Book Review 2 - The 6 Sacred Stones by Mathew Reilly

Over the holidays, i read this book, The 6 Sacred Stones by Mathew Reilly. It is actually a sequel to another of Reilly's books, The 7 Ancient Wonders. The 6 Sacred Stones is about an ex-soldier Jack West Jr., his team of ex-commandos, the brilliant scientist Wizard and Jack's adopted daughter Lily racing through the world trying to prevent the end of the world. The end of the world comes in the form of a "dark sun", giving out deadly "zero-point energy" which will destroy all life on Earth. Jack learns of a mysterious "Machine" built by an ancient civilization that can repel the deadly energy given out by the dark sun. However, the rebuilding of the machine requires 6 keys, in the form of 6 oblong diamond bricks, also called "pillars", to be put in their respective locations all around the world, called vertex. There are also complications. For each "pillar" put in place, a fantastic reward will be given to the one that put it in. The rewards are: Knowledge, Heat, Sight, Life, Death, and Power. These rewards have caused Jack and his team to go against America and China, both who want the rewards themselves. There is also the Japanese, who want the world destroyed to regain their honour, the British royal family, and many others. It is a race against time, as the pillars must be put in their respective vertexes at a very specific time. The laying of the pillars are spread out over 3 months, and ends on the extremely rare Dual Equinox: when both our Sun and its twin, the Dark Sun, will be shining on the sixth Vertex. Thus the team set out, against all odds, to lay the pillars and stop the other countries from using the rewards themselves.

This book is a must-read for all. The book is fast paced that it feels like a never-ending roller coaster; the reader is taken to the magical world opf Jack West and feels like he is actually there seeing it with his own eyes. The ending, which i will not spoil the surprise for you, was EXHAUSTING. It ended with such a good cliffhanger that i could not help but thinking about it all the time; what will happen next? How will he survive this? can he even survive this? These are some of the questions that went through my head after reading the book. The book is like an Indiana Jones type of book. Most of the history there is accurate, and the made-up-history in the book is so well disguised that you would even believe everything in the book! There are so many action scenes and each time, I think "there is NO WAY Reilly can top that one!" However, surprise, surprise, the next action scene, it would be even better! For those who of you want to read Mathew Reilly books, i can sum them ALL up in two words: PURE ADRENALINE.

Book Review - Eragon by Christopher Paolini

I recently read this book, Eragon by Christopher Paolini. It is about a farm boy, Eragon, who finds a polished blue stone while hunting in the forest. Eragon thinks that this stone will be able to buy his family some meat during the harsh winter. However, all this is dashed when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, and Eragon realizes that he has stumbled upon a legacy even older than the Empire itself. Immediately, Eragon's simple life is shattered as he is thrust into a dangerous new world of destiny, magic, and power. He meets many people in his journey and soon has to make a critical decision, a decision that can alter the fate of the Empire and the land forever......
My favourite character in the story is Angela, a herbalist that Eragon meets in the city on Terim. She is my favourite character because she is very witty and her use of verbal trickery often leaves everyone stunned and speechless in her wake. For example, when Eragon was finding the house of a friend, he asked her is she could tell him which house it was. Angela said yes and continued with her business. Then Eragon asked her if she would tell him. Again she said yes and ignored. She then told Eragon that he hasn't actually asked her the question, and only asked if she could and would. This kind of thinking is very novel and always puts a smile on my face when i see Angela outwit others in this manner.
The Eragon series, consisting of 3 books with a fourth one coming soon, is by far my favourite book series of all time. The way it is written, the way the plot is developed, cannot be described. It brings me to the magical world of Eragon and always keeps me there, wanting to know what will happen next. I am now eagerly awaiting the fourth book, where the series will finally end and all my questions answered.
To all that have not read this series, i sincerely recommend this to you. It is truly a magical read in every sense of the word.