by Matthew Reilly
Genres: Suspense Thriller
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years. They have found a species of animal no one believed even existed. It will amaze the world. Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane ‘CJ’ Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles. The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong. Of course it can’t…GET READY FOR ACTION ON A GIGANTIC SCALE.
The Great Zoo of China is an intense thriller with over the top scenes and high body count. It was in a word, awesome. Fans of thrillers and science fiction who can overlook the improbability of it all will love the action, characters and creepy intelligence of the spectacular creatures Reilly introduces.
Similar to Jurassic park and set within the valleys of China, The Great Zoo of China was a non-stop, action packed ride that I consumed in a single day despite coming in at just over five hundred pages. Reilly opens with an intense and horrifying scene that sets the tone for the entire book. This is not for the faint of heart. It is at times incredibly gory and the author does a spectacular job of making you squirm. Surprisingly the gore was perhaps the most realistic aspect of the tale.
Dr. Cassandra Jane “CJ” Cameron is a leading reptile authority and she and her brother, a photographer, have been invited by China for an in-depth behind the scenes tour of a secret forty years in the making. China has built the worlds’ Greatest Zoo devoted entirely to a species that was believed to be only myth. Similar to Dan Brown, Reilly uses history to breathe life into this discovery allowing the reader to leap at the idea of their existence. CJ is badass, smart, observant and the perfect action heroine. She will remind you of MacGyver, Indiana Jones, Robert Langdon and Benjamin Gates. Let us throw a little Sherlock in there too as her power of observation proved to be handy. She and her brother are clever and for the most part are the focal characters. All the characters were unique and the villains were ruthless.
The tale is over the top with imagery that was breathtaking and creative. While the similarities to Jurassic Park cannot be ignored, I loved the attention to detail and all of the science fiction gobblely-gook. The author tossed in a little about China and world economies that all proved interesting. The creatures were terrifying, intelligent and downright awesome. Reilly shows us their beauty and man’s interference keeping me highly entertained. It was fast paced and I did not want to set it down.
If high-body count and intense action scenes entertain you, then the Great Zoo of China is not to be missed. You will notice I did not mention what the creatures are…I think the cover reveals a lot and it was worth it just for that experience alone.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Olivia
Oh man, I am definitely read this one! I love a good thriller and definitely need to read more of those. And China is my favourite country, so knowing it is set there is only a bonus for me. It sounds brilliant!
Mary
I kind of want to meet CJ. She sounds like a great character. Not sure how much time I’d spend comparing Jurassic Park to this story, though.
Diana Leigh
I am curious about what the creatures are… From the cover, maybe I can guess — and, yeah, that would be cool.
Ramona
The cover is awesome. The subject matter feels a little too intentionally picked, lol 🙂 China IS one of bigger and still growing consumer of just about everything under the sun, entertainment included. The high body count seems to point toward adult fiction, am I right? On the other hand, I *LOVED* Jurassic Park, which makes this really appealing. Thanks for sharing, Kimba. Have a good one!
Paij Slater
You had me at “thriller”!
ShootingStarsMag
this does sound quite fascinating. I’m not sure it’s the right fit for me though. I could see a couple of my friends really liking it.
Angela Adams
What an awesome premise! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!
Stormi
Okay, now I am curious..lol. I seen this one but from the cover I wasn’t sure what it was about and never really looked it up..lol. Sounds like a good one even with the Jurassic Park vibe. 🙂 It goes on the list.
Heidi
Oh boy, I love the sound of this one. Dragons eating people! Cool. I read and loved the Jurassic Park books and they were so much better than the movie. I had this on my radar, but this is the first review I’ve read. Must get this.
Lori
This sounds interesting and different. I haven’t read anything similar to Jurassic Park in ages so I think I might just add this to my list, great spoiler free review! 🙂
Candace
I’m really curious about what these creatures are. I also like the setting of China and can really imagine this stuff happening there. But the rest… I’m not sure it’s for me. I’m hit and miss with thrillers, but generally they aren’t really my thing. And this sounds like it has some elements that would interest me but some that wouldn’t so much. I’m glad you enjoyed!
Braine Talk Supe
What a tease! Dragons!!
Debbie Haupt
Kim this is definitely going on my pile
Thanks for this in depth fantastic review.
Deb
kindlemom1
I like that this was so intense and action packed. It is fun to have those reads every now and then.
sherry fundin
The title made me curious, but YES OH YES I love creatures! I have added this to my TBR mountain. Thanks so much for sharing.
Karsyn
I mention the creature in my review, since the tail is on the cover, and in another version of the book the full creature is on there. I LOVE Reilly and I have been reading him for years, and this is my favorite book of his so far. I LOVE LOVE LOVE his over the top action in all of his books, it’s definitely my kind of thing. TGZoC ended up being my <a href="http://kakijokoja.blogspot.com/2014/11/book-review-great-zoo-of-china-by.html"2nd favorite book of 2014, and definitely my favorite release of 2014! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Alreem
sound like a good book, I have never read anything by this auther, guess I pick something by him and see if I like it 🙂 Lovely Review
Ro
OMG – I absolutely love this guy and have read all of his books! Didn’t know he had a new release and have to get it quickly! I’m with Sharon – The action and his characters are always phenomenal. Totally enjoyed this review! Hugs…Ro
Sharon
I’ve read a lot of this authors work and I think he’s brilliant with writing the action scenes and knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. I might just have to add this one to my tbr collection too. Great review! 🙂
Cynthia
That sounds like a great book. Oh man, reading your blog is awful for my TBR! 🙂
blodeuedd
Perfectly safe, oh silly people
Michelle
I thought about reviewing this one but ultimately chose not to, now I regret it! It sounds really good, and I’m all for more books like Jurassic Park (which is a favorite of mine). I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Melliane
The idea here is interesting because of the movie but I confess that I’m not that attracted so I’m not sure it’s for me… but thanks for the review, it’s the first time I hear about this one.