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You really shouldn't be able to buy a copy of 7 DEADLY WONDERS without a note from your doctor indicating that you are physically able to stand the strain. While comparisons to THE DA VINCI CODE are inevitable, they are also, I would submit, inaccurate. Matthew Reilly's latest novel is a homage to a thriller --- or, to be more precise, a series of thrillers --- that was published a lifetime ago. But more on that in a minute.
The premise of 7 DEADLY WONDERS is a cataclysmic one, to say the least. In what we smugly regard from our vantage point as "ancient times," a Golden Capstone was placed atop the Great Pyramid of Giza during The Tartarus Rotation, a solar event that occurs once every 4,500 years and is due to occur again…almost right now. If the capstone is in place, then everything is fine; otherwise, temperatures rise and worldwide flooding occurs. Oh, and whoever places the capstone on the pyramid gains absolute power over the earth for the next 1,000 years. The problem is that the capstone is separated into pieces and hidden all over the world. This, of course, sets off quite a race among the Americans, Europeans, Israelis, and miscellaneous, otherwise known as the good guys.
Here is where Reilly borrows a page or two from Kenneth Robeson's (a pseudonym used by a group of writers) Doc Savage tales. There is a coalition of small countries who don't believe that the power the capstone confers can be trusted to any one large country or group of large countries. So members of these nations each send a representative. And here's where the Doc Savage comparison really kicks in. You have the weapons expert, the air ace, two members of the team constantly bickering with each other, and the team leader who is always thinking ahead. His name in this case is not Doc but rather Jack West, Jr., an Australian. West is a super soldier and natural leader, and readers of thrillers will recognize him immediately.
What separates 7 DEADLY WONDERS from the present slate of grand concept thrillers, however, is that the ostensible good guys and team leader West are almost consistently behind the eight-ball throughout the book. They're almost always getting their heads handed to them, figuratively as well as literally. Anything can happen --- don't get too attached to any particular team member --- and the team is constantly fighting against odds that seem more insurmountable every time they stand up to be counted.
But they keep plugging ahead, somehow managing to overcome every cliff that Reilly leaves them hanging off of. A great deal of this novel's fun is wondering how our intrepid heroes are going to survive, or, given the body count, which one(s) will make it. An additional hurrah must be given to Reilly for his inclusion of a great number of diagrams, maps and illustrations to assist the reader in conceptualizing some of the settings in which the story takes place.
What makes 7 DEADLY WONDERS ultimately worthwhile, however, is that it is a thrilling and fun read from beginning to end, thanks in part to Reilly's cinematic writing ability. The movie, no matter how good it might be, won't be as intriguing as the book. Read now, but don't tell your friends the ending!
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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