Publisher's Weekly Review
After the initial stage setting, the outstanding fourth novel in Reilly's action thriller series that began with Ice Station (1998) blasts off and never slows. Marine Capt. Shane M. "Scarecrow" Schofield, last seen in the novella Hell Island (2005), travels to the Arctic with a group of civilians and his female buddy and second-in-command-burly, six-foot-two, shaven-headed Gunnery Sgt. Gena Newman-to test a variety of advanced weaponry. Nearby, the secretive Army of Thieves, led by a man known only as the Lord of Anarchy, has taken over Dragon Island, a mothballed Russian secret weapons testing site. The ante rises after the Thieves announce their intention to explode the Tesla Device, a weapon powerful enough to ignite the world's atmosphere and wipe out much of humanity. The characters offer enough flesh and blood to be convincing, but it's the high-speed action and battle sequences that propel Reilly to the front of the pack of this particular subgenre. Agent: WME. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* That's correct, Mr. President . . . we have five hours to save the world! And we're off! Fans will cheer the return of action hero Shane Scarecrow Schofield (Scarecrow, 2004; etc.) in Reilly's latest, irresistibly paced videogame-as-book. The Army of Thieves, a mysterious and well-armed corps of baddies led by a self-proclaimed Lord of Anarchy sits perched on Dragon Island, from whose arctic vastness it is about to unleash a scorched-earth doomsday weapon. Scarecrow and his motley band including the ever-faithful Gena Mother Newman, augmented by some newfound French allies, a steadfast robotic sidekick named Bertie and its nerdboy keeper, Zack fly into the teeth of destruction in a hopeless, last-ditch effort make that about 37 consecutive hopeless, last-ditch efforts to save us all. Skimming along on thin ice and thinner logic from one elaborate action sequence to another, pitting his heroes against polar bears, ranks of crazed berserkers, and colorful henchmen like Bad Willy, Big Jesus, and Typhoon, Reilly ups the ante on swashbucklers like Clive Cussler and Ted Bell by dishing out page after page of truly nonstop, explosive action, from cover to cover. Does he pull it off? Absolutely! Scarecrow's exploits are an action lover's wet dream.--Wright, David Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
A secret Russian facility in the Arctic has been seized by a team of elite commandos calling themselves the Army of Thieves. In four hours, the terrorists will launch the facility's doomsday missile, which will set the atmosphere of the Northern Hemisphere on fire. Capt. Shane Schofield (Ice Station; Area 7; Scarecrow), also known as Scarecrow, is called in to stop the deadly plot. Unfortunately, he and his team are about three hours away. VERDICT Reilly is the king of the action thriller, and he has written his best book in years. The relentless pace will leave the reader breathless. Fans who enjoy military fiction and blockbuster summer action movies will love the adrenaline rush. [See Prepub Alert, 8/1/11.]-Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
