Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsTwo different books crammed into one
Reviewed in Australia on 13 August 2021
The dual story approach was a nice touch. The modern day storyline got a bit far fetched even for Reilly’s standards, so I actually preferred the historic storyline. I love Reilly’s books and I know you have to take the plots with a pinch of salt, but there were some things in this book that even I rolled my eyes at. I personally enjoy the parts of his stories that explore ancient places and uncover hidden secrets. The action can be exciting but sometimes it can drag on. For example the boat chase in this book is utterly ridiculous and I found myself just trying to get through it so I could get back to the main story rather than enjoying it. And the fact that the protagonist goes from bumbling academic to all-out action star all of a sudden was not very believable. What bugged me most about that book was that it’s called ‘The Temple’ so I thought it would centre around the actual temple, it’s history and it’s purpose, particularly because I’m interested in the Aztec cultures. But really not a lot of time is spent talking about the temple, nor is much time spent in it. Most of the book is gun-ho action, end of the world stuff and I feel like the temple was thrown in to try and tie it all together, but it just ends up being a jumbled together series of events that feels like two different books cobbled together into one. When you do finally learn what’s inside the temple, it serves more to tie off loose ends of the plot rather than offer the reader anything of interest. The book should be called ‘Everyone tries to blow up the world in Peru’ and then it would be more accurate. Ultimately I would treat The Temple as a bit of escapism or some light entertainment reading on holiday. If you want a better balance of action, character development and genuine exploration of lost history, read Reilly’s Jack West books.
