"Six Sacred Stones", by Matthew Reilly (Pan)

Buckle up for the sequel to The Seven Ancient Wonders!

Reuniting us once again with Jack West Jr. (retired Australian Special Forces, with a metal arm) and his friends and allies from the previous novel, we are taken on yet another globetrotting adventure romp with archaeological and apocalyptic themes. After a secret ceremony undoes their work from the previous novel, Jack and his fellow adventurers are set on another mission, with time once again running out!

Shaped around a quest to find the stones of the title, and get them to significant, hidden sites to stave of the apocalypse, the novel takes us all over the world as Jack and Co. battle against time, well-armed and ill-intentioned enemies, and traitors in their midst. A lot of thought and research has gone into this book - from information about the sites visited to history (sure, Reilly's used artistic license to alter history to his needs, but he's allowed to, so stop complaining - this is meant to be fun!).

Some people might be inclined to give this a miss, given it's rather... esoteric premise, but I guarantee if you like Indiana Jones, James Bond, The Mummy movies, or any other adventure story, then you will thoroughly enjoy Matthew Reilly's novels. The pace never lets up: the 567 pages whizz by, leaving you rather breathless and hankering for more (the third book in the series is on its way).

With an excrutiating cliff-hanger at the end, there is little doubt that you'll be eagerly waiting for the forthcoming exploits of this driven group of adventurers.

Great fun, very well written, this is pure unadulterated entertainment. Just as it should be.