The Four Legendary Kingdoms

I guess this is what happens when you are a mood reader - you buy a book in a favorite series by your favorite author and leave it on your bookshelf for two years without even trying to read. And then finally when you start it, you finish it in a single sitting and wonder, what the hell you were doing not reading it till now... That’s exactly what happened here my friends. This book is as amazing as the previous installments of Jack West Jr’s adventures and I’m so sad that I waited this long to indulge in the fun. It’s been so long that I had actually forgotten how brave and resourceful Jack has always been, but when we meet him here in the beginning, he is clearly not at his best. It takes quite some time in the book for him to gain his footing and figure out what the hell is going on, and I thought it was a great way to show us that Jack can be vulnerable too. But he is also extremely knowledgeable and once he understands the myth behind the Great Games, he not only uses his strength but also his brains to overcome the challenges. But the best part - even the circumstances of fighting to the death can’t change his inherent compassionate nature and that plays such a major role in turning the tide in the story. I have been a huge fan of Reilly’s work since I read Ice Station and I have never looked back. This series particularly has always enthralled me because of the deft way he incorporates fast paced nonstop action with age old myths and legends from across the world and the hero’s quests we all love in our adventure novels. This book plays on the myth of the Twelve Labors of Hercules and the Legend of the Minotaur and intertwines it with the concept of shadow kingdoms that rule our modern world and all of the story occurs in a matter of days, which makes for some breathtaking action sequences among deadly mazes and booby traps with Jack fighting for his survival and that of the entire universe. The stakes are very high and I was literally on my toes every page, wondering what was gonna happen next. If you already know who Jack West Jr is, I don’t need to tell you that this book is a lot of fun to read. Also, for fans of “all” Matthew Reilly novels, you have a delightful surprise awaiting in this installment - so don’t make the mistake I did and read this one immediately. If you don’t know about Jack but you love a lot of adventure in your books with a hefty dose of mythology, then I highly recommend this series. Be prepared to be enthralled !!! And now I’m off to read The Three Secret Cities because I can’t wait 😃😃😃

OMG Jack is back with a bang! This book is a tad more wide ranging than the previous in the series and there was a fair amount of action packed into it. But as with any Matthew Reilly book, it reads like a madcap movie and before you know it you are thick in the middle of it and mot wanting to put it down until Jack and the gang get out of this or that jam (instead they get sucked into another and before you know it's 3am!!) Most of our favourites are back and most at least get a mention as to why they're not in the book. Our wonderful ragtag crew are all a bit older, including Lily and Alby who are now at college (Gulp!) The bad guys are not all what they seem and the weaving of the various myths within the story was great. I am not giving away any spoilers but there are some other MR characters popping up in this and I had a huge smile on my face when I realised who they were and why they were there. It was also great to see more of the always mysterious Mae (aka Jack's mum!) I was a bit annoyed as I could not find an explanation as to why the "kingdoms" were aligned as such and why such and such was bigger than another. I was also left feeling a bit let down that the formerly kicka$$ that is Zoe was kind of relegated to mentioned but not really seen wallpaper (so hoping this has something to do with the "3" book or I will be grumpy! There was a good recap of the previous adventures and how they fit now into this larger story-arc that we see unfold.

** spoiler alert ** The One Impossible Labyrinth draws ever closer, and in this, the return of both Jack West Jr and Shane Schofield after so many years off was just..... divine. I remember having called up Dymocks Wollongong 3 times while at uni to see when they were getting it in, before running between classes to get it with my friend Jack, and then reaching the point where a certain character in anti-flash wraparound sunglasses appears. The Huntsman and the Scarecrow, united at last.