Rating: 
Summary: Far Out, Brussel Sprout!!!
Review: Whew!! What a ride this book was. It starts off with the usual character intros, setting the seen, etc, then BAM!!!!, it turns into a super roller-coaster ride all the way to the end with no interuptions. This is the type of story you want out of an action movie. You finally think Schofield and team are about to resolve something but KAPOW!!, they start flying headlong into another of the many twists in the story. Easily read, this takes the best out of a Cussler novel and an action movie and seamlessly melds them together. Please, everyone, do yourself a favour, let your mind go, and purchase this book - you won't regret it. RECOMMENDED!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Matt Reilly: Master of Action Entertainment.
Review: Wow. He did it again, and made it faster and more furious than any of his other books to date. Incredible. Matt Reilly continues to stretch the boundaries of plausable situations while delivering heart-stopping, adrenaline-fueled scenes that will leave you breathless. Regardless of the minor quibbles readers might have with his style or scenarios, Matt Reilly will give you the quick-fix you need when it comes to action-filled entertainment, WITHOUT wasting the A.D.D. reader's time by endless stretches of description & development. Reilly's novels are like marshmallows - they might not have a lot of "literary" nutrition, but they sure satisfy your craving for some SWEET scenes. Keep it up, Matt. - Kevin
Rating:
Summary: A worthy successor to Ice Station...
Review: Ok, so maybe I'm a bit bias. Matt Reilly is my favorite author, I have read Ice Station and Temple more times than i care to count and they're my two favorite books of all time. Now...a basic summary of the plot is fairly decently given on this page anyway..and giving anymore away would be a crime, suffice to say expect twists galore. Above all else, this is a sequel to Ice Station, so reading that first will make Area 7 make more sense and be more fulfilling. The characters of Shane Schofield, Libby Gant, and "mother" return. As with any other Reilly book, those seeking truth and absolute believability should look elsewhere, but those seeking out action have come to the right place. This book brims with action and with Reilly's unique writing style, you can't put it down. I read it in less than 24 hours(about 18 hours of which were devoted to school and sleep, the other 6 more or less to Area 7.) Basically, if you want kickass action, adventure, and white knuckle excitement, then I'd reccomend anything by Reilly in a heartbet, but those who come out of a movie or finish a book and go "Yeah, right, like that could ever happen" may not have the right mindset for this book. On a scale of 1-10, I'd say a 9.5 or so.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book in one sitting.
Review: Don't think about the plot too much and just enjoy the ride. If you are a fan of Jerry Bruckheimer movies, like to play Counterstrike, and hate "unnecessary" dialogue, then this book is a must-read. Tom Clancy sets up his books for about 800 pages, then has 100 pages of action at the end. If you take that last 100 pages of Clancy's books, and extend it throughout the whole story, you've got Matt Reilly! Overall, Matt's latest offering is right on par with the rest of his books (Ice Station, Temple, Contest). They all have the same pace, cool weapons, and outrageous action scenes. So put on a Hans Zimmer movie score and sit back for another edge-of-your-seat installment from Australia's action kid.
Rating: 
Summary: Suspend Belief
Review: In the UK we got this some months ago and it ain't bad if you understand what you are buying. This is written in the style of an Indianna Jones film, if you pause to think about it then it might spoil your enjoyment, this is a one sitting roller coaster of a book.
The scenario is interesting (i.e Area 7 itself) but the background and plot does not bear much thinking about. The action is non stop and features some of the characters from the rather good Ice Station. I personally think it is wrong to liken this to Clancy or others because it does lack a plot, but that is not to say it is a bad book!
If you like non stop action, this is for you. If you like plot driven action then perhaps you might want to pass on this one.
Rating:
Summary: Another Fantastic Reilly Ride
Review: Reilly delivers another fast paced, action packed race against time in Area 7. The story hooks you from the start and it's impossible to put the book down after that. It was great to see the book continuing the same characters from 'Ice Station' and even adding a touch of romance to their relationships.
It all begins with the President of the USA visiting Area 7, a secret Air Force base, only to find that he and his secret service agents are being hunted down by rogue Air Force units. Schofield and his crew have to protect the President and a secret virus antidote from their pursuers (also including a group of violent criminals) and prevent the ultimate destruction of Area 7. The plot moves the characters throught the base, an underground railroad, the canals of Lake Powell, even up into space, carrying the reader along for the ride.
I recommend this book to every keen reader. Don't expect realism, but you can expect an action packed, edge of your seat ride that'll leave you dying for more Matthew Reilly!
Rating:
Summary: TIRED OF REALITY? NEED AN EXCITING VACATION? READ AREA 7
Review: I'D GIVE THIS BOOK FIVE STARS FOR ACTION, AND 0NE STAR FOR BELIEVABILITY. AS WITH ALL HIS NOVELS, THEY ARE ACTION PACKED, BUT ANEMIC ON THE BELIEVABILITY SCALE. A LOT OF FUN TO READ, THOUGH, THAT'S WHY I GAVE IT FOUR STARS. THE PLOT CENTERS AROUND A GROUP OF ROGUE U.S. MILITARY MEN TRYING TO KILL U.S. PRESIDENT IN A SECRET MILITARY INSTALATION IN NEVADA. THE PRESIDENT HAS A MICROCHIP IN HIS HEART THAT WILL SET OFF ATOMIC BOMBS IN 14 U.S. AIRPORTS AROUND THE COUNTRY, IF HIS HEART STOPS. SCHOFIELD, ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF HIS TROOPS FROM HIS BOOK ICE STATION, TEAM UP WITH THE FEW REMAINING SECRET SERVICE AGENTS, TO KEEP THE PRESIDENT ALIVE.
ACTION SCENE FOLLOWS ACTION SCENE IN THIS ROLLER COASTER RIDE OF A NOVEL. THOUSANDS OF BULLETS FLY, AND NO ONE GETS HIT? OH,WELL, IF YOU WANT BORING REALITY, READ A TOM CLANCY NOVEL, IF YOU WANT ACTION, READ THIS BOOK. JUST SUSPEND YOUR CINICISM, AND YOU WILL ENJOY IT FOR WHAT IT IS, A LONG AWAITED VACATION FROM THE HUMDRUM. GREAT BOOK FOR A PLANE RIDE, OR VACATION.
Rating:
Summary: A seat burner from start to finish
Review: Area 7 is the latest book from one of Australia's best new thriller authors. Tom Clancy may have lost a few steps, but Matthew Reilly is there to take his place! Area 7 has a very clever plot centered around one of Reilly's recurring characters, Shane Scofield. The President of the USA has a transmitter on his heart. If his heart stops, then terror will be unleashed on the world. It's up to Scofield to protect the President and save the world. The book never lets up. From the first sentence, the characters are off and running. Reilly has a very good writing style and he can maintain the level and pace of action with seemingly very little effort. It's been a while since a thriller has captivated me quite like Area 7. It combines the best elements of a Tom Clancy thriller with the action level of a Michael Crichton novel. An A+ all around
Rating:
Summary: Bullets and Bombs in the desert
Review: Shane Schofeild: If he had a nickle for every time he saved the world, he'd have.... fifteen cents. But that's still a lot.
Area 7, the second of the Schofeild novels, finds our intrepid (if slightly two dimensional) hero in the middle of a US Airforce base/research facility, acting as a body guard to the President of the United States. With him are some friends from the previous Schofield novel, also guarding the commander in chief. The base, called Area 7, is the home of the United States' must cutting-edge biological weapon research. More specifically, the scientists at the base are working round the clock to find a vaccine to a Chineese biological weapon called the Sinovirus, which targets only non-Aisian people (via their specific pigmentation). Well, they've finally developed a vaccine, but guess what? The fifty well-armed, highly trained, ultra-elite soldiers guarding the base are actually traitors, intent on killing the Prez and stealing the vaccine! To make matters worse, they've attached a satelite transmitter to the President's heart, which will denotate nuclear weapons in major cities all over America if the POTUS's heart stops beating. In other words, if Mr. President dies, so does the country. It's up to Schofeild and friends to defeat the bad guys and save the day!
But in a Reilly novel, its never that simple. Matthew incorporates a series of plot twists into his relatively straightforward narrative, including a racist military conspiracy, a corrupt South-African general, a plot to take over America, a thermonuclear weapon, escaped convicts, and a trip into outer space. Admit it, you're just drooling over this novel, aren't you? Now, I'll admit, Area 7 is not going to change your life (besides getting you hooked on Reilly novels). The characters tend to be one sided and cliched. The ending is the predictable happy one, where the hero gets the girl, the little kid isn't harmed, and all the fuzzy little animals are safe..... but its an action thriller. Are you really looking for powerful moral statements and thought provoking subject matter in an action thriller? No. You're looking for a lightening-fast plot, explosions, gunfights, chases, and lots of violence. And that's exactly what you're going to get.
Rating:
Summary: One of Reilly's Lesser Efforts
Review: Don't get me wrong. "Area 7" is still a thrilling read, but this time around everything feels just a little bit more forced. The closed setting, the plot twists, and of course the action. Granted, it was Reilly's first sequel, so he was trying to figure out the ropes, and there was a bit of a misstep.
The idea of this enclosed real-life deathmatch appears interesting at first, and some of the twists promise good things, but really...it just isn't as exciting as previous novels. It picked up pace quite explosive in the final fifty or so pages, and it was a quick read throughout, but a dissappointing novel.
Not really a good one for the new Reilly fan, but if you are already familiar with his work, you should get this one. It's worth reading, it just doesn't reach the dizzying heights of his other stuff.
|
