The Six Sacred Stones.

The Six Sacred Stones By Matthew Reilly.
The world is still in mortal danger.

For Jack West Jr and his rave team of heroes, the challenge now is to set six fabulous diamonds known as 'the Pillars' in their appointed places around the world before the deadline for global destruction arrives. But first they must discover the precise locations - six ancient sites whose positions are revealed by the legendary Six Sacred Stones.

Their quest will involve the terrifying hijack of a mountain railway in remotest China .... a midnight expedition to unlock the secrets of Stonehenge .... a headlong chase across the deserts of Egypt involving trucks, jeeps and a crippled 747 .... and a terrifying journey into the dark realm of an African tribe forgotten by time ....

With only the ancient philosophers to guide them. and time rapidly running out, Jack and his friends must press their way through traps, labyrinths and deadly ambushes - knowing that this time they cannot, will not, must not fail.

The mission is incredible. The consequences of failure are unimaginable. The ending is unthinkable

.... from the inner, front cover.

First Sentence: In a dark chamber beneath a great island in the most distant corner of the world, an ancient ceremony was under way.

A mixture of Indiana Jones and James Bond, Jack West Jr (call sign 'Huntsman') must be the ultimate hero. With his team, comprised of Wizard, Zoe and children, foster daughter, Lily and, her friend, Alby amongst others there seems to be no way of stopping him.

The follow up to Seven Ancient Wonders (which I haven't read) THE SIX SACRED STONES can be read as a book in it's own right without having first read it's predecessor. Fast, pacy, full of wonderful, ancient locations, tasks and high-tech gadgets, this book comes highly recommended despite the fact that, in one or two places the imagination is stretched so far, disbelief must be suspended. Then there is the ending which will leave you wondering what happens to certain characters.

If ever there was a book crying out for a film version to be made of it - The Six Sacred Stones is that book.

MY RATING: 4 out of a possible 5.