockbuster. Lots of blowing things up, rapid-fire shoot outs, miraculous escapes from impossible situations and plenty of blood and gore. I was expecting this one to be pretty much the same and it was. And then some!

A list is compiled of 15 targets, all of whom must be dead by 12 noon New York time 26th October. The list is comprised of the worlds most deadliest commandos, spies and terrorists. They all have a whopping price of 18.6m on their heads. Bring any head to a castle in France and you’ll get your reward. And don’t even think about trying to fake one, because that won’t go down well. The men on the list all have one thing in common and that skill could stop a group of power hungry billionaires from owning the world.

Shane Schofield is of course, on that list. He’s blissfully unaware of that fact as he drops in to Siberia on a mission that turns out to be a fake. A set up. A trap so that Schofield’s head can be collected. Unfortunately for the bounty hunters after him (and there are many, from all over the world) Schofield isn’t really into having his head removed from his body. And he’s got all sorts of skills and weapons at his disposal to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Exiting Siberia in a plane he steals from one of the bounty hunters out to kill him, he flies to Afghanistan where his girlfriend Elizabeth “Fox” Gant is leading her own mission into Taliban caves. She’s at risk from the bounty hunters who would take her in order to lure Scarecrow, and of course, this is what happens. Everyone all sort of arrives in Afghanistan together (although that’s not all about Gant, there’s also two people who is on the list in the caves, a British SAS soldier and a high ranking Taliban officer-type person, whatever they’re called). An angel of sorts arrives also, and he’s on Scarecrow’s side. The ‘Black Knight’ is a former Delta, black listed and on the most wanted list. For some reason, someone is paying him to keep Schofield alive and combat those who want him dead and his head on a stick. There’s some spectacular shooting with lots of fancy weapons and some nifty warfare tricks that I’m not even sure exist yet. And then Scarecrow and Co escape in yet another plane. And that’s not even remotely the most ridiculous thing in this book.

Let’s be frank. The book is ridiculous. On all sorts of levels. There are hijacked planes, people sliding down fuel lines from one plane to another as they are refueling in the air, there are people parachuting out of things or into things, ejecting from planes, several different types of submarines, escaping from being squashed by a 100,000 tonne tanker sinking to the bottom of the English channel and there are literally, billions of bullets fired. People are decapitated, shot, stabbed, thrown out of planes, beheaded by a guillotine, eaten by tiger sharks, microwaved to death and burned alive by boiling oil. I don’t think there is a method of killing someone that has been overlooked in this novel. There are Russian fighter planes. Huge sea tankers. Lamborghini Diablo’s. Choppers of every description. Fighter planes from every corner of the globe. A billionaire secret society. Warheads. And probably a hundred more things that I’ve neglected to mention.

Despite the ridiculousness of it all, it was entertaining. The style is very fast paced, staccato like with very minimal dialogue and character development. The story is all told as an action sequence, with characters thinking during the sequences rather than pausing to regroup and plan. There is lots of onomatopoeia usage – BOOM! THUNK! KER-THUD! SMACK! etc. The sentences are short, sharp, frequently interrupted like-

this-

and-

then BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!

Something explodes.

Basically, lots of things explode. An impossible number of things explode. Just imagine the most action packed movie you’ve ever seen and then make about 200 more things explode. And then you have this book.

Some books you read for the beautifully crafted writing style. Some you read for intricate and wonderful plots. Some you read for the amazing character development and the identity you can find with the characters. And some books you just read for fun. This book falls into the latter category. It’s far fetched, over the top, breathtakingly quick and action from go to whoa. I did enjoy it and I’d like to read Area-7 the middle Scarecrow novel which I haven’t got yet.

[Estheisy · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Vete a la mier** Reilly”. Eso es todo muchas gracias. Este libro ha sido la personificación de mi sufrimiento por bastante tiempo y lo seguirá siendo.

No lo terminé, no me parece necesario, sé cómo escribe Reilly, llevo dos libros conociendo a esos personajes y lo que me dio me decepcionó, no necesito seguir leyendo para seguir enojándome.

[Leonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read a Matthew Reilly book. I finished Scarecrow about two days ago, and my brain is still going "BOOM!" "Zoom!" "Swoosh!" and thinking in italics.

Like all of the other Matthew Reilly books I've read, this one was fast paced and full of action. It was a flat out gallop from beginning to end, with all of the action that Matthew Reilly is known for.

It was an enjoyable read, if not a deep one, and this review is basically three and a half stars. The extra half star is for the emotional moment when he bravely killed off Fox Gant, and for the moment a bit later in the book when I thought he'd killed Mother as well.

Scarecrow was published eleven years ago, and I'm interested to see if Reilly's later books take more of a step forward in terms of the writing style. I think I've now read three or four of his books, but they're all early ones.

By the time I finished this book I almost felt as if I was reading a Batman comic book, due to all the onomatopoeic terms used.

Having said that, in this book, Scarecrow's character began to develop, and I think that's part of why I liked it as much as I did. Add to that, the characters of Knight and Rufus, and there was a bit more depth than I've previously seen in his writing.

If you're looking for a fast paced action story, with LOTS of italics, BOOMS and improbably amazing feats of survival to while away an hour or two, then you'll enjoy this one.

[mer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

What I Liked.
As usual, I enjoyed reading Matthew Reilly's because of the action scenes. Only this time it was way interesting because it's Schofield himself is/was in danger.

What I Disliked.
The author KILLED one of important characters: Fox. WHY DID HE DO THAT!?

......

I am officially emotional distraught I can't review much. Bye.

Read on your own peril.

[Janey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic read! I don't want to say too much about the story as I don't want to give anything away and spoil someone elses enjoyment. Can't wait to read the next Scarecrow book.

[Paola C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro me ha resultado fascinante! Pocas veces he leido algo que me tuviera constantemente en tensión, mordiéndome las unes para saber que iba a pasar a continuación. Era como estar viendo una película de Misión Imposible.
No era lo que esperaba encontrarme al leer la sinopsis pero el cambio no ha acabado por decepcionarme (cosa que al principio parecía que iba a pasar porque me imaginaba que la historia estaba más centrada en la cazería de varios individuos y no solo en Shane). La culpa fue mía por no informarme de que este libro era parte de una saga.
Aún así me ha encantado y voy a seguir leyendo otros títulos de Matthew Reilly.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An audiobook I listened to while building a raised garden bed. This is an action-packed thrill ride. Non-stop excitement that takes the main character from crisis to crisis. Totally unbelievable at times but it keeps you going so that it's hard to catch your breath. No downtime. The main character is Shane Schofield- aka the "cat with nine lives". In spite of being in the most perilous and seemingly unescapable situations he manages to survive and march on to ultimate victory. Often it's not his doing that allows him to go on, but the help of others... in this one the "Dark Knight" saves his bacon countless times. In the end the world is saved and a dour Schofield gets a note from Knight that cheers him up enough to report for duty after four months off and get back into the action.

[Freda Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has taken me a long time to pick up this book in the series, partly because my local library didn't have it, partly because I can only handle so much 'action' in a book. What I mean by that is - the details in Matthew Reilly's books coupled with the magnitude of technical information seems to lose me in some places. But I have to say, this was the biggest and most fearful bounty hunt story I've ever read, not to mention the creativity that went into the massive conspiracy derived globally by 12 of the richest and most powerful men around. God, this was exciting! I did have to gaze over some of the specs of all the guns, machines, planes, choppers, vehicles, and computer stuff, but it did not take away from the suspense or the personal emotions I felt for each character. I LOVE the way Matthew Reilly writes, but I'm a little sad that he killed off a couple of my favorite characters, which gives me pause as to why I should pick up the next in this series. Excellent and brilliant! Loved this one.

[Rmd · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am literally in awe at how incredibly bad this book is. If I could I would give it negative stars. The stuff in this book is only slightly less believable than Star Wars. At least Star Wars gives the disclaimer that it happened a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. This reads like someone who has no grasp of military doctrine, equipment, or the most general knowledge of physics. I'm willing to suspend some belief when reading fiction but this got a little absurd. Several times throughout the book, I would have laid money on the author being a 15-year old boy. If you are under the age of 16, this may be a great book for you. For anyone older than that with the slightest intelligence, pass on this book. The main character's jet seems to be able to morph between a fighter jet and a cargo plane with a cockpit that you can walk around in depending on the needs of the plot line.

[Wild · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness!!!
What a total rush!!!
I actually feel like I am pumped with adrenalin after this one.
What an introduction to this Scholfield character. This was a gift so not the first in the series but now I am going out and buying every book in this series. I have never had a story effect me like this and take me on such a ride.
I actually could see an action movie playing out in my head as I was reading. Way to go! You are definitely now on my favourite author list.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shady group of billionaires (the Council) publish a list of 15 people with a reward of $18.6 million per head causing a worldwide bounty hunt. Primarily military men, the basis for the list is unclear, but Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield is on the list. Starting at an abandoned facility in Siberia, killers are after him and the others in a non-stop series of attacks. A surprise ally assists Scarecrow, but I found there was too much action at the expense of a plot-- inciting global trouble.

[Ryan Hixson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will but hair on your chest, it is so action packed. It's a popcorn book. The action is at times fairly ridiculous, but always fun, it has three action scenes that last for twenty to thirty pages that are incredible, and so vivid. The beginning is okay, it jumps into the action very fast, and has very few minutes of slowing down, I really enjoyed the middle which finally got into the plot, and the end was very satisfying. This is the third book in the Shane Schofield books.

The Plot: The character of Mother continues to not disappoint. Their are fifteen targets on a list that have a price of 19 million dollars on their head, that have to me dead in the next eight hours, Shane Schofield is on the list. The targets are spread all over the world, some are terrorist, some are Mossad, MI6, and US marines. This draws the attention of international bounty hunters trying to claim members of the list.

What I liked: The bounty hunters are pretty cool, especially the Black Night. I like the Bounty hunter code that they live by. The car chase action scene is amazing, and it's written in a way that you can keep up with the action. There's two action scenes that don't involve the main character that are amazing which is hard to pull off and did it really well. The overall plot is pretty good and made sense. The good guys actually get hurt.

What I disliked: The dialogue is pretty cliche could have been written by a teenager playing with army men, good thing there not that much. Too many fake out deaths, though when one main character dies I was waiting for a fake out. The first two action scenes don't have any context and connection to them the novel finally gets there, but you don't see care you have to be told they care.

I will recommend this one but only to those who have read the the first two books Ice Station and Area 7 which are slightly slower paced and are more plot heavy at the beginning. Like I put in my dislikes I had to remember the connections that the characters had, for new readers I can see you questioning why do you care about these characters. If you're looking for a fun action shoot up no holds bar action then this series is for you. I swear this guy should just write action scenes for movies because that is what he excels at. I give this 3.5 stars out of five.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I a fangirl? Yes I am. On my fourth Matt Reilly book already and yes, whatever this man writes, I will read. I've come to the realization that the absurd, over the top action and nick of time salvations that occur a LOT in his text as well as the superhuman abilities of one Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield attract me in the same way that James Bond does, times ten. It is fiction and adrenaline fiction at that, which he writes and no matter how absurd the near death situation is, it gets my pulse going and does not let up.

In "Scarecrow," our hero is on a list of 15 international targets who are slated for elimination by some of the most elite badass, merc squads on EARTH! Each of the 15 have million dollar bounties on their heads and yup, Shane is one of them.

Along with his regular squad of friends: Book II, Gant, Fairfax and the Queen B herself, Mother, Schofield is joined by a new allie, someone who is just as tough, resiliant and superhuman as Scarecrow is. It's like when Superman meets Batman and they agree to work as a team...Yup, it is that awesome.

Literature it ain't, but ass-kicking fiction, it definitely is and while I doubt there will ever be a movie based on any of Reilly's books (the special effects would be waaay too costly), I for one am definitely looking forward to checking out more of his works.

[TM · Rating 1 out of 5]

First, I'd like to say I loved Reilly's first two Schofield books, but Scarecrow was a huge disappointment for me.

The action is undoubtedly fast paced like the first two books, but it seems like Reilly was reaching a bit for this one. The action, though explosive, felt a little too unrealistic. Also, this being the 3rd book of the series, a lot of the scenes become repetitive and predictable (ie- grappling hook to the rescue).

I am disappointed on Reilly's decision on a specific character in the book. In fact i am so upset by it, i'm pretending this book never existed. From here on forward, The Shane Schofield Series only consists of Area 7 and Ice Station on my bookshelves. I do not plan to read any more of the Schofield Series.

That is all. Half a star if it was an option.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5★ This was completely crazy and improbable (or so I hope!), but a fantastic read if if you can suspend your disbelief and read - and if you don't mind some gore in your reading! I often can't keep track of what's happening and why in Shane Schofield books, but I try to just go with the flow and read!

A quote from the Daily Telegraph on the back of my copy says "The pace makes you giddy" and that's very accurate!! There's barely any break between one catastrophe and the next - what I'm coming to recognise as classic Matthew Reilly style!

There was a couple of events in this one that were significant twists that I kept thinking must have been dream sequences or optical illusions or somehow mistakes, and one event was a mistake, but one wasn't - and makes me very keen to continue with the series to see what happens with the characters in the next!

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Epic has a new name: SCARECROW.

I wasn't sure if Matthew Reilly could possibly jack up the ante for the third Scarecrow novel, but oh my lord he delivered. Page after page of pulse pounding, relentless action. A thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the entire length.

Matthew Reilly is the master of action.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books are so good they deserve a second reading. Shane Schofield is an elite soldier who has a bounty of 18.6 million dollar on his head and every bounty hunter is out to collect it. Needless to say this book is an action packed thriller filled with lots of heart pounding action.

[Darryl Sherk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every fight scene in this book could be recreated by a 13 year old with two action figures.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fast paced novel from Matthew Reilly, this is the third instalment of Captain Shane Schofield aka Scarecrow.
Schofield finds himself on a bounty hunter list and the hunters are some of the best and feared in the world and Shane is used to being the predator, not the prey. The race to out run the bounty hunters takes him all over the world and Reilly writes this chase superbly. You will not want to put this book down, it will excite, shock and leave you breathless in his wake.

[Tim The Enchanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

WARNING: Scarecrow is not recommended for pregnant readers, readers with heart trouble or high-blood pressure.

Matthew Reilly is well known for his non-stop, shoot first ask later stories. Having read the two previous in this series plus the Jack West Jr. Series, I can say without a doubt this is the most action packed book of them all.

In addition to the most action , it is easily the BLOODIEST of the novels. The story is set amid a worldwide bounty on the heads of a list of various characters, one of which is our very own Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield. When I say price on their head, I mean in literally. Heads rolled on page after page with a generous helping of bad guys shot in the face, chest, arms, leg, neck, eye, ears, back and at least one in the mouth.

Cons

1. Location - In the first two in the series, Reilly was masterful at writing a story in a single locale. Ice Station was set in an underground, research station in Antarctica. Area 7 was set in a secret government installation. I may be personal preference, but Reilly's writing was tighter and his locations were far more vivid when the majority of the story was set in one location. Scarecrow takes you around the world. This adds to the action but detracts from the story as a whole.

2. From a super human to Superhuman - Scarecrow as a character has drifted into the invincible hero category. He has gone from escaping improbable situations to escaping impossible situation. Scarecrow thrives on the hyperbole. He escapes the BIGGEST Arial armada the world has ever seen while flying the FASTEST plane the world has ever know while dodging the MOST technologically advance missile in the world while at the same time chasing down the MOST deadly atomic tipped missile while attempting to detonate it with the MOST complex disarming system EVER created because our hero is the ONLY person in the world qualified to do it. Some readers will eat this up. Don't get me wrong, I do like it but it is a bit over the top. Story is sacrificed in the name of action.

Pros

1. Brave Story Decisions - While the overall storytelling takes a step back as stated above, Reilly makes some brave and satisfying decisions with the story arc of Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield. For the most part, you won't be surprised with what happens. You can predict much of the story after 50 pages. If you are reading this book its mostly for the ride. That said, I was SHOCKED by some developments. I had to stop and rewind my audiobook after Shane's girlfriend was beheaded by a guillotine. "What's going on?" is what I though after I heard this. This was a shocking development in the overall story arc and can lead to new, interesting storylines and some new motivations for the Scarecrow.

2. Satisfying Resolutions - Without giving anything away, there was a change in our hero and for once, he was not held back by his morals or some sense of duty. At times, our hero felt a bit like an anti hero, which was a nice change. Lets be honest, we all want the good guy to do the wrong thing sometimes.


Don't expect realism but expect a rip roaring thrill ride.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Scarecrow' brings back the namesake protagonist in an adventure full of adrenaline and pulse pounding action. The third installment in the series sees our hero become the focus of an elaborate bounty hunt in which the worlds most highly regarded military personnel are targeted by a wealthy faction seeking humanities implosion for profit. Combining real world facts to create a world of fiction, Reilly exposes political imbalance and highlights doomsday fears of a post western world rule where third world nation numbers could mean victory over technological advancement. Hidden literary nuggets litter this deceptively modernist pulp novel to enhance not only Reilly's credibility but also his creativity. Comedic passages and the exploitation of common cliches helps Reilly maintain a lighter human balance to the mass body count - and of course, Scarecrow's faithful make an appearance in Mother, Fairfax, Gant, and Book II along with newcomer Knight. Each reading more like superheroes than above average GI Joe's. What makes 'Scarecrow' stand alone from other books is Reilly's ability to keep the reader guessing 'will he make it or wont he?' - you never quiet know if any of the good guys are going to survive a given encounter - be warned, there are casualties you wont see coming. Frenetic and awe inspiring, 'Scarecrow' cements Matthew Reilly as the Michael Bay of the publishing world - 5 stars. I cant wait for the next full length installment in 'Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves'.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you know when you're watching a movie and this scene with a whole bunch of badass soldiers is so awesome that it makes you shiver? A scene that makes you say "Hell yeah!!" ? Well this book-and pretty much every Scarecrow book I've read so far- will make you say that a lot!.

Action packed from the very beginning to end, no break at all, great characters both old and new and the always awesome Scarecrow. I-absolutely-loved-it!! Matthew Reilly and Shane Schofield, but now i have one more favorite character: The Knight!! Hopefully he's in the other two books? I don't know but i will start reading soon enough.

If you like action movies, "Mission Impossible" kind of thing, those that keep you on the edge of your seat, combine with Marines, Deltas, Special Forces and you love reading books, then this is perfect for you.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am quite willing to suspend my disbelief for a book, especially if it's an action thriller that requires some bending of the rules and a bit of artistic licence but the things that happen in this book are physically impossible. When you start messing with the laws of physics I'm afraid I can no longer suspend my disbelief and things just spiral downhill. Never mind the overuse of exclamation marks the writing is fairly juvenile and one-dimensional and I just couldn't root for any of the characters with the single exception of Mother but even she broke the laws of physics so it's not all good for her either. Terrible.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another crazy summer blockbuster-like ride with Scarecrow and team.
Everything is so over the top it's insane and fun all rolled together. Seriously, a shark pit and a guillotine!
I need a breather but I will be back for more my Scarecrow. :)