Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, Matthew Reilly set about outdoing Ice Station when he began to create Temple. However, it was quite a challenge to outperform such a winning first novel. The answer, of course, was simple.

Instead of one action packed follow-up book, Matthew Reilly decided to write two stories in one. The twin threads of the story weave themselves together, all the while coming closer to the cataclysmic finale. One story follows the adventure of William Race and the team of US Army soldiers - the other leads us on a journey through 1535, the time of the Spanish Conquest of the Incas.

Once more in a race against time, the Linguist Professor from New York must decipher the manuscript as he runs through the battlefield, unlocking the mysteries of a centuries-old prophecy in order to save the world from total annihilation.

Coming back for a second stab at the formula that made Ice Station so popular, Matthew Reilly has created one of the most popular books in the action/thriller genre. With a loyal following of readers ages from the teens to the late eighty-year-olds and both male and female alike, Temple has smashed many barriers on its way to success.