The last thing Jack West, Jr. remembers is arriving at a top secret Australian military base. He wakes up to find himself shoeless, in the dark, with a minotaur attacking him. Because of his status as the fifth greatest warrior of ancient prophecy, Jack has been kidnapped and is now forced to participate in the Great Games. Hostages were also taken and Jack is determined to keep his friends and dogs alive. More is at stake than just the lives of Jack and his friends, however, as the Great Games determine the fate of the Earth's survival. Can Jack beat the odds and win?

THE FOUR LEGENDARY KINGDOMS is the fourth book in the Jack West, Jr series and can be read without knowledge of the earlier books. Events and characters from the earlier books are mentioned, but the focus of THE LEGENDARY KINGDOMS is the Great Games and all the gory mayhem that follows. However, I had so much fun reading this book that I've already downloaded the first book in the series to see how it all began.

Jack is a lot of fun as a hero, mainly because he's just such a good guy determined to do the right thing even when the odds are against him. There is one scene in there that clearly shows this when he battles another one of the kidnapped warriors (no spoilers, you'll know when you read it as it's a delightful surprise for Matthew Reilly fans). However, it is his love for his dogs that truly gets me. The image of Jack navigating the course with one of his dogs alongside him had me laughing out loud, even as I was cheering on his success.

Matthew Reilly's books are always fast paced, over-the- top, outrageous fun and THE FOUR LEGENDARY KINGDOMS is no exception. I could actually envision the movie scenes as Jack progresses through each level of the crazily designed Great Games. THE FOUR LEGENDARY KINGDOMS is slightly reminiscent of THE HUNGER GAMES in that a game maker has crafted a race where only one lone survivor will defy the other contestants and the environment to beat the game. However, the similarities stop there as Matthew Reilly takes readers on an updated Herculean contest that delves into classical mythology- as well as more than one conspiracy theory. If you love your stories filled with action, adventure, and a whole lot of mythological craziness, then look no further than THE FOUR LEGENDARY KINGDOMS.