Thursday 10 December 2009

SEVEN ANCIENT WONDERS

Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly

Genre: Contemporary action, psuedo-military adventure fiction

Caption At The Sleeve:
It will become the biggest treasure hunt in history, as rival nations engage in a desperate race to locate the legendary Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

THE CAPSTONE
4,500 years ago a magnificent golden capstone sat atop the Great Pyramid of Giza. Glorious and beautiful, it was a source of immense power for those fortunate enough to possess it.

But then, in 323 BC, the Capstone was separated into seven pieces and distributed to the furthest corners of the known world, and carefully concealed within the greatest structures of that time - known as the Seven Ancient Wonders.

Now, with the imminent arrival of a rare solar event, the time has come to locate those same pieces and bring them back together to rebuild the Capstone...

AN EPIC QUEST
Contestants for this prize include the mightiest nations on earth as well as ruthless gangs of international terrorists... but also one daring consortium of eight minor countries, who realize that no single nation should possess such an awesome source of power.

And so, led by the mysterious Captain Jack West, this small but determined team enters the fray: a global battlefield filled with viciously booby-trapped mines, gigantic evil forces and an adventure beyond imagining.

From the Colossus of Rhodes to the hanging gardens of Babylon, from the lighthouse at Alexandria to the Great Pyramid itself, fasten your seatbelts and hang on for dear life!
My Take On This Book:
This is a fast-paced, action-packed, modern psuedo-military adventure which engages your imagination and takes you to another world that is convincingly possible. The story-telling quality is quite good, I'd give it a 4 out of 5. The story itself is a 4.5 out of 5. What I really like is the way the author weaved fiction and psuedo-military adventure with known facts of the actual Seven Wonders of the World. Reilly tells a tale so expertly that he convinces his readers that it could happen that way! What holds us down is the fact that we know that there is no such "power stone". If there was, I'm pretty sure we'd know it by now. Human nature wouldn't be able to resist using it or showing it off. That is the fiction part.

The only thing is, this book is not my genre!!

Cherry's Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries

3 comments:

  1. This sounds like a wonderful book.The entire concept of merging the seven ancient wonders and a 'power stone' is fascinating..!
    Thanks for the review :)

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  2. ooooo Sounds goooood! Great review!

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  3. I don't really read this genre either. I've enjoyed a few but it's not something I really gravitate toward.

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