Rating:  Summary: It'll keep you up at night! Review: I stumbled across Matt Reilly this summer. After one book, I went out and bought all of his books and read them. Ice Station is a page turner and will keep you reading all night. It has action that will grab your attention and keep you guessing.
Rating:  Summary: Conspiracy, non-stop action, & heroism-this book has it all! Review: Take "Indiana Jones" and mix with "Rambo" as written by Tom Clancy and you've got a pretty good picture of what lies in store for you when you pick up a copy of "Ice Station". This debut novel from the pen of Matthew Reilly is a thrill-a-minute, action-fest with some of the most discriptive battle scenes that I've ever read. Reilly does a great job creating word-pictures that stay with the reader long after the book has been put down."Ice Station" takes the reader to an Antarctic outpost that could hold secrets vital to national defense. When a group of Marines answer a call for help at Wilkes Ice Station, they definitely find more than they expected. Have they stumbled on to an alien space vessel or a secret weapon developed by their own government? And why are so many countries interested in possessing what the Marines find? The characterization is tremendous in this novel. The reader finds him- or herself getting very close to the Marines and some of the scientists that they end up protecting. The plot, although more than a little farfetched, is extremely entertaining and the books moves along at warp speed. Don't sit down to read this novel unless you're prepared to spend some sleepless nights until you finish it! I look for great things from young Mr. Reilly and I will make it a priority to read his 2nd and 3rd novels, "Temple" and "Area 7". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:  Summary: Reilly makes a startling debut! Review: About a year ago, I picked this book up in my local Walden Books seeing it in the bestsellers section, reading the back, and deciding, "eh, what the hell." When I began the book I was drawn in by the beginning plot, of an unidentified spacecraft trapped in ice underground thousands of years old. Now, by this time the book seemed interesting and I was excited to see what would happen. Aliens? Disease? But it was the first gunshot that trapped me in the book. The first gunshot, when the Americans went to confront the French, that made me absorbed. From that first gunshot, chaos follows. There are explosions, killer whales, gunfire, a convicted killer, an all out war, and all in this little ice station. The turn of events was spectacular, surprising, and clever. I recommend this book to all readers who don't enjoy reading or just love action. The plot envelopes you and you can not put this book down. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars was the fact that the gigantic seals seemed a little fake. Otherwise, an amazing read.
Rating:  Summary: Breathtaking pace Review: I was in an airport in Australia looking for something to kill my next flight with and found this book. By the time I was one half way through with it, I had purchased everything Matthew Reilly had written. After about page 44, there is nothing but gunplay and shrapnel, but Reilly makes it all fascinating. If you liked "Die Hard," then this is your kind of book, complete with surprises, enemies from all sides, and more death-defying stunts than you can imagine. The kind of book you can't stand to put down, because you can't find a break in the action enough to let you focus on anything else.
Rating:  Summary: One of the best books I've ever read!!!! Review: Anyone who critisizes this book should be shot for being overly-skeptical of a great new author - no offense. It's hard to find a really great fiction-action book, but this one more than takes the cake. I bought several books at a time, but found I had to read all of Matt Reilly's first. This is an absolutely excellent book, and to say otherwise is cruel. Tons of incredibly-described action, great plot with a good bit of conspiracy, likeable characters, especially Scarecrow.. plus a good ending. Yeah, of course some of it is practically impossible, but who thinks they can find a great fiction book that is completely realistic?? Being completely realistic automatically makes a book dull. Despite what some way-too-critical people say, this book kicks butt, so 'Way to go, Matt!!' It's definately one of the top 5 books I've ever read, which also inclues James Rollins' first book, Subterrannean, and Steve Alten's first book, Meg. Considering this author is so young and inexperienced, I think within a few years he could easily take on Michael Crichton and the best of them, along with, of course, James Rollins and Steve Alten. I really hope Matt continues putting out awesome books, I can't wait to read them all. Matt's second book, Temple, was also excellent (I'd say 4.5 stars), but I think Ice Station kicks the butt of even that - Ice Station's Scarecrow really steals your heart - and the story.
Rating:  Summary: I abandoned this book 1/2 way through to write this review Review: Earlier reviewers have it exactly right - this is written to be the script for a Hollywood action movie. If you like Tom Clancy for the convincing realism of his weapons and operations, or if you passed high school chemistry or physics - the howlers, at least one per chapter, may drive you away. Example: (Liquid) Nitrogen grenades "the signature weapon of the SAS" & pocket sized no less! "The two nitrogen charges..went off..splattering every SAS commando on the ...catwalk...water is the only naturally occurring substance on earth that expands when it is cooled....the result: total body hemorrhage... Brain death would occur within the next thirty seconds as the blood vessels in their brains froze over..." If you can read that without stumbling in doubt or disbelief, then - you will probably have no trouble with this book. I've read most of Clancy and several Clive Cussler books. Ice Station has the techie clutter of Clancy (except a lot of it is just made up) - has better characterization than Clancy or Cussler, less plausibility than Cussler (!), and a higher density of "stuff happening" than anybody I've ever read. Hope this helps,
Rating:  Summary: Non stop adventure Review: I have just discovered this author and this is my second book, i first read Area 7 the sequel to this book. The experience of reading a Matthew Reilly book can be discribed as a roller coaster ride into hell as the author takes you from a to z with no stops and you love every moment. Again i come to the end of Ice Station breathless wanting to re-read Area 7 again, this book was a great introduction to Schofield and co, and i just hope there are many more with Schofield in the future. I will be reading more of this author just to see his developement, and to enjoy the adventures he takes the reader on with his entertaining stories.
Rating:  Summary: Mutant Seals and Spaceships Review: Reilly wrote this book to be made into a screenplay, nothing more. You can see his influence from action stars like Arnold, Bruce, Jon Claude and Jackie. The book is crisply written, it's characters have excellent backstories and the reader can't put the book down because the story never pauses. The only complaint I had, and it's a little one, is Reilly's obsessive use of italics. If you can't get the important point across without having to dress up the font, then do it in another way! It became a joke after a while to see how many times the text was italicized to press home the importance of the action. Reilly's good, but he needs to move beyond the 2 hour action movie format.
Rating:  Summary: Like Watching a Bruce Willis Action Film Review: This book kept me up into the very early hours, reading it in a single sitting. It simply never lets up. The action in this novel starts and essentially never stops. It is all ACTION ACTION ACTION! This is an action adventure novel that has obviously been written by an action movie fan. The high adventure, the explosions and high body count carry all the feel of an action movie. In a way, this is less a novel than a screenplay! "Ice Station" is light and entertaining fluff that genuinely excites and is well written within the confines of the somewhat limiting action formula. Suspend your disbelief and don't worry about natural science inaccuracies about orcas attacking humans and so on. That is not what action books are about -- they are fantasy, and this is a first rate actioner by a major new talent. As a footnote, when I was a bookseller I recommended this novel to parents trying to interest their teenage boys in reading. I had universal feedback that their kids loved it, and for many it opened their eyes to the fact that a book could be just as exciting as a movie.
Rating:  Summary: :) Review: Allthough his books are a little far fetched they make for a great read.
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