The Great Zoo of China

When I described how much I liked Matthew Reilly's thriller The Great Zoo of China (#475) to one of my book clubs, a few people told me "You had me until you mentioned dragons!"  Ironically, in the author interview at the back of my pre-publication copy, author Reilly describes how he goes about addressing the very issue of making the existence of dragons in modern China plausible.  I have to tell you, it worked for me.  But then, I'm a great fan of Naomi Novick's work, too.

Modern China is assuming a leadership position on the world stage, but the one place they still trail behind the United States is in popular culture.  In order to overtake their Western rivals, Chinese leadership has labored over a secret project that they feel will accomplish that feat, and they are now ready to reveal it in all its glory to a prestigious group of visitors, including high-ranking Politboro members, the American Ambassador and journalists from the New York Times and National Geographic.  The project turns out to be the Great Zoo of China, but it's the denizens of that zoo who are the culmination of years of work by Chinese scientists and geneticists: dragons.  CJ Cameron, a world-renowned herpetologist, is covering the story for National Geographic with her brother along as her photographer.  Although everything at first seems to be going smoothly, CJ is uneasy about the whole set up.  She vividly remembers the day an alligator changed her life permanently.  What potential for harm do these animals possess?  When things do begin to go wrong, it's up to CJ to keep as many of their party alive as possible  The Chinese aren't willing to leave any witnesses alive to report on any flaws or failures of their showcase project...

The Great Zoo of China is certainly a thrill ride.  I kept thinking that CJ and the others in her party couldn't possibly survive the latest attack, and yet somehow, she manages.  That's not true of most of the visitors or workers at the zoo, though.  The gruesome body count is quite high.  Normally, both my husband and I read while eating our meals, exchanging comments on whatever it is we happen to be looking at.  The Great Zoo of China didn't make it to the table with either of us.  However, once the meal was over, we were both eager to get back to the book to find out what happened next.  I particularly liked the strong female lead in this book.  CJ is smart, and a survivor, yet she manages to hang onto her humanity despite horrific scenes and betrayals around her.  She's the one figuring out the solutions that allow a handful to escape to safety.  My husband has already starting reading some of Mr. Reilly's previous books, and I know I'll be right behind him.