The Great Zoo of China By Matthew Reilly - Book Review

It's very rare that I award a novel five stars but the latest novel from the pen of Matthew Reilly deserves nothing less. On the face of it this is simply Jurassic Park with Dragons, and although the two stories do share similar themes (in the interview at the end Matthew even acknowledges Michael Crichtons famous novel to be one of his favourites) they are very different.

The main difference of course is the pacing. I had a few issues with the pacing in Jurassic Park; there was too much scientific explaination which only served to slow the action. This is definitely not the case here and after a fairly slow start the novel quickly shifts into gear and the action doesn't let up until the final page.
As with any Matthew Reilly novel the characterization is spot on, although the main villain is pretty generic and therefore forgettable.

Matthew Reilly has often stated in interviews that he writes action blockbusters and it's definitely the case here. I can only imagine the research that went into this book but it pays off because the dragons are described in such detail you can almost hear the flapping of the wings as these great beasts take to the airs. A novel that deserves multiple re - reads.