----- Overview -----

As Matthew Reilly's fourth book, one could expect a maturation in his writing style and content. This is not the case with Area 7, as it contains the same mixture of over-the-top combat scenes and wildly imaginative plot machinations. Area 7 is Reilly's first sequel, and as such it has a little more history and character development than his other novels. We are talking about a little bit however, and background info never gets in the way of more action.

Shane Schofield is the Force Recon unit commander we got to know in Ice Station. In the months that have passed since the disaster in Antarctica, Schofield has been promoted to the Presidential Marine Guard. This is not only to reward him for his heroic actions at the Wilkes Ice Station, but to keep the press far away from him lest information about that debacle escape to the public.

----- Book Teaser -----

Rogue US Air Force General Caesar Russell was convicted of high treason and sentenced to death. As a member of a destructive supremacist group known only as the Brotherhood, his actions threatened the very core of America's military system. His only last request before his lethal injection was to watch the innauguration of the new President of the United States. As the TV is turned off and the needle is readied for injection, Caesar cracks a smug grin. 2 minutes later, the heart monitor is wailing it's flatline alert and Gen. Russell formerly of the USAF is declared dead. 12 minutes later the gurney is rolled into a US Air Force truck for disposal. As the truck pulls away from the prison, EMTs are already pulling out a portable heart resuscitation unit. As they race down the highway, the heart monitor begins to beep regularly once again as Russell opens his eyes...

Six months later...

It is America's most secret base hidden deep in the Utah desert... an Air Force installation known only as Area 7. Research in biological warfare and advanced weapons systems is conducted here, and kept under the tightest of security.

Today it has a special visitor: the President of the United States. He has come to routinely inspect Area 7, to examine its secrets for himself. But he's going to get more than he bargained for on this trip. Among the President's Marine helicopter crew however, is a young Marine. He is quiet, enigmatic, and he hides his eyes behind a pair of silver sunglasses. His name is Shane Schofield. Rumor has it, he's a good man in a storm. If what the President just walking into is as bad as it looks, he had better be.

What the President doesn't know is General Russell is now in control of Area 7, he wants to play a game, and these are the rules: The President has a microwave transmitter implanted in his chest from a surgery performed at a compromised Air Force hospital several years back. This transmitter is activated now, and is sending signals to low yield nuclear weapons in fourteen American cities. If the President dies, the nukes go off. Area 7 is guarded by 50 of the most well trained and equipped commandos in the USA, all loyal devotees of Gen. Russell. The President's only defence is 10 Secret Service agents and his Marine honor guard. This deadly contest is going out to every home in America over the Emergency Broadcast System. Together, America gets to watch the life and death struggle of its President against a devious anarchist. As the security doors slam shut to the outside world the growl of Russell's voice is heard: "Let the games begin..."

----- My Comments -----

I won't apologize for enjoying bad fiction, there is a certain draw to a straightforward action movie or novel. Yet another warning about Reilly's writing style, inter-character dialogue is at times comic-strip bad. Reilly has a knack for penning action sequences that you can't put down, at least if you don't throw the book in frustration. I was convinced the Reilly finally decided to keep his writing in the realm of realism until page 192. After that he quickly spirals into his typical maelstrom of luck and improbability with every conflict, yet the sheer frenzy of Reilly's approach has won me over. Hey, I've purchased three of his books, haven't I? You will read about Schofield driving an E3-C AWACS plane right on its nose down a 4 floor deep elevator shaft, piloting Tiger Bi-Planes, racing through lake Powell in a PCR-2 armed hovercraft, and finally jetting into space and back in the X-38 offensive shuttle.

As in all of Reilly's books, there are enough weapons and military hardware to appease the most avid military tech fan, even though some of the equipment is fictional.

I can't really say too much more about the plot, it's much better left for you to read it on your own. I can pretty much guarantee you'll either be unable to put Area 7 down, or you'll never want to read another piece of "pulp fiction" again.

All I can say is give it a try, it's only six bucks down the drain if you don't like it. 483 pages should last you longer than the typical theater ticket, and at least you'll get a bit more than 90 minutes out of it. On a final note, I'll leave you with a comment by Matthew Reilly at the end of Area 7. "Some reviewers say the characters in my books don't live long enough to require any development. My response is simple: I want to write about action, thrills, and adventure, and if developing the characters slows down the action, I give it the chop!"

Matthew Reilly lives in Sydney, Australia. He released a new hardcover book this spring, Contest. His novel Ice Station is in the early stages of being turned into a movie. Below is a link to the official Matthew Reilly website.

http://www.matthewreilly.com/

Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!
Openroad

Recommended: Yes