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Jack West Jr #4
The Four Legendary Kingdoms
Jack West Jr is back.
The thrilling new book in the Jack West Jr series will be released October 2016.
READ THE SERIES
Book 1: Seven Ancient Wonders
Book 2: The Six Sacred Stones
Book 3: The Five Greatest Warriors
Book 4: The Four Legendary Kingdoms
448 pages, Paperback
First published October 8, 2016
588 people are currently reading
3960 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Reilly
68 books6,269 followersBorn 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)
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)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 843 reviews
January 12, 2021
Trigger warnings: violence, death, gore, blood, explosions, gun violence, seriously y'all there is a LOT of violence in this even by Matthew Reilly's standards.
12/1/2021
On reread, I'm bumping this down to 3 stars. Yes, there's tons of action and I liked that it's a . But there's so much action that I felt like there were mountains of things that were never sufficiently explained. The characters felt slightly cardboard cutout-y at times, and I stand by everything I said last time about the female characters in particular.
19/10/2016
3.5 stars.
Look, I pretty much knew what I was going to get with this book going in. Because it's Matthew Reilly. It's a Jack West book. It's going to be like reading a ridiculous, over-the-top action movie with historical elements woven into the story, you know? Kind of like if Indiana Jones and Top Gun had a baby.
And for the most part, that's exactly what I got.
HOWEVER. The previous books in this series have been far more historically focused than this one was. According to Reilly's note at the end of the book, this one is setting up the final three books in the series, and in a lot of ways it felt like that. It's also
Frankly, my biggest problem with this was the female characters. We essentially have four of them, because Zoe, Jack's wife, is off on some expedition or other for the duration of the book, which smacks of "I couldn't be bothered finding anything for the kickass female elite military officer to do in this book, so I shoved her at the bottom of the ocean". Gah.
Okay, so our four female characters:
Was it a fast-paced, action-packed story? Yes. Was it everything I expected? Pretty much. Did I speed through it? Definitely. Was there an unexpectedly awesome surprise I didn't see coming? HELL YES. Was it let down by previously awesome female characters who'd miraculously turned into sexy lamps? Uh, YES.
In short, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the remaining three books in the series. But I also wanted to throw it at the wall a little bit.
12/1/2021
On reread, I'm bumping this down to 3 stars. Yes, there's tons of action and I liked that it's a . But there's so much action that I felt like there were mountains of things that were never sufficiently explained. The characters felt slightly cardboard cutout-y at times, and I stand by everything I said last time about the female characters in particular.
19/10/2016
3.5 stars.
Look, I pretty much knew what I was going to get with this book going in. Because it's Matthew Reilly. It's a Jack West book. It's going to be like reading a ridiculous, over-the-top action movie with historical elements woven into the story, you know? Kind of like if Indiana Jones and Top Gun had a baby.
And for the most part, that's exactly what I got.
HOWEVER. The previous books in this series have been far more historically focused than this one was. According to Reilly's note at the end of the book, this one is setting up the final three books in the series, and in a lot of ways it felt like that. It's also
Frankly, my biggest problem with this was the female characters. We essentially have four of them, because Zoe, Jack's wife, is off on some expedition or other for the duration of the book, which smacks of "I couldn't be bothered finding anything for the kickass female elite military officer to do in this book, so I shoved her at the bottom of the ocean". Gah.
Okay, so our four female characters:
Was it a fast-paced, action-packed story? Yes. Was it everything I expected? Pretty much. Did I speed through it? Definitely. Was there an unexpectedly awesome surprise I didn't see coming? HELL YES. Was it let down by previously awesome female characters who'd miraculously turned into sexy lamps? Uh, YES.
In short, I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the remaining three books in the series. But I also wanted to throw it at the wall a little bit.
February 10, 2017
Well, I wanted to like this as much as the other ones, but it kinda devolved into a Buck Rogers scenario full of Lensman tropes and Galaxy-colliding proportions. Not that this kind of thing can't be fun if done right, and I was perfectly prepared to roll with it, but Jack West Jr. gets kidnapped ten years after the previous books to perform for insane royals who style themselves Hades? For the SAKE of being the grand hero that saves the universe?
Um.
Trials of Hercules? With a 30's SF bent? With... you guessed it... pit fighting AND traps? TRAPS? Do these ever feature strongly in these books? NO WAY!
I don't mind it if I go into a book series that stretches credulity. I didn't mind sun spots boiling the earth and being saved by the missing capstone of the Giza pyramid. No problem. I didn't mind the G.I. Joe plot of racing toward getting the mystical stones to rule the world in the second and third novels.
But self-styled gods sacrificing legendary heroes throughout history for... oh gosh... pick your conspiracy reason? Credulity officially broken. :) I like being pulled along for delicious rides and the previous ones were delicious, but this one felt old and spread too thin like too little butter over a piece of toast.
Not to say that the pacing wasn't good, because it was. And there was enough action for any Die Hard fan. Plenty of pathos, too. But it requires a major suspension of belief, and I *THOUGHT* I had that in spades! Don't I enjoy all the UF? All the Fantasy? All the SF? Well of course there's exceptions to everything, but for the most part, I'm fully on board... but this one wasn't even *really* SF and yet it was flying way out beyond the far reaches of cuckoo land. :)
Yeah, you see that galaxy shaped like the original swastika, not the one the nazis used? The galaxy traveling ten times faster than light on a gravity wave? Yeah. You see Jack West Jr, ten years older and a bit flabbier? Okay, Huntsman, Save Us.
*ducks and runs from his friends who swear by the series*
Um.
Trials of Hercules? With a 30's SF bent? With... you guessed it... pit fighting AND traps? TRAPS? Do these ever feature strongly in these books? NO WAY!
I don't mind it if I go into a book series that stretches credulity. I didn't mind sun spots boiling the earth and being saved by the missing capstone of the Giza pyramid. No problem. I didn't mind the G.I. Joe plot of racing toward getting the mystical stones to rule the world in the second and third novels.
But self-styled gods sacrificing legendary heroes throughout history for... oh gosh... pick your conspiracy reason? Credulity officially broken. :) I like being pulled along for delicious rides and the previous ones were delicious, but this one felt old and spread too thin like too little butter over a piece of toast.
Not to say that the pacing wasn't good, because it was. And there was enough action for any Die Hard fan. Plenty of pathos, too. But it requires a major suspension of belief, and I *THOUGHT* I had that in spades! Don't I enjoy all the UF? All the Fantasy? All the SF? Well of course there's exceptions to everything, but for the most part, I'm fully on board... but this one wasn't even *really* SF and yet it was flying way out beyond the far reaches of cuckoo land. :)
Yeah, you see that galaxy shaped like the original swastika, not the one the nazis used? The galaxy traveling ten times faster than light on a gravity wave? Yeah. You see Jack West Jr, ten years older and a bit flabbier? Okay, Huntsman, Save Us.
*ducks and runs from his friends who swear by the series*
September 25, 2020
**Re-read 09/20**
The benefit of forgetting details of books I've read is that I can re-read something like this and still be on the edge of my seat. It's so intense!
You can definitely feel the time between books, so it's good that it's set many years after the conclusion of The Five Greatest Warriors. The vibe is a little different, and it feels very much like a book written with the fans in mind - there's less history-chasing, and we're fixed in one spot rather than galavanting around the world. I think, by tightening the scope, Reilly has been able to produce a harder, faster installment, and it makes it much more thrilling. Plus there's that one character (or two, really) that fans have been waiting for Jack to meet so finally our fan-girl/boy/other dreams are all coming true. <3
Jack is still faced with complicated puzzles to solve, but there's no way he can go it all alone so there are some familiar faces along for the ride. That being said, several from the previous books don't even appear here, and others have rather minor roles. I didn't mind it at all, though, because there are so many new characters we get to have fun with, and Jack is facing off against a bunch of horrible, ruthless people so you know there's gonna be some serious carnage. I'm glad some of our friends were safe from it all!
I loved that it was this ferocious set of challenges but there was still the logical element to it, too, and the ancient mythology and historical facts mixed in to make it a proper Jack West Jr adventure. I also love that Jack is just so true to himself. He grumbles a little bit about being thrown into these messes (understandable) but then he just gets it done anyway. But no matter the challenge he still does things his OWN way - it makes him such a loveable character. Plus it gives us so many awesome moments. Like, sure, he's this noble guy and he believes all people derserve respect and he fights for what's right, absolute hero, etc etc ... but please don't think for a second that he's above giving the bad guys the finger.
Absolutely LOVE this adventure. It's a separate adventure from that covered in the first three books, but there's still that link between them, and it's definitely setting up for an epic continuation of the series. (The next of which I've also read, and forgotten. LOL *awkward laugh*)
A fantastic read and a brilliant addition to the series, but if you're not familiar with some of Reilly's other work you'll miss out on a fair bit of the fun of this one. Same goes if you're not familiar with the previous three novels. On the other hand, if you're all caught up, you should absolutely love this.
**Original Review 10/16**
Epic. Totally epic. Well worth the wait for this fourth installment in the Jack West Jr series! It's a beautiful blend of the old and the new, with more history and mythology built into non-stop action, only the scale here is much bigger. We don't have the whole team from the previous novels but there's a decent serve of other characters that quite easily fill the hole and indeed make things even more interesting. The challenges themselves are interesting; perhaps less puzzling than what we're used to but they still maintain plenty of intensity. Even amidst the action though there are some beautiful themes so the human element is still very much present. There are some predictable outcomes however it's their delivery that keeps things alive so they in no way lessen the thrills. This novel can be easily devoured in one sitting if you have the time but beware - finishing it so suddenly is likely to result in a decent book-hangover. I already miss it, and will be hanging out for the next one!
An absolute must for fans of the Jack West Jr series, and a worthy read for fans of Matthew Reilly. You won't be disappointed!
The benefit of forgetting details of books I've read is that I can re-read something like this and still be on the edge of my seat. It's so intense!
You can definitely feel the time between books, so it's good that it's set many years after the conclusion of The Five Greatest Warriors. The vibe is a little different, and it feels very much like a book written with the fans in mind - there's less history-chasing, and we're fixed in one spot rather than galavanting around the world. I think, by tightening the scope, Reilly has been able to produce a harder, faster installment, and it makes it much more thrilling. Plus there's that one character (or two, really) that fans have been waiting for Jack to meet so finally our fan-girl/boy/other dreams are all coming true. <3
Jack is still faced with complicated puzzles to solve, but there's no way he can go it all alone so there are some familiar faces along for the ride. That being said, several from the previous books don't even appear here, and others have rather minor roles. I didn't mind it at all, though, because there are so many new characters we get to have fun with, and Jack is facing off against a bunch of horrible, ruthless people so you know there's gonna be some serious carnage. I'm glad some of our friends were safe from it all!
I loved that it was this ferocious set of challenges but there was still the logical element to it, too, and the ancient mythology and historical facts mixed in to make it a proper Jack West Jr adventure. I also love that Jack is just so true to himself. He grumbles a little bit about being thrown into these messes (understandable) but then he just gets it done anyway. But no matter the challenge he still does things his OWN way - it makes him such a loveable character. Plus it gives us so many awesome moments. Like, sure, he's this noble guy and he believes all people derserve respect and he fights for what's right, absolute hero, etc etc ... but please don't think for a second that he's above giving the bad guys the finger.
Absolutely LOVE this adventure. It's a separate adventure from that covered in the first three books, but there's still that link between them, and it's definitely setting up for an epic continuation of the series. (The next of which I've also read, and forgotten. LOL *awkward laugh*)
A fantastic read and a brilliant addition to the series, but if you're not familiar with some of Reilly's other work you'll miss out on a fair bit of the fun of this one. Same goes if you're not familiar with the previous three novels. On the other hand, if you're all caught up, you should absolutely love this.
**Original Review 10/16**
Epic. Totally epic. Well worth the wait for this fourth installment in the Jack West Jr series! It's a beautiful blend of the old and the new, with more history and mythology built into non-stop action, only the scale here is much bigger. We don't have the whole team from the previous novels but there's a decent serve of other characters that quite easily fill the hole and indeed make things even more interesting. The challenges themselves are interesting; perhaps less puzzling than what we're used to but they still maintain plenty of intensity. Even amidst the action though there are some beautiful themes so the human element is still very much present. There are some predictable outcomes however it's their delivery that keeps things alive so they in no way lessen the thrills. This novel can be easily devoured in one sitting if you have the time but beware - finishing it so suddenly is likely to result in a decent book-hangover. I already miss it, and will be hanging out for the next one!
An absolute must for fans of the Jack West Jr series, and a worthy read for fans of Matthew Reilly. You won't be disappointed!
June 8, 2020
The first book in the series was an explosion of action which left me begging for more. The second and third book were more of the same. Together they form the second story, engineered to be bigger and better than the first one and let’s be honest, Matthew Reilly succeeded and then some. This one, the fourth book, however breaks the mold. This book is built to set things up for the final trilogy and it kind of feels like it. I thought that was a bad thing but re-reading the series from the start has changed my mind. It actually feels more like a breath of fresh air to revitalize the series. For the series not to get stale and for it to be able to reach new heights.
The scale of the setting is a lot smaller. In the previous books, the characters were jumping all over the world in flashes of explosive action. In this book, by keeping the characters locked in such a confined environment, it gives us readers some breathing room. Not much though. This is Matthew Reilly we’re talking about here. It’s full of action and awesomeness as always. It also fits perfectly in the Jack West series as jaw-dropping history, adrenaline-fueled action and high-stakes excitement dominate this book from start to finish. Not only did Matthew Reilly make sure the stakes were high enough to fit the series, he even did a Scarecrow crossover, which was the icing on the cake.
The scale of the setting is a lot smaller. In the previous books, the characters were jumping all over the world in flashes of explosive action. In this book, by keeping the characters locked in such a confined environment, it gives us readers some breathing room. Not much though. This is Matthew Reilly we’re talking about here. It’s full of action and awesomeness as always. It also fits perfectly in the Jack West series as jaw-dropping history, adrenaline-fueled action and high-stakes excitement dominate this book from start to finish. Not only did Matthew Reilly make sure the stakes were high enough to fit the series, he even did a Scarecrow crossover, which was the icing on the cake.
Read
December 22, 2016Nope I just can't do it.
October 13, 2021
Jack West Jr. and Scarecrow finally meet. However, we've throw out the Indiana Jonesy parts of the book and turned this into an action movie on speed like the Scarecrow books. Jack gets kidnapped and wakes up in the middle of same ancient games to the death. Yes, Reilly does tie in these modern games into Hercules's 12 labors and Gilgamesh's epic, but it feels like we're missing some of that search for ancient artifacts aspect. The end of the book definitely just felt like it was just laying ground for the last 3 novels. It's still a really fun book. It just feels a bit out of place from the other Jack West Jr. novels.
January 18, 2024
Minotaurs, minotaurs and more minotaurs.
Jack West Jr has overcome some incredible (some might even say unbelievable) situations in the past, but when he wakes up in a cell with a minotaur bursting through the door in full attack mode, things reach a whole new level. And then things take a turn for the strange as Matthew Reilly leads us on yet another heart-stopping thrill ride through the underworld in The Four Legendary Kingdoms.
There are 16 heroes who have all either chosen to take part or, like West, have been abducted and coerced to participate in a series of challenges with their fates, the fate of their friends and, indeed, the entire world depending on their success. In true Matthew Reilly style, this epic action adventure is intense, fast-paced and brutal, seriously etched in myth and creates a classic good vs evil scenario over and over again. To ram home the illusion, the person running the game is Hades, Lord of the Underworld.
Before we start on the rules of the game the contestants are playing, we should first explain the stakes. It seems that there’s a gigantic galaxy - the Hydra Galaxy - hurtling towards the Milky Way and, if left unchecked, will completely obliterate everything in its path. The only way to avoid this is to place a group of orbs into position that will set off a signal that will divert the Hydra Galaxy’s path and phew we will all be saved. It’s the orbs that the heroes are competing for, win them, be the sole survivor and the kingdom they represent will also get…ultimate power.
Okay then, the rules of this game. Don’t be last, if you’re last you die.
The challenges involve races through vertical mazes and similarly difficult arenas, made more dangerous by the presence of boiling sulfur water, lava-type ooze and the like. Of course, just to make things even harder, there’s more minotaurs to attack and slow down contestants. Then there’s Fear and Chaos, a couple of ultimate warriors who are armed, dangerous and have one goal in mind, kill the contestants.
So, as I said, the big rule of each challenge is don’t be last.
Take a guess who always takes up the rear position in every challenge and then, by some minor miracle, manages to squeak through by the barest of margins. Yep, that’s right, the ole fake cliffhanger, a Reilly favourite, plays out time and again. The fun lies in watching what completely and totally unexpected way in which Jack West pulls his ass out of the fire.
To be honest, there’s a lot to like about The Four Legendary Kingdoms such as the mythological references that soak through the pages and the imaginative problem solving that takes place at very regular intervals. Also the appearance of one Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield as one of West’s fellow competitors giving him an ally in the game as well as putting him in a major quandary, seeing as this is a “last man living” scenario. This is essentially action on steroids and the pace is just relentless.
This is the type of book that you’ve got to be in the mood for. Outlandish scenarios, death and mayhem at every turn, plots to deceive and double-cross, a modern day recreation of Hercules’ 12 labors with the Epic of Gilgamesh thrown in for good measure. All that and a world to save, a daughter to protect and a couple of dogs who will be drowned under liquid cement should Jack fail.
Fortunately for me, I was in the right frame of mind (although I did start getting annoyed by the increasing ridiculousness of the challenges towards the end) and was listening to the Audiobook version of this while out running and the kms just flew by.
Jack West Jr has overcome some incredible (some might even say unbelievable) situations in the past, but when he wakes up in a cell with a minotaur bursting through the door in full attack mode, things reach a whole new level. And then things take a turn for the strange as Matthew Reilly leads us on yet another heart-stopping thrill ride through the underworld in The Four Legendary Kingdoms.
There are 16 heroes who have all either chosen to take part or, like West, have been abducted and coerced to participate in a series of challenges with their fates, the fate of their friends and, indeed, the entire world depending on their success. In true Matthew Reilly style, this epic action adventure is intense, fast-paced and brutal, seriously etched in myth and creates a classic good vs evil scenario over and over again. To ram home the illusion, the person running the game is Hades, Lord of the Underworld.
Before we start on the rules of the game the contestants are playing, we should first explain the stakes. It seems that there’s a gigantic galaxy - the Hydra Galaxy - hurtling towards the Milky Way and, if left unchecked, will completely obliterate everything in its path. The only way to avoid this is to place a group of orbs into position that will set off a signal that will divert the Hydra Galaxy’s path and phew we will all be saved. It’s the orbs that the heroes are competing for, win them, be the sole survivor and the kingdom they represent will also get…ultimate power.
Okay then, the rules of this game. Don’t be last, if you’re last you die.
The challenges involve races through vertical mazes and similarly difficult arenas, made more dangerous by the presence of boiling sulfur water, lava-type ooze and the like. Of course, just to make things even harder, there’s more minotaurs to attack and slow down contestants. Then there’s Fear and Chaos, a couple of ultimate warriors who are armed, dangerous and have one goal in mind, kill the contestants.
So, as I said, the big rule of each challenge is don’t be last.
Take a guess who always takes up the rear position in every challenge and then, by some minor miracle, manages to squeak through by the barest of margins. Yep, that’s right, the ole fake cliffhanger, a Reilly favourite, plays out time and again. The fun lies in watching what completely and totally unexpected way in which Jack West pulls his ass out of the fire.
To be honest, there’s a lot to like about The Four Legendary Kingdoms such as the mythological references that soak through the pages and the imaginative problem solving that takes place at very regular intervals. Also the appearance of one Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield as one of West’s fellow competitors giving him an ally in the game as well as putting him in a major quandary, seeing as this is a “last man living” scenario. This is essentially action on steroids and the pace is just relentless.
This is the type of book that you’ve got to be in the mood for. Outlandish scenarios, death and mayhem at every turn, plots to deceive and double-cross, a modern day recreation of Hercules’ 12 labors with the Epic of Gilgamesh thrown in for good measure. All that and a world to save, a daughter to protect and a couple of dogs who will be drowned under liquid cement should Jack fail.
Fortunately for me, I was in the right frame of mind (although I did start getting annoyed by the increasing ridiculousness of the challenges towards the end) and was listening to the Audiobook version of this while out running and the kms just flew by.
April 6, 2019
Book 4 in the Jack West series.
This reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games but with middle aged men instead of teenagers. The only way to survive these games is to kill all the other combatants before they kill you.
One minute Jack West is looking through a telescope at Pine Gap the next he is fighting for his life against, of all things, a Minotaur.
Jack has been abducted from Pine Gap and now finds himself in the Underworld as a combatant in the games. The very games that Hercules fought in many thousands of years ago. The purpose of the game is to save the world, no, the Universe from extinction.
So once again it’s up to Jack and his buddies to save our stinking hides.
Pros.
This takes off on page one and your feet will not touch Terra firma for the next 8 or 9 hours.
Cons.
Adrenalin, like sex, can become a bit jaded when done to excess and there’s a lot of adrenalin here, not much sex but a lot of adrenalin.
If you like Boys Own Adventure Stories with a few expletives thrown in to keep thing adult then this will be right up your alley.
This was a 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars for me.
This reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games but with middle aged men instead of teenagers. The only way to survive these games is to kill all the other combatants before they kill you.
One minute Jack West is looking through a telescope at Pine Gap the next he is fighting for his life against, of all things, a Minotaur.
Jack has been abducted from Pine Gap and now finds himself in the Underworld as a combatant in the games. The very games that Hercules fought in many thousands of years ago. The purpose of the game is to save the world, no, the Universe from extinction.
So once again it’s up to Jack and his buddies to save our stinking hides.
Pros.
This takes off on page one and your feet will not touch Terra firma for the next 8 or 9 hours.
Cons.
Adrenalin, like sex, can become a bit jaded when done to excess and there’s a lot of adrenalin here, not much sex but a lot of adrenalin.
If you like Boys Own Adventure Stories with a few expletives thrown in to keep thing adult then this will be right up your alley.
This was a 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars for me.
May 18, 2020
Second Read:
This time I listened to the audiobook, and it was so enjoyable! Time to finally read the sequel :D
First Read:
Oh. My. Giddy Aunt.
This time I listened to the audiobook, and it was so enjoyable! Time to finally read the sequel :D
First Read:
Oh. My. Giddy Aunt.
January 7, 2018
This was way too over the top, even for this series to be enjoyable.
December 23, 2018
I guess this is what happens when you are a mood reader - you buy a book in a favorite series by your favorite author and leave it on your bookshelf for two years without even trying to read. And then finally when you start it, you finish it in a single sitting and wonder, what the hell you were doing not reading it till now... That’s exactly what happened here my friends. This book is as amazing as the previous installments of Jack West Jr’s adventures and I’m so sad that I waited this long to indulge in the fun.
It’s been so long that I had actually forgotten how brave and resourceful Jack has always been, but when we meet him here in the beginning, he is clearly not at his best. It takes quite some time in the book for him to gain his footing and figure out what the hell is going on, and I thought it was a great way to show us that Jack can be vulnerable too. But he is also extremely knowledgeable and once he understands the myth behind the Great Games, he not only uses his strength but also his brains to overcome the challenges. But the best part - even the circumstances of fighting to the death can’t change his inherent compassionate nature and that plays such a major role in turning the tide in the story.
I have been a huge fan of Reilly’s work since I read Ice Station and I have never looked back. This series particularly has always enthralled me because of the deft way he incorporates fast paced nonstop action with age old myths and legends from across the world and the hero’s quests we all love in our adventure novels. This book plays on the myth of the Twelve Labors of Hercules and the Legend of the Minotaur and intertwines it with the concept of shadow kingdoms that rule our modern world and all of the story occurs in a matter of days, which makes for some breathtaking action sequences among deadly mazes and booby traps with Jack fighting for his survival and that of the entire universe. The stakes are very high and I was literally on my toes every page, wondering what was gonna happen next.
If you already know who Jack West Jr is, I don’t need to tell you that this book is a lot of fun to read. Also, for fans of “all” Matthew Reilly novels, you have a delightful surprise awaiting in this installment - so don’t make the mistake I did and read this one immediately. If you don’t know about Jack but you love a lot of adventure in your books with a hefty dose of mythology, then I highly recommend this series. Be prepared to be enthralled !!! And now I’m off to read The Three Secret Cities because I can’t wait 😃😃😃
It’s been so long that I had actually forgotten how brave and resourceful Jack has always been, but when we meet him here in the beginning, he is clearly not at his best. It takes quite some time in the book for him to gain his footing and figure out what the hell is going on, and I thought it was a great way to show us that Jack can be vulnerable too. But he is also extremely knowledgeable and once he understands the myth behind the Great Games, he not only uses his strength but also his brains to overcome the challenges. But the best part - even the circumstances of fighting to the death can’t change his inherent compassionate nature and that plays such a major role in turning the tide in the story.
I have been a huge fan of Reilly’s work since I read Ice Station and I have never looked back. This series particularly has always enthralled me because of the deft way he incorporates fast paced nonstop action with age old myths and legends from across the world and the hero’s quests we all love in our adventure novels. This book plays on the myth of the Twelve Labors of Hercules and the Legend of the Minotaur and intertwines it with the concept of shadow kingdoms that rule our modern world and all of the story occurs in a matter of days, which makes for some breathtaking action sequences among deadly mazes and booby traps with Jack fighting for his survival and that of the entire universe. The stakes are very high and I was literally on my toes every page, wondering what was gonna happen next.
If you already know who Jack West Jr is, I don’t need to tell you that this book is a lot of fun to read. Also, for fans of “all” Matthew Reilly novels, you have a delightful surprise awaiting in this installment - so don’t make the mistake I did and read this one immediately. If you don’t know about Jack but you love a lot of adventure in your books with a hefty dose of mythology, then I highly recommend this series. Be prepared to be enthralled !!! And now I’m off to read The Three Secret Cities because I can’t wait 😃😃😃
March 14, 2018
This may just have been my favourite of the series so far. I love time skips and I love crossovers, and this has both. It features Scarecrow, a character from Reilly’s other series which I have not yet read. Nevertheless I enjoyed the crossover.
I should also mention this book involves a ‘fight to the death, last man standing contest’. This is basically my favourite trope ever. Any book that has that as a plot I will pick up. It was exciting to see Jack West Jr thrown into that type of situation.
Bonus points to this book for one of the best deaths ever. A man was stabbed by another man body slamming him while impaled on a sword. Amazing.
I should also mention this book involves a ‘fight to the death, last man standing contest’. This is basically my favourite trope ever. Any book that has that as a plot I will pick up. It was exciting to see Jack West Jr thrown into that type of situation.
Bonus points to this book for one of the best deaths ever. A man was stabbed by another man body slamming him while impaled on a sword. Amazing.
November 14, 2018
Wild ride! Plus, top secret surprise!!!!!
October 20, 2016
একটুখানি দ্যা টুর্নামেন্ট মুভির অংশ। ওইখানে পেটের ভিতরে ডিভাইস ছিল এইখানে মাথার ভিতরে। বাড়তি হিসাবে হোস্ট আছে
একটুখানি টুর্নামেন্ট মুভি কিংবা হাংগার গেমস - এরেনাতে ঢুকবে ডজনেরখানেক লোক জিতবে শুধুই একজন।বাকি সবাইকে অবশ্যই অবশ্যই মরতে হবে।
ভাগ্যিস এইখানে হাংগার গেমসের মত অতি নাটুকেপানা করে নি তবে যাও করেছে সেটাও কম না।!
কাহিনী হল কি জ্যাক ওয়েস্ট জুনিয়র দিব্যি ভাল মানুষের মত সুখে শান্তিতে আছে কিন্তু উনি সুখে শান্তিতে থাকলে দুনিয়াকে আশু বিপদের হাত থেকে বাঁচাবে কে?
হইছে কি দুনিয়ার বড়ই বিপদ। এক বদখত দেখতে গ্যালাক্সি এগিয়ে আসছে মিল্কিওয়ের চেয়ে কয়েকগুন বিশাল । যেটা কিনা পুরা মিমিল্কিওয়ে গ্যালাক্সিরে ধুয়ে মুছে দিবে। এই গ্যালাক্সির ছোট এক গ্রহ পৃথিবী।
বরাবরের মত প্রাচীন কোন সভত্য এই জিনিস আগেই মোকাবেলা করেছিল এবং তারা এই বিশাল বাজে গ্যালাক্সির হাত থেকে উদ্ধারের কোন না কোন সুত্র রেখে গিয়েছে। এই প্রাচীন সভ্যতা হল গ্রিক।
এক পার্সি জ্যাকসন দুনিয়ারে বিশাল লেভেলের উদ্ধার করে ফেলেছে সবাই এখন সব কিছুতেই গ্রিক মিথ ঢুকায়। রায়েলী মশাই বা বাদ যাবেন কেন?
উনিও যান নি। তাই এই বইয়ের প্রাচীন সভ্যতা হিসাবে কাজ করছে গ্রিক সভ্যতা।
মানে এইখানে প্রায় অনেকের দেখাই পাবেন পাতাল দেবতা হেইডিস তার কুকুর সেরেবাস। হারকিউলিক্স .......
এক গ্লাস পানিতে এক প্যাকেট ওরস্যালাইন এর মত এক গ্লাস দ্যা টুর্নামেন্ট মুভির ভিত্রে গ্রিক মিথ ঢুকায় দিছে সাথে বরাবরের মতই কোন প্রাচীন সভ্যতা আগে কি করে দুনিয়া বাঁচাইত । কাজ শেষ।
এমনে লিখছি দেখে ভাববেন না আমি রাইলী সাহেবরে দেখতে পারি না। জনাব আমার ক্রাশ ছিল।
উপরক্ত দোষ ছাড়া আর কি কি দোষ মিশ্রিত চলেন দেখে আসি।
১ কোন ধরনের নতুনত্ব নাই। সেই পুরানো জিনিস পৃথিবী ধ্বংস হয়ে যাবে এই ধ্বংস ঠেকাতে প্রাচীন জ্ঞান ধার করতে হবে বুদ্ধির খেলা খেলতে হবে। মারামারি করে টিকে থাকতে হবে ব্লা ব্লা ব্লা। রায়েলীর গৎবাঁধা জ্যাক ওয়েস্ট জুনিয়র
২ সেভেন ওয়ান্ডার, ৫গ্রেটেস্ট ওয়ারিওস এ তাও পৃথিবী সুদ্ধা ঘুরে বেড়াইছে। এইখানে কাহিনী এক বদ্ধ জায়গার ভিতরে ঘুরপাক খাইছে।
ভাল দিক কি কি?
অবশ্যই খুবই গতিশীল থ্রিলার এক বারের জন্য রেখে দিতে মন চাইবে না
রায়েলীর কায়দায় কয়েকটা টুইস্ট দেবার ট্রাই করেছে। তার ভিতরে একটা ভালই কাজে লেগেছে বাট পরে বুঝে দেখলাম এইরকম একটা সিন এক্স-ম্যান মুভিতেও আছে (হটাৎ করে অতি মুভি দেখার কুফল)
আরেকটা ভাল দিক একশন দৃশ্য গুলোর চিত্রায়ণ। এই জিনিস লেখক মশাই যথেষ্টই মুন্সিয়ানার সহিত উপস্থাপন করেছেন।
বইটায় এরেনার/ আন্ডারওয়ার্ল্ড ভিতরে কাহিনী বুঝার জন্য অনেক চিত্র দেওয়া আছে। যার ভিতরে এক চিত্র বুঝতে গিয়ে মাথা ঘুরান্টিও দিছে তবে কথা হল চিত্র গুলোর সুন্দর। বইটার জিনিস পাতি বুঝতে সাহায্য করবে।
২.৫ থেকে ৩ এর ভিতরে পাবে। আরো আগে পড়লে হয়ত আরো বেশি পেত কিন্তু এখন কথায় কথায় মুগ্ধ হই না।
একটুখানি টুর্নামেন্ট মুভি কিংবা হাংগার গেমস - এরেনাতে ঢুকবে ডজনেরখানেক লোক জিতবে শুধুই একজন।বাকি সবাইকে অবশ্যই অবশ্যই মরতে হবে।
ভাগ্যিস এইখানে হাংগার গেমসের মত অতি নাটুকেপানা করে নি তবে যাও করেছে সেটাও কম না।!
কাহিনী হল কি জ্যাক ওয়েস্ট জুনিয়র দিব্যি ভাল মানুষের মত সুখে শান্তিতে আছে কিন্তু উনি সুখে শান্তিতে থাকলে দুনিয়াকে আশু বিপদের হাত থেকে বাঁচাবে কে?
হইছে কি দুনিয়ার বড়ই বিপদ। এক বদখত দেখতে গ্যালাক্সি এগিয়ে আসছে মিল্কিওয়ের চেয়ে কয়েকগুন বিশাল । যেটা কিনা পুরা মিমিল্কিওয়ে গ্যালাক্সিরে ধুয়ে মুছে দিবে। এই গ্যালাক্সির ছোট এক গ্রহ পৃথিবী।
বরাবরের মত প্রাচীন কোন সভত্য এই জিনিস আগেই মোকাবেলা করেছিল এবং তারা এই বিশাল বাজে গ্যালাক্সির হাত থেকে উদ্ধারের কোন না কোন সুত্র রেখে গিয়েছে। এই প্রাচীন সভ্যতা হল গ্রিক।
এক পার্সি জ্যাকসন দুনিয়ারে বিশাল লেভেলের উদ্ধার করে ফেলেছে সবাই এখন সব কিছুতেই গ্রিক মিথ ঢুকায়। রায়েলী মশাই বা বাদ যাবেন কেন?
উনিও যান নি। তাই এই বইয়ের প্রাচীন সভ্যতা হিসাবে কাজ করছে গ্রিক সভ্যতা।
মানে এইখানে প্রায় অনেকের দেখাই পাবেন পাতাল দেবতা হেইডিস তার কুকুর সেরেবাস। হারকিউলিক্স .......
এক গ্লাস পানিতে এক প্যাকেট ওরস্যালাইন এর মত এক গ্লাস দ্যা টুর্নামেন্ট মুভির ভিত্রে গ্রিক মিথ ঢুকায় দিছে সাথে বরাবরের মতই কোন প্রাচীন সভ্যতা আগে কি করে দুনিয়া বাঁচাইত । কাজ শেষ।
এমনে লিখছি দেখে ভাববেন না আমি রাইলী সাহেবরে দেখতে পারি না। জনাব আমার ক্রাশ ছিল।
উপরক্ত দোষ ছাড়া আর কি কি দোষ মিশ্রিত চলেন দেখে আসি।
১ কোন ধরনের নতুনত্ব নাই। সেই পুরানো জিনিস পৃথিবী ধ্বংস হয়ে যাবে এই ধ্বংস ঠেকাতে প্রাচীন জ্ঞান ধার করতে হবে বুদ্ধির খেলা খেলতে হবে। মারামারি করে টিকে থাকতে হবে ব্লা ব্লা ব্লা। রায়েলীর গৎবাঁধা জ্যাক ওয়েস্ট জুনিয়র
২ সেভেন ওয়ান্ডার, ৫গ্রেটেস্ট ওয়ারিওস এ তাও পৃথিবী সুদ্ধা ঘুরে বেড়াইছে। এইখানে কাহিনী এক বদ্ধ জায়গার ভিতরে ঘুরপাক খাইছে।
ভাল দিক কি কি?
অবশ্যই খুবই গতিশীল থ্রিলার এক বারের জন্য রেখে দিতে মন চাইবে না
রায়েলীর কায়দায় কয়েকটা টুইস্ট দেবার ট্রাই করেছে। তার ভিতরে একটা ভালই কাজে লেগেছে বাট পরে বুঝে দেখলাম এইরকম একটা সিন এক্স-ম্যান মুভিতেও আছে (হটাৎ করে অতি মুভি দেখার কুফল)
আরেকটা ভাল দিক একশন দৃশ্য গুলোর চিত্রায়ণ। এই জিনিস লেখক মশাই যথেষ্টই মুন্সিয়ানার সহিত উপস্থাপন করেছেন।
বইটায় এরেনার/ আন্ডারওয়ার্ল্ড ভিতরে কাহিনী বুঝার জন্য অনেক চিত্র দেওয়া আছে। যার ভিতরে এক চিত্র বুঝতে গিয়ে মাথা ঘুরান্টিও দিছে তবে কথা হল চিত্র গুলোর সুন্দর। বইটার জিনিস পাতি বুঝতে সাহায্য করবে।
২.৫ থেকে ৩ এর ভিতরে পাবে। আরো আগে পড়লে হয়ত আরো বেশি পেত কিন্তু এখন কথায় কথায় মুগ্ধ হই না।
November 30, 2016
The Four Legendary Kingdoms is by far the most new reader friendly in the series (Seven Ancient Wonders, the first book in the Jack West Jr. series aside). The book follows on from the events of The Five Greatest Warriors many years after conclusion of that book and feels like it breathes new life into the series. The characters, new and old, are engaging and each adds the overall dynamic of the story.
Hades is a great location for this book. Not only does it allow for a hint of the supernatural to be embedded in the fantastical adventure series but also paves the way for new and interesting characters to enter the fray.
Long time readers of Matthew Reilly will love The Four Legendary Kingdoms for reasons I can't go into because of major spoilers. Needless to say there are many fanboy (or girl, depending on the reader) moments that left a goofy smile on my face.
I've always enjoyed the Jack West Jr. books and am pleased to say that The Four Legendary Kingdoms may just be the best one yet.
Hades is a great location for this book. Not only does it allow for a hint of the supernatural to be embedded in the fantastical adventure series but also paves the way for new and interesting characters to enter the fray.
Long time readers of Matthew Reilly will love The Four Legendary Kingdoms for reasons I can't go into because of major spoilers. Needless to say there are many fanboy (or girl, depending on the reader) moments that left a goofy smile on my face.
I've always enjoyed the Jack West Jr. books and am pleased to say that The Four Legendary Kingdoms may just be the best one yet.
June 14, 2017
6/13/17 ~ So enjoyable, definitely look forward to more from this series.
Certainly wasn't expecting that. Ok, ready for more!! Is it time for the next book yet?!
Certainly wasn't expecting that. Ok, ready for more!! Is it time for the next book yet?!
February 7, 2017
This was another cracking read in the Jack West Junior Series, we've had to wait seven years for this but it was well worth the wait! Like all books in this series there is plenty of action which moves along at a cracking pace and is supported by a strong historical backdrop. As usual in these books Jack had to step in to save the world from disaster but in this case it was voluntary. If you are a Matthew Reilly fan you will see a character from one of his other series appear. The good news is that there looks as there will be more books in this series. This is added to my favourites like others in the series. Not read any Jack West Junior books - what are you waiting for! ❤
February 12, 2017
Best Jack West book yet and my book BF Scarecrow was there! What was not to love...John Woo couldn't have done a better job of coming up with these over the top action sequences. Very, very good. I hope it isn't that long before we see another book in the series.
October 19, 2016
Wow! Absolutely amazing. Without giving anything away, lets just say, I had to stop reading and sit there mouth agape on more than one occasion. Just to process what i was reading.
Love the concept, reminded me of Contest, but on a larger scale. I read Contest at least once a year.
The hardest thing for me was not being able to share with anyone, having read it within 2 days of coming out.
I'm going to read this book again very soon. Slowly and savour every encounter.
And this is why Matthew Reilly is my fave author. As always, love your work Mr Reilly.
Very big ***** 5 stars for the Four Lengedary Kingdoms.
Love the concept, reminded me of Contest, but on a larger scale. I read Contest at least once a year.
The hardest thing for me was not being able to share with anyone, having read it within 2 days of coming out.
I'm going to read this book again very soon. Slowly and savour every encounter.
And this is why Matthew Reilly is my fave author. As always, love your work Mr Reilly.
Very big ***** 5 stars for the Four Lengedary Kingdoms.
April 6, 2017
7th ancient wornders,Six Sacred Stones,Five greatest warrior, এর পরের পার্ট Four legendary kingdom রিলিজ হওয়ার দিন অপেক্ষা করেছিলাম কবে পড়তে পারব। পূর্ববর্তী পার্ট গুলার মত এটা ছিল বেশ রোমহর্ষক, প্রাচীন অনেক তথ্য বহুল। বেশ ভাল লিখেছে। সমস্যা একটাই, ইভেন্ট গুলার বর্নানা মোটেও ভাল লাগেনি। মেইজ রানার বা অন্য মুভি তে এগুলা দেখে ফেলেছি।
সম্ভবত পরের পার্ট এর নাম হবে Three Secret Cities.সেখানে জ্যাক ওয়েষ্ট জুনিয়র।
আমার সদ্য কৈশর থেকে জ্যাক ওয়েষ্ট সিরিজ শুরু হয়েছে, এখন যৌবন চলে মাগার জ্যাক ওয়েষ্ট এর বয়স বাড়ে না। আমি বুড়া হয়ে গেলাম অথচ হালা মিশনের পর মিশন করে পৃথিবী রক্ষা করে চলছে।
সম্ভবত পরের পার্ট এর নাম হবে Three Secret Cities.সেখানে জ্যাক ওয়েষ্ট জুনিয়র।
আমার সদ্য কৈশর থেকে জ্যাক ওয়েষ্ট সিরিজ শুরু হয়েছে, এখন যৌবন চলে মাগার জ্যাক ওয়েষ্ট এর বয়স বাড়ে না। আমি বুড়া হয়ে গেলাম অথচ হালা মিশনের পর মিশন করে পৃথিবী রক্ষা করে চলছে।
December 14, 2018
Well this is a first.
I legitimately felt giddy while reading this. Giddy. I only get this excited when squealing over smoochy kitties.
But this, THIS, was everything.
Myths, action, heroes, legends, death, more death, friends, enemies, even more death.
Well, compared to his other books the death count isn't actually that high. He didn't George RR Martin us :'-)
If you are reading this I don't think you need to be told to read Reilly's books, but I'm going to anyway. READ THE THINGS!
I legitimately felt giddy while reading this. Giddy. I only get this excited when squealing over smoochy kitties.
But this, THIS, was everything.
Myths, action, heroes, legends, death, more death, friends, enemies, even more death.
Well, compared to his other books the death count isn't actually that high. He didn't George RR Martin us :'-)
If you are reading this I don't think you need to be told to read Reilly's books, but I'm going to anyway. READ THE THINGS!
Read
November 4, 2021Loved every minute of it. I physically had to force myself to put the book down so I didn't finish it on the first night.
It has everything I love about Matthew Reilly's writing and more. Very happy reader here!
It has everything I love about Matthew Reilly's writing and more. Very happy reader here!
December 11, 2016
Always love Mr Reillys books. This was no exception. Plenty of action, crazy plot lines and backstory and loveable characters. The Jack West novels are a little over the top sometimes but that's what you expect when reading this series. Hopefully the next book comes out soon!!
May 10, 2017
This fourth book in the series of Jack West Jr. was awesome, and well worth the wait, since it took Reilly 6 years to write this one. As always, with any fast paced, action packed thriller, I've plowed through it like there was no tomorrow. God, I really hope it doesn't take Reilly another 6 years to write the next one.
Jack, Lily, Alby, Sky Monster, and Jack's dogs are kidnapped. Yeah, I did a double take too when I heard the dogs were taken hostage, but I realized later on that with all the chaos happening, it was a little fun. Jack has been kidnapped to participate in 'The Games'. A secret ritual akin to Hercules and the 12 labors. This isn't just your normal relay race, this novel packs it in with Minotaur armies, lakes of sulfur, rock climbing mazes, and a whole lot more thrilling stuff. Jack must compete with 16 other 'worthy' warriors and to survive, he must get through the most brutal of challenges.
I enjoy reading a competitive story. It is only natural to hope the good guy wins, but what happens when another favorite character is inserted into the fray of The Games? I was so thrilled to see another hero of mine from another book that I literally jumped outta my chair and yelled "YES, yes!!!" And then I realized, only one of my favorites can win, "awww man - this is gonna suck".
The end was brilliant Reilly, and you even left a good enough cliffhanger to make sure we keep on reading.....yes, yes!!
Jack, Lily, Alby, Sky Monster, and Jack's dogs are kidnapped. Yeah, I did a double take too when I heard the dogs were taken hostage, but I realized later on that with all the chaos happening, it was a little fun. Jack has been kidnapped to participate in 'The Games'. A secret ritual akin to Hercules and the 12 labors. This isn't just your normal relay race, this novel packs it in with Minotaur armies, lakes of sulfur, rock climbing mazes, and a whole lot more thrilling stuff. Jack must compete with 16 other 'worthy' warriors and to survive, he must get through the most brutal of challenges.
I enjoy reading a competitive story. It is only natural to hope the good guy wins, but what happens when another favorite character is inserted into the fray of The Games? I was so thrilled to see another hero of mine from another book that I literally jumped outta my chair and yelled "YES, yes!!!" And then I realized, only one of my favorites can win, "awww man - this is gonna suck".
The end was brilliant Reilly, and you even left a good enough cliffhanger to make sure we keep on reading.....yes, yes!!
March 26, 2017
Седя и мигам на парцали, като сова принудена да будува посред бял ден. Ето в такова състояние е способен да те остави Матю Райли след книга за Джак Уест Младши или Плашилото. А нека не забравяме, че това бе и едно адски очаквано от мен завръщане. Не ме разбирайте погрешно, обожавам как пише този човек, но Джак Уест винаги ми е бил присърце. В крайна сметка това е поредицата с която го открих за себе си като автор.
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September 4, 2024
The best book in the series so far, a non-stop action fest with great character work and deep ties to Greek/Roman mythology, a guy like me can’t ask for more. Very satisfying ending that still left me thirsty for more.
February 17, 2021
This was really fun - I think Matthew Reilly is quickly becoming my go-to guilty pleasure author.
This book does not ask you to suspend disbelief so much as tie it up in your scruples, douse it in gasoline, set fire to it and throw it overboard (preferably from a spaceship, if you can). The writing, I'm afraid, won't win the Pulitzer ("the corridor was superlong." "The mountain was superhigh." - Or, "The water flooded over the top of him" - I'm pretty sure the word you're looking for here is 'head'...), but then he doesn't tell you to expect proustian levels of delicate prose. He tells you to grab some popcorn and buckle up for one hell (sorry, bad pun) of a ride - and boy, does he deliver.
This book will grab you on page one and chew you up and won't let go of you until it spits you out on the last page with a cliff-hanger that will have you scooting over to the bookstore of your choice to immediately order the sequel.
While this can be read as a stand-alone and was the first one from the series that I read, it does contain many spoilers for the events of the earlier books and there's a strong overarching plotline that spans the entire series, so I would still recommend going in order with these.
This book does not ask you to suspend disbelief so much as tie it up in your scruples, douse it in gasoline, set fire to it and throw it overboard (preferably from a spaceship, if you can). The writing, I'm afraid, won't win the Pulitzer ("the corridor was superlong." "The mountain was superhigh." - Or, "The water flooded over the top of him" - I'm pretty sure the word you're looking for here is 'head'...), but then he doesn't tell you to expect proustian levels of delicate prose. He tells you to grab some popcorn and buckle up for one hell (sorry, bad pun) of a ride - and boy, does he deliver.
This book will grab you on page one and chew you up and won't let go of you until it spits you out on the last page with a cliff-hanger that will have you scooting over to the bookstore of your choice to immediately order the sequel.
While this can be read as a stand-alone and was the first one from the series that I read, it does contain many spoilers for the events of the earlier books and there's a strong overarching plotline that spans the entire series, so I would still recommend going in order with these.
November 30, 2016
Basically, this is Contest meets 7AW. Maybe his next book — allegedly time-travel related — will be better?
Most of the time, I love Matthew Reilly novels. I've been a fan since 2010/11. Unfortunately this completely missed the mark. The female characters, as another reviewer said, were all reduced to lamps. The plot devices felt cheap, and the infodumpiness was just too much, even for me.
I get he wants to set up the next three books, but what happened to easing the reader in like he did with 7AW? Train wrecks crash and burn, and this book certainly did. All the focus is on Jack, basically everyone but him is sidelined, and the 'let's make history fun' theme that underlines the previous three books is all but gone.
I wouldn't say the book is awful but it could certainly do with a rewrite. Matt tries to keep the pace going but unfortunately his goal to write a rollercoaster did him a disservice this time.
Most of the time, I love Matthew Reilly novels. I've been a fan since 2010/11. Unfortunately this completely missed the mark. The female characters, as another reviewer said, were all reduced to lamps. The plot devices felt cheap, and the infodumpiness was just too much, even for me.
I get he wants to set up the next three books, but what happened to easing the reader in like he did with 7AW? Train wrecks crash and burn, and this book certainly did. All the focus is on Jack, basically everyone but him is sidelined, and the 'let's make history fun' theme that underlines the previous three books is all but gone.
I wouldn't say the book is awful but it could certainly do with a rewrite. Matt tries to keep the pace going but unfortunately his goal to write a rollercoaster did him a disservice this time.
Basically, he did what everyone was and has expecting (a Shane Schofield meets Jack West Jr crossover) but failed at the execution.
He's also becoming fairly repetitive with his answers to the same old questions at signings, apparently (see Tumblr, a few users posted about the talks they went to), so maybe after the next three JWJ books, he should take a long holiday.
April 3, 2020
Like someone already said that when picking up Reilly's books you are assured that the action would be fast-paced and there would be some history thrown in since it's Jack West series.
Jack has been kidnapped and he must now take part in a competition or else his friends would die. Jack continues and in the meantime, our hero meets another hero from Matthew's arsenal we have Scarecrow joining hands with Jack West Jr.
It was fun and fast read as always now I am on to another Matthew Reilly's next book actually it's an old title but I picked it up recently.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
Jack has been kidnapped and he must now take part in a competition or else his friends would die. Jack continues and in the meantime, our hero meets another hero from Matthew's arsenal we have Scarecrow joining hands with Jack West Jr.
It was fun and fast read as always now I am on to another Matthew Reilly's next book actually it's an old title but I picked it up recently.
People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genre but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
December 11, 2016
I've enjoyed the adventurous Jack West Jr series to date, knowing that you can't take any of it too seriously, but I'm sorry to say Matthew Reilly has lost his way with this book. He hasn't created enough context for this 'world' where the book is set, and could have created so much more intrigue if the Four Kingdoms, and their Kings, had a more plausible backstory. Apparently they are the real, hidden rulers of the world, but nowhere could I pick up on anything about how they govern our world, other than just being rich dudes. Matthew Reilly has put all of his effort into the Challenges Jack must face, and not enough into the story. It was also really weak characterisation. If you were kidnapped, wouldn't you at some point worry about your wife not knowing what has happened to you? This tale needed more depth, and I don't think he would lose his readers who choose these books simply for their action and adventure if he did have more depth. It would create a richer experience for all readers. Regardless, I'll no doubt read the next instalment when it comes out to see how Jack next saves the world!
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