The Five Greatest Warriors
"Jack West Jnr is a marvellous character who is part Indiana Jones, part Robert Langdon and part Rambo."
Synopsis:
A race against time and other coalitions sees Captain Jack West Jnr battle to save the world from a global catastrophe as predicted and safe guarded against by ancient civilisations. To do this six diamond bricks must be placed into the slots on six inverted bronze pyramids by a certain date - or planet Earth will be destroyed.
The six bricks are hidden around the world - as are the six pyramids. West and his team have to uncover the clues that lead them to the diamond bricks and the pyramids whilst battling hostile forces which comprise alternatively of Jack's father, a member of the British royal family, a Japanese professor and a Russian spymaster among others.
Allegiances shift back and forward as each group try to win the race to each pyramid as each places brick imbues a special ability into the person who places it into the pyramid. If anyone can save the earth then whoever does so will almost certainly inherit it.
The book starts where its predecessor Six Secret stones ended with Jack and his fathers opposing forces battling at the site of the second pyramid.
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Review:
This is a strap yourself into your seat, rollercoaster-ride of a book which admittedly has little real crime investigation but boasts an inordinate amount of puzzles. For example, where are the next sites or stones to be found, whose loyalty can be trusted, what booby traps are in place at each location? I have read most of Matthew Reilly's books over the years and there are few other authors who can write a story which moves so quickly. Jack West Jnr is a marvellous character who is part Indiana Jones, part Robert Langdon and part Rambo. He has a great supporting cast with his loyal team and some wonderfully despicable foes, but he himself carries this story over his shoulder like a wounded colleague. The action pieces come thick and fast with the right balance of description and room for the reader's imagination. This book is cleverly put together and Reilly's taut prose does not give you much time to catch your breath before the adventures start again. Not a book for many hardened crime fans but an excellent foray for the rest of us who like a bit of adventure with our crime mysteries. If this book was a Hollywood film it would be like a Bond or Bourne movie where the action was as important as any other part and far more important than some.