Finally, three years after the previous one, I got the latest in the adventures of Jack West Jr.: The Three Secret Cities.
This is an interesting techno-thriller series by Australian author Matthew Reilly. His works are marked by two elements: dialing up the action to level 11 at times, and having the hero and associates navigate an area that is similar to a “platform” computer game. His Jack West Jr. series also adds in some interesting crypto-history and puzzles as well.
Jack is a former Australian soldier now teamed up with a diverse group trying to stop ancient threats to the world. Jack has a cybernetic hand, replacing one he lost saving the life of a young girl, Lily, who is vital to their missions. The hand was built by Jack’s mentor, Professor Maximilian Epper, “Wizard.”
The series is marked by a “count down” of the titles, which started with seven and is now down to three. I have no idea if the last one will be “one” or “zero”.
The series started with Seven Deadly Wonders, where several competing international groups are working to put a capstone on the Great Pyramid to stop a cosmic disaster. Naturally, Jack’s group was the one that succeeded.
The next two novels, The Six Sacred Stones and The Five Greatest Warriors, tie together as Jack and his friends race against others to find six stones and place them into a worldwide machine to again stop another cosmic disaster, and reveal important secrets. In the end, Jack is proclaimed the “fifth greatest warrior.”
Now, in the current novels, we have a new storyline that is unclear as to how long it will last. In The Four Legendary Kingdoms, Jack is kidnapped to fight in the Hydra Games on behalf of one of the four kingdoms that secretly rule the world: The Land, Sea, Sky, and Underworld kingdoms. This is done to stop a rogue galaxy sent by “God” from destroying the world. The winning king will be the supreme ruler and needs to deal with two trials to save the world and stop the Omega Event, which will destroy it. But in that novel, things don’t go well. Jack wins, but his king doesn’t complete the ceremony, and this hidden world of kingdoms is thrown in disarray as the Neanderthals of the Underworld revolt, and many royals including two kings are killed, and the Lord Hades throws in with Jack and his friends. But the two challenges must still be done.
The Three Secret Cities deals with this first challenge, set in three lost cities: Thule, Ra (El Dorado), and Atlantis. And also leads to a ceremony at a secret altar! Jack and his friends must complete the challenges, as the other forces don’t know how to do it properly and they must be solved. Meanwhile, they must also deal with the secret rulers and their associates trying to stop and either kill or punish them, as well as the betrayal and in-fighting among these secret rulers.
At this point, I have no idea when the next book will come out, or what it might be titled. The second challenge deals with four mountains, but that doesn’t fit with the numbering. Will that finish out this storyline, or will it continue for another? I have no idea, but can’t wait.
I also thought it interesting that in The Four Legendary Kingdoms, Jack was joined by Scarecrow, from Reilly’s other series. And in The Three Secret Cities, Jack is aided by Aloysius Knight, who is from the Scarecrow series. I think Knight will appear in the next book, but will Scarecrow return? Don’t know.
I’ve enjoyed this series a lot and recommend it to others for some action-packed storytelling with some interesting use of legends and history.
