description: The thriller that started it all... Matthew Reilly's amazing first novel - now on audio! 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, just for 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 staked 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
title: Contest
titlecomplete: Contest
characters: James Marshall, Dr. Stephen Swain, Harold Quaid, the Konda, Mike Fraser, Reese, Balthazar, Bob Charlton, Rudy Baker, Rachnid, the Karanadon, Bellos, Henry Dickson, Selexin, Codex, Holly Swain
genres: Fiction, Action, Science Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Horror, Fantasy, Suspense
ratings_count: 15611
places: New York City, New York
publisher: MacMillan UK