canadian_booknerd's review against another edition
4.0
James Rollins does not disappoint with his latest venture into the Sigma Force series. I cannot get enough of these books. They are the perfect mix of science, technology, history, and action!
The Guild, thought to be decimated, rears its ugly head once again in this entry to the series. They are resurrected by a company based in Japan that has found something interesting hidden inside an ancient piece of amber. The terror they release into the world has the power to upset the global-balance once and for all and Sigma only has three days to stop it. You won't be able to look away!
I don't want to give away any spoilers but if you are a fan of Sigma you won't be disappointed and if you haven't started this series I cannot recommend it enough!
The Guild, thought to be decimated, rears its ugly head once again in this entry to the series. They are resurrected by a company based in Japan that has found something interesting hidden inside an ancient piece of amber. The terror they release into the world has the power to upset the global-balance once and for all and Sigma only has three days to stop it. You won't be able to look away!
I don't want to give away any spoilers but if you are a fan of Sigma you won't be disappointed and if you haven't started this series I cannot recommend it enough!
scottpm's review against another edition
4.0
Great story again by Mr. Rollins. My complaint, net enough Kolowski!!
jcravo's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
darthktulu's review against another edition
3.0
Not the best in the series. One of the reasons I love the Sigma Force series is the geography, science and history in it. The best novels (The Judas Strain, The Devil Colony, The Eye of God, Bone Labyrinth in my opinion) are heavy on those. This novel had very little. It reminded me a lot of the first Tucker Wayne novel, in fact, this story may have very well suited that series instead of Sigma.
trsclee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
bookishnesy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bookanonjeff's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Tom Clancy Meets Jeremy Robinson Meets Brett Battles In An Epic Race To Save The World. Yet again, Rollins manages to blend different things from science and history in ways that seemingly only he can, though this time he did indeed have shades of the other authors named above. You've got the Debt of Honor ties to Tom Clancy with similar villains. You've got the Island 731 ties to Jeremy Robinson via using the real-world Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army for some of the backstory. And you've got the PROJECT EDEN ties to Brett Battles' epic series via the ultimate endgames of the bad guys.
And yet Rollins manages to make this story completely his own, with only fans of the other three authors being able to see the connections probably at all. The follow up from The Seventh Plague in the opening scene with Sigma characters is great, and really drives home the very humanity that makes this series so truly compelling. But then the action picks up dramatically, and because of the nature of the threat... never really dies down. Once again the team is split with various people going various places, so people who don't like following multiple trains on a given story may not like that bit - though at least here, we basically follow the two halves of the Sigma team + the bad guys (a bit). One interesting feature here is that Rollins actually bakes the life span of the featured creature into the narrative here, having one chapter devoted to each stage of its development - from that stage's perspective. And yes, there are some utterly horrific scenes here as well, as virtually anything based on Unit 731 must include.
Overall an excellent tale and strong followup to The Seventh Plague, and sets in motion events which are sure to pay off down the line as well. Very much recommended.
And yet Rollins manages to make this story completely his own, with only fans of the other three authors being able to see the connections probably at all. The follow up from The Seventh Plague in the opening scene with Sigma characters is great, and really drives home the very humanity that makes this series so truly compelling. But then the action picks up dramatically, and because of the nature of the threat... never really dies down. Once again the team is split with various people going various places, so people who don't like following multiple trains on a given story may not like that bit - though at least here, we basically follow the two halves of the Sigma team + the bad guys (a bit). One interesting feature here is that Rollins actually bakes the life span of the featured creature into the narrative here, having one chapter devoted to each stage of its development - from that stage's perspective. And yes, there are some utterly horrific scenes here as well, as virtually anything based on Unit 731 must include.
Overall an excellent tale and strong followup to The Seventh Plague, and sets in motion events which are sure to pay off down the line as well. Very much recommended.
beth_c's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sarahbellestones's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoy this series--it's like Dan Brown, but more layered and elevated.