Book Review – SCARECROW AND THE ARMY OF THIEVES by Matthew Reilly
Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves Synopsis
An old Soviet weapons installation in the Arctic has fallen into disrepair. Known as Dragon Island, the facility is home to a next-generation weapon with the potential to unleash a destructive force upon the world that was developed during the Cold War and subsequently forgotten.
When a terrorist organisation known as the Army of Thieves takes control of the fortified island and activates the weapon, a small band of Marines and civilians is sent in to stop them, as they are the only unit close enough to Dragon Island to be able to reach the installation in time. (Audible)
BOOK REVIEW
I always find Australian author Matthew Reilly’s novels difficult to rate when writing my reviews. They are my guilty pleasure.
Matthew Reilly is a consummate teller of tall tales, rather than a writer of literary prose. Despite this I may possibly have read more titles by this author than by any other. Why? Because Matthew Reilly’s books are just pure and simple entertainment, and I need a dose of silliness and outlandish adventure in my reading sometimes.
I have read all of Reilly’s Scarecrow Series, Ice Station, Area 7, Scarecrow (these pre-blog) and Hell Island, along with all his Jack West Jr titles, Seven Ancient Wonders, The Six Sacred Stones and The Five Greatest Warriors.
Matthew Reilly has outdone himself with the return of his much loved action hero in Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves.
How has he upped the ante in Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves? Rather than saving a military outpost, a supertanker, or a President, this time Captain Shane Schofield, call-sign “Scarecrow”, needs to save the world.
Reilly brings some great new characters into the mix to support Scarecrow in his quest, along with some of our old favourites, David Fairfax and “Mother”. The French commando Huguenot, also known as “The Barbarian”, or “Baba”, is a particularly entertaining addition. My absolute favourite though was Scarecrow’s new sidekick, ”Bertie“, a multi-functional, independently-intelligent robot that carries his own guns. Some of the interactions between Bertie and ‘his buddy’ Scarecrow had me laughing out loud while listening to this audio book in my car – so cute and so far-fetched.
Narrator Sean Mangan has the perfect voice for delivering Matthew Reilly’s novels. His vocalisation of the gun noises always make me smile.
Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves is more compelling, more action-packed and more intense than the previous Scarecrow outings. And while this story is very nicely concluded, Reilly has planted enough seeds to make me confident we will be seeing more of Scarecrow in the future.
Matthew Reilly’s Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves is pure unadulterated escapism – highly recommended to those in need of a dose of fun.
BOOK RATING: The Story 5 / 5 ; The Writing 3.5 / 5
BOOK DETAILS: Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves (Audible); Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves (The Nile – Australia); Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves (Kobo ebooks); Scarecrow Returns (Amazon)
Genre: Action-Adventure, Thriller, Drama, Humour, Audio
Author Information: Australian Matthew Reilly is a prolific writer. After self-publishing his first novel Contest in 1996, he has gone on to have a further 10 novels published. Reilly’s books are published in over 20 languages and he has sold over 3.5 million books worldwide: over 1 million in Australia alone; over a million in the US; and over a million in the UK.
- Watch the Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves book trailer
- Matthew Reilly talks Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves on Gillo’s Bookshelf – ABC (listen)
Other reviews of Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves: Right What You No ; All The Books I Can Read
One of the most gripping, fast paced novels I have ever read is Contest, Reilly’s first book. Your review makes me realise I need to read more by him.