The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly

Captain Jack West has barely escaped the Games, an ordeal told in The Four Legendary Kingdoms, but there is no time to rest. The Games began a process that cannot be stopped unless Jack completes the next trial within just a few days. If he fails then it is likely that there will be no one left alive to regret it. And so failure is not an option. Jack must gather his team together, including his daughter Lily, the Oracle, to find the Three Secret Cities, three places so famous in mythology and yet now lost to history. But Jack isn’t the only one to seek the cities. Darkness was unleashed at the close of the Games. Great forces with unlimited resources compete for power,for control of the cities, but there’s something else they all have in common: a relentless need in them to kill the man that has thwarted them for decades – Jack West.

The Three Secret Cities is the fifth novel in Matthew Reilly’s Jack West series of thrillers and it follows hot on the heels of The Four Legendary Kingdoms. I don’t think you should read one without reading the other because these books have told a great saga, taking place over many years, and the end is almost in sight. But first Jack West must take on the most formidable enemies who will stop at nothing, will kill anybody, to get what they want – a dead Jack West and world dominion.

The Four Legendary Kingdoms told of a trial, the Games, taking place over a very short period of time, just a day or two, in one location. The Three Secret Cities is very different. This is a thriller that takes place across the globe, over a few days. And the locations are very exotic indeed. The baddies are also worse than ever. There are moments here when I was shocked by the audacity of their crimes! The chapters in London are breathtaking, like the biggest disaster movie, and so exciting!

There are also moments of extreme horror. Matthew Reilly has outdone himself with his descriptions of punishment in the Prison of Erebus – this is the stuff of nightmares. And we’re left in no doubt that not everybody in Jack’s team will survive. The author is known for shocking us in these ways – both in this series and in the Scarecrow books. Talking of Scarecrow, there are further treats here for those, like me, who adore that series. I love how these two series exist in the same world.

This is such a great story! It’s clearly preposterous and you don’t want to think about it all too much, but the book is so cleverly plotted, tying everything together with mythology, both ancient and medieval, and with some of the great archaeological mysteries of the ages. I loved the diagrams that are scattered throughout. They all contribute to the sense of reality and physicality of this world that Matthew Reilly has created with such skill. But above all else, The Three Secret Cities is an immensely thrilling and exciting roller coaster of a ride. I loved every minute of it. When this sort of thriller is done well then I am more than happy to fall under its spell – and Matthew Reilly is a master.

I cannot wait for Jack West to return! Unfortunately we must wait until 2020 for that but, in his afterword, the author mentions that his next book will be a time travel thriller. I cannot wait!

Other reviews
Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves
The Tournament
The Great Zoo of China
The Four Legendary Kingdoms (Jack West 4)

Please note, The Three Secret Cities is the fifth book in an ongoing series. If you haven’t read books one to four then it is highly likely that the following review is going to contain some minor spoilery type elements. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

A shadow world behind the real world

When Jack West, Jr. won the Great Games, he threw the four legendary kingdoms into turmoil.

A world with its own history, rules and prisons

Now these dark forces are coming after Jack…in ruthless fashion.

That is reaching into our world…explosively

With the end of all things rapidly approaching, Jack must find the Three Secret Cities, three incredible lost cities of legend.

It’s an impossible task by any reckoning, but Jack must do it while he is being hunted…by the greatest hunters in history.

I suspect each time Matthew Reilly sits down to write a new book he asks himself the same question. “How can I push the action quotient further than I did last time?” The good news, from our perspective at least, is that he keeps managing it. I can sum up each new Matthew Reilly novel in four simple words – Bigger, Better, Faster, More. When it comes to pure, unadulterated mayhem I don’t think there are many who deliver as consistently as Reilly does. The Jack West Jnr series has been excellent since book one. Each book builds on the story that has come before and is creating an ongoing tale that is pretty damned epic in scope. We are onto book five now, and this latest adventure is just as fresh and exciting as it predecessors.

I don’t think I can stress this enough, the action in The Three Secret Cities is unrelentingly bonkers. I mean that as the highest of compliments. There are pitched gun battles all over the place, tower blocks collapsing in on themselves, death defying halo drops and world famous landmarks being obliterated. It’s all in a day’s work as far as Jack West Jnr is concerned. These action set pieces are outlandish in the extreme, and I loved every one. There is a constant sense of spectacle. Each time I thought I couldn’t be amazed anymore I was proven wrong. There are a handful of WTF! moments that are likely going to melt your brain. I dearly want to see Matthew Reilly’s work translate to the big screen. The Three Secret Cities is a literary action blockbuster, I want it to be a cinematic one as well. The only trouble I would have with that would be deciding who would be my dream cast.

Though the novel is chock full of excitement you would be wrong to think that it all there is. The author weaves an engaging plot between all the moments of derring-do. There are ancient puzzles to solve and clues to decipher. One of the things I really liked is that Reilly uses a unique interpretation of mythological stories to fit within his narrative, so they factor into modern events. This delivers a perfect counterpoint to all the explosions and shooting.

If you have read the rest of Reilly’s back catalogue you already know that Jack West Jnr exists within the same shared universe as his other action hero, Shane ‘Scarecrow’ Schofield. The good news is The Three Secret Cities further cements this link with the inclusion of a character who has featured in the Schofield novels. No, there will be no spoilers regarding that person’s name here, my friend. I would not wish to ruin that particular surprise. The only thing you need to know is that if you are fan of the other novels there are scenes in The Three Secret Cities that will make you grin from ear-to-ear.

Years ago, I read a magazine article that suggested there is no such thing as an original story. The author stated that all fiction can be traced back to ancient legends and their base concepts. To a degree, I think this is true. In many respects Jack West Jnr is a modern-day Odysseus, the indomitable hero. Nothing, or no-one, will stop West from achieving his goal. He will fight to his last breath for his friends. He will drop everything and travel half way across the planet, at a moment’s notice, to help those in need. These acts of selfless heroism make him a genuinely engaging protagonist. The other thing I think that is important is that West isn’t invincible. He doesn’t always succeed in everything he does. Sometimes he isn’t the one doing the rescuing. I would be horribly bored if he was that perfect.

West is part of a delightfully mismatched, extended surrogate family and most of these characters show up at one point or another. Any time Pooh Bear, Stretch or Sky Monster appear always makes me smile. Elsewhere the villains remain gleefully villainous. I’m sure you’ll be shocked when I tell you it turns out that religious zealots, clandestine secret societies and global shadow governments are all thoroughly nasty types. Whenever any one of these scumbags gets their comeuppance, you’ll find yourself having difficulty containing the urge to shout in triumph.

The Three Secret Cities delivers on every page. Rip roaring adventure at a breakneck pace does not get any better than this. If you are an action thriller fan, and you haven’t already, I strongly suggest you discover Matthew Reilly today.

My musical recommendation to accompany TheThree Secret Cities had to be something exciting, that will take your breath away. I went with the wonderful soundtrack to Uncharted 4 by Henry Jackman.Thrilling, evocative and suitably frenetic, I figure it is an ideal fit.

The Three Secret Cities is published by Orion and is out now. Jack West Jnr fans are going to love it. Watch out for some of those cliff-hangers they are going to blow your mind! Highly recommended.