Matthew Reilly’s ‘Seven Deadly Wonders’

I have been asked multiple times over the past few weeks to recommend a book or series that teens could really sink their teeth into, since so many teen-oriented books are tragically shallow. I have mentioned this series before, but I thought I should do a review specifically for this instance. The book in question is Matthew Reilly’s Seven Deadly Wonders, which is the first in a trilogy following Jack West Jr. Jack is a representative of Australia in a strike force made up of smaller nations. As is often the case with thrillers, a doomsday scenario is quickly approaching, and the answer to our salvation lies in the past. Jack’s team is frantically searching for artifacts that may contain clues to the dangerous solar event that is approaching, and, sure enough, there are other nations who wish to harness any potential power from the situation. Chief among these are a religiously-motivated force from Europe, and a shadow agency hailing from the United States. As Jack’s team of expert eccentrics searches for humanity’s only hope, they will soon find themselves fighting men that may even be more dangerous than the disaster they hope to avert.

If this sounds like a somewhat typical setup for an adventure/thriller novel, that’s because it is. That being said, Reilly has a knack for setting his novels apart in their respective genres, and that skill is readily seen with Seven Deadly Wonders. Reilly’s writing and character development shine throughout the whole novel, and the author manages to make you feel connected to characters without spending too much time on backstory: their current actions drive their development. For a thriller, this is essential, as it keeps the pacing level throughout. While a great deal is fictional or fantastic conjecture, the history that Reilly weaves into the various locations and items is well-formed and imaginative. I am not new to the thriller genre by any means, and even I am amazed by some of the scenes in this book. Quite honestly, Seven Deadly Wonders would make a great blockbuster movie. The action is just crazy enough to seem grand, but not so over-the-top as to seem wholly unrealistic. If you are a teenager, or you are buying for a teenager, who wants an exceptionally fun, engaging read that will keep the pages turning, then you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Matthew Reilly’s Seven Deadly Wonders. It should be noted that this book is appropriate for teens, but none of the writing or character interaction is scaled-down to make it so: any adult that is looking for a thriller will find just as much to love in Seven Deadly Wonders as anybody else.

Next week I’m reviewing a sci-fi book that I’ve been dying to get my hands on, so stay tuned!