(Reviewed by Ishita RC)
Jack West Jr. is finally living the life of peace with his family when one urgent call later, he gets kidnapped and finds himself waking up in an underground cell to a masked intruder charging at him with a knife.
Jack, it seems has been chosen – along with dozen other elite soldiers- to compete in a series of deadly challenges, that have been designed to fulfil an ancient ritual that puts the fate of the Earth at stake. In the process, he will discover the mysterious and powerful group of individuals behind it all: the four legendary kingdoms.
He might also discover that he is not the only hero in this place…
I have been waiting for this book since the day I came across the entire series. To be a fan of mythological fiction and then to wait with patience for your favorite writer to continue justifying the book, is a challenge on its own. The feeling of gratification is intensely satisfying when you finally get your hands on the book and you are not disappointed. This is especially true when two of your favorite characters are combined in one book to give an explosive narration.
Being familiar with the entirety of the series helps in understanding some of the plot elements and a few of the characters. But as an independent book, the plot delivery still lives up to the fast paced action shrouded in mysteries of mythology that is usually expected from Matthew Reilly and his characterization of Jack West Jr. There’s not a single moment where the book lets up, and for an avid reader that’s a very good sign. The plot was quite good and follows the previous installments, but somewhere I felt that the impact of the book lessened in few places. I can blame it on the depiction of some of the popular female characters of the franchise who have been undervalued and shadowed by the dose of testosterone.
I am a bit biased towards Jack West books and hence I did love the book despite the fact that there were many places where the book failed to deliver the necessary punch. Still going to recommend it.
