Seven Ancient Wonders by Matthew Reilly

Seven Ancient Wonders has a storyline that consists mostly of action sequences. It was like reading a screenplay of a GI Joe cartoon, in which the hero always survives against the odds. Unlike the cartoon though, many “good” characters do end up dying. What got me to buy the book (and its sequel The Six Sacred Stones) are all the neat diagrams and illustrations Matthew Reilly (the author) used to describe booby traps, building layouts, geographical settings etc. Perhaps Mr. Reilly thought some of the sequences described in the book involving the above-mentioned (and there are many such sequences in this book) are just too complex to be explained using narrative only. He was spot on. Though some people might complain such attempts leaves nothing to the imagination of the reader, I was quite happy to be able to look at the illustrations and understand the situation (or predicaments) the characters find themselves in.

When the story started, there were quite a number of characters introduced (most of them die through the course of the story) – the central figure being Jack West Jr. who could give John Rambo a run for his money, while at the same time…also happen to be an archeologist on par with Indiana Jones. How many characters in the literary world could claim to be both a soldier and an archeologist?

The book contains some information about the seven wonders of the ancient world, information that is mostly fictional in nature. However, as with any book you read you should learn something, no matter how small it is…and with this book you would at least be able to list a few of the wonders of the ancient world.

Some of the unbelievably amazing action sequences featured in the book are like the breaking out of a terrorist from Guantanamo Bay (which was preceded by a short history of Gitmo and how it came to be – something which I never knew and was delighted to learn) by Jack West Jr. and his team, a street chase in Paris involving a double-decker bus, a daring escape from the armed forces that followed, and breaking into the St. Peter’s Basilica (where the author chose to take the opportunity to go the Da Vinci Code route in explaining conspiracies surrounding Christianity) and stealing an artifact.

Some cliché are also present, as are some twists in the plot. Though the middle section of the book was a bit tedious, the story got interesting towards the ending. Almost all loose ends were neatly tied up. This could be a good read if you know what you are getting into – which is almost like watching an action movie. Not so much substance or drama, action all the way.