Two stories spanning four centuries, Mathew Reilly spins an amazing action adventure epic in Temple.
It was my father who introduced Mr. Reilly to me. During my fortnightly visit to my library, he also accompanied me once. As I was waiting to checkout the books I had selected, Dad comes with a book called 'Contest' by an author unknown to me. The story line looked catching and I took it just to 'try out' the author. And boy, was I hooked, line and sinker.
Temple is the fourth Reilly book I am reading.. Starting from Contest, Ice Station and Area 7, the story lines get better, meaner and deeper. The Reilly heroes are amazing larger than life people. You see in William Race of 'Temple' an interbreed of Tom Hanks from Angels and Demons with Channing Tatum from G I Joe.
According to Reilly himself, this is the first time he has tried his hand at double story lines : One set in the 1500's when the Spanish conquistadors rampaged the Incan civilization and one in 1999 when the US Army tries to get hold of the 'Spirit of the People' of the Incans; a dark coloured stone with purple lines across it, which hums when immersed in water.
The major theme is very similar to the previous Mathew Reilly books: World Conquest. This time by Nazis who've joined with two other terrorist organizations in the USA, and gets hold of the 'SuperNova', a planet killer. All they need is thirium, an extra terrestrial element, which is incidently the material with which the 'Spirit of the People' are made. The story line is well developed, with its amazing twists and turns, wherein a professor of linguistics is called on to translate an old manuscript to find the location of the idol in the deep Peruvian jungle and how he finds utmost courage, saves the world, and literally becomes 'The Selected One' prophesied by the Incans for ages.
Temple is a big book: it has over 750 pages. But each page is action packed, from the beginning till the end. The story line of Alberto Santiago and Renco Capac is beautifully described, with utmost care given to the minutest details. Renco's story mirror images William Race's, just that it is set four hundred years apart. It is by chance and a weird twist of fate that both Renco and Race are called upon to protect the idol. The way by which Reilly dances across centuries shows what a master story teller he is. Reilly brings in the US Army, US Navy, DARPA, Nazis and other terrorist organizations to create a story which should be screen-written.
As if the futuristic guns, helicopters, missiles, battle ships, aeroplanes and explosives are not enough, he introduces the 'Rapa', giant jaguar like cats, which can decapitate a man with a swipe, and Caimans - 30 foot long alligators... (I tried googling for the Rapa, but unfortunately count find any material or picture on them..!)
William Race and Renco Capac are undoubtedly the heroes. Renco and Race complement each other and the story line. Renco goes on the mission to save the idol because it is his duty, his birthright. Race does so, not because he wants to, but because he is forced to, though at the end, he does it out of free will for the greater good. Alberto Santiago finds his counterpart in Leonardo Van Lewen. As mentioned earlier, Reilly heroes are larger than life. But unlike Shane Schofield (of Ice Station & Area 7) William Race is your ordianry guy, called on to do extra-ordinary things, when the need of the hour demands so. The villains Hernando Pizzaro and Earl Bittiker show unimaginable narcissism, unquenchable need for power and extreeme cruelty. You hate them to the extend of wanting to take a M-22 and shooting them yourself. And that's the sign of a well written villain.
The research that has gone into writing this book can only be imagined... The writing is smooth and easy to understand. Whenever I felt the technical details are going above my comprehension, Reilly comes to the rescue in the very next paragraph, wherein he gives a brief explanation about it. That said, I would say that the fight/chase sequences at times do extend to more than three pages, at which point they became a drag. I did have to skip paragraphs and reach a point where the pace returned to normal, and find that I had not actually missed except the enemy being blasted apart into pieces, in a mix of blood and bones.. And hey, who complains when the bad guys are shot to smithereens..!!
Deception is a key element in the book.. Race being deceived by Nash, Lauren deceiving her husband with Troy Copeland, Copeland using Lauren to extract information from her ( a new meaning to 'sleeping with the enemy') Uli prentending to be a StormTrooper etc.. etc... But so is Loyalty. Loyalty of Santiago to Renco, Van Lewen to Race, Uli to Renee...
Pros:
- Awesome thriller: get a copy, rent a copy... just read it.
- Two wonderful plots, ancient and modern, seamlessly merging into each other.
- Lots of guns, weapons, fights and action.
- Will hold your attention till the last page (though that will take at least three days).
- Perfect for a wintry evening, with a comforter and a cup of coffee.
Cons:
- Fight sequences are dragging, could be shortened.
Verdict: **** (4/5)
