I recently met my second fave author, Matthew Reilly, when he came to Canberra for a book signing to promote his new novel, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves. Serial killer thriller writer Patricia Cornwell, author of the Kay Scarpetta series, is my number one, but number two is pretty good, given that I don't particularly care for Reilly's action-adventure-thriller genre.
To be honest, I have been avoiding his books for years. I admit I have been swayed at times by the rave reviews, but not enough to get me to pick one up and read it; although curiousity kept them on my radar.
Alas, a few months ago, I found myself a little bored one Saturday afternoon, so after years of saying NO THANKS to his crazy town works of fiction, I picked up Ice Station, Reilly's first novel in the Scarecrow series, and didn't really put it down until I got to the other end.
To be honest, I have been avoiding his books for years. I admit I have been swayed at times by the rave reviews, but not enough to get me to pick one up and read it; although curiousity kept them on my radar.Alas, a few months ago, I found myself a little bored one Saturday afternoon, so after years of saying NO THANKS to his crazy town works of fiction, I picked up Ice Station, Reilly's first novel in the Scarecrow series, and didn't really put it down until I got to the other end.
The bastard hooked me in right from the get go, and before I knew it, I had read my first completely improbable, multi-plot, non-stop-action roller coaster thriller ride of a narrative. It was a brilliant read. Loved every second of it. Was rabbiting on about it for weeks. This guy could write about paint drying on a wall and turn it into an exciting, unputdownable thriller.
The hero of the Scarecrow series, Captain Shane Scholfield, or Scarecrow - his Marine call sign - is relentlessly subjected to the vicissitudes of commando life. One minute he is standing around looking splendid in his flash-free ray bans, the next minute he is fleeing from a mutant, overgrown elephant seal the size of Sydney 's Centrepoint Tower
In the ensuing month, following Ice Station, I read all of the Scarecrow series and all of the Jack West Jr series, which meant I spent a couple of weeks dreaming and hallucinating of kick-arse commando units, maghooks, the arctic, antarctic ice shelves, the freakishly indestructable halicarnassus, mutant nuclear radiation-generated elephant seals, and claustrophobic, health-hazardous Egyptian tomb deathtraps. Thanks a bunch, Matthew Reilly.
The best thing about Reilly's novels is that he doesn't interrupt the action and jabber on with detailed descriptions of how the wind stirred the branches of the damned trees, et cetera, or boring, space-filling conversations between heroes and villians. He keeps the momentum going for the whole book. A full-on proper action-adventure thriller. His novels need to be made into movies; I just hope Hollywood doesn't completely ruin them with their cheesy, trashy, sleazy ways.
In the ensuing month, following Ice Station, I read all of the Scarecrow series and all of the Jack West Jr series, which meant I spent a couple of weeks dreaming and hallucinating of kick-arse commando units, maghooks, the arctic, antarctic ice shelves, the freakishly indestructable halicarnassus, mutant nuclear radiation-generated elephant seals, and claustrophobic, health-hazardous Egyptian tomb deathtraps. Thanks a bunch, Matthew Reilly.
The best thing about Reilly's novels is that he doesn't interrupt the action and jabber on with detailed descriptions of how the wind stirred the branches of the damned trees, et cetera, or boring, space-filling conversations between heroes and villians. He keeps the momentum going for the whole book. A full-on proper action-adventure thriller. His novels need to be made into movies; I just hope Hollywood doesn't completely ruin them with their cheesy, trashy, sleazy ways.
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