With an adventure story and a writer of Reilly’s reputation, the reader has high expectations – and fortunately, this novel lives up to them. The style is fast-paced, the prose regular and emotionally sparse, and the action builds on previous action.

Reilly’s fans won’t be disappointed with this “boy’s own” page-turner. However, others may be put off by the pointed one-liners that attempt to conceal diluted characters and a clichéd storyline that appears to be a collection of set-pieces rather than a character-driven plot.

In this third Jack West adventure, a “Dark Star” threatens to destroy the earth. That is, unless West and his band of trailblazers can find the secret of the Five Warriors. What links Moses, Jesus Christ, Genghis Khan, Napoleon and an unknown warrior?

Jack’s quest for the truth, the last four Vertices of the Machine, and the mysterious pyramids will take him from Africa to America, from England to Israel and Japan, and finally to Easter Island. With the apocalypse rapidly approaching, can Jack rebuild the final pieces of the ancient “Machine” and save the world?

By the dramatic finale, the implausible plot doesn’t seem to matter as the reader is drawn into the race to save humanity. Reilly’s round-the-romp is full of mystery and promise which will appeal to existing fans. It has a kind of movie formula that reads like a novelisation of a Hollywood blockbuster, but for readers who enjoy pure adventure, impossible missions and good old-fashioned heroes, then The Five Greatest Warriors is an exhilarating ride.

– Pan Macmillan, RRP $49.99