The Great Zoo of China

by Matthew Reilly

[kimbacaffeinate]

Similar to Jurassic park and set within the valleys of China, The Great Zoo of China was a non-stop, action packed ride that I consumed in a single day despite coming in at just over five hundred pages. Reilly opens with an intense and horrifying scene that sets the tone for the entire book. This is not for the faint of heart. It is at times incredibly gory and the author does a spectacular job of making you squirm. Surprisingly the gore was perhaps the most realistic aspect of the tale.

Dr. Cassandra Jane “CJ” Cameron is a leading reptile authority and she and her brother, a photographer, have been invited by China for an in-depth behind the scenes tour of a secret forty years in the making. China has built the worlds’ Greatest Zoo devoted entirely to a species that was believed to be only myth. Similar to Dan Brown, Reilly uses history to breathe life into this discovery allowing the reader to leap at the idea of their existence. CJ is badass, smart, observant and the perfect action heroine. She will remind you of MacGyver, Indiana Jones, Robert Langdon and Benjamin Gates. Let us throw a little Sherlock in there too as her power of observation proved to be handy. She and her brother are clever and for the most part are the focal characters. All the characters were unique and the villains were ruthless.

The tale is over the top with imagery that was breathtaking and creative. While the similarities to Jurassic Park cannot be ignored, I loved the attention to detail and all of the science fiction gobblely-gook. The author tossed in a little about China and world economies that all proved interesting. The creatures were terrifying, intelligent and downright awesome. Reilly shows us their beauty and man’s interference keeping me highly entertained. It was fast paced and I did not want to set it down.

If high-body count and intense action scenes entertain you, then the Great Zoo of China is not to be missed. You will notice I did not mention what the creatures are…I think the cover reveals a lot and it was worth it just for that experience alone.

copy received from publisher This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer