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THE END OF THE WORLD IS HEREAfter their thrilling exploits in Matthew Reilly's rampaging New York Times bestseller, 7 Deadly Wonders, supersoldier Jack West Jr. and his loyal team of adventurers are back, and now they face an all-but-impossible challenge.
A mysterious ceremony in an unknown location has triggered a catastrophic countdown that will climax in no less than the end of all life on Earth. But Jack and his team might be able to ward off the coming Armageddon if they can find the show more fabled Six Sacred Stones, which hold clues to a legendary ancient device long lost in the fog of history. As the hunt begins, Jack and his team discover that they are not the only ones seeking the Stones...and that there might just be other players out there who don't want to see the world saved at all.
From Stonehenge in England to the deserts of Egypt to the spectacular Three Gorges region in China, The 6 Sacred Stones will take you on a nonstop rollercoaster ride through ancient history, modern military hardware, and some of the fastest and most mind-blowing action you will ever hear. show less
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Action! Adventure!
Honestly, I don't usually go in for this kind of novel unless pressured by friends or I am just watching some SF adventure, but I can see the appeal. More than that, even. The pacing is always great and while it's not *exactly* a serial adventure right out of the 30's, it has all the pulp feel you could wish for.
Ah! But what flavor of pulp is this?
It should be familiar to all you connoisseurs of conspiracy theories. The wilder, the better. You know, like the dark sun, (or planet, if you wish), the Nemesis that comes around to wreck havoc in the solar system on a regular basis.
Oh, and the world-healing power of crystals, too.
And let's not forget the theories that mankind has gone through many stages of high-tech show more societies and declines! I actually approve of that theory, and not that aliens uplifted us. So much can be buried so absolutely in so little time. I can believe that there could be many very advanced societies in the past. But wait! Reilly takes it further and connects the two and has our ancient ancestors doing their worst to save us future generations from the dark star.
As long as we go on a little adventure, of course. :)
So let's get the band back together! You've already got one stone!
Oh, and not tired of traps, yet? Good news for you! We've got lots of traps. Near-death escapes, captures, torture, and even MORE traps!
I think it's good fun. We're not really dealing with reality here. Especially with the caricatures of races or real evidence of connection between Stonehenge and the Pyramids... but screw it. Let's go along for the ride. I'm used to Science Fantasy as much as Science Fiction. This fits the former bill nicely.
The point is just to have fun, and this novel, IMHO is better than the first. It builds on everything we went through already and steps it up a few more notches. From Sun Flares to Dark Stars! What's next?
What a cliffhanger, too! Literally. lol
But that's expected in an *actual* adventure, right? show less
Honestly, I don't usually go in for this kind of novel unless pressured by friends or I am just watching some SF adventure, but I can see the appeal. More than that, even. The pacing is always great and while it's not *exactly* a serial adventure right out of the 30's, it has all the pulp feel you could wish for.
Ah! But what flavor of pulp is this?
It should be familiar to all you connoisseurs of conspiracy theories. The wilder, the better. You know, like the dark sun, (or planet, if you wish), the Nemesis that comes around to wreck havoc in the solar system on a regular basis.
Oh, and the world-healing power of crystals, too.
And let's not forget the theories that mankind has gone through many stages of high-tech show more societies and declines! I actually approve of that theory, and not that aliens uplifted us. So much can be buried so absolutely in so little time. I can believe that there could be many very advanced societies in the past. But wait! Reilly takes it further and connects the two and has our ancient ancestors doing their worst to save us future generations from the dark star.
As long as we go on a little adventure, of course. :)
So let's get the band back together! You've already got one stone!
Oh, and not tired of traps, yet? Good news for you! We've got lots of traps. Near-death escapes, captures, torture, and even MORE traps!
I think it's good fun. We're not really dealing with reality here. Especially with the caricatures of races or real evidence of connection between Stonehenge and the Pyramids... but screw it. Let's go along for the ride. I'm used to Science Fantasy as much as Science Fiction. This fits the former bill nicely.
The point is just to have fun, and this novel, IMHO is better than the first. It builds on everything we went through already and steps it up a few more notches. From Sun Flares to Dark Stars! What's next?
What a cliffhanger, too! Literally. lol
But that's expected in an *actual* adventure, right? show less
Wow! This is Matthew Reilly at his insanley fast paced nuclear best! Be warned Matthew Reilly unbelievers you will not like this. The pace is blistering the plot is crazy and the action is over the top.
I am the first to admit that with some shockingly cheesy dialogue, ridiculous "character explains the plot" internal monologues and infuriating hyperbole!!!!!!!!!!! (the italics and exclamation mark buttons on his computer must be worn down to nothing) and some grammatical short cuts (the author - not a character - describes something as f*****g huge! and the word "shoomed" is used for planes flying quickly or missiles being launched) there are some cringe worthy moments on this book, but for sheer hollywood blockbuster on the page show more entertainment it cannot be beaten.
I much preferred the Scarecrow novels to Jack West Jr but this really steps the turbo charged Indiana Jones style books up a notch. The pace of the novel is truly breathless with action sequences just delivered once after the other.
The section in the Congo with the lost Neetha tribe makes this book four stars on it's own.
This is a classic example of Matthew Reilly doing what he does best. show less
I am the first to admit that with some shockingly cheesy dialogue, ridiculous "character explains the plot" internal monologues and infuriating hyperbole!!!!!!!!!!! (the italics and exclamation mark buttons on his computer must be worn down to nothing) and some grammatical short cuts (the author - not a character - describes something as f*****g huge! and the word "shoomed" is used for planes flying quickly or missiles being launched) there are some cringe worthy moments on this book, but for sheer hollywood blockbuster on the page show more entertainment it cannot be beaten.
I much preferred the Scarecrow novels to Jack West Jr but this really steps the turbo charged Indiana Jones style books up a notch. The pace of the novel is truly breathless with action sequences just delivered once after the other.
The section in the Congo with the lost Neetha tribe makes this book four stars on it's own.
This is a classic example of Matthew Reilly doing what he does best. show less
Matthew Reilly was born in 1974. He is of a generation who grew up on a diet of action blockbuster movies. Reading THE SIX SACRED STONES is like reading a screenplay for one of these movies. The characters careen from one life threatening situation to another at a breakneck speed. There is an incredibly high body count as West’s friends and foes alike succumb to the danger of this latest quest. They die in all manner of grisly fashions. Fortunately the reader is spared too many details.
Character development isn’t really Reilly’s thing. Why waste the words when you can have another life-threatening situation from which Jack can extricate himself? The characters all seem to have the same voice; from the learned elderly academic to show more Jack’s twelve-year-old daughter – they all talk in exactly the same manner.
If asked to describe THE SIX SACRED STONES, I would say it is Indiana Jones meets the Da Vinci Code on steroids. A fan of action movies looking for something to keep them entertained over the Christmas holidays will probably love THE SIX SACRED STONES. For this ageing baby boomer who prefers her plots much more sedate and with distinctive characters, it was all just a little too exhausting. show less
Character development isn’t really Reilly’s thing. Why waste the words when you can have another life-threatening situation from which Jack can extricate himself? The characters all seem to have the same voice; from the learned elderly academic to show more Jack’s twelve-year-old daughter – they all talk in exactly the same manner.
If asked to describe THE SIX SACRED STONES, I would say it is Indiana Jones meets the Da Vinci Code on steroids. A fan of action movies looking for something to keep them entertained over the Christmas holidays will probably love THE SIX SACRED STONES. For this ageing baby boomer who prefers her plots much more sedate and with distinctive characters, it was all just a little too exhausting. show less
Wow! This is Matthew Reilly at his insanley fast paced nuclear best! Be warned Matthew Reilly unbelievers you will not like this. The pace is blistering the plot is crazy and the action is over the top.
I am the first to admit that with some shockingly cheesy dialogue, ridiculous "character explains the plot" internal monologues and infuriating hyperbole!!!!!!!!!!! (the italics and exclamation mark buttons on his computer must be worn down to nothing) and some grammatical short cuts (the author - not a character - describes something as f*****g huge! and the word "shoomed" is used for planes flying quickly or missiles being launched) there are some cringe worthy moments on this book, but for sheer hollywood blockbuster on the page show more entertainment it cannot be beaten.
I much preferred the Scarecrow novels to Jack West Jr but this really steps the turbo charged Indiana Jones style books up a notch. The pace of the novel is truly breathless with action sequences just delivered once after the other.
The section in the Congo with the lost Neetha tribe makes this book four stars on it's own.
This is a classic example of Matthew Reilly doing what he does best. show less
I am the first to admit that with some shockingly cheesy dialogue, ridiculous "character explains the plot" internal monologues and infuriating hyperbole!!!!!!!!!!! (the italics and exclamation mark buttons on his computer must be worn down to nothing) and some grammatical short cuts (the author - not a character - describes something as f*****g huge! and the word "shoomed" is used for planes flying quickly or missiles being launched) there are some cringe worthy moments on this book, but for sheer hollywood blockbuster on the page show more entertainment it cannot be beaten.
I much preferred the Scarecrow novels to Jack West Jr but this really steps the turbo charged Indiana Jones style books up a notch. The pace of the novel is truly breathless with action sequences just delivered once after the other.
The section in the Congo with the lost Neetha tribe makes this book four stars on it's own.
This is a classic example of Matthew Reilly doing what he does best. show less
I hadn't read a Matthew Reilly book for a long time when we were given this one for book club. At first I felt it was rather over the top but as I continued to read I became very involved. I enjoyed the book and the adventure of Huntsmen and his crew and will now go and read some of Matthew Reilly's books that I have missed.
It's very fast moving and life is worth little in their quest. As in many adventure books the unreal happens in the nick of time.
It's very fast moving and life is worth little in their quest. As in many adventure books the unreal happens in the nick of time.
In no way shape or form is this actually believable, the characters survive certain death too easily. It is entertaining and the main character seems to be superman (with a very evil dad) the deus ex machinas are scattered with abandon but, dammit, it kept me reading,
Jack West Jr. has to fight again for the fate of the world, against people determined to let the world be destroyed and people determined to control this run towards keeping the world going. Again I really don't have a great mental image of the characters, they're almost sketches rather than fully fleshed humans.
This is the kind of book you either like or hate and I enjoyed it a bit too much. Afterwards though the plot holes are almost too much. Still I'll be reading the show more next one. It's popcorn reading, like watching a cheesy movie or TV series. show less
Jack West Jr. has to fight again for the fate of the world, against people determined to let the world be destroyed and people determined to control this run towards keeping the world going. Again I really don't have a great mental image of the characters, they're almost sketches rather than fully fleshed humans.
This is the kind of book you either like or hate and I enjoyed it a bit too much. Afterwards though the plot holes are almost too much. Still I'll be reading the show more next one. It's popcorn reading, like watching a cheesy movie or TV series. show less
What can I say..once again, you have to suspend all disbelief, and just go with the flow. As in his previous book in this series, the book is simply chocked full of miraculous coincidence heaped upon amazing action. Fortunately, there was much less reliance upon the authors favorite punctuation mark, the exclamation point, compared to 7 Deadly Wonders, still a tad too much reliance on italics, but it was better too. Honestly, we get it, you don't have to highlight every amazing and astounding plot twist with italics, exclamation points, or the author's newest literary ploy......
.....the dot dot dot, new paragraph, dot dot dot.
He did change it up occasionally though. Sometimes we got--
--"astounding moment" action continues.
That being show more said, I really do enjoy the clever albeit silly plot twists. And I certainly appreciated the spiffy diagrams. Numerous times throughout the book, I felt like I was reading the script for one of the old Batman tv shows, I kept expecting to see a POW!! BAM!!! SPLATT!! placed within the pages. Hmm, now that I think about it, wasn't the actor who played Batman in those old 60's shows named Adam West? ....
And isn't our hero named Jack West? .....
Coincidence? ......
Perhaps.....
(Sorry couldn't resist, *grin*)
I'm pretty sure, even though I always swear I won't bother reading another one of his books, that I'll be picking up his next new book and reading it. Kind of like going to action flicks that you know are going to be filled with "Oh please" moments, but you just can't help yourself. Maybe Mr. Reilly is sort of the Vin Diesel of literature. show less
.....the dot dot dot, new paragraph, dot dot dot.
He did change it up occasionally though. Sometimes we got--
--"astounding moment" action continues.
That being show more said, I really do enjoy the clever albeit silly plot twists. And I certainly appreciated the spiffy diagrams. Numerous times throughout the book, I felt like I was reading the script for one of the old Batman tv shows, I kept expecting to see a POW!! BAM!!! SPLATT!! placed within the pages. Hmm, now that I think about it, wasn't the actor who played Batman in those old 60's shows named Adam West? ....
And isn't our hero named Jack West? .....
Coincidence? ......
Perhaps.....
(Sorry couldn't resist, *grin*)
I'm pretty sure, even though I always swear I won't bother reading another one of his books, that I'll be picking up his next new book and reading it. Kind of like going to action flicks that you know are going to be filled with "Oh please" moments, but you just can't help yourself. Maybe Mr. Reilly is sort of the Vin Diesel of literature. show less
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Author Information
73+ Works 20,972 Members
Matthew Reilly was born in Sydney, Australia on July 2, 1974. He graduated from St. Aloysius' College and studied law at the University of New South Wales. He writes the Hover Car Racer series and the Jack West Junior series. His other works include Ice Station, Temple, Contest, Area 7, Scarecrow, and Hell Island. (Bowker Author Biography)
Series
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Le sei pietre sacre
- Original title
- The six sacred stones
- Original publication date
- 2007-11-23
- People/Characters
- Jack 'Huntsman' West Jr; Lily 'Eowyn' West; Professor Max 'Wizard' Epper; Zoe 'Princess' Kissane; Sky Monster; Benjamin 'Stretch' Cohen (show all 25); Zahir 'Pooh Bear' Abbas; Sheik Abbas; Albert 'Alby' Calvin; Lt. Sean 'Astro' Miller; Solomon Kol; J.J. 'Sea Ranger' Wickham; Lachlan Adamson; Julius Adamson; Ono; Dr Diane Cassidy; Jack 'Wolf' West Sr; Grant 'Rapier' West; Paul Robertson; Iolanthe Compton-Jones; Yobu 'Tank' Tanaka; Akira Juniro 'Switchblade' Isaki; Colonel Mao Gongli; Rashid 'Scimitar' Abbas; Abdul Rahman 'Vulture' al Saud
- Important places
- Sichuan Province, China; The Realm of the Neetha, Katanga Province, Congo; Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, UK; Egypt
- Epigraph
- A MORTAL BATTLE,
BETWEEN FATHER AND SON,
ONE FIGHTS FOR ALL,
AND THE OTHER FOR ONE.
ANONYMOUS (FROM AN INSCRIPTION FOUND IN A 3,000 YEAR-OLD CHINESE SHRINE IN THE WU GORGE, CENTRAL CHINA)
ANY SUFFICIENT... (show all)LY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY IS
INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM MAGIC.
ARTHUR C. CLARKE
THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR.
1 PETER 4:7 - Dedication
- To John Schrooten
A great and true friend - First words
- In a dark chamber beneath a great island in the most distant corner of the world, an ancient ceremony was under way.
- Quotations
- (p 358) 'Stanley wrote many books about his expeditions in Africa, most of them pure romantic rubbish,' ...
This sentence gives a rather harsh impression of Sir Henry Morton Stanley. It appears that Matthew Reilly had not ... (show all)read Tim Jeal's authoritative biography published in the same year as 'the six ...'. Perhaps if he had read it, the 'pure romantic rubbish' comment may have been changed? - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Then the Halicarnassus powered up and they took to the air, flying north this time, away from southern Africa, fleeing yet again, uncertain and unnerved by the knowledge that now without any shadow of a doubt, they faced the remaining challenges of their quest—the placing of the last four Pillars in March of 2008—alone, without Jack West Jr.
- Blurbers
- Thor, Brad; Rollins, James
- Original language
- English
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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