A review by richardrbecker
Crucible, by James Rollins
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.