The Official Matthew Reilly Homepage

This book came highly recommended to me as an exploration of the links between the international drug cartels and the US government. The author, David Yallop, is a renowned investigative journalist (he was the author of the monster non-fiction bestseller IN GOD'S NAME) and this is his first work of fiction. Seems he decided that the best -- and perhaps safest -- way to talk about the enormous influence that the drug cartels exert over our politicians was to fictionalise it. This is very topical in Sydney at the moment, since we only just recently opened our first legalised heroin injecting room. Seems the last thing the drug cartels want is the legalisation of drugs -- as it would ruin their astronomical profits. Have only just started this one, so I'll get back to you on what I thought of it.

"I don't read Bryce Courtenay. I read Matthew Reilly though."
-- Tim Fischer, former deputy Prime Minister of Australia and dead-set legend

This was in response to the rather cheeky question, "Bryce Courtenay writes quality fiction. True or false?" which was put to Mr Fischer by the Sydney Morning Herald last Monday. Funny, I also know that Kim Beazley, the Federal Opposition Leader here in Australia, has also read my books, so I'm slowly working my way through the bookcases of the nation's leaders. Not sure if the Prime Minister has read any of my books yet, though...

In the lead up to AREA 7's release in September (that's in Australia; UK release is set for Christmas; US in 2002), I thought that in the coming weeks, I would mention a few things about the new book. So today's sneak preview is this:

As I have mentioned previously, AREA 7 involves the President of the United States visiting a top-secret desert base called Area 7. Since I usually don't like books or movies that create a fictitious President (although there are exceptions, like President Shepherd in "The American President" or President Bartlett in "The West Wing"), I do not actually name my President in AREA 7. He goes for the entire book simply as "the President" or "the chief executive".

One of the reasons I've been able to do this weekly column for the website these last couple of months is because I have been between books. I finished AREA 7, did a promotional tour of England and Asia, and then I went through the editing and proofing process. Now, however, I'm hankering to write something new, and so I'm entering the preliminary stages of a new book (researching, reading, figuring out new ways of speeding up the action!), and so I'm going to have to divert my energies in that direction. I'm pretty sure my readers won't mind this! As such, this column will henceforth become a fortnightly one, and as I move into the writing of the new book, it will probably go monthly (with, of course, the occasional surprise announcement or sneak-preview). I hope this is okay with everybody.

P.S. Oh, it was a sad, sad night last Monday evening at indoor cricket. For the first time in over a month, the Full Tossers went down. We hadn't tasted the bitter pill of defeat for a while, and we'd forgotten just how bitter it was. The stunned atmosphere of disbelief was reminiscent of that witnessed after Australia's recent test defeat against India. But like the Aussies, we shall return to glory soon. On that note, to any English readers out there, such glory will no doubt be reclaimed by the Australian cricket team in the upcoming Ashes series! Go you Aussies!

P.P.S. And lastly, congratulations to the Australian soccer team for their courageous 1-0 win over France in the Confederations Cup this week. This is our year, boys. This time we will make the World Cup!