The Barnes & Noble Review Ice Station Temple, a satisfying read set in the Peruvian jungle, with so many cliffhangers that readers will be perched at the edge of their seats. Positioning his work in the territory defined by Michael Crichton , Clive Cussler , and Jack Higgins , Reilly has firmly entered into the ranks of wild and exciting adventure writers.
Linguist William Race is on the hunt in the Peruvian jungle with the U.S. Army, searching for an Incan jaguar idol known as the “Spirit of the People.” The relic was created from the remnants of a meteorite and contains a substance called thyrium-261, which can be used as an insidious weapon. Race must use all his skills to translate a 400-year-old document that will give the location of a hidden temple where the idol is guarded by huge jungle cats called rapas. Also on hand is a terrorist team from Texas and a neo-Nazi group, who clash with Race and the army over the relic. As Navy Seals are called in, the action moves from Peruvian villages to Indiana Jones-type ruins filled with crocodiles and other deadly menaces -- meanwhile, we learn of secrets and conspiracies that reach into the hierarchy of the world's governments.
Reilly’s attention to detail in his exotic locales is a powerful enticement, showing both the lush jungle beauty and the heart-clutching perils to be found in such primitive lands. His narrative style is highly pulpish and visual, to such an extent that the copy on the novel reads, “Get ready for the greatest action-adventure movie you’ll ever read.” The breakneck momentum never slows as Reilly enables the reader to feel the surroundings and envision the deadly elements all around. Secondary characters, whether villainous or humorous, are developed well enough to add to the story line.
Matthew J. Reilly knows how to nurture suspense. Temple captures and engages the senses, giving us just the right mixture of reality and adventurous fabrication. With Ice Station and now Temple to his credit, Reilly proves that he is capable of turning out not only an admirable thriller but also a story that takes advantage of all the pulp action factors that will leave the reader gasping for breath.
--Tom Piccirilli
Tom Piccirilli is the author of eight novels, including Hexes and Shards , and his Felicity Grove mystery series, consisting of The Dead Past and Sorrow's Crown . He has sold more than 100 stories to the anthologies Future Crimes , Bad News, The Conspiracy Files , and Best of the American West II . An omnibus collection of 40 stories titled Deep into That Darkness Peering is also available. Tom divides his time between New York City and Estes Park, Colorado.
As aggressive as an avalanche--and often with the same grace--Reilly's second pulp-fiction adventure hurtles into the Peruvian jungle, where competing factions search for a precious Incan idol, the "Spirit of the People." The U.S. Army leads the pack. Like the others, the army wants the relic because it is made out of thyrium-261, a rare material, found only in meteorites, that can be used to create a fearsome weapon of mass destruction. The idol--a carved snarling jaguar head--is hidden in a stone temple and guarded by a pack of fearsome rapas, huge cats that can tear the best-trained warrior limb from limb. If the rapas aren't enough, 22-foot crocodiles also lurk nearby. The army group is led by unlikely hero William Race, a linguist brought along on the journey to translate the 400-year-old manuscript revealing the location of the idol. Race and the soldiers manage to fight off the rapas and retrieve the precious statuette, only to have a latterday Nazi paramilitary group, the Stormtroopers, crash the scene and take it away. However, the Stormtroopers can't hold the idol for long. U.S. Navy Seals swoop in to grab it, then lose it to a terrorist outfit from Texas. The mad chase--fought on land, water and in the air--hurtles through ancient ruins, abandoned gold mines and tribal villages. The action, punctuated by regular bursts of superhuman feats and other absurdities, careens along at a breakneck pace. Australian Reilly (Ice Station) has a gift for sustaining momentum that never lets up. His writing may be crude at points, his characters cartoonish and his humor inelegant, but his story delivers all the excitement it promises. (Jan. 19) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
The action just keeps on coming...Michael Crichton meets Indiana Jones.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Reilly has a gift for sustaining momentum that never lets up.” —Publishers Weekly
“As good as it gets when it comes to action thrillers...brilliant.” —The Charleston Post & Courier
Part of the fun of Beck's novel is the embedded story of a lost civilization that faced, and in fact worshiped, the beast beneath the ice. For another take on ancient lore consider this stand-alone novel by the provocateur of the adrenaline genre. William Race is a professor specializing in linguistics who is pressed into service by the U.S. government to translate an ancient text and help America find, and keep, an idol that has the power to destroy the world. In the company of elite fighters, Race travels to the Andes and enters an ancient temple. Once the team gains entrance, they discover that some legends are real and the wrath of the Incas has a very long arm. Noted for his fast pacing and over-the-top plotting, Reilly's work makes good next reading for Beck fans with its gleeful disregard for possibility and its feet-first jump into pure Sunday-matinee thriller fun. Readers who want more snow, ice, and fearsome creatures should consider Reilly's Ice Station as well. — Neal Wyatt, "RA Crossroads," Booksmack! 1/6/11
Library Journal - BookSmack!
