Matthew Reilly brings exhilaration, endurance and science together in the adventure riddled novel. Ice Station is the first in Reilly’s adrenaline pumping Scarecrow series and definitely kicks off with a splash.
Matthew Schofield, code name: Scarecrow, is one of my all time favourite action heroes. He is one of the elite, the best the U.S Marine’s have to offer and he never loses a fight. Scarecrow is the leader of the Marine team deployed to Wilkes Station where he and his team must fight to retain control of the ice station who have found, what could be, a space ship hidden below the ice.
As with all Reilly’s novels, Ice Station has the sort of fast pace that makes you tired for the characters. Scarecrow and his team are forced to face impossible challenges and come out alive. While some of the stunts are totally unrealistic, and some of the fighting is more gruesome than I’d like, the action keeps me riveted. I want to know what Scarecrow and his team have to face next and my heart breaks with every broken bone or spot of blood spilt.
The characters are mesmerising. Scarecrow, inevitably, is a crowd pleaser. Dashing, mysterious and downright hard-core, his good nature and explosive temper are a fantastic mix and his relationship with Gant (codename: Fox) is endearing and sets the stage for later books. My absolute favourite, despite being a minor character, is Gena ‘Mother’ Newman is the friend that not only gets you into trouble, but she gets you out again. Not known for her maternal nature, her call sign comes from being a badass ‘Mother F*cker’.
The plot is great. I love the way Reilly includes newspaper clippings and reports to add to the story and to provide additional background. Mostly these tidbits act as clues for future revelations, and there are plenty of them. Ice Station has more twists than a Shyamalan M Night film and more backstabbing than Gossip Girl.
If action and adventure are your style then give Matthew Reilly’s books a try. The next book in the Scarecrow series is Area 7 featuring many familiar faces!
Judging by the cover: The blue on white is my favourite cover for Ice Station but it is hard to do anything spectacular for the book without being unrealistic or things away. I like it for its simplicity and for how easy it is to read the title/author.
Rating:
Raiding Bookshelves 