WW28: SEVEN ANCIENT WONDERS

WW28
A chance to showcase your favourite!

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering : Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly

Page 28, 1st Sentence:

"No pressure, Jack," he said to himself.

By that line one can already surmise that this book, in fact this entire trilogy, is fast-paced.

About Seven Ancient Wonders:
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!

Buy Link:
Seven Ancient Wonders

REVIEW & CONTEST: THE FIVE GREATEST WARRIORS

The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
Book 3 of the Jack West Jr series

About The 5 Greatest Warriors:

Synopsis:
It Began With Six Stones

Jack West Jr and his loyal team are in desperate disarray: they've been separated, their mission is in tatters, and Jack was last seen plummeting down a fathomless abyss.

IT FINISHES HERE
After surviving his deadly fall, Jack must now race against his many enemies to locate and set in place the remaining pieces of The Machine before the coming Armageddon.

WHO ARE THE FIVE WARRIORS?
As the world teeters on the brink of destruction, he will learn of the Five Warriors, the individuals who throughout history have been most intimately connected to his quest.

OCEANS WILL RISE, CITIES WILL FALL
Scores will be settled, fathers will fight sons, brothers will battle brothers, and Jack and his friends will soon find out exactly what the end of the world looks like...

Source: Synopsis in the About The 5 Greatest Warriors was taken from the author's website at http://matthewreilly.com/latest.html on 09/01/10.

I would like to thank Simon & Schuster for sending me the review copy of The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly.

Also received in the same package are: Seven Deadly Wonders and The Six Sacred Stones.

Genre: action adventure

My Take On This Book:
Action-packed militaristic adventure. Modern fantasy. The story-telling quality is 4 out 5. Not a dull reading moment! This is the final book of the Jack West Jr. series and ends the saga very nicely. I would give the story climax a 4.5 out of 5. This book tied in all 3 Jack West books to a nice close. The ending is satisfying and does not disappoint despite the high expectations I had. This book retains the same ability to weave fact and fiction so seamlessly it blurs which is a trademark of all three books in this trilogy. Overall, I would give this book an entertainment value of 4 out of 5.

Cherry’s Rating: 4 out of 5 cherries


Jack West Jr. series reading order:

The Five Greatest Warriors
Book 3
ISBN: 9781405039338
Release Date: 20-10-2009
Pages: 480


The Six Sacred Stones
Book 2

My review is here.

ISBN: 9781405038164
Release Date: 01-10-2007
Pages: 528

Seven Ancient Wonders
Book 1

My review is here.

ISBN: 9781405036924
Release Date: 01-10-2005
Pages: 480

CONTEST:

Right, because this book (The 5 Greatest Warriors) was given to me for free, I would like to pass this copy (used obviously) to another reader who is likely to enjoy this book. That means, enter this contest only if you are interested and want to read this book! And here is the catch, you have to review this book too.

Now, if you do not have a blog or website, that is fine. Post your review anywhere online, i.e., (MySpace, Facebook) any of the free social networks, and/or at amazon... as long as you can give me the URL address of where you posted your review. And it has be viewable by me. Like, if your blog's settings is set to private and can only be viewed by your friends, that means it is not viewable by me... questions? email me.

TO ENTER: Register HERE.

Contest Particulars:
•You have to be a Cherry Mischievous blog follower via Google Friend Connect and/or a CherryD member to enter the contest. Having both will gain you 5 extra entry credits. Entry credits will increase your chances of winning.
•There will only be one winner. You have to review this book if you win it.
•Contest is open to international readers.
•Contest ends on June 18.
•If this contest is not in concordance to your local legislations, it is up to you to follow your local rules.
•Under 13? Parental permission is required. Email us (mischivusfairy-matthewreillycontest [at] yahoo [dot] com).
•You must have a valid snail mail address and email address to enter this contest. We need the snail mail address to send the book(s) and/or prizes to. We need the email addy to get in touch with you.
•Questions? Ask! Shoot us an email (mischivusfairy-matthewreillycontest [at] yahoo [dot] com). Please write THE 5 GREATEST WARRIORS in the subject line.

Cym Lowell: Book Review Party Wednesday - LIVE!

*Amendments made on 31/03/2010 to this post with wordings and additional info added.

THE SIX SACRED STONES

The Six Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly
Book 2 of the Jack West Jr. series

About This Book:

The End Of The World Is Here
Unlocking the secret of the 'Seven Ancient Wonders' was only the beginning. The world is in mortal danger.

SIX FABLED STONES
For Jack West Jr and his loyal team of heroes, the challenge now is to set six legendary diamonds known as 'the Pillars' in place at six ancient sites around the world before the deadline for global destruction arrives. The locations of these sites, however, can only be releaved by the fabled Six Sacred Stones.

AN EPIC MISSION
With only the riddles of ancient writers to guide them, and time rapidly running out, Jack and his team must fight their way past traps, labyrinths and a host of deadly enemies - knowing that this time they cannont, will not, must not fail.

Genre: fantasy modern action adventure

My Take On This Book:
My favourite "part" in the story is the depiction of Lao's "duality" theory and the notion of "balance". In everything good there is darkness. And in all evil, there is light. The duality of all things. Whether that is true or not, I would like to think that it is.

The story itself? 4.5 out of 5. It is obviously a fantasy by the mere fact that the story talks of a Tartarus power. Fantasy. But the way Reilly weaves fantasy with known archeological facts, makes the borderline between fiction and fact blur. Such that the fantasy Reilly weaves seems so real. "Suspension of disbelief"? 5 out of 5.

Openning salvo has the protagonist and team running for their very lives from a military invasion complete with assault helicopters, tanks and jet fighters! And then it's non-stop action from there. First chapter and the book had me feeling like I'm short of breath trying to catch-up with events. And that pace keep up until the very end. Story-telling quality? 4.5 out of 5. Cover art? I don't know which to consider really, since different countries have their own different cover arts... The copy I've read is a US cover. The symbolism is quite appropriate to the story but not very attractive to my fantasy buff eyes. 3 out of 5.

The story has a cliffhanger ending. Normally I hate cliffhanger endings with a passion. And this is the only reason this book is not a 5 cherries. But still the ending manages to close the dilemma presented in the story and thus climaxed the book well.

Overall, I would say that this book has an entertainment value of 4.5 out of 5. Definitely a recommended read! Though being Book 2 in the Jack West Jr. series, it is highly recommended that you read book 1 first for a reader to understand what is going on. My review of book 1, Seven Ancient Wonders, is here.

Cherry’s Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Acknowledgements:
This book was given to me for free by the publisher for review purposes.

THE FRIDAY 56: THE SIX SACRED STONES

Closest book: The Six Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly
P59, 5th sentence: (Page 56 happens to be a blank page. Page 55 only has two lines in it being the end of not just a chapter but a "section" of the story followed by drawings... So I picked the next page with proper sentences in it, which is page 59.)

It is the most recognized structure of the most modern Arab nation on Earth, the United Arab Emirates.

Happy Friday!!!

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

THE FRIDAY 56: THE 5 GREATEST WARRIORS

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Closest book: The Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
P56, 5th sentence:

Imagine earthquakes at every fault line.

Happy Friday!!!