Matthew Reilly Reading Order: Scarecrow, Jack West Jr, and Where to Start

Matthew Reilly is an Australian author who self-published his first novel, Contest, after every major publisher rejected it. He then sold the rights to Pan Macmillan and hasn’t slowed down since. His books are not for everyone — they are pure, unapologetic action, full of capital letters, exclamation marks, and set-pieces that escalate every ten pages. For readers who want that, there is no one better.

He has two main series, a handful of standalones, and a writing partnership on The Tournament. Here’s how to navigate them.

Shane Schofield — The Scarecrow Series

Shane “Scarecrow” Schofield is a US Marine captain with mirrored silver sunglasses covering a scar across his eyes. He leads an elite unit into situations that should be impossible and finds ways to survive through speed, improvisation, and loyalty to his team.

The Scarecrow books are relentless from page one. No slow build — Reilly opens in the middle of the action and accelerates. Ice Station is still one of the finest pure action novels in the genre.

Full Scarecrow reading order →

Reading tip: The Scarecrow books work well standalone — each is a self-contained mission, though characters and relationships carry over. Start with Ice Station and read in publication order if you want the full character arc.

Jack West Jr — The Seven Ancient Wonders Series

Jack West Jr is an Australian commando leading an international team on quests involving ancient wonders, hidden chambers, and conspiracies that span millennia. Where Scarecrow is military thriller, Jack West Jr is closer to Indiana Jones at full throttle — archaeology, mythology, global locations, and the kind of set-pieces that require diagrams.

Reilly actually includes diagrams. Floor plans, maps, and chase sequences rendered as illustrations are a signature of this series.

Full Jack West Jr reading order →

Note: The two series eventually cross over. If you’ve read both, the crossover novel is a significant event — keep them separate until you’ve covered the main books in each.

Which series to start with

Start with Scarecrow (Ice Station) if you want pure military action — tight team, extreme environment, clear mission.

Start with Jack West Jr (Seven Ancient Wonders) if you want globe-trotting adventure with more puzzle elements and a larger ensemble cast.

Both open strong. Neither requires the other. The tone is identical — Reilly does not write quiet books.

Standalones

Reilly has also written several standalones including Contest (his debut, set in a library), Temple (a globe-trotting treasure hunt), and The Tournament (historical fiction set in 1546, co-written with his mother, very different in tone from everything else he’s written). The Tournament is genuinely surprising — it’s a chess thriller set at the court of Suleiman the Magnificent and is far more restrained than his action work.

Why Australian readers love Matthew Reilly

Reilly is one of Australia’s best-selling authors of all time and remains genuinely underrated outside Australia and the UK. The books feel patriotic without being jingoistic — Jack West Jr is explicitly Australian, and Reilly clearly enjoys having a non-American lead in a genre dominated by American protagonists. If you’ve never read him, Ice Station is the place to start.