Please note: This review will contain ***SPOILERS*** for the previous Scarecrow Schofield novel, simply titled Scarecrow.
At the top of the world in the Arctic Circle there is a secret base known as Dragon Island. Once the pride of the former USSR’s research into biological warfare, these days it maintains only a skeleton crew. By the time the rest of the world notices something strange has been going on at Dragon Island, it seems that a bunch of random events around the world have come together with a purpose at the arctic base. Prisoners broken out of Chile, American army equipment such as helicopters stolen, the disappearance of a Russian tanker loaded with machine guns and ammunition – they’re all connected. An army is rising – the Army of Thieves – and they’re going to use the technology the research facility on Dragon Island developed to basically destroy most of the northern hemisphere.
Unfortunately for the Army of Thieves, they neglected to notice one thing. Already up that way, is a small military American team consisting of just a couple of operatives and some research people who are testing gear in the extreme arctic temperatures for future use. They and a US Navy tanker are the only people in the world who can reach the facility on Dragon Island in the 6 hours before the leader of the Army of Thieves plans to put into place his attack. Even though the military group testing equipment is very small, as soon as the President of the United States hears who is leading that group, he wants them directed to Dragon Island. Immediately.
Because the person leading that group is Captain Shane, callsign “Scarecrow” Schofield. Regarded as a bit of a loose canon since the price on his head that resulted in brutal death of his girlfriend Elizabeth, callsign “Fox” Gant, Scarecrow has been taken out of active duty as such to give his psychological healing more time. With him is Gena, callsign “Mother” Newman and a couple of others with military training and four research developers. Three of the researchers choose to go with Scarecrow but one refuses, remaining behind at the base camp.
If there’s anyone in the world that is up for this monumental task, it’s Scarecrow Schofield. But since the death of Fox and his almost suicide when he heard about it, he’s had four months compassionate leave and has been removed to a remote location of the world because his superiors fear for his mental health. Will he be able to carry out this task against all the odds? Or will he lose yet another person that’s close to him and thereby shattering the rest of his fragile mind.
The Scarecrow novels are a guilty pleasure of mine. I read Ice Station a couple of years ago now after having bought it on a whim not knowing anything about it. It wasn’t really the sort of book that I’d normally choose to buy, I have a feeling it was on a Borders 3 for 2 table and I needed something to be the 3rd book. I really enjoyed it and the feeling of my heart being in my mouth the whole time! I read Scarecrow which is actually the 3rd Scarecrow novel (oops, as Reilly killed off Scarecrow’s girlfriend, known as Fox) and then downloaded Area 7, the 2nd novel, to listen to as an audiobook. Reilly took a long break from writing Scarecrow novels after Scarecrow and I think fans of the books have really wanted to know how the poor guy has been fairing since Fox was beheaded so brutally.
Scarecrow and the Army of Theives is typically action packed with character development generally being very thin on the ground. Reilly does touch on Scarecrow’s mental health (it’s mentioned he’s seen several psychiatrists) and he’s watched carefully by Mother, who seems to be taking it as her personal role to keep him on track and sane. He has nightmares about Fox’s death despite not actually being present when she was killed and it seems like he is coping by being assigned to the testing. He snaps into action in true Scarecrow fashion when he learns of the impending disaster though and before long he’s swinging off his Maghook, avoiding many machine guns and coming up with more plans than a city architect. There’s a little added complication of a French assassin team that haven’t forgiven him for various slights against their country and countrymen but it’s nothing he isn’t able to make work to his advantage!
Given then nature of these books, there was never going to be a really in depth analysis of how Scarecrow was coping, nor would we get scenes with him and Mother having D&M’s. I assume they do, just that Reilly doesn’t write them! Instead we’re pumped full of fast paced action, quick thinking military tactics and Scarecrow and his buddies avoiding death (or not, as the case may be) a million times. There’s also a super cute little robot named Bertie who might’ve become my favourite character.
Fans of the series should enjoy this one.
7/10
Book #200 for 2011
I’m counting Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves towards my What’s In A Name?4 Challenge. It is the last book I needed to complete this challenge, fitting into the category of read a book with something evil in the title. Thieves are pretty evil (especially the ones in this book) and army’s often are too. So it’s a bit of a double whammy.
Books Read:
Jewellery/Gem in the title: Tears of Pearl, by Tasha Alexander
Life Stage: Dead Reckoning, by Charlaine Harris
Travel/Movement: The Girl Who Chased the Moon, by Sarah Addison Allen
Number: Smokin’ Seventeen, by Janet Evanovich
Size: The Tall Man, by Chloe Hooper
Evil: Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves, by Matthew Reilly.
Yay! 2011 What’s In A Name?4 Challenge COMPLETE!
