Greg Rask, a dying tech billionaire, has invested millions chasing miracle cures. None of them are worth a damn, but he refuses to give up. Now, he’s gathering a team willing to go to the ends of the earth chasing life.
Each of Rask’s crew has beaten incredible odds to rise from the ashes of their old lives to where they are now. Together, their next task is to retrieve a painting that is believed to hide a map which, if genuine, marks it as a treasure of the Ahnenerbe, the occult wing of the SS, who had devoted dozens of expeditions in search of the three cintamani stones for their combined properties, and the lost city where they were rumored to lay hidden: Shambhala. But a mystical brotherhood sworn to protect the secrets of the ancients—the same secrets that allow its members to defy death—will stop at nothing to ensure that Rask’s crew fail.
In an adrenalin-pumping quest through some of the most savage terrains known to man, the crew will be pushed to the limits of endurance and beyond.
One of the things that delights me most about being a fiction reviewer is that I get to jump between genres on a regular basis. Last week I enjoyed the thoughtful and introspective science fiction novel A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World while this week there is a complete change of pace as I cast my beady eye over the breakneck action adventure White Peak by Ronan Frost*.
The book blurb above would have you believe that the enigmatic billionaire Greg Rask is White Peak’s main protagonist. He’s not. Rask is just the bankroll; our hero is Rye McKenna a born adventurer who has been broken by a personal tragedy. Rask reaches out to McKenna, offering the young daredevil the chance at something new. The best way to describe McKenna? He feels like the modern-day equivalent of Indiana Jones. McKenna is that rare breed of indomitable hero who steadfastly refuses to ever give up.
The rest of the crew searching for Rask’s miracle cure are a ragtag bunch who all owe something, like McKenna, to their financial benefactor. If you’re planning on undertaking a globetrotting quest, it makes perfect sense to me to have the ultimate hacker, the sneakiest of sneak thieves, a deadly spy, and a weapons expert accompany you. I certainly would. Needless to say, all these respective individuals are at the top of their game. I’d be disappointed if it were otherwise. I think characters in action thrillers need to be a little larger than life. The one thing that sets this novel aside from others is the way Frost add an extra layer of depth to proceedings. It’s a nice counterpoint to all the swaggering bravado. Like McKenna, each of the people hired by Rask are being given a second chance at life. They have all hit rock bottom, and though they may be skilled at what they do, they are also all too human. I look forward to discovering more about their histories as the series continues. We learn about the event that led McKenna into Rask’s employ, but I suspect the other individuals in the group still have many of their own revelations to share.
The plot zips along from scene to scene. Short, punchy chapters guarantee you’ll hardly have time to pause for breath. I enjoyed it all. Action thrillers need to flow naturally and Frost nails it consistently. There is a section of the novel where McKenna finds himself completely alone, in distinctly unfamiliar territory, and the narrative briefly segues into something that is almost psychological horror. I particularly enjoyed this part of the story, the author does a great job of offering insight into how all the constant pressure of events grinds a protagonist down (mentally and physically). I may be a little sadistic but it’s always great fun when a writer really puts his characters through the ringer.
I was reminded a little of Steve Alten’s Domain trilogy. Things start off in a fairly straight forward fashion and then veer off into something far more mind-bending and cosmic. The ending of White Peak certainly offers some tantalising morsels of what we can expect in future novels. Blending together elements of science fiction and mythology with a solidly entertaining action tale really pays off.
To my mind, the most enjoyable action thrillers have to hit a specific set of criteria in order to work successfully – (1) Jetting between a host of exotic locales at a moment’s notice is a must (2) Your antagonists have to be suitably insidious. Nazis are always a good bet in that regard (3) This is probably the most important one. Time MUST be a factor, if we’re not (relatively speaking) a hair’s breadth away from a cataclysmic event, then I’m going to be hugely disappointed. The good news is Ronan Frost is keenly aware of all of this and White Peak delivers in every regard. Amidst the pages of the novel you are going to find treasure hunts, art heists, betrayal, revenge, death defying escapes, adrenaline fuelled chases and some suitably pithy one-liners. I ask you, what more could you ask for?
Action, adventure, hidden temples and quasi-mystical mysteries demand a truly exceptional soundtrack recommendation and I think I have come up trumps. Uncharted 2 – Among Thieves by Greg Edmonson is the perfect fit with Ronan Frost’s frenetic action. I’ll admit the fact that the majority of Uncharted 2 is set in the Himalayas, as is White Peak, did make my choice quite easy.
White Peak is published by St Martin’s Press and is available from 1st May. Action adventure junkies will love it.
*Ronan Frost is the pseudonym for author Steve Savile.
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