After
a wait of around 7 years Matthew Reilly returns to the Jack West Jr. series and
the adventurer finds himself in a whole lot of trouble from the get go.
West
awakens with a shaven head and shoeless in a prison cell and is quickly
attacked by a Minotaur! How’s that for an opening?
From
there its all familiar Matthew Reilly territory as we are treated to a series
of challenges (complete with descriptive maps and graphs) that West must
complete in order to save the planet from impending destruction. There are
hazards and lethal opponents galore but Jack finds an ally amongst all the
dangers in the form of a character that fans of Matthew Reilly will be very
familiar with. It’s a guest appearance that contributes greatly without ever
stealing the show.
Reilly
acknowledges the time gap since the last novel as the characters have all aged
accordingly. Jack’s daughter Lily, a little girl in the previous books, is now
20 years of age. Thankfully Horus the Falcon, a hero in the first book of the
series Seven Ancient Wonders, is still around even if not quite so heroic.
Fans
of adventure stories and conspiracy theories will have a blast but I wouldn't recommend jumping in without having read the previous novels.
The
Four Legendary Kingdoms by Matthew Reilly is available now in Hardback and
e-book.
Ric’s
Rating: Highly Recommended.