Contest [Paperback]

" Reilly hurls readers into an adrenaline-drenched thrill ride... impossible to put down."
-- "Orlando Sentinel"
""
" Swain is clever, resourceful, and quick. The action is non-stop... this slam-bang story is great, good fun, and thoroughly entertaining."
--"Tulsa World""" "Reilly...can inspire awe. Speed demons, take note. "
--"Publishers Weekly"
"Compared to Matthew Reilly's "Temple" and his intrepid academic hero, Professor William Race, Indiana Jones is a wimp and The Raiders of The Lost Ark a snooze fest. Reilly's book has adrenaline in super-sized quantities."
--"The Orlando Sentinel" on "Temple" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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.

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. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Matthew Reilly was born in Sydney in 1974 and studied Law at the University of New South Wales. He has written both screenplays and magazine articles, and recently optioned the film rights to Contest. His second and third novels, Ice Station and Temple, became No. 1 bestsellers in his native Australia, and went on to enjoy huge success internationally. The author still lives in Sydney, and keeps on writing.