jennifergoodall's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this book on audible. The book itself is great. Do yourself a favour and read it, instead of listening to it. The narrator is terrible. His volume level is very inconsistent. At times super loud, at others he whispers. It’s extremely annoying straining to listen, then getting your ear drums blistered the next second. In general he’s a monotone crappy narrator who does female voices like they’re insipid idiots. So read don’t listen!
jayhall's review against another edition
4.0
Rollins does it again!
James Rollins yet again blends science and history in a way that melts the mind, resulting in a page turning thriller that makes you wonder about both the past and the future. Can't wait for the next one!
James Rollins yet again blends science and history in a way that melts the mind, resulting in a page turning thriller that makes you wonder about both the past and the future. Can't wait for the next one!
kingstonmceline's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
xkay_readsx's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars.
Overall I think it was okay to almost boring, but the fate of a Sigma member kept my interest.
Crucible has too many tech jargon for me. I lost interest after two thirds into the book. The story didn't flow because I was stuck with all those tech terms I don't care to understand. Eve's thoughts were sometimes repetitive. I honestly would be happy with reading just the hospital part and the escape.
Overall I think it was okay to almost boring, but the fate of a Sigma member kept my interest.
Crucible has too many tech jargon for me. I lost interest after two thirds into the book. The story didn't flow because I was stuck with all those tech terms I don't care to understand. Eve's thoughts were sometimes repetitive. I honestly would be happy with reading just the hospital part and the escape.
asterese's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
cocopebbles's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. Its amazing how in depth the technology and history is and how it call comes together and also how absolutely terrifying.
richardrbecker's review against another edition
3.0
The Sigma Force series by James Rollins is always a great go-to for a tech-and-mysticism-infused action-adventure novel. I've been reading them on and off for years, with some books feeling red hot and others more tepid.
While this view certainly won't be shared by many Rollins fans, I found Crucible lukewarm despite raising the stakes on some characters and having a plot centered on a topic that interests me. Don't get me wrong. It was still enjoyable but didn't feel as daring as many other works.
Simplified, Crucible is a novel about the frightening consequences of artificial intelligence. In this case, an AI program being developed at the University of Coimbra in Portugal is hijacked by a group of cultists with ties to the Spanish Inquisition. They want to use the program, Eve, to usher the world into a new dark age with no electricity, etc. (One wonders if a few EMPs might be easier to obtain.)
At almost the same time, Sigma Force is also targeted on the pretense that they can be forced to find and capture the stolen program for a different sinister agenda. Specifically, this idea places Sigma Force Commander Gray Pierce's pregnant girlfriend and member Monk Kokkalis's wife Kat and children in jeopardy. Specifically, the girlfriend and children are kidnapped, and Kat is found in a coma.
Where Rollins succeeds with Crucible in the development of the AI (although tiny graphics included in the book didn't excite me so much), the exploration of the threat associated with such technology (mainly because we are on the verge of it), and flare for special ops action and adventure. He also does a splendid job at hitting Sigma Force at home, raising the stakes by putting their families (not just the world) in imminent danger.
He falls short in linking the Spanish Inquisition into the story, making Crucible much more straightforward than some of this other mysticism-meets-science work, especially when one cultist discovers that the financial gain is more important to the weakly-linked concept of returning the world to a pre-industrial state. I wasn't a big fan of the ending, with some elements tied up so neatly and others left wide open with the help of some last-minute quantum physics and time travel.
In the end, Crucible is probably closer to 3.5 stars than 3 as it is entertaining, especially to anyone with interest in AI. However, this one is perhaps not the best start for anyone looking for special ops action-adventure. There are plenty of better Sigma Force books to satisfy that craving. With the exception of starting at the beginning of the series, The Eye of God, the Black Order, or even The 6th Extinction might be better to satisfy that craving.
While this view certainly won't be shared by many Rollins fans, I found Crucible lukewarm despite raising the stakes on some characters and having a plot centered on a topic that interests me. Don't get me wrong. It was still enjoyable but didn't feel as daring as many other works.
Simplified, Crucible is a novel about the frightening consequences of artificial intelligence. In this case, an AI program being developed at the University of Coimbra in Portugal is hijacked by a group of cultists with ties to the Spanish Inquisition. They want to use the program, Eve, to usher the world into a new dark age with no electricity, etc. (One wonders if a few EMPs might be easier to obtain.)
At almost the same time, Sigma Force is also targeted on the pretense that they can be forced to find and capture the stolen program for a different sinister agenda. Specifically, this idea places Sigma Force Commander Gray Pierce's pregnant girlfriend and member Monk Kokkalis's wife Kat and children in jeopardy. Specifically, the girlfriend and children are kidnapped, and Kat is found in a coma.
Where Rollins succeeds with Crucible in the development of the AI (although tiny graphics included in the book didn't excite me so much), the exploration of the threat associated with such technology (mainly because we are on the verge of it), and flare for special ops action and adventure. He also does a splendid job at hitting Sigma Force at home, raising the stakes by putting their families (not just the world) in imminent danger.
He falls short in linking the Spanish Inquisition into the story, making Crucible much more straightforward than some of this other mysticism-meets-science work, especially when one cultist discovers that the financial gain is more important to the weakly-linked concept of returning the world to a pre-industrial state. I wasn't a big fan of the ending, with some elements tied up so neatly and others left wide open with the help of some last-minute quantum physics and time travel.
In the end, Crucible is probably closer to 3.5 stars than 3 as it is entertaining, especially to anyone with interest in AI. However, this one is perhaps not the best start for anyone looking for special ops action-adventure. There are plenty of better Sigma Force books to satisfy that craving. With the exception of starting at the beginning of the series, The Eye of God, the Black Order, or even The 6th Extinction might be better to satisfy that craving.