Scarecrow

by Matthew Reilly

Overview

As 'Scarecrow' Schofield watches his mission to eliminate a Siberian turn into a bloodbath, he realises he has been tricked - and now become the prey rather than the predator. For a shadowy consortium of staggering power and wealth has included his name on a list of 15 targets to be eliminated without fail by 12 noon that same day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250314536
Publisher:	Griffin
Publication date:	08/02/2005
Pages:	478
Product dimensions:	4.25(w) x 7.00(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Matthew Reilly is the bestselling author of Ice Station, Temple, Area 7, Contest, Hell Island, Seven Ancient Wonders, Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors and Hover Car Racer. More than 3.5 million copies of his thrillers have been sold around the world, and he has also written several screenplays and published several magazine articles. Reilly was born in 1974 and studied law at the University of New South Wales. He lives in Sydney, Australia.

Editorial Reviews

Third installment in the way, way over-the-top action adventures of US Marine Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield, and the best yet from this Australian author (Contest, 2003, etc.). Called Scarecrow because of his disfigured eyes, Schofield and a crack crew of Delta Force soldiers rush to a Siberian sub repair base that's been overrun by Islamic terrorists who have seized a cache of nuclear missiles. But instead of terrorists, Schofield finds a trap set by competing teams of international bounty hunters who've already killed two Delta Force soldiers on an $18.6 million-per-head kill list that also has Schofield's name on it. The list of 15 super-soldiers, spies, scientists and one terrorist was complied by Majestic 12, a secret council of supremely rich multinational military industrial complex tycoons who not only buy and sell governments but have been responsible for every late-20th-century conspiracy from the assassination of JFK to Clinton's impeachment trial-except for 9/11. Thus begins a serious of breathless, thoroughly contrived, but immensely entertaining action scenes in which Schofield, fellow soldiers Libby Gant, Book II, and Mother join with bounty hunter Aloysius Knight (being paid by an anonymous client to protect Schofield) and Knight's trusty pilot Rufus as they take on killer sharks, fancy sports cars, helicopters, jet aircraft, a supertanker, an entire aircraft carrier, X-15 rocket planes, and the combined air forces of five African nations to stop a plot to pit rival countries against each other and plunge the world into anarchy. The action is so accomplished that we don't care about cheesy Star Wars dialogue, as when Jay Killian, the Ralph Lauren-wearing head of amultinational arms-manufacturing company, mercilessly guillotines one of Schofield's buddies and Schofield vows to "kill them all." An endless stream of interchangeable bad guys wind up "deader than disco," and everyone agrees when the US President intones of Schofield that "the fate of the free world could be resting on that man's shoulders." Superb print version of a video game shoot-'em-up. Agent: Eugenie Furniss/William Morris UK

Kirkus Reviews

“The text is all fury, akin to taking a James Bond film, cutting out everything but the action and running that at double speed. As much video game as novel. Reilly's admirers will love this one, and anyone interested in the outer limit of action writing should check it out.” —Publishers Weekly

“James Bond and Dirk Pitt can step aside-a new action hero has arrived to take their place in Reilly's latest roller-coaster ride. This thrill fest is highly recommended for all fiction collections-even the most jaded readers will need to fasten their seatbelts and hang on for dear life.” —Booklist

“Scarecrow should come with a blood pressure cuff shrink-wrapped to it. Nonstop action, adventure, and a HUGE surprise for fans of Reilly's other Schofield novels-what more could you ask for from a novel? You'll give up television forever after reading Scarecrow.” —Bookreporter.com

“Lightning-paced.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Move over, Jack Ryan and Dirk Pitt-Marine Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield is the next great action hero. Matthew Reilly's well-developed characters and nonstop action more than compensate for an implausible plot.” —Dallas Morning News

“The pace is breakneck... will hook you right from the start.” —Waterstone's Books Quarterly (UK)

“This is unashamedly ball-busting reading... it certainly clears the palette.” —Arena (UK)

“Here's pace, jargon, diagrams, gadgets and guns to get excited about... Scarecrow is breathless.” —Mirror (UK)

From the Publisher