Review: The Six Sacred Stones

The Six Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-Read 07/20

Goddammit.

(view spoiler)[I forgot this was a cliffhanger. (hide spoiler)]

The story leads on a little from the first book in the series, with new events loosely related to things that occurred previously, featuring most of the characters we fell in love with in the previous novel. Not all of them, you understand, because this is a Matthew Reilly novel and we all know that not even the good guys are safe in one of those.

Be warned now: this review may contain spoilers for Seven Ancient Wonders in the form of names, or the distinct absence of names.

So this time Jack and co are looking for stones and can I just say, even though there are only six that are specifically sacred, I got a little confused with what all the stones and pillars etc were actually for. Thankfully we get lots of pictures and diagrams again and the characters like to ask each other all the questions I'm thinking myself which is very helpful with staying on track.

We're globe-trotting again and yes, there's a nice tight deadline because of course nothing is ever easy. *Le sigh* There are some new faces along for the ride which is fun - I confess, I have a soft spot for Astro - but of course there are some nice grizzly deaths, too. I'm starting to suspect Reilly gets a particular joy out of feeding people to animals and I am 100% on board with that. Plus more traps! How fun are booby traps!

It's kind of a 'Part One' really, with this novel setting us up for an epic conclusion in the next novel. As such, it's a little long and more info-dense than the previous. There is a lot more history here, and more cultures involved, so the story itself is a bit more drawn out, though the action is still fierce. I never get bored with this series. It just keeps me on edge. It's also written in such a way that you can really see it playing out like a movie - all the tense moments, dramatic pauses, eleventh hour saves ... it's fantastic.

The biggest draw of the series, though, is the characters, and how they work together. I love how they all have their roles, but they're family, too. I love their loyalty to one another and, yes, the relationship between Stretch and Pooh Bear is one of my faves (and can we just take a moment to appreciate that moment in my original review down below where I coin the term 'Legolasian'? Nice, Krystal, nice.) but the dynamics between each of them is really cool to watch. Zoe also gets a thousand times more badass in this book and I am firmly in her corner. Also they're all so humble about doing all these crazy things and it totally melts my heart for them more. Case in point:

'I knew you had a reputation for daring, Captain, but this, this borders on rank impudence. You really are a bold one.'
'Yeah, real bold.' West headed aft in the direction of his quarters. 'Now, if nobody minds, I'm going to boldly take a shower and then I'm going to boldly hit the sack.'

Sass levels are here to stay.

Also, SO AUSTRALIAN. What a hero. You have earned your nap, Sir.

Ok that's about it! Loved it as usual and devoured it nice and fast. And since I seem to have forgotten so much I'll be continuing my re-read with rapt attention.


*Original Review 10/15*

Another immediately thrilling ride, but a much more ambitious and epic story than the first novel in the series. I love the history stuff, the archaeology of it all, the mystery of ancient civilisations and how these are all drawn together into a rollicking adventure story. The characters are a lot of fun in their diversity, and their similarities to other characters from literature make them fun and more appealing rather than tired and cliche. My love of LOTR probably has a lot to do with why I so much enjoy the relationship between the Gimli-esque Pooh Bear and his Legolasian friend, Stretch. Likewise, Harry Potter fans will no doubt enjoy this book's own red-headed troublesome twins. These are only two of a vast array of similarities between this novel and the two aforementioned series, but the references to the series means this is almost a dedication to inspiration. For me, it simply added extra appeal. Subtracting that, this is just another fantastic Matthew Reilly adventure. The action never stops, and the turns keep coming. I'll be making an emergency dash to the bookshop to get the next one in the series ASAP!

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