Reviews

Six Sacred Stones, the sequel to Seven Ancient Wonders, takes us on the next whirlwind adventure of Jack 'Huntsman' West Jr and his motley crew of incredibly intelligent scientists, mathematicians, army-trained combat fighters and genius children, one of whom is his adopted daughter. Simultaneously setting out from the Sichuan Mountains in China and outback Australia, they race around the world in the attempt to beat the powerful and greedy elite factions of the Chinese, British, American, Japanese and Arabian governments who wish to use the power of the sacred stones for their own benefit. What West's team knows and the others don't is that in successfully redistributing the rare artifacts to their rightful places at the ancient sites they will be saving the world, and as such our team alone is working for the greater good. Jack West Jr is all you could ask for in a hero. Think MacGyver meets Die Hard's John McClane. Fast, efficient, brave and intelligent, he possesses the ability to decipher archaic codes and riddles, wrestle crocodiles, evade ancient booby traps and ensure the safety of his team and daughter all at the same time. From the first novel we see the return of Lily, Wizard, Pooh Bear, Stretch, Tank, Sky Monster and Zoe, plus new allies Astro and Vulture. Unfortunately, not everyone is as they seem, and as certain presumably trustworthy cohorts start double-crossing Huntsman's team, we learn never to trust anyone when the prize is so high. This novel is classic Matthew Reilly. Fans of the author's work will enjoy this book immensely. Fast- paced and action-packed, this story can be enjoyed by anyone wishing for a few hours of escape and a dose of pure entertainment. Also, it is the perfect book for teenage boys finding it hard to locate adult novels that have a high level of entertainment and a language level suitable for young adult readers. Those who haven't read the first installment in the 'Ancient Wonders' series shouldn't be put off reading it-it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel as it gives the reader enough back story to understand what is going on and who the characters are. All up, this is a highly enjoyable read and a compelling sequel to yet another successful series by one of the best Aussie authors writing popular fiction today. Anna Hood is a bookseller at the Avid Reader bookstore in Brisbane

"Whisking you through wave after wave of nonstop action on a cloud of exuberant improbabilities, Reilly really makes you feel like a kid again; it's a blast." -- Booklist "In this sequel to Seven Deadly Wonders, Reilly increases the tension and the threat to produce another winner. The interwoven combination of action and mythology in the narrative makes for the perfect winter beach read." -- Library Journal "The age-, sex- and race-balanced team from Reilly's 2006 thrill-a-second novel 7 Deadly Wonders returns, still under the management of handily bionic and super resourceful Australian Commando Jack West...[A] video game in print." -- Kirkus Reviews "Matthew Reilly novels should come with health warnings on the cover. [T]he non-stop life-threatening action from enemies using guns, missiles, poisons, machetes and martial arts against Reilly's heroes is not for the faint-hearted. It's a wild ride." -- Ray Chesterton, The Daily Telegraph (Australia) "The 6 Sacred Stones is a pedal-to-the-metal literary ride, so hold on tight." -- Larry Cox, Tucson Citizen "[T]his fast-paced, international adventure will keep you turning pages...just sit back and enjoy the ride." -- Elizabeth Willse, The Star-Ledger "The wildly imaginative Reilly has taken inspiration from comics, video games, thrillers and Code-style puzzle novels to create this rocket-fueled sequel to his 7 Deadly Wonders...A tongue-in-cheek quality (one that extends to the low-tech looking maps and illustrations) will help readers find this outlandish adventure thrilling." -- Publishers Weekly