The Four Legendary Kingdoms by Matthew ReillyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
**Re-read 09/20**
The benefit of forgetting details of books I've read is that I can re-read something like this and still be on the edge of my seat. It's so intense!
You can definitely feel the time between books, so it's good that it's set many years after the conclusion of The Five Greatest Warriors. The vibe is a little different, and it feels very much like a book written with the fans in mind - there's less history-chasing, and we're fixed in one spot rather than galavanting around the world. I think, by tightening the scope, Reilly has been able to produce a harder, faster installment, and it makes it much more thrilling. Plus there's that one character (or two, really) that fans have been waiting for Jack to meet so finally our fan-girl/boy/other dreams are all coming true. <3
Jack is still faced with complicated puzzles to solve, but there's no way he can go it all alone so there are some familiar faces along for the ride. That being said, several from the previous books don't even appear here, and others have rather minor roles. (view spoiler) I didn't mind it at all, though, because there are so many new characters we get to have fun with, and Jack is facing off against a bunch of horrible, ruthless people so you know there's gonna be some serious carnage. I'm glad some of our friends were safe from it all!
I loved that it was this ferocious set of challenges but there was still the logical element to it, too, and the ancient mythology and historical facts mixed in to make it a proper Jack West Jr adventure. I also love that Jack is just so true to himself. He grumbles a little bit about being thrown into these messes (understandable) but then he just gets it done anyway. But no matter the challenge he still does things his OWN way - it makes him such a loveable character. Plus it gives us so many awesome moments. Like, sure, he's this noble guy and he believes all people derserve respect and he fights for what's right, absolute hero, etc etc ... but please don't think for a second that he's above giving the bad guys the finger.
Absolutely LOVE this adventure. It's a separate adventure from that covered in the first three books, but there's still that link between them, and it's definitely setting up for an epic continuation of the series. (The next of which I've also read, and forgotten. LOL *awkward laugh*)
A fantastic read and a brilliant addition to the series, but if you're not familiar with some of Reilly's other work you'll miss out on a fair bit of the fun of this one. Same goes if you're not familiar with the previous three novels. On the other hand, if you're all caught up, you should absolutely love this.
**Original Review 10/16**
Epic. Totally epic. Well worth the wait for this fourth installment in the Jack West Jr series! It's a beautiful blend of the old and the new, with more history and mythology built into non-stop action, only the scale here is much bigger. We don't have the whole team from the previous novels but there's a decent serve of other characters that quite easily fill the hole and indeed make things even more interesting. The challenges themselves are interesting; perhaps less puzzling than what we're used to but they still maintain plenty of intensity. Even amidst the action though there are some beautiful themes so the human element is still very much present. There are some predictable outcomes however it's their delivery that keeps things alive so they in no way lessen the thrills. This novel can be easily devoured in one sitting if you have the time but beware - finishing it so suddenly is likely to result in a decent book-hangover. I already miss it, and will be hanging out for the next one!
An absolute must for fans of the Jack West Jr series, and a worthy read for fans of Matthew Reilly. You won't be disappointed!
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