Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.
Read from: December 17 to December 20. ARC Kindle copy.
I've stayed away from Reilly even though I know he sells really well. The Great Zoo of China unfortunately confirms the worst suspicions I had about him.
The novel is basically Jurassic Park minus the dinosaurs, but with dragons thrown in instead. There is almost no exploration of why China would want to do such a thing, except for the cliched reason that it wants to "show to the world" that it can do so. Really, every terrible stereotype I can think of the modern Chinese and China is on display here.
There are the super-rich party men, the grandiose infrastructure, conniving colonels ready to murder to "protect the nation's pride", and massive hubris. And obviously a white man, in this case, a white woman, has to save the day. And what a Mary Sue she is! She's single-handedly wrangled saltwater crocs and deciphered alligator mating calls. That makes her the world expert on dragons of course, they are the closest living relatives you see. The science is laughable, just a plot device, which I can easily pass. The plot is Jurassic Park to the letter. Dragons hatched using mumbo-jumbo science. They escape, not due to human negligence, but rather hubris. Havoc ensues. White person saves the day (with white supporting characters, and a dragon of course).
The writing is alright. Just about the only thing going for it is that the book is easy reading. For people who want a fast paced, action oriented plot, this book is an easy pick. For everybody else, stay away.
Full Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher.
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