Contest

By Matthew Reilly

The New York State Library looms as a silent sanctuary of knowledge: a hundred-year-old labyrinth of towering bookcases, narrow aisles, and spiral staircases. But for Dr Stephen Swain and his eight-year-old daughter Holly it is a place of nightmare. Because, for just one night, this historic building is to become the venue for a horrifying contest, a contest in which Swain must compete, whether he likes it or not.

The rules of the challenge are simple: seven contestants will enter, but only one will leave. With his daughter in his arms, Stephen Swain is plunged into a terrifying fight for survival. The stakes are high, the odds are brutal. He can choose to run, to hide, or to fight - but if he wants to live, he needs to win. For, in this particular contest, unless you leave as victor, you do not leave at all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Sep 18, 2009
• ISBN: 9780330516044

Matthew Reilly

Matthew Reilly is the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of numerous novels, including The Four Legendary Kingdoms, The Tournament, The Great Zoo of China, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Six Sacred Stones, Seven Deadly Wonders, Ice Station, Temple, Contest, Area 7, Scarecrow, and Scarecrow Returns, as well as the children’s book Hover Car Racer and the novella Hell Island. His books have been published in more than twenty languages in twenty countries, and he has sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide. Visit him at MatthewReilly.com and at Facebook.com/OfficialMatthewReilly.

Reviews for Contest

[teresaab · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the First Novel from Matthew Reilly and his best, I think. It is different from the others and the main character is Dr Stephen Swain, he is trapped in a library in a gladiator type battle with alien races that hold a contest once every 1000 years, (as an alternative to war). The only way to survive is to kill everyone else and win the contest.

[cubsfan3410 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A little too sci fi/aliens for me. It was ok.

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love almost everything that Matthew Reilly writes….so I wasn’t too surprised that I love this one also. If you were to mix “Juristic Park” and “Die Hard” together you would have the ingredients that compose Contest. Matthew Reilly has an incredible talent for creating characters that matter and that you can care about. Contest will take you for one wild ride and you will be glad that you went along. . Have fun! Don’t try too hard to make it make sense in the scheme of reality…just sit back and enjoy.

[pamplemousse_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another thriller featuring Scholfield, this time forced into a race anf fight to the death with a selection of the worlds "best" killers. It would be pointlessly churlish to complain that this stretches credibility beyond breaking point and into silly territory. Or that the violence is relentless to the point of boredom. Sometimes, you just need to veg out with something undemanding, and this is perfect for that.

[smg0progers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a great book, full of action and excitment

[shimmin_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was part of an elimination-style book club, and did surprisingly well because it does its thing and doesn't care what you think. I respect that.The fundamental premise is that several intelligent alien species hold duel to the death once a millennium for no good reason. They think humans are (and have been for millennia) too backward to learn of their existence; but not too backward to be kidnapped to take part in the contest, whereas all the other contenders are hand-picked and know all about it. The other aliens have such evolved morality that the honour of taking part in a not-strictly-necessary fight to the death outweighs the simple fact that such humans (lacking preparation, or any knowledge of the contest, or their opponents' abilities, and having never seen an alien in their lives) will inevitably die ignominiously. It's vitally important that humans not learn anything about them, so they decide to hold this contest in a public building in the centre of a major city. Rather than finding a deserted warehouse or something, they pick the city library. Their cunning plan to avoid detection is to drop a savage alien monster into the library, where it can kill a few passers-by with no connection to the contest whatsoever. Next, they wait until the local law enforcement come in, seal off the building, and set guards inside while monitoring it constantly. Then, and only then, do they use powerful force-fields to block any exit from the building and start porting in contestants, in the process neatly sealing in a few more humans to die pointlessly. Luckily their Advanced Alien Morality has no problems with that.This is about averagely plausible for every other aspect of the book. Much of my enjoyment came from mocking and then rolling with the preposterousness that confronted me on every page. The sequence of hardcore characters set up, one by one, to seem like the protagonist, each kickier-ass than the last! The exploding wristbands! The alien guides whose sole purpose is to be a living webcam and exposition-device! The magnets! The alien cheating! The explosions! The Men In Black!It's incredibly fast-paced, not particularly well-written and utterly implausible at every step, but it were a laugh and it doesn't work the old brain too hard.

[triciadm_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

very good, I am not sure if it is because I work in a libary and this is where the book takes place or what, but this was a really good story, and really creepy at times...

[areadingmachine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stephen Swain is teleported, along with his daughter, into the New York State Library to participate in the oldest living Contest. A battle between the 7 intelligent races of the Universe and one the will blow your mind. Only one may leave and even that is not a given.

It is Reillys first book and you can tell. It is a raw, it never stops moving at breakneck speed and the best part is the realism of the main character. Swain has a talent for reactive thinking(?), that is taking in every option, quickly making a decision, and then acting. The whole book Swain is running and on the move, very rarely having any chance at all to set up an offence as it were, and fighting beings who are both Alien and frighteningly similar to us.

A good cast of villains with Bellows the Shape Changing Trophey taking hunter who has taken on a massive human form (makes sense as all weapons and objects available will be made for human hands) and has illegally brought his 'dogs', the paralysing Lobster Reese that just never quits and thats only mentioning a couple of them.

Include in this the natural curiosity that is caused when the Library becomes covered in an electrical shield designed to stop anyone or anything getting in and out. Well when the army finds out there going to be interested aren't they!

Very imaginative and one of the best books I've read. There was an initial run of just 1000 copies for the first edition so if you ever find one in a book store grab it quick.

[brakketh-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Reilly's first book (written not released) and I feel like it shows.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you want a book full of rip-roaring excitement and nail-biting adventure, you can't go past Matthew Reilly. Even though "Contest' is obviously his first book, it is still a great read and I liked the setting for all this action - the New York State Library.

[empressreece · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow amazing! This was my first Reilly book and I LOVED it! I read the entire book in just a couple hours I was so engrossed! Ever since I read Preston & Child's individual and collaborative books Ive been looking for an author that writes similar to their style & havent yet found one until Reilly. So Im excited I cant wait to read the rest of his works!

[divydovy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A really good concept, loads of potential but ultimately not explored well enough and disappointing.

[vegaheim · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

apparently the first book this author wrote. i didn't finish it (after reading "temple" this one is quite slow and boring.) alliens chose earth (and this specific mall where the hero and his little girl are at the moment shopping) for their intergalactic, interspecies championship fight. they have these all the time on a different planet. too farfetched for me.

[christineellei · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A man and his daughter are drawn into a battle to the death called the Presidium. Seven life forms from different galaxies come together once every thousand years to determine superiority. This year’s labyrinth of choice is the New York Public Library. Human’s are the only representatives not aware of this ongoing “contest” and are the only species drawn into the event without consent. Of course, no human has ever won. Enter Dr. Steven Swain and his daughter (via teleportation of course) and the contest is on. Oh – did I forget to mention that there is a big, bad monster that has to be defeated at the end and some annoying interference from NSA?
This was another entertaining book from Mr. Reilly. It is his first novel (originally self published), so a little less intense than the Jack West series. I liked it for that reason. The style of this book also seems to foreshadow some of the author’s favourite elements used in the Jack West series. (Spoiler alert - Many book lovers will cringe at the destruction of the landmark and its contents … I did … but what does one expect when pesky aliens are involved)

[lesleydawn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this book up on evening when I just had to get out of the house and have some time to myself, and not be a mommy and wife. I grabbed a cup of coffee, cursed myself for not thinking to bring a book from home, and quickly got lost within the pages of this novel. My expectation were not high, all I wanted was to loose myself for a couple of hours within a quick, easy read, but this story allowed me to escape and was actually a good story. After about four hours, and I'm not sure how many cups of coffee, my husband called my cell phone to ask if I was ever coming home. I did, and quickly holed myself up in my room to finish my book. A wonderful escape to help save a woman's sanity.

[oogod · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as good as some of his other works (like the Scarecrow books) but still an enjoyable read. As a father I loved how a normal man can become the ultimate fighter when his child's life was threated.

[kalterete · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This very good book gives you an easy entertainment the basic plot is simple, yet exciting with intergalactic contestant monsters in the library. If you started, it catches you and you can not put it away until it is over. It made me fancy for M. Reilly other books too, but l found them not so likable after this book. It is one of his first books anyway.

[theportal2002 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book should have been made into a movie, it is extremely creative and constantly action packed, i will be looking to read more books from this author.

[samanthamarie_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Dr. Stephen Swain is teleported into the New York Public Library with his young daughter in his arms, he must fight to save both their lives in an interalien contest. Winner takes all in this fast paced, action packed thriller.