It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him. J.R.R. TolkienI'm sorry, but this book does read like Jurassic Park fanfiction. At the end of the book there is an author question session where the answer to the comparisons is answered.I was very aware that my story of a dragon zoo would inevitably draw comparisons with the dinosaur theme park of Jurassic Park. So I endeavored from the outset to make The Great Zoo of China as different from Jurassic Park as I [...]

I had just picked this book up from the library and was driving home when a Police car flew through the air striking my car, and continued its journey into the car behind me where it proceeded to burst into flames! In front of me was a large dragon, the size of a Greyhound bus, facing down a police officer with his service weapon drawn. The officer fired, and the dragon's obsidian eyes narrowed to slits. Suddenly the dragon lunged-And the officer was torn in half, his weapon falling to the groun [...]

Find all of my reviews at: 52bookminimum/WARNING: IF YOU CONSIDER SOMETHING THAT IS DISCLOSED ON THE FIRST FREAKING PAGE OF A BOOK TO BE A “SPOILER” – YOU SHOULD PROBABLY JUST MOVE ON.Seriously – first page:“Here, there be dragons.”but reviewers have been trolled for mentioning it??? That’s pure crazy right there. EDIT: I just noticed the new cover has a f*&^%$g DRAGON TAIL on it. Dear Trolls; Your argument is invalid. Alright. Now that that is out of the way, let’s get on wi [...]

I love adventure books and movies. I have no problem with over the top storylines and I can even take some flat characters. But even I have a limit and this book, well its story went over that limit. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, partly, the beginning was fast paced and everything and CJ the main character was OK. I liked the fact that she had scars on her face because perfect good-looking characters are irritating to read about. Her brother Hamish was also OK. But you could fairly easily [...]

You can also find this on my blog: killerscorpion.wordpress/ Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arcThe Great Zoo of China tried its best to present something extraordinary, but ended up tackling a used plot and modifying it. I would be lying if I say that I don't see any comparison with Jurassic Park, because this was Jurassic Park with Dragons instead of dinosaurs. Nope, Mr. Reilly, simply changing the country, animal, and purpose doesn't make this something new. It was quite good tho [...]

Just as I was hoping, a typical feverishly fast-paced nonstop action-packed Matthew Reilly-read that I was glued to the book from the first page to the last. After the first hundred pages where all the key players of the story were established as well as the astonishing settings of the Great Zoo, the action starts literally with a bang and from then on its one big OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!! action sequences after another. And Reilly cleverly continued all the story developments and turns of the plot [...]

I found myself on New Year's Day with the same old conundrum that plagues a person who owns one too many books - what should I start the year off with? Christmas netted me even more books so faced with options such as Steven Erikson's Star Trek parody, Willful Child, Emily St. John Mandel’sStation Eleven or even Brom's Yuletide tale, Krampus I went and chose something different instead by an author I had heard about but never sampled before - Matthew Reilly's The Great Zoo of China.In the mode [...]

Posted toThe Literary LawyerA Big, Bad and Bloody Good Time - 4 Stars Most every Matthew Reilly novel has several things in common. Firstly, there are many characters but few are developed. Secondly, most of those characters will die in some bloody or spectacular manner. The first follows the second as there is too much dying to be done to overdevelop any one character. If this has your attention than you might be a Matthew Reilly fan. The Great Zoo of China is Reilly's second recent work that s [...]

First off, I've never read anything by this author before. Apparently, he's known for writing fast and furious action novels. This one is similiar to Jurassic Park, but of course with different animals. Several politicians, scientists, and journalists are invited to see a very unique Chinese zoo before it opens - and of course, chaos ensues. This isn't a bad book. It's just not a great one either, in my view. The action is literally almost nonstop, if you like that sort of thing. However, there' [...]

Cue in my super sonic love for all which is cheese. Hell, yes. That super cheesy goopy Saturday syfy channel cheese. Top it off with a clonebutwithdragonsnotdinos lovely story about dragons wreaking havoc in a Chinese park and there ya go. Is this extremely similar to JP? Fuck, yes. However, I'm always a softie for blood, heads getting ripped off, and all sorts of other types of dismemberments. The bunnies love it too. As for me, this bitch is getting psyched up for Sharknado 3. Bring it!! Until [...]

This sentence sums it up perfectly:Holy shit, the dragons are throwing cars at meI enjoy Reilly, he's a bit of a guilty pleasure. He went a bit too far with this one. Still an enjoyable romp though.

“See we have a little problem with the people at McDonald’sThey are McDonalds, we are McDowell’s. They have the golden arch, we have the golden arc. They have the Big Mac, we have the big Mic. They both have two ground beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese but ours don't have sesame seeds” - Coming to AmericaI felt this running through my head when reading the interview at the back where Reilly explained how he tried to make this book as different to Jurassic Park as possible. Jur [...]

Matthew Reilly knows how to make BIG thrillers! I commented once that this novel was like Jurassic Park on steroids, but I have to take that back now. THE GREAT ZOO OF CHINA is an altogether different story, that, in my humble opinion, is just as good all on its own merits.CJ Cameron and her brother, Hamish, are invited among a select group of influential media people to view China's deep-secreted new zoo. The Chinese hope to usurp America's Disneyland with this new attraction of theirs, and the [...]

First, I'd like to thank Netgalley for an advanced copy of this to read. I'll start by saying that I love Matthew Reilly, and it makes me happy that he's moving forward with his life. He lost his wife, who had battled with eating disorders and depression for years, to suicide back a few years ago. It shattered him, and understandably so. The selfish part of me is really excited that he's writing again, that he's found a story to tell and the drive to write. She was a big part of his writing proc [...]

Only Matthew Reilly would write a book about a zoo full of dragons. I will admit I am a huge fan of his books. I take each one as it is and I usually come out a happy camper. In this case, I have to give him a thumbs up. Let's face it, Reilly either works for you or he doesn't. He unashamedly writes escapist fiction that makes the reader feel as though they are immersed in a summer blockbuster movie. And he does it well.I wasn't a big fan of the "Jurassic Park" book. I didn't finish it because i [...]

Dr Cassandra Jane (CJ) Cameron, a veterinary surgeon with the San Francisco zoo and expert on reptiles, plus a writer for the National Geographic had been invited to China to view their newest creation – The Great Zoo of China. The zoo had been built over a period of many years under utmost secrecy – the world had no idea what the Chinese were hiding; what the Chinese government had kept close to their chests for so long. But the small group of VIPs and journalists from the US, along with Ch [...]

I had high hopes for this book, and for the most part it was satisfying. Some of the elements in the plot line about the "secret animal's" origins were really intriguing and well thought out. Reilly really did his research on animals, reptiles in particular, and I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of the animals in addition to the inner-workings of their species' abilities and intelligence. It was interesting to see how the story played out, and I was happy that it wasn't as predictable as I fir [...]

The newest book by Matthew Reilly and definitely different too. Since I'm a huge fan of "Jurassic Park" I was first afraid it would just be some sort of copy - especially since I know how much the author likes Michael Crichton's book as well! However, the idea of dragons being real was too tempting so I gave it a try. I was astonished to see that there was no lab where the dragons had been created, but that there was a "scientific explanation" for all the myths. I kind of fell for it. However, t [...]

The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly is a modern action thriller with a good dose technological science fiction. Reilly is an international best selling author with more than a handful of books which have been translated in to a number of languages and sold around the world.I tend to stay away from the best seller list with my reading. I know some of it is really good, but I prefer nonfiction and books that have stood up to time. Something did catch my attention about The Great Zoo of China [...]

3.5 starsA nicely crafted tale that petered out near the end for meThe prologue isn't long but sets up the danger quite well and had me wanting to at minimum kick the people in charge. As I said in a status update, I was hoping the whole time they would get eaten by the dragons.I didn't feel sorry for them at all when the shit started to hit the fan (which it does in a spectacular kind of way). It drops you right into what's going on and doesn't take it's teeth out of you (several sequences woul [...]

You can't help read this book and compare it to Jurassic Park. In fact, the author does acknowledge that Jurassic Park influenced this book. And for the first few chapters, all I could think was that this was a sort of fanfic of that book. Then, BAM! Things start happening and it's non-stop action throughout. I devoured this book - and I enjoyed every minute of it. The thing that stood out for me in The Great Zoo of China was the research and the character development. I think that I may have le [...]

8/8/17 ~ always good to be back with CJ & Lucky!5/1/17 ~ Always a wonderful re-read. The over-the-top action is fun and engaging and keeps going through the whole book. I adore Reilly's books, now I just need a new one!I wish it was 9:30 this morning and I was just waking up to find out I received this awesome ARC and I could start reading it all fresh and new again!!!Finished ~ The Great Zoo of China by Matthew ReillyCompleted 11/115 of 5 stars544 pagesI received this book from NetGalley fo [...]

It pains me to say it but I feel like I might be growing out of Matthew Reilly. I hope it's not true, I have a sneaking suspicion Great Zoo of China was just not very good.Straight from the outset, the most obvious thing - the book is Jurassic Park, except not written well. I found it interesting that in the interview on the back of the book he mentions that he tried to make it as unlike Jurassic Park as possible, considering how completely he failed to do so. The action was pretty okay and the [...]

Not an awful book, but for me, it somehow missed the mark. I was glad to have a female main character, but was disappointed that she was some kind of female Terminator or Jack Reacher, a biologist who not only knew how to make and use flame throwers, but could cling to speeding vehicles and McGyver her way out of every situation. It would appear that the author made her female just so she could be better at “bonding” with animals—you know the old story, women are closer to nature than men, [...]

AN UNMITIGATED SHAMBOLIC DISASTER OF A NOVEL - AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE.What starts out promisingly as a 5 star sci-fi/actioner quickly becomes 4, then 3, and then 2 until finally its left with 1 star and 1 star is overly generous in many regards. The premise is an okay "Jurassic Park" clone, removing T-Rexs in favour of dragons, which certainly ramps up the epic scope, but as is so often the case with Reilly's work the absolute unbelievability of his plots make just sitting back and enjoying the r [...]

'Jurassic Park in China' may sound like a bad trip, but it also sounds awesome. It conjures up anticipation. This book came at the right time, at a time when nobody is jumping on the dragon bandwagon. Everything that's exciting or fun can have its ridiculous side. The author embraced the ridiculous aspect of the premise and wrote a book which, I feel, took all of the author's limited talent to make happen. To make happen? The fast pace of the book is like Formula one, minus the boredom. The char [...]

I’ve just read this action packed book from cover to cover in just over one day, something I rarely do of late. I simply struggled to put it down and literally zipped through the pages. I have never read a book that keeps the pace streaming along as consistently as this and I loved it.Reilly takes a creature more prevalent in fantasy and gets damn close to presenting a case for it to exist in reality. He then implants this creature in a monumental zoo, in China. The action does stretch the bou [...]

If I had to describe this book in one word, I would say that it was TEDIOUS. It kind of reminded me of a novelization of some super cheesy, low budget, made for tv slasher flick. I guess when they say non-stop action, they mean non-stop action! The entire book was simply a massive collection of repetitious dismemberment and explosions. Yet despite all this action there was never any suspense due to the extreme amount of ludicrous saves. Not that you really care what happens to anyone, as they al [...]

Non-stop, fast paced, totally unbelievable yet totally awesome action is what Matthew Reilly does best! Again he does not disappoint in this fantastic quick read that is perfect for when you just want to read something and get straight into it, without having to use much brain power! Think Jurassic park - meets Godzilla - meets James Bond. Heaps of twists and turns. A really great read! Sure it's totally unbelievable, corny, stupid, and WAY over the top. But that's the point! 4 stars!!

If you don't want to know what this book is about AT ALL, and consider the species of animal in this zoo as a spoiler, (if it isn't already obvious by the cover and description) please don't read this review. I do talk about the species of animal in this book, and the basic plot Before starting this book, I was so so excited to pick it up. I was so sure it would be a 5 star favourite. Unfortunately, after starting, I could tell it wouldn't be. But, as you can tell from my rating, I didn't dislik [...]