Book Review: Matt Reilly: "The Demolition Man" of Novels - Critically Terrible but Great for What They Are

Fuck you Simon Phoenix.! "You are fined one credit for a violation of the Verbal Morality Statute." Fuck you stupid machine! How do I use these sea shells?

Ice Station by Matthew Reilly, 513 pp. 2.5-5

Temple by Matthew Reilly, 508 pp. 2.5-5

Area 7 by Matthew Reilly, 483 pp. 2.5-5

In a perfect world Sly Stallone and Aaaaanold would be putting out their 90’s style action extravaganzas for years to come, but, alas, minus “Rambo”, Old Man Time and governating have taken these thespians from us. However, Australian author Matthew Reilly and his monster truck to the face military action thrillers have enough explosive power to generate the jigowatts necessary to turn back the clock and get these gents out of retirement. But, if they aren’t willing, I’m sure Dolph Lundgren and Sasha Mitchell are kicking around somewhere.

Reilly’s novels are the bad action movies that we all love on paper without Steven Seagal’s ponytail. Similarly, both are centered around crude writing, one-dimensional character clichés and the outlandish becoming reality. But what both do to perfection is entertain. They are fun, edge of your seat thrill rides without the safety bar, and they make no apologies for it.

This is what makes reviewing Matt Reilly novels so tough. It’s like convincing your hot, intelligent friend to go out with your loveable but schlubish roommate.

“He’s great, trust me. He’s been one of my best friends for years.”

“Hmm…what does he look like.”

“….Umm. I guess you could say he has striking features and any Hawaiian would be envious of his wardrobe. Plus, he has a great personality.”

Enough said. Your roommate isn’t going anywhere but to his room to play World of Warcraft and delete his history folder.

The same scenario goes for Matthew Reilly books. On the surface they seem terrible, but they are as addictive as the queso crunchwrap. As stated above, Reilly does a lot of things badly, but he is an action master making 400 plus pages of heart pounding chases and last second escapes come alive. He is also terrific at making military

jargon make sense without taking readers out of the moment.

Because Reilly’s books are all so similar in style this review isn’t going solo but instead turning into an orgy featuring his first three published works, white tube socks left on of course.

In Ice Station, Reilly’s first published work and the best of the three, readers are introduced to USMC Lieutenant Shane Schofield, a fixture in most of the author’s novels. Known as Scarecrow because of the grotesque vertical scars covering both eyes, he is the typical “I’m just doing my job” hero with a heart who always saves the day. On this day, he and his recon team respond to an ice station’s distress signal bu

t all is not what it seems as they are forced to protect the station from rival nations hoping to gain control of it and the secret that lies below. The highlights in this novel include a thrilling 60 plus page chase scene across a glacier, and, of course, the outrageous as several characters lose their lives to demonic orca whales.

Area 7, Reilly’s third published work and first sequel, again traces the path of Lt. Schofield and a few members of his former Recon team, who, now working presidential protection detail, must protect the Commander-in-Chief from a rouge general and his minions. Add in the Sinovirus, a disease created by the Chinese to kill everybody on Earth except the Chinese, and this is quite a meaty disaster stew. Of course, nobody counted on Schofield and his Marines being around so you can guess how things end, but highlights here include a space shuttle battle and hungry Komodo Dragons. Watch your toes!

Temple, Reilly’s second published novel, does not feature the Marine Lieutenant for those of you Schofielded out. It instead focuses on reluctant hero professor William Race, whom is along for the ride as the Army, Navy, Nazis and the Texan Republican Army all converge in search of an ancient Incan idol containing material that has the potential to destroy the entire world. Of the three, Temple is the most outlandish as it features caimans, giant black panthers, and caimans fighting giant black panthers. Also, the last scene is a bit much as Race is about to meet his doom in a tank plunging to the ground when, miraculously, the “weird looking vest” he was wearing turns into a jet pack. Apparently, the pack is intelligent and automatically turns on when its wearer is but mere feet from the ground. Pheww, it’s enough to make my armpits sweaty.

I recommend Reilly books to readers who want an action packed adventure that is easily finished in a few days. His military thrillers are a great addition to any long trip because they will keep the boredom at bay.