The great zoo of China
It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years.
They have found a species of animal no one believed even existed. It will amaze the world.
Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed.
A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time.
Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane ‘CJ’ Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles.
The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong.
Of course it can’t…
GET READY FOR ACTION ON A GIGANTIC SCALE.
My review
If I’m ever in need of a fix in terms of action packed stories that are relentless and fast paced I know I can turn to one of Matthew Reilly’s novels. Pages packed with car chases, decapitation at the hands of veracious and intelligent dragons, riding said dragons, said dragons fighting one another, gun fights, and explosions make for an exhilarating read.
The story starts with a Herpetologist, Dr Bill Lynch, in peril and coming face to face with a dragon. One month later CJ’ Cameron, a writer for National Geographic, her brother Hamish and a few key figures in western media and VIPs are flown to a secret location only to learn that it is actually the Great Dragon Zoo of China. Reilly uses the initial chapters to construct an unimaginably immense picture of the zoo and its inhabitant in addition to explaining the workings and origins of the zoo. This section added much depth and also some sense of believability to an unbelievable premise.
After the first few chapters and Reilly’s explanations of the zoo and it security systems, which sound unbreakable, it becomes evident that the Chinese have made fundamental mistakes and have underestimated the dragon’s cunning and intelligence. The zoo is quickly under siege by these magnificent yet vicious beasts. Reilly and his depictions of the glorious, dangerous and gargantuan prehistoric creatures is brilliant and he has also included different classes and races of dragons adding to the engrossing read. CJ and her crew of survivors must escape from the zoo, stop the dragons from escaping and also dodge the Chinese authorities that will do anything to prevent their reputation and dreams of becoming a cultural world super power.
The book is full of an assortment of characters, each with their own role within the book, whether that’s to die a bloody and violent death or as a key player in the future of the Great Dragon Zoo of China. CJ, the main protagonist is likable. A character with a traumatic past, in which she was attacked by a bull salt water crocodile leaving her with facial scaring, her ability to overcome adversity makes her a great heroine. Added to this is her almost fearless attitude in the face of danger and her knowledge of large reptilians making her the perfect character for this fast paced, high action and danger filled story. Ok, I must admit that some of the feats by this character were unbelievable and her luck seemed endless, yet the pace of the book and its enthralling content had me reading on, glued to the page.
Matthew Reilly undeniably lives up to his reputation as a deliverer of high octane action and I’m definitely going to check out more of his work, maybe starting with the Shane Schofield series. In the hope to find the same highly entertaining, edge of your seat, action packed reading. Highly recommended.
It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years.
They have found a species of animal no one believed even existed. It will amaze the world.
Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed.
A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time.
Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane ‘CJ’ Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles.
The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong.
Of course it can’t…
GET READY FOR ACTION ON A GIGANTIC SCALE.
My review
If I’m ever in need of a fix in terms of action packed stories that are relentless and fast paced I know I can turn to one of Matthew Reilly’s novels. Pages packed with car chases, decapitation at the hands of veracious and intelligent dragons, riding said dragons, said dragons fighting one another, gun fights, and explosions make for an exhilarating read.
The story starts with a Herpetologist, Dr Bill Lynch, in peril and coming face to face with a dragon. One month later CJ’ Cameron, a writer for National Geographic, her brother Hamish and a few key figures in western media and VIPs are flown to a secret location only to learn that it is actually the Great Dragon Zoo of China. Reilly uses the initial chapters to construct an unimaginably immense picture of the zoo and its inhabitant in addition to explaining the workings and origins of the zoo. This section added much depth and also some sense of believability to an unbelievable premise.
After the first few chapters and Reilly’s explanations of the zoo and it security systems, which sound unbreakable, it becomes evident that the Chinese have made fundamental mistakes and have underestimated the dragon’s cunning and intelligence. The zoo is quickly under siege by these magnificent yet vicious beasts. Reilly and his depictions of the glorious, dangerous and gargantuan prehistoric creatures is brilliant and he has also included different classes and races of dragons adding to the engrossing read. CJ and her crew of survivors must escape from the zoo, stop the dragons from escaping and also dodge the Chinese authorities that will do anything to prevent their reputation and dreams of becoming a cultural world super power.
The book is full of an assortment of characters, each with their own role within the book, whether that’s to die a bloody and violent death or as a key player in the future of the Great Dragon Zoo of China. CJ, the main protagonist is likable. A character with a traumatic past, in which she was attacked by a bull salt water crocodile leaving her with facial scaring, her ability to overcome adversity makes her a great heroine. Added to this is her almost fearless attitude in the face of danger and her knowledge of large reptilians making her the perfect character for this fast paced, high action and danger filled story. Ok, I must admit that some of the feats by this character were unbelievable and her luck seemed endless, yet the pace of the book and its enthralling content had me reading on, glued to the page.
Matthew Reilly undeniably lives up to his reputation as a deliverer of high octane action and I’m definitely going to check out more of his work, maybe starting with the Shane Schofield series. In the hope to find the same highly entertaining, edge of your seat, action packed reading. Highly recommended.