Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsAlmost as unnecessary as Indiana Jones 4
Reviewed in Australia on 21 October 2020
I'm not going to blow smoke, but after 13 years of this anthology and more than half my life reading your books, this one was repetitive (5 times) the deaths didn't feel earnt, and it was generally bloated repeating itself and the explaining previous plot points, or pausing mid sentence to to restate already established facts. If you cut all that out and the choppy editing the book would have been even shorter. This was filler plain and simple when they simply could have "got to the maze" from the start. Most of the cast was sidelined asleep or left unresolved. Not the best book.
I don't know what else to say, except that I simply may have outgrown this author. Having picked him up in my early teens, I have read and continue to read all his books.
However assetions that the '3 wise men' were just a myth and that Jesus was 'just a man' are ill informed and ignorant of real historical fact. The books are pure whimsy but borderline offensive by propogating an incorrect message to young readers.
I applaude the fact this series is still going but I lament that's it's getting harder and harder to read the next one, not just as I get older but that the writing, well it's either getting worse or my standards are getting higher.
It's sad that I've almost 'grown out' of these stories but 7 books was maybe asking too much for an anthology series with no self contained stories.
The latest book spends half the time recapping itself, reminding the reader of previous things and self indulging in Reilly's trademark, " let me saying something to you, then also tell you why it's so cool and why you should like it" style.
Talking AT the audiance is not cool. Cursory referances to everything under the son, doesn't actually show any research or intellect only that the author skimmed the bare essentials on what popular referances were required and then we add the "what most people don't know wink nudge it's a secret" belittles the reader and is patronising.
I really try but the universe is now so bloated half the cast is either killed off or put to sleep and side lined in this one just to focus the plot somewhat 🤔 Some of the statements in this book are either sheer flights of fancy or ignorance and whimsy. It's real hard to know what Reilly actually believes and thinks is true, unless he doesn't know, which is really frustrating.
