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Jack West Jr #3
The Five Greatest Warriors
IT BEGAN WITH SIX STONES . . .
From the deserts of Israel to the tsunami-lashed coasts of Japan, from the steppes of Mongolia to the most mysterious island on Earth—this is what we have come to expect from Matthew Reilly: stupendous action, white-knuckle suspense, heroes to cheer for, and an adventure beyond imagination. Strap yourself in and hold on tight as he unleashes his biggest and fastest adventure yet, The 5 Greatest Warriors.
When we last left Jack West Jr., he was plummeting into a fathomless abyss and his quest to save the world from impending Armageddon appeared doomed.
But all hope is not lost.
After an astonishing escape, Jack regroups with his trusty team. Racing to rebuild the final pieces of the fabled “Machine,” they discover an ancient inscription containing a rhyme about five mysterious unnamed warriors—great historical figures whose knowledge will be vital to unlocking the secrets of the Machine and its long-lost “pillars.” But the ancients have hidden their secrets well, and with each pillar bestowing an incredible power upon its holder, their pursuit has attracted the attention of other forces from around the world—some who want to rule it and others who want to see it destroyed.
With enemies coming at him from every side and the countdown to doomsday rapidly approaching, Jack and his team had better move fast. Because they are about to find out what the end of the world looks like . . .
460 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2009
464 people are currently reading
4349 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Reilly
68 books6,336 followersBorn in Sydney in 1974, Matthew Reilly was not always a big fan of reading. It was only after he read To Kill A Mockingbird and Lord of the Flies in Year 10 that he realised reading could transport you to another world. Following this revelation, Matthew soon began creating stories of his own and set about writing his first novel, Contest, at the age of 19 while still at university studying law.
Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.
In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson's Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought after collectors' items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!
Matthew Reilly is now the internationally bestselling author of the Scarecrow novels: Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves and the novella Hell Island; the Jack West novels: Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Four Legendary Kingdoms, and The Three Secret Cities; and the standalone novels Contest, Temple, Hover Car Racer, The Tournament, Troll Mountain, The Great Zoo of China and The Secret Runners of New York.
His books are published in over 20 languages with worldwide sales of over 7 million copies.
Since Seven Ancient Wonders in 2005, Matthew's novels have been the biggest selling new fiction title released in Australia for that year.
Matthew has also written several short stories, including Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl, a special free prequel to The Tournament which is available online. Other short stories include Time Tours, The Mine and the hyper-adrenalised romp, Altitude Rush.
He owns and drives a DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous in the Back to the Future movies. He also has a life-sized Han Solo in carbonite hanging on the wall of his office! When not writing or penning a film script, Matthew can be found on the golf course.
Matthew Reilly is currently living in Los Angeles.
(source: Amazon)
Following rejections from all the major publishers, Matthew self-published Contest in 1996, printing 1000 copies. He produced a big-budget-looking novel which he sold into bookshops throughout Sydney, one shop at a time.
In January 1997, a Commissioning Editor for Pan Macmillan Australia walked into Angus & Robertson's Pitt Street Mall store and bought a copy of Contest. The editor tracked Matthew down through his contact details in the front of the book. Interestingly, those original self-published editions of Contest have now become much sought after collectors' items. One recently sold on eBay for $1200!
Matthew Reilly is now the internationally bestselling author of the Scarecrow novels: Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow, Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves and the novella Hell Island; the Jack West novels: Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Four Legendary Kingdoms, and The Three Secret Cities; and the standalone novels Contest, Temple, Hover Car Racer, The Tournament, Troll Mountain, The Great Zoo of China and The Secret Runners of New York.
His books are published in over 20 languages with worldwide sales of over 7 million copies.
Since Seven Ancient Wonders in 2005, Matthew's novels have been the biggest selling new fiction title released in Australia for that year.
Matthew has also written several short stories, including Roger Ascham and the King's Lost Girl, a special free prequel to The Tournament which is available online. Other short stories include Time Tours, The Mine and the hyper-adrenalised romp, Altitude Rush.
He owns and drives a DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous in the Back to the Future movies. He also has a life-sized Han Solo in carbonite hanging on the wall of his office! When not writing or penning a film script, Matthew can be found on the golf course.
Matthew Reilly is currently living in Los Angeles.
(source: Amazon)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 608 reviews
August 9, 2020
Re-read 08/20
This one had the giant task of tying together all the threads that were scattered in The Six Sacred Stones, so naturally it's rather epic.
Here are the things I loved:
- Treasure-hunting adventures
- Fun traps
- Gruesome deaths
- Ridiculous stunts
- Epic battles
- Super fun, badass characters
- Interesting take on history
- Fascinating locations
- Daring deeds
- Kamikaze moments
Here are the things that cost it one star and why:
A little too long
The scope is HUGE and as a consequence a lot of details are skipped over. It has a lot of ground to cover, so it takes a lot longer to get through the adventure. There are also more bad guys so you have to keep on top of who wants what outcome and why, as well as who works for whom.
The down-played role of the stones vs the previous book
I definitely got confused about what all the stones and pillars were for in the last book, so their role being not as important in this one made it even more confusing. I lost track of what each of the six stones was used for, and what the deal was with all the pillar rewards. It felt like there were just too many to keep track of, and because the warriors are important here, the stones just became a little bit meaningless. Which is weird, since we're still talking about all-important ancient artefacts.
Less trap adventures
The first book was so amazing the way everything had a dedicated trap system to it. In SSS, we started strong with traps, but by the end here no more f*cks are given and the treasures are a little more easily accessible. I mean, it was handy, because it saved time, but it also took away some of the finesse.
The part of the Warriors was a little thin
It's in the title, but they didn't all play a huge part. They're all involved somehow, but some have massive parts while others seemed a bit inconsequential. The importance of the five just seemed to be reaching a little. Understandable, though, I suppose, when this is really just a continuation of the SSS adventure.
Less team focus
I am a big fan of motley crews so to see this one so divided kinda hurt my heart a little. They're all such a great team and are so fun together, but they get split up here so there's less banter and having each other's backs. They're still all kicking butt in their respective duties, but I miss them all hanging out together. Plus Astro totally got shafted in this book and that makes me sad. I have such a soft spot for him.
Overall these are fairly minor complaints because the whole series is just so manic fun. You really have to not overthink things and just sit back and enjoy the ride. I love how crazy the adventures are, and how different parts of history are rewritten to suit this story. I like that so many different aspects of history are included.
It's pretty epic in scope but it does a great job of tying together all of the previous adventures, giving us a satisfying conclusion. There are some pretty cheesy moments but I just love the characters so much that I can forgive them for those. XD
A really fun, treasure-hunting adventure. Highly recommend this series.
**Original Review 01/16**
No matter which book you pick up, Matthew Reilly consistently delivers great action. I've particularly enjoyed the Jack West series because I love the ancient history, and I'm quite happy to believe Reilly's telling of it. There's great diversity in the myths and locations and I love the variety of the locations, even if they do have similar trap systems. I was delighted by Pooh's role, and there were some seriously bad ass action sequences that had me irrepressibly grinning on the train. On the down side, I thought the notion of the rewards from the pillars could have been delved into a little deeper, and the ending seemed a little rushed to me - I was eager to read how the rescue played out, so was disappointed in it being skipped over. Overall though another thrilling ride with great characters and crazy, suspend-belief action.
This one had the giant task of tying together all the threads that were scattered in The Six Sacred Stones, so naturally it's rather epic.
Here are the things I loved:
- Treasure-hunting adventures
- Fun traps
- Gruesome deaths
- Ridiculous stunts
- Epic battles
- Super fun, badass characters
- Interesting take on history
- Fascinating locations
- Daring deeds
- Kamikaze moments
Here are the things that cost it one star and why:
A little too long
The scope is HUGE and as a consequence a lot of details are skipped over. It has a lot of ground to cover, so it takes a lot longer to get through the adventure. There are also more bad guys so you have to keep on top of who wants what outcome and why, as well as who works for whom.
The down-played role of the stones vs the previous book
I definitely got confused about what all the stones and pillars were for in the last book, so their role being not as important in this one made it even more confusing. I lost track of what each of the six stones was used for, and what the deal was with all the pillar rewards. It felt like there were just too many to keep track of, and because the warriors are important here, the stones just became a little bit meaningless. Which is weird, since we're still talking about all-important ancient artefacts.
Less trap adventures
The first book was so amazing the way everything had a dedicated trap system to it. In SSS, we started strong with traps, but by the end here no more f*cks are given and the treasures are a little more easily accessible. I mean, it was handy, because it saved time, but it also took away some of the finesse.
The part of the Warriors was a little thin
It's in the title, but they didn't all play a huge part. They're all involved somehow, but some have massive parts while others seemed a bit inconsequential. The importance of the five just seemed to be reaching a little. Understandable, though, I suppose, when this is really just a continuation of the SSS adventure.
Less team focus
I am a big fan of motley crews so to see this one so divided kinda hurt my heart a little. They're all such a great team and are so fun together, but they get split up here so there's less banter and having each other's backs. They're still all kicking butt in their respective duties, but I miss them all hanging out together. Plus Astro totally got shafted in this book and that makes me sad. I have such a soft spot for him.
Overall these are fairly minor complaints because the whole series is just so manic fun. You really have to not overthink things and just sit back and enjoy the ride. I love how crazy the adventures are, and how different parts of history are rewritten to suit this story. I like that so many different aspects of history are included.
It's pretty epic in scope but it does a great job of tying together all of the previous adventures, giving us a satisfying conclusion. There are some pretty cheesy moments but I just love the characters so much that I can forgive them for those. XD
A really fun, treasure-hunting adventure. Highly recommend this series.
**Original Review 01/16**
No matter which book you pick up, Matthew Reilly consistently delivers great action. I've particularly enjoyed the Jack West series because I love the ancient history, and I'm quite happy to believe Reilly's telling of it. There's great diversity in the myths and locations and I love the variety of the locations, even if they do have similar trap systems. I was delighted by Pooh's role, and there were some seriously bad ass action sequences that had me irrepressibly grinning on the train. On the down side, I thought the notion of the rewards from the pillars could have been delved into a little deeper, and the ending seemed a little rushed to me - I was eager to read how the rescue played out, so was disappointed in it being skipped over. Overall though another thrilling ride with great characters and crazy, suspend-belief action.
February 9, 2017
I have to admit, there's something really fascinating and cool about stories that don't need to reinvent themselves but still manage to be super easy to read and enjoy and yet still feel fresh.
This happens to be one of them.
I mean, seriously. There's still Indiana Jones Traps, people! There's still mystical stones that all the most powerful people through history have held to stay in power! We even get to see Jesus! Woo Woo!
One thing is for certain, the fifth greatest warrior of all time has got real stones.
That's important, ya'll. Sorry, all you women. It's all about the stones! *crosses eyes*
Important note: This continues the previous novel rather seamlessly since not all six of the sacred stones were collected by the end of that novel. Plus, all the bad guys hadn't met grisly, albeit rather heroic, ends.
And of course you can also start counting on some of the good guys to bite it, too, because PATHOS, man! Pacing, pathos, action, grand adventure, and enough horribly implausible reversals to make even Sherlock Holmes groan, step out of the serial, and say, "Hey, my good man, are you making this shit up?"
The answer? Yes. Whole Cloth. Holy Shit. Turn off your brain and enjoy this action movie, ya'll. You won't believe it. But to be fair, you're not supposed to. Take that salt shaker and add an extra serving to your popcorn, yo. LOTS of salt. I mean, TONS. Make sure you encase that popcorn in a pillar of it. Preserve it for centuries. And then let some future archeologist stumble upon it and wonder at its brilliance and have some shiny light tumble out of the heavens to light up his brain or something. It's totally worth it. I'm serious, yo.
Whew. ADVENTURE. *head spins*
And yeah, I recommend it for the sheer fun factor. :)
This happens to be one of them.
I mean, seriously. There's still Indiana Jones Traps, people! There's still mystical stones that all the most powerful people through history have held to stay in power! We even get to see Jesus! Woo Woo!
One thing is for certain, the fifth greatest warrior of all time has got real stones.
That's important, ya'll. Sorry, all you women. It's all about the stones! *crosses eyes*
Important note: This continues the previous novel rather seamlessly since not all six of the sacred stones were collected by the end of that novel. Plus, all the bad guys hadn't met grisly, albeit rather heroic, ends.
And of course you can also start counting on some of the good guys to bite it, too, because PATHOS, man! Pacing, pathos, action, grand adventure, and enough horribly implausible reversals to make even Sherlock Holmes groan, step out of the serial, and say, "Hey, my good man, are you making this shit up?"
The answer? Yes. Whole Cloth. Holy Shit. Turn off your brain and enjoy this action movie, ya'll. You won't believe it. But to be fair, you're not supposed to. Take that salt shaker and add an extra serving to your popcorn, yo. LOTS of salt. I mean, TONS. Make sure you encase that popcorn in a pillar of it. Preserve it for centuries. And then let some future archeologist stumble upon it and wonder at its brilliance and have some shiny light tumble out of the heavens to light up his brain or something. It's totally worth it. I'm serious, yo.
Whew. ADVENTURE. *head spins*
And yeah, I recommend it for the sheer fun factor. :)
August 25, 2010
Matthew Reilly's books are the literary equivalent of deep fried mars bars. You know you shouldn't, you might even regret it, but they're fun while they last.
I feel embarassed even admitting I read his books: they are often quite badly written and he has an excruciating habit of writing things in italics if he thinks something's really exciting. But I've read a few and, despite inwardly wincing, have enjoyed them. This is essentially because they unleash your inner 14 year old who just wants lots of explosions and a really cool hero.
Five Greatest Warriors is a direct sequel to his last book and the plot makes no sense, so I won't go into it. Suffice to say that it's more of the same, and fun as far as it goes, though you can't help feeling that he's attempting to crowbar Dan Brown into his already daft mix. Which is a shame as he doesn't really need to; frankly no one, not even Mrs Brown, needs more of that in the world.
I feel embarassed even admitting I read his books: they are often quite badly written and he has an excruciating habit of writing things in italics if he thinks something's really exciting. But I've read a few and, despite inwardly wincing, have enjoyed them. This is essentially because they unleash your inner 14 year old who just wants lots of explosions and a really cool hero.
Five Greatest Warriors is a direct sequel to his last book and the plot makes no sense, so I won't go into it. Suffice to say that it's more of the same, and fun as far as it goes, though you can't help feeling that he's attempting to crowbar Dan Brown into his already daft mix. Which is a shame as he doesn't really need to; frankly no one, not even Mrs Brown, needs more of that in the world.
February 2, 2019
Part three of this continuing adventure fantasy saga to save the world from total annihilation.
Jack West Jr. and his band of loyal followers, some though are not as loyal as Jack thinks, have to race against time and an assortment of evil doing villains, his father being the alpha villain, to save the world from the dark planet.
There is a series of ancient pillars that need to be activated in an exact sequence if total extinction of our world is to be avoided.
For the person that is successful in this endeavour great power will be bestowed on him or her as the case maybe.
This is where things get a bit messy. All those evil doers want that power and will stop at nothing to get it. The thought of such power proves to be just too much to be ignored by some of his so called loyal mates. Jack has to focus on the mission because failure is not an option but who can Jack trust?
Being around Jack West needs to come with a health hazard warning.
The tale pack a lot of excitement, most of it totally far fetched, but highly entertaining. The author Matthew Reilly puts his foot to the pedal on page one and keeps it right there until the end.
Highly recommended.
4/5 stars.
August 3, 2022
The climax of the second adventure in the series. It’s action from start to finish with loveable characters and flashes of jaw-dropping history come to life as we jump from one side of the world to the other. It’s a bit chaotic at times but it definitely has a very strong and satisfying conclusion.
March 1, 2018
The Five Greatest Warriors is book three in the Jack West Jr series by Matthew Reilly. When Jack West Jr escape from the abyss that he fell in The Six Sacred Stones started the race of Jack's and his team to find the answers to unlock the secrets of the machine. The readers of The Five Greatest Warriors will go on a rollercoaster ride with Jack West Jr and his team to see if they find the answers.
I love reading books in the Jack West Jr series they are fast moving, and you do not know what going to happen next, and The Five Greatest Warriors followed in the steps of the other books in this series. I like Matthew Reilly portrayal of his characters and the way he describes his settings. The Five Greatest Warriors is well written and researched by Matthew Reilly.
I love that Matthew Reilly adds pictures throughout The Five Greatest Warriors to help his readers to understand the plot. The Readers of The Five Greatest Warriors will go on a trip around the world setting in their lounge rooms.
I recommend this book.
I love reading books in the Jack West Jr series they are fast moving, and you do not know what going to happen next, and The Five Greatest Warriors followed in the steps of the other books in this series. I like Matthew Reilly portrayal of his characters and the way he describes his settings. The Five Greatest Warriors is well written and researched by Matthew Reilly.
I love that Matthew Reilly adds pictures throughout The Five Greatest Warriors to help his readers to understand the plot. The Readers of The Five Greatest Warriors will go on a trip around the world setting in their lounge rooms.
I recommend this book.
August 2, 2012
This book is completely ridiculous. I read a lot of fantasy and find willing suspension of disbelief pretty easy due to believable characters, logical consistency and for the most part physically similar settings. This book, set in modern day, requires more suspension of disbelief than all of them. I have to ignore all of physics I learnt past primary school; ignore all laws of probability; ignore a large amount of history and ignore a lot of what I've learnt about people's motivations. So, why four stars? Because it is SO MUCH FUN. It is the perfect Sunday afternoon action film in book form - clear heroes and villains, easy to absorb and absolutely terrific action scenes. You would also be hard-pressed to find better pacing. It will never be a classic, but then most classics are much less enjoyable than this.
December 17, 2018
Well, I started this series way back when it was first released. But I suppose it fell on the wayside since it generally takes 2 years for a book in this series to be released. And the last book I read ended on a cliffhanger too!
I normally don’t have that much patience to wait. Or would be too antsy anyway. So I have a theory that I blocked the book out of my mind for fear of going crazy with anxiety for the next book. And block it for 10 years I did! A full decade, omg!!
So anyway, for the longest time, Matthew Reilly was my favourite author. In the decade since, well, I think I’ve been exposed to many other authors that I don’t think I can say the same anymore. But he still is a good author, if not just no longer my favourite.
While I enjoyed the continuation of this series, I have to say it’s become a bit more predictable. And that’s a little deflating for me. Also, the clues and mysteries aren’t that impressive as previously remembered. I wish we had more clues to work through rather than having “experts” stepping in more often than not.
Well, for a fictional book, it was entertaining although it is OTT but that’s par for the course for a Matthew Reilly production. I do appreciate that Jack and his team do fall back and lag behind but ultimately triumph at the end. And he’s not narcissistic character.
The next book has piqued my interested but I’m not sure I will read it yet. We’ll see!
I normally don’t have that much patience to wait. Or would be too antsy anyway. So I have a theory that I blocked the book out of my mind for fear of going crazy with anxiety for the next book. And block it for 10 years I did! A full decade, omg!!
So anyway, for the longest time, Matthew Reilly was my favourite author. In the decade since, well, I think I’ve been exposed to many other authors that I don’t think I can say the same anymore. But he still is a good author, if not just no longer my favourite.
While I enjoyed the continuation of this series, I have to say it’s become a bit more predictable. And that’s a little deflating for me. Also, the clues and mysteries aren’t that impressive as previously remembered. I wish we had more clues to work through rather than having “experts” stepping in more often than not.
Well, for a fictional book, it was entertaining although it is OTT but that’s par for the course for a Matthew Reilly production. I do appreciate that Jack and his team do fall back and lag behind but ultimately triumph at the end. And he’s not narcissistic character.
The next book has piqued my interested but I’m not sure I will read it yet. We’ll see!
February 16, 2011
So continues the adventures of Jack West, probably the greatest adventure hero since Indiana Jones. If you been following Jack's adventures in the first book, "The Seven Deadly Wonders", and the second book, "The 6 Sacred Stones", you know Jack and his crew are out to save the world and are quickly running out of time.
As in his previous adventures Jack and his crew are up against, what seems to be, insurmountable odds. They are being pursued and harassed by a force from the United States that is led by Jack's father and brother. Agents from Britain, Japan, and Ireland are also doing their best to beat Jack to the ultimate goal, In fact, Japan is working to see that the world does come to an end.
An ancient inscription is found that tells about five unnamed warriors. The first shall be the noblest, the second a natural leader of men, the third shall be the greatest warlord known to history, the fourth is the great obsessor, and the fifth shall face the greatest test and decide if all shall live or die.
Jack and his people come to the conclusion that the first warrior would be Moses, the second warrior Jesus Christ, the third warrior Genghis Khan, and the fourth warrior Napoleon, and the fifth warrior remains to be seen.
"The 5 Greatest Warrors" has just about everything you could want in a book. There is enough adventure to satisfy anyone who likes a good fight, fast action, and impossible situations. It will satisfy the romantic because there ia an underlying love story with some entanglement. The mystery buff will find therr are enough clues to be solved to fill several books.
However, one must be forewarned that these books must be read in order and that if you read one you will find yourself absolutely, positively, having to read the next two.
As in his previous adventures Jack and his crew are up against, what seems to be, insurmountable odds. They are being pursued and harassed by a force from the United States that is led by Jack's father and brother. Agents from Britain, Japan, and Ireland are also doing their best to beat Jack to the ultimate goal, In fact, Japan is working to see that the world does come to an end.
An ancient inscription is found that tells about five unnamed warriors. The first shall be the noblest, the second a natural leader of men, the third shall be the greatest warlord known to history, the fourth is the great obsessor, and the fifth shall face the greatest test and decide if all shall live or die.
Jack and his people come to the conclusion that the first warrior would be Moses, the second warrior Jesus Christ, the third warrior Genghis Khan, and the fourth warrior Napoleon, and the fifth warrior remains to be seen.
"The 5 Greatest Warrors" has just about everything you could want in a book. There is enough adventure to satisfy anyone who likes a good fight, fast action, and impossible situations. It will satisfy the romantic because there ia an underlying love story with some entanglement. The mystery buff will find therr are enough clues to be solved to fill several books.
However, one must be forewarned that these books must be read in order and that if you read one you will find yourself absolutely, positively, having to read the next two.
February 25, 2018
Matthew Reilly paperbacks are perfect for weekends when I want to read something fast and light. And as the blurb says "Readers should leave their thinking caps behind" . I dint stress out too much on the plots and loop holes.
So in this book we continue our journey with Jack West Jr. and the team racing to place the remaining three sacred stones at the vertices. We get to see more of Jack West Sr. in this book and the difference between the two as a person and as a father is stark. On this quest fraught with danger and betrayal, the team must solve the mystery of the five greatest warriors in order to find the remaining pieces of the machine.
Overall a fun read like always even though this was a re-read for me.
So in this book we continue our journey with Jack West Jr. and the team racing to place the remaining three sacred stones at the vertices. We get to see more of Jack West Sr. in this book and the difference between the two as a person and as a father is stark. On this quest fraught with danger and betrayal, the team must solve the mystery of the five greatest warriors in order to find the remaining pieces of the machine.
Overall a fun read like always even though this was a re-read for me.
October 26, 2011
The Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly has to be mentioned because it is quite simply the worst thing I have read in a while. This is an airport novel and has no pretension to be either realistic or profound. When you buy a Reilly novel you hand in your disbelief and your sense of reality with the cash. What you are supposed to get is a page turning thriller cum fairy tale of the Indiana Jones kind. So it comes as a bit of a disappointment that this rip roaring, world saving tour de force never really takes off. I didn't manage to hook me and had a curiously flat feel. Of course the abysmal writing sort of put me off as of page 5:
QUOTE: But hold on he did and as he swung in toward the vertical wall of the abyss, the last thing he saw behind him was the shocked, furious, powerless, horrified and beaten look on Switchblade's face as he fell into black nothingness , his evil mission a failure - a failure that was multiplied a hundredfold by the realisation that Jack West had got the better of him with one of his own weapons and that he was going to die alone.UNQUOTE
Ouch!
QUOTE: But hold on he did and as he swung in toward the vertical wall of the abyss, the last thing he saw behind him was the shocked, furious, powerless, horrified and beaten look on Switchblade's face as he fell into black nothingness , his evil mission a failure - a failure that was multiplied a hundredfold by the realisation that Jack West had got the better of him with one of his own weapons and that he was going to die alone.UNQUOTE
Ouch!
January 11, 2010
I dont know why I keep reading these books, I really dont. This series is so unrealistic and over the top, and the writing isnt even all that good......but I just cant stop. For whatever reason, Im fascinated with finding out what happens to Jack West, Jr. and his team next. I spent most of my weekend reading this one, and had a pretty good time.
June 19, 2013
This Review is for the Audiobook version of the 5 greatest Warriors.
The Five Greatest Warriors is the sequel to the 6 Sacred Stones. It picks off from the literal cliff hanger ending of the previous book.
As with the previous Jack West Jr. novels, I received exactly what I expected. Absurd action and adventure, tons of explosions and gun fights, and the end of the world.
Jack West and his "Team of Small Nations" is no A-Team. If you don't understand the reference, no one was ever shot or killed in the A-Team. It is quite the opposite here. Don't get too attached to a character because you never know when or how they might die.
There will be no noble prize here for literature here but there will be an action movie on the page (or in the headphones if you are listening to the audiobook)
The Five Greatest Warriors is the sequel to the 6 Sacred Stones. It picks off from the literal cliff hanger ending of the previous book.
As with the previous Jack West Jr. novels, I received exactly what I expected. Absurd action and adventure, tons of explosions and gun fights, and the end of the world.
Jack West and his "Team of Small Nations" is no A-Team. If you don't understand the reference, no one was ever shot or killed in the A-Team. It is quite the opposite here. Don't get too attached to a character because you never know when or how they might die.
There will be no noble prize here for literature here but there will be an action movie on the page (or in the headphones if you are listening to the audiobook)
October 27, 2009
This book was brilliant from the moment you picked it up. Full of action and adventure and a race to save the human race from extinction.
This is the third book in the triolgy. A must read if you like this sort of novel. In the triology
1. Seven Ancient Wonders.
2. Six Sacred Stones.
3. The Five Greatest Warriors.
Matthew Reilly is a brilliant writer...the text flows beautifully, and this character of Captain Jack West JR is fantastic.
Great series to interest your teenage boys in especially if you want to get them to start reading.
This is the third book in the triolgy. A must read if you like this sort of novel. In the triology
1. Seven Ancient Wonders.
2. Six Sacred Stones.
3. The Five Greatest Warriors.
Matthew Reilly is a brilliant writer...the text flows beautifully, and this character of Captain Jack West JR is fantastic.
Great series to interest your teenage boys in especially if you want to get them to start reading.
November 4, 2009
This book is awesome. It concluded the series (the 7 ancients wonders, the 6 sacred stones and the 5 greatest warriors) with great and satisfying ending (especially to those bad guys are dead in a brilliant way). It is full of fast-paced readings and adventures. The adventures are also a make-believed. I'm looking forward for Reilly's other works in the future.
February 1, 2011
Another cracking good read from Matthew Reilly - as usual, he puts his heroes in unbelievable, impossible situations from which they always manage to escape. If this stuff was filmed it would be more of an adrenaline rush than most action films these days. If that's what you're looking for in a fast-paced, action-packed book then look no further
January 28, 2021
This is book 3 in the Jack west Jr Series, the first book is stand alone,
but this books is the 2nd half of "The Six Sacred Stones" story, so you at least need to read it first before reading this one, This one has lots of action, grusome deaths, and adventure. standard Matthew Reilly stuff.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series
but this books is the 2nd half of "The Six Sacred Stones" story, so you at least need to read it first before reading this one, This one has lots of action, grusome deaths, and adventure. standard Matthew Reilly stuff.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series
January 27, 2026
As ever with Matthew Reilly, a roller coaster of a ride
May 19, 2025
Really enjoying this series. Lots of action and great characters. The story flows and is easy to follow.
January 14, 2023
Matthew Reilly's third Jack West Jr novel doesn't disappoint. The action is fast and doesn't let up. The series has been well researched and it shows as each book gets better and better.
April 27, 2010
This book is overwhelming I don't know where to start. The action continues, more characters emerge, new betrayals in line, shocking deaths, and unexpected results all in one mishmash of adrenaline rush. Reading Matthew Reilly's novels make me feel like watching a Hollywood movie. I'll try to gather my thoughts and hopefully give a coherent review.
Continuing where he left off, Reilly tied the loose ends with his latest Jack West Jr book. 6SS is the "calm before the storm", he focused on character and story development and put all the action and adventure here. I would say this book has about 85% of that and 15% "rest".
At first glance, the "feel" of the second book was still here, he gave us a recap of the events, which was very helpful for those who picked this up and read it first without any knowledge of the previous two books (7DW, 6SS). There were times when it felt like I was reading a storytelling for kids but his writing style improves somewhere along the way; there were still the exclamation marks, but they were very minimal.
I'm glad I read the interview with the author in the copy I got. It gave me a grasp on what he was thinking while writing the novel. He writes to entertain, not teach and sure he took liberties with history. I agree with what he said about history being altered. After all, who really knew what happened? What we read about the ancient civilization are all theories an suppositions. No one really knew what's what with absolute certainty, and he expertly put it all together and made it work.
With all the intellectual talk this book has in the characters of Julius and Lachlan, it's obvious that time, money, effort, and research was poured into this novel. Reilly even traveled to Easter Island, and it helped with the descriptions. I admit I had difficulty envisioning the vastness of the vertices.
I was constantly amazed by the tunnels, tombs, and traps they encounter, and how Reilly's imagination runs wild. I only gave this a four because I liked 6SS better than this. It's inexplicable but it doesn't make me want to read again soon, but I would definitely recommend it to my friends.
Jack went through a lot in this book, and since Reilly wanted to create a sort of epic tale like Lord of the Rings, I found a parallelism between Jack's team and the fellowship, with a slight difference. When Jack decided to settle matters in his own hands by charging the last vertex alone, it's like Frodo and Sam who traveled alone to Mordor while their friends are battered from war. I likened it to Jack's multi-national team who're bloodied, bruised, and suffered near-death experiences and with sheer luck (and I think Reilly tried to prevent more deaths of noble characters), they stayed alive.
I'm one of the lucky few who didn't have to wait two years for this book. I liked how it ended, but Reilly says he plans to write the next book and surpass this one. I liked the locations here, it makes me feel like traveling to different parts of the world infrequently featured in magazines, and after reading the three books, I felt the author's passion for writing, and creating a really good story. I'll definitely read his other works.
Continuing where he left off, Reilly tied the loose ends with his latest Jack West Jr book. 6SS is the "calm before the storm", he focused on character and story development and put all the action and adventure here. I would say this book has about 85% of that and 15% "rest".
At first glance, the "feel" of the second book was still here, he gave us a recap of the events, which was very helpful for those who picked this up and read it first without any knowledge of the previous two books (7DW, 6SS). There were times when it felt like I was reading a storytelling for kids but his writing style improves somewhere along the way; there were still the exclamation marks, but they were very minimal.
I'm glad I read the interview with the author in the copy I got. It gave me a grasp on what he was thinking while writing the novel. He writes to entertain, not teach and sure he took liberties with history. I agree with what he said about history being altered. After all, who really knew what happened? What we read about the ancient civilization are all theories an suppositions. No one really knew what's what with absolute certainty, and he expertly put it all together and made it work.
With all the intellectual talk this book has in the characters of Julius and Lachlan, it's obvious that time, money, effort, and research was poured into this novel. Reilly even traveled to Easter Island, and it helped with the descriptions. I admit I had difficulty envisioning the vastness of the vertices.
I was constantly amazed by the tunnels, tombs, and traps they encounter, and how Reilly's imagination runs wild. I only gave this a four because I liked 6SS better than this. It's inexplicable but it doesn't make me want to read again soon, but I would definitely recommend it to my friends.
Jack went through a lot in this book, and since Reilly wanted to create a sort of epic tale like Lord of the Rings, I found a parallelism between Jack's team and the fellowship, with a slight difference. When Jack decided to settle matters in his own hands by charging the last vertex alone, it's like Frodo and Sam who traveled alone to Mordor while their friends are battered from war. I likened it to Jack's multi-national team who're bloodied, bruised, and suffered near-death experiences and with sheer luck (and I think Reilly tried to prevent more deaths of noble characters), they stayed alive.
I'm one of the lucky few who didn't have to wait two years for this book. I liked how it ended, but Reilly says he plans to write the next book and surpass this one. I liked the locations here, it makes me feel like traveling to different parts of the world infrequently featured in magazines, and after reading the three books, I felt the author's passion for writing, and creating a really good story. I'll definitely read his other works.
October 8, 2010
“The end of the world is approaching and only one man can prevent it…”
The Five Greatest Warriors (Jack West Junior 3) is the third in the series featuring all round good guy and action hero Jack West Jr. Written by Matthew Reilly, this book continues the adventures of West and his motley crew of mismatched soldiers as they race around the globe on an international treasure hunt. Their continuing objective is to solve centuries old clues that will hopefully lead to an ancient machine and prevent a global catastrophe. On their trail are many other interested parties, including a Japanese suicide squad, a deranged ex-Soviet general with a metal jaw and even Jack’s estranged evil father and half brother. They all have their own nefarious plans/private agendas/traitorous schemes and will stop at nothing to impede Jack and his friends at every turn.
I have been a fan of Reilly’s writing since I first picked up Contest, his first novel from 1996. The author has a real flair for action and this book certainly has a lot of that. The story kicks off at breakneck speed picking up where the previous novel,The Six Sacred Stones, left off. Jack was last seen disappearing over the edge of a cliff into a bottomless abyss.
Whilst I enjoyed the novel on the most part, I had a couple of small issues. Firstly, with each new piece of the puzzle that the characters solve it sends them to yet another maze/temple/burial site which is more complicated than the last. Exciting no doubt, but each new venue is more and more complicated. I realise with fiction you have to suspend belief, but with this story, I felt that we had to throw it out of the window.
The author has also set himself the unenviable task of trying to describe these places in detail. This means that each chapter has to start with a map or diagram to get the reader up to speed. It also means the reader has to be constantly reminded of all of the clues and information that has come before. Sometimes this works well and moves the narrative along with a nice “a-ha” moment while building the tension, but in other instances it feels like information overload and slightly contrived.
I also felt that the action was getting more outlandish as the story moved on. In Six Sacred Stones there is a brilliant sequence that takes place at the top of the Burj al Arab tower in Dubai. It’s full of tension and is a great example of Reilly’s action-film style writing. It felt like I was reading an action movie. By the end of The Five Greatest Warriors there had been so many lakes of lava, earthquakes and tsunamis I was all actioned out. It seemed as though every action set piece had to be bigger and better than the last. I don’t think this was needed. Previous novels have managed to find a good balance between out and out action vs keeping the story believable.
On the plus side the characters are all great fun. The heroes are all un-flinchingly heroic while the villains are all suitably evil in a moustache twirling fashion. Each of the team gets a chance to shine and as the plot evolves from book two to three, relationships develop between West and his extended family, particularly with his adopted daughter Lily.
I wanted very much to love this book but I ended up just liking it.
The Five Greatest Warriors (Jack West Junior 3) is the third in the series featuring all round good guy and action hero Jack West Jr. Written by Matthew Reilly, this book continues the adventures of West and his motley crew of mismatched soldiers as they race around the globe on an international treasure hunt. Their continuing objective is to solve centuries old clues that will hopefully lead to an ancient machine and prevent a global catastrophe. On their trail are many other interested parties, including a Japanese suicide squad, a deranged ex-Soviet general with a metal jaw and even Jack’s estranged evil father and half brother. They all have their own nefarious plans/private agendas/traitorous schemes and will stop at nothing to impede Jack and his friends at every turn.
I have been a fan of Reilly’s writing since I first picked up Contest, his first novel from 1996. The author has a real flair for action and this book certainly has a lot of that. The story kicks off at breakneck speed picking up where the previous novel,The Six Sacred Stones, left off. Jack was last seen disappearing over the edge of a cliff into a bottomless abyss.
Whilst I enjoyed the novel on the most part, I had a couple of small issues. Firstly, with each new piece of the puzzle that the characters solve it sends them to yet another maze/temple/burial site which is more complicated than the last. Exciting no doubt, but each new venue is more and more complicated. I realise with fiction you have to suspend belief, but with this story, I felt that we had to throw it out of the window.
The author has also set himself the unenviable task of trying to describe these places in detail. This means that each chapter has to start with a map or diagram to get the reader up to speed. It also means the reader has to be constantly reminded of all of the clues and information that has come before. Sometimes this works well and moves the narrative along with a nice “a-ha” moment while building the tension, but in other instances it feels like information overload and slightly contrived.
I also felt that the action was getting more outlandish as the story moved on. In Six Sacred Stones there is a brilliant sequence that takes place at the top of the Burj al Arab tower in Dubai. It’s full of tension and is a great example of Reilly’s action-film style writing. It felt like I was reading an action movie. By the end of The Five Greatest Warriors there had been so many lakes of lava, earthquakes and tsunamis I was all actioned out. It seemed as though every action set piece had to be bigger and better than the last. I don’t think this was needed. Previous novels have managed to find a good balance between out and out action vs keeping the story believable.
On the plus side the characters are all great fun. The heroes are all un-flinchingly heroic while the villains are all suitably evil in a moustache twirling fashion. Each of the team gets a chance to shine and as the plot evolves from book two to three, relationships develop between West and his extended family, particularly with his adopted daughter Lily.
I wanted very much to love this book but I ended up just liking it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 2, 2012
AMAZING!! Nothing more needs to be said or discussed. Oh all right then a quick review if you really want one. This book is the long awaited sequel to The Six Sacred Stones and there is always the fear that the sequel will not live up to expectations. However never fear, if you enjoyed the previous book you’ll enjoy this.
Reilly picks up straight where he left off but he sets aside four pages in the beginning to summarise the previous book so you’re up to speed and how he managed to so well to reduce it to four pages I’ll never know. Much like the Six Sacred Stones it is a fast-paced end of the world adventure that will have your bum glued to a seat and your eyes to the page. Reilly surprised me more and more with plot twists and turns and the effort that had been put into researching the book is first class and whilst not true (obviously) like the film the Matrix leaves the niggling feeling that it could well be happening. Cleverly interweaving his own ideas, complete fiction and a lot of fact (some of it very novel admittedly) to create a masterpiece that leaves you often wanting to find out more, indeed prompting some research into the more prominent historical figures mentioned in the book.
It is pretty much everything you could want in a book; good guys, bad guys, fights, action, bit of romance, friendship and a lot of history. The locations the characters end up in are fantastic and you can almost feel as if you’re there with Reilly’s addition of maps and drawings as in his previous works. The characters themselves are written perfectly; they’re not just there as monotonous characters but each has their own story and their own journey through the book.
My only slight niggle was that I felt the ending was a little rushed but that could just be because I really didn’t want it to end. I think this is definitely in the running for one of my favourite books of all time.
Reilly picks up straight where he left off but he sets aside four pages in the beginning to summarise the previous book so you’re up to speed and how he managed to so well to reduce it to four pages I’ll never know. Much like the Six Sacred Stones it is a fast-paced end of the world adventure that will have your bum glued to a seat and your eyes to the page. Reilly surprised me more and more with plot twists and turns and the effort that had been put into researching the book is first class and whilst not true (obviously) like the film the Matrix leaves the niggling feeling that it could well be happening. Cleverly interweaving his own ideas, complete fiction and a lot of fact (some of it very novel admittedly) to create a masterpiece that leaves you often wanting to find out more, indeed prompting some research into the more prominent historical figures mentioned in the book.
It is pretty much everything you could want in a book; good guys, bad guys, fights, action, bit of romance, friendship and a lot of history. The locations the characters end up in are fantastic and you can almost feel as if you’re there with Reilly’s addition of maps and drawings as in his previous works. The characters themselves are written perfectly; they’re not just there as monotonous characters but each has their own story and their own journey through the book.
My only slight niggle was that I felt the ending was a little rushed but that could just be because I really didn’t want it to end. I think this is definitely in the running for one of my favourite books of all time.
December 7, 2009
I love Matthew Reilly. And his books.
I always get part way through and I start to think "Gee, maybe there is such a thing as too much action," but then I realise that it's not just action. The characters are rounded and developed, they each have their own journey to complete within the book. The plot twists and turns at such an explosive rate that my head barely has time to keep up. The ingenuity is there. There are things that I wonder how he'll work them out but then BAM! it's an awesome conclusion.
I loved this book. I've been waiting for it ever since he left us on the killer cliff-hanger. I was not disappointed (well, I'd like them to be longer but then they wouldn't be page turning awesome) and I thought he concluded the trilogy fabulously.
I learned that Jack West Jr. can and will do everything for the people he loves.
I learned that the baddies are not as good as they think they are.
I learned that if you've got a potentially controversial scene coming you can make it awesome and relevant for everyone and still have a great action scene follow immediately.
I will wait and read anything that comes out by Matthew Reilly. Just. That. Good!
I always get part way through and I start to think "Gee, maybe there is such a thing as too much action," but then I realise that it's not just action. The characters are rounded and developed, they each have their own journey to complete within the book. The plot twists and turns at such an explosive rate that my head barely has time to keep up. The ingenuity is there. There are things that I wonder how he'll work them out but then BAM! it's an awesome conclusion.
I loved this book. I've been waiting for it ever since he left us on the killer cliff-hanger. I was not disappointed (well, I'd like them to be longer but then they wouldn't be page turning awesome) and I thought he concluded the trilogy fabulously.
I learned that Jack West Jr. can and will do everything for the people he loves.
I learned that the baddies are not as good as they think they are.
I learned that if you've got a potentially controversial scene coming you can make it awesome and relevant for everyone and still have a great action scene follow immediately.
I will wait and read anything that comes out by Matthew Reilly. Just. That. Good!
December 14, 2009
With the way that Six Sacred Stones ended (talk about a cliffhanger!), this eagerly anticipated next chapter of Jack West Jr’s mission is just as gripping as one would have come to expect from Matthew Reilly.
I will admit I am probably biased seeing as I attended my first ever book signing when I bought this book =)
As per usual with the last 2 Jack West books, as I read I am keeping a list of things that interest me to google later when I have time. I know he is bending historical/scientific facts to fit into fiction, but some of the ideas really are very intriguing. I love the elaborate traps set up by great thinkers of civilisations past, so much more exciting than your normal run-of-the-mill thriller action, in books or in movies. So what if a few (a lot?) of things may sound implausible, you gotta give the guy kudos for coming up with something inventive and interesting in the first place. I read because I want to be taken on a journey, and I certainly get that plus a whole lot of joy and amusement out of his books.
I will admit I am probably biased seeing as I attended my first ever book signing when I bought this book =)
As per usual with the last 2 Jack West books, as I read I am keeping a list of things that interest me to google later when I have time. I know he is bending historical/scientific facts to fit into fiction, but some of the ideas really are very intriguing. I love the elaborate traps set up by great thinkers of civilisations past, so much more exciting than your normal run-of-the-mill thriller action, in books or in movies. So what if a few (a lot?) of things may sound implausible, you gotta give the guy kudos for coming up with something inventive and interesting in the first place. I read because I want to be taken on a journey, and I certainly get that plus a whole lot of joy and amusement out of his books.
October 21, 2014
I enjoyed the mini-adventures where they were under the gun to get the task accomplished and the infighting/competition between Jack Jr and his father. I also liked that Jack's team included two teenagers who helped in ways the adults couldn't. If you suspend your belief system, this is a wonderfully exciting book. If you don't (or can't), then you will get bogged down in the impossibilities and probably not enjoy this third book in the Jack West series.
I did find it over-the-top at times and simply impossible but I liked the team of the good guys and when they pulled it out of the bag each time I was glad. So I did enjoy this book though it did get very religious at times. I really don't remember the first two books in the series being as wild and improbable as this one but maybe I'm just misremembering.
I did find it over-the-top at times and simply impossible but I liked the team of the good guys and when they pulled it out of the bag each time I was glad. So I did enjoy this book though it did get very religious at times. I really don't remember the first two books in the series being as wild and improbable as this one but maybe I'm just misremembering.
August 15, 2016
This follows on from the epic cliff hanger at the end of The Six Sacred Stones and finds Jack West Jr continuing his global quest to set up and trigger the Machine in order to save the world from the apocalypse. In the process he has to battle not only ancient families, evil dictators and time itself but also his estranged father who is fighting to obtain the powers and gifts of the pillars and use them to rule the world (he is not a nice man). The story is once again brilliantly fast paced and leaves you utterly exhausted by the end but there are moments to take a breather as Jack and his friends separate and re-group, catching up with each other as they do. And best of all, there is no cliff hanger at the end of this one!
March 7, 2010
Matthew Reilly's books make me laugh but also keep me gripped to the end. Fast paced but with huge plot leaps which seem a bit daft at times - well ALL the time actually.
The writing can be a bit juvenile at times but I like that about it. His use of italics is hilarious!
This book picks up where The Six Sacred Stones: A Novel left off, with our hero falling into an abyss, but you know he isn't going to end his days there!!
Comic book stuff, and high time one of Reilly's books was made into a movie. Come on Hollywood, you are missing a trick.
The writing can be a bit juvenile at times but I like that about it. His use of italics is hilarious!
This book picks up where The Six Sacred Stones: A Novel left off, with our hero falling into an abyss, but you know he isn't going to end his days there!!
Comic book stuff, and high time one of Reilly's books was made into a movie. Come on Hollywood, you are missing a trick.
November 25, 2019
Are you still not reading this series? What are you waiting for? 5 Greatest Warriors is the third and final installment of Matthew Reilly's incredible treasure-hunter series, very "Indiana Jones" in its feel except the hero is a former Australian SAS soldier and his sidekick is a young girl named Lily. The rest of the team has some memorable characters, others forgettable, and the villains are very well done. It's a gripping read throughout all three books with great action, compelling dialogue, real characters, and a delightful, mystical element interwoven throughout. One of my favorite book series to date.
January 25, 2010
I hate to say I was disappointed with this installment of Jack West and his team, but it did not seem to have the same "keep you on your toes" action the previous two novels did. I will admit, it would of been next to impossible to impress me the way the others did, but I was still expecting more. This series is still topping me all time faves, and I am definitely going to read it again to see what I missed the first time around. And I do recommend it to anyone who is an Indiana Jones fan or anyone looking for a thrilling adventure story!
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