The Three Secret Cities (5) (Jack West, Jr.)

Pleasure, Very good

Like all his books this one did not disappoint. Great story wonderful characters. Very GOOD read.

The non stop action

I discovered Matthew Reilly JUST after Ice Station was released here in America. I bought it on a whim because an author I respected gave a blurb talking about the incredible sustained action sequences. I was NOT disappointed. By page 50 I was actively looking for anything else by Matthew. Imagine my deep sadness when I realized that the only other book he had published, was Contest, and that was practically impossible to find (at that time, anyway). Not long after, I found Temple (one of my all-time fav's by Reilly) and I've been hooked ever since.

I have a small, select group of authors that I buy their books in hardback exclusively...Matthew has worked his way up to the top of that list...and deservedly so. I'll never forget 7 Deadly Wonders. While at that time it was a self-contained novel that he never intended on writing a direct sequel to initially, I think we can all be grateful he managed to come up with a clever excuse to continue Jack West Jr's exploits. What I find to be a constant source of amazement is how he continues to make astonishingly creative sequels that tie together in really entertaining ways. And the action? As always, Matthew never lets up on that.

I can only wonder how he comes up with new ways to try and top himself, or at least equal what he's done already in previous novels. I won't spoil it if you haven't read it yet, but the scene in London over the Themes River is, well, WOW. Matthew has stated many times that he writes cinematically, and this particular section is one that I could see in my mind's eye clearly and man it would make one helluva great scene on the big screen. I keep wondering if/when Hollywood will decide to gamble on a genuinely entertaining book to turn into a movie rather than rely on endless sequels or remakes and put Matthew where his blockbuster novels deserve to be: in theaters. (provided they follow his stories and not try to ruin the books by re-writing them so poorly like they seem to do more often than not).

The Three Secret Cities contineus Jack West Jr and all of his friends as they work to stop the Omega Event from destroying the earth. It picks up immediately after the previous book and the action is (as usual) non-stop til the very end. Matthew introduces a new bad guy towards the end who truly is a new incarnation of evil and a really great antagonist. The scenes from the prison of Erebus are simply great. I loved how that tied into a cataclysmic event that Jack is desperately trying to prevent. Creative hardly scratches the surface of this thriller.

Thank you Matthew for once again, proving why you are such a master storyteller. Keep it up. I love your books.

Good addition to the series, easy read and great manipulation of historical/mythical tidbits. Not sure it's my favorite of the five thus far, but my rating is upped by the fact that the author stopped using copious amounts of exclamation points!