Review - Temple by Matthew Reilly

Temple by Matthew Reilly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

697 pages

Published (first published January 1st 1999)

Source: Own copy

Challenges: Mt TBR Challenge, Colour Coded Challenge,

A-Z Title Challenge, Genre Variety Challenge     

 

 

Synopsis:

"Deep in the jungles of Peru the race of the century is under way to locate a legendary Incan idol.

An artifact carved out of a strange kind of stone, the idol could be used as the basis for a terrifying

new weapon. The U.S. Army wants it - at any cost - but they are not alone." "The only clue to the

idol's final resting place lies in a four-hundred-year-old manuscript. Enter Professor William Race, a

brilliant young linguist who is unwittingly recruited to translate the manuscript and lead the army team

to the artifact. And so begins the mission that will take Race and his companions to a mysterious

Andean temple seething with menace and danger. But it is only when the foreboding edifice is opened

that Race and his team discover that they have broken a golden rule: Some doors are meant to remain

closed."     

My Thoughts:
Wow, I'm still out of breath from reading this book as I type this review.
I read a lot of negative reviews about this book before picking it up but decided to give it a go anyway because I've enjoyed all of the other Matthew Reilly books that I've read in the past. All I can say is that I'm glad I did. I don't think I've read such a fast paced and engaging book in a very long time. The story contains so many different twists and turns and eyebrow raising moments that I literally stopped doing everything for the last two days just because I couldn't stop thinking about it and had to finish reading it.
Yes, I'll admit that it's completely outrageous in most parts, and yes, you tend to think a lot of 'as if's' while reading, but to me that's the whole point as to why I read most of the time. That is, to completely escape from reality and go into another, more fascinating world than my own and be entertained for a little while.
The main character, William Race, is a very likeable guy who's definitely not your average hero. He's a college professor who gets included on a mission that is completely out of his comfort zone, but ends up taking it all in his stride and coming out on top in the end.
The one thing I have to say is that you can't get attached to anyone in this book. It's not one of those stories where all the good guys manage to stay safe and make it to the end no matter what, so just be warned.
This book is definitely very 'Indiana Jones' like and that is probably another reason why it appealed to me so much as those movies take me back to my childhood and a lot of good memories.
If you're a fan of Matthew Reilly's fast paced, seat-of-your-pants writing style then this book shouldn't disappoint.

Links:
Amazon: Temple
The Book Depository