Temple

by Matt Reilly

St. Martin's Press, January, 2001.
Hardcover, 384 pages.
ISBN: 0312266596

Temple by Matt Reilly

Professor and linguist William Race is shocked when armed soldiers meet him at the door to his classroom. Race is briefed and finds out he is needed on a top-secret mission, which will involve him translating an ancient manuscript and accompanying the team into the jungles of Peru on a mission to recover an Incan idol. The idol has to be recovered because it is made out of Thyrium-261, a substance from a meteorite that can be used to create an extraordinary dangerous weapon. The mission is urgent because a German terrorist organization headed by former Nazis is also after the idol. If the mission itself wasn't tense enough, Lauren O'Connor, Race's ex-love from college, is also on the mission.

Matt Reilly, a young Australian writer, has written three novels and several screenplays, and recently became more well-known with his New York Times bestseller, Ice Station. Temple also has elements of archaeology, science and and science fiction, which makes for a compelling story. Readers will be enthralled by the Rajas, the enormous and extremely deadly cat creatures the adventurers encounter. Some of the Reilly's best work is when he flashes back to the adventures of Renco Capac, an Indian Prince, and Alberto Luis Santiago, whose exploits are detailed in the ancient manuscript that describes an attempt to keep the Incan's treasured idol out of the hands of Hernando Pizarro, the Captain of the Spaniard's invading army. Matt Reilly also excels at writing action; some of the action scenes are simply amazing. Temple is a great read for anyone who loves an excitng thriller with lots of action, adventure, ancient relics and archaeology.

Temple is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the February, 2001 of The Internet Writing Journal.