This was the first Matthew Reilly book that I have had a chance to read, and I must say that I loved it.
I am glad that I started with Contest, rather than his Scarecrow series. I loved the fast paced style of Contest, and the Sci-fi/Fantasy feel to it.
It introduced me to his writing style and really opened me up to the idea of reading his other books. I feel I may not have felt the same way if I started with some of his military style books.