James Rollins’s BLOODLINE Giveaway

Another giveaway (having a lot of them, these days), this time for James Rollins’s latest Sigma Force novel, Bloodline. Quite simple to enter, all you have to do is go:

HERE

And then, just fill out the nice, easy form.

Here’s some info about the book:

Galilee, 1025. Infiltrating an ancient citadel, a Templar knight uncovers a holy treasure long hidden within the fortress's labyrinth: the Bachal Isu — the staff of Jesus Christ — a priceless icon that holds a mysterious and terrifying power that promises to change humankind forever.

A millennium later, Somali pirates hijack a yacht off the coast of the Horn of Africa, kidnapping a young pregnant American woman. Commander Gray Pierce is enlisted for a covert rescue mission into the African jungle. The woman is no rich tourist: she’s Amanda Gant-Bennett, daughter of the U.S. president.

Suspicious that the kidnapping masks a far more nefarious plot, Gray must confront a shadowy cabal which has been manipulating events throughout history...and now challenges the current presidency.

For this unique mission, SIGMA is aided by a pair of special operatives with unique talents: former Army Ranger Captain Tucker Wayne and his military war dog, Kane. But what should be a straightforward rescue turns into a fiery ambush and a deadly act of betrayal, as Gray and his team discover that the hostage is a pawn in a shattering act of terrorism with dark repercussions. And the danger is only beginning...

Halfway around the world, a firebombing at a fertility clinic in South Carolina exposes a conspiracy that goes back centuries…a scheme that lies within our genetic code. With time against them, SIGMA must race to save an innocent unborn baby whose very existence raises questions about the nature of humanity, asking:

Could you live forever?

Would you live forever?

UK vs. US Covers: James Rollins & Rebecca Cantrell’s “Blood Gospel” & “City of Screams”

James Rollins, author of the Sigma Force scientific thrillers (which I’m rather fond of) has teamed up with Rebecca Cantrell to write a new series of thrillers, this time with a slight Dan Brown-Da Vinci Code slant to it. Only, hopefully much better. As I say, I’m fond of Rollins’s Sigma novels, so I have high hopes that he’ll do as good a job with this new venture. (I have a copy of the book, and it’s inching its way up the ever-growing Mt. TBR.) The series also includes an eShort prequel (of sorts), the artwork for which was recently unveiled. I decided to do a side-by-side comparison of the US and UK artwork for the two, as they are quite different.

Most-Anticipated Novels – August 2012

Just a quick run-down of my ten most-anticipated novels of August 2012. Given the lack of stability, frequent travel and relocation of the past few weeks, I’ve not been able to keep on top of my reviewing as well as I would have liked. Therefore, these books may not be reviewed in a particularly timely fashion (some because I don’t have them, others because I don’t have them with me at the moment). Nevertheless! Each of these is near the top of my to-read list, and I fully intend to feature more of them in the near future. Of course, the best laid plans…

Featured: Madeline Ashby, vN; Charles Cumming, A Foreign Country; James Enge, A Guile of Dragons; Jim C. Hines, Libriomancer; Darius Hinks, Orion: The Vaults of Winter; Mark Lawrence, King of Thorns; Tim Lebbon, The Heretic Land; T.C. McCarthy, Chimera; James Rollins, Bloodline; James Swallow, Fear To Tread

“The Devil Colony” by James Rollins (William Morrow/Orion)

Sigma Force race to halt a potential cataclysm rooted in the history of America’s Founding

Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a gruesome discovery stirs international attention and controversy. Despite doubts about the bodies’ origins, the local Native American Heritage Commission lays claim to the prehistoric remains, along with the strange artefacts found in the same cavern: gold plates inscribed with an unfathomable script.

During a riot at the dig site, an anthropologist dies, burned to ashes in a fiery explosion in plain view of television cameras. All evidence points to a radical group of Native Americans, including one agitator, a teenage firebrand who escapes with a vital clue to the murder and calls on the one person who might help — her uncle, Painter Crowe, Director of Sigma Force.

To protect his niece and uncover the truth, Painter will ignite a war among the nation’s most powerful intelligence agencies. Yet an even greater threat looms as events in the Rocky Mountains have set in motion a frightening chain reaction, a geological meltdown that threatens the entire western half of the U.S.

I’ve long been a fan of Rollins’s Sigma Force novels, and being in the United States at the moment meant I could get my hands on Devil Colony months before its UK release date. Filled with intrigue, action and adventure – not to mention some great characters – The Devil Colony is an interesting, science-infused action-adventure.

“The Doomsday Key”, by James Rollins (Orion)

Sigma Force saves the world. Again.

In The Doomsday Key, James Rollins takes his readers on a twisting journey through history and across the world, as a deadly conspiracy seeks to deal with one of the world’s most acute problems in its own brutal way. The action is truly global, taking in Britain, Venice, the Vatican, Mali, and the United States - this novel’s scope is broad and ambitious.

A dead village in 11^th Century Britain, a massacre at a Red Cross food research station in Africa, a midnight murder and explosion in the Vatican, and the torture and murder of a Princeton scientist – all these mysterious events are linked somehow. After three victims in the present day are found to have similar markings branded onto their dead bodies, Sigma Force is called in to investigate further, to ascertain why these people had to die, and what is the link to the past? On top of this, what is the connection with the international, secretive and broad-mandated Viatus Corporation...?

The plot of The Doomsday Key, as with all Sigma Force novels, is born out of historical facts and mixed with Rollins’s great imagination. In this case, the first is the Doomsday Book, which is William the Conqueror’s survey of 11^th Century England and its peculiar description of certain towns with the word, vastare, meaning “wasted”. Máel Máedóc, an Irish Catholic priest, wrote a book claiming to list all the popes who would come until the end of the world. The list of prophecies has been surprisingly accurate up until now, with a plausible description of the current pope, Benedict XVI, who is the 111^th pope. The problem is, the world is meant to end after the 112^th pope. Along with the tragic events described above, these two historical mysteries combine to form a compelling and entertaining plot and puzzle for Commander Pierce, Sigma Force, and their allies to solve.

Old friends and enemies make some reappearances in The Doomsday Key: Seichan, the beautiful and deadly Eurasian assassin with a complicated shared past with Pierce; the mysterious Guild, an international secret society with vast reach, resources and global influence; and Rachel Verona, an Italian Caribinieri from the Fine Arts division, who contacts Pierce for help when her uncle is caught in the aforementioned explosion.

Rollins has a real talent for taking well-known and obscure historical facts, texts or curiosities and using them to spin compelling and entertaining thrillers. His skill at extrapolating exciting, action-packed plots from a couple of historical oddities is a true gift, and his novels should remain best-sellers for this very reason for years to come. If I had just one quibble about this novel, it would be the way Rollins has succumbed to the common American way of writing British characters – all rather quaint and too civilised, in a setting that’s far more idyllic than reality. It’s not a major issue, as this doesn’t detract from the story at all, and Rollins doesn’t go anywhere near the full Dick van Dyke-route that some American authors insist on when writing about Britain or British characters.

The author’s fluid prose and tight plotting made this a relatively quick read, and this time around he’s really managed to get the story nailed down – it was easier to get sucked in, quicker, than previous Sigma Force novels. Add to this a few high-speed vehicular chases, and an increased disregard for the safety of antiquities (thank god this is a novel!), making The Doomsday Key a very fine addition to the series and the action-adventure genre as a whole.

A highly entertaining read, The Doomsday Key and the series as a whole come highly recommended.

Also try: Matthew Reilly, Dan Brown, Daniel Silva, James Twining

Review posted from Lima, Peru

“The Last Oracle”, by James Rollins (Orion)

What if you could engineer an Oracle?

The novel opens with a couple of historical prologues, with only a mere hint as to why the Oracles of Delphi and gypsies are connected. In Washington, D.C., a homeless man dies in the arms of Commander Gray Pierce, the tactical leader of DARPA’s Sigma Force – a paramilitary group of scientifically trained special-ops soldiers. Before he dies, the man gives Pierce an ancient coin, a clue to a mystery rooted in ancient Greece but with links to a conspiracy and plot that could have a profound impact on the world. At the same time, a shadowy group of international scientists and experts are engineering children with exceptional talents, in the hope of producing their own prophet – one to bring peace to the world, but on specific terms that won’t please or suit all.

The scientists are still separated along old Cold War lines, as the US and Russia still attempt to be superior to the other. When Sasha, one of the children in the secret program with some amazing talents, is delivered to Commander Pierce, Sigma Force is brought in to investigate what is being done to them.

Rollins’s novels are always entertaining, and The Last Oracle certainly lives up to expectations. The plot incorporates ancient Greek history, to Nazi and Russian World War II history and conspiracies, all wrapped up in the author’s usual interest and use of modern and futuristic technology and science. Rollins injects his usual attention to detail, action and suspense, making this latest instalment in the series a great, fast-paced thriller. The characters remain interesting and well-drawn, and their emotions are kept very well in check – there is a refreshing lack of over-emoting in Rollins’s novels, a temptation many writers in this field seem incapable of resisting.

To review any Sigma novel at length would result in spoiling the twists and turns of the plot, so I shall stop here. Needless to say, The Last Oracle is another action-adventure triumph from one of the masters of the genre, filled with the author’s trademark wit, adrenalin-fuelled scenes, devious antagonists and a not infrequent disregard for the safety of antiquities. For long time fans, too, there is the return of a much-loved, recently absent character.

As the Sigma Force novels continue to improve with each new instalment, there is no fear that Rollins will go the route of Clive Cussler (whose Dirk Pitt novels are now so predictable they’re boring).

Great fun and well-written, The Last Oracle is highly recommended.

Series Chronology: Map of Bones, Black Order, The Judas Strain, The Last Oracle, Doomsday Key

For Fans Of: Matthew Reilly, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Dan Brown, Chris Kuzneski, Clive Cussler

Review posted from Lima, Peru

NEWS: Summer Reviews, Autumn/Winter Projects, & Twitter

From September to December, I am going to attempt some rather large review projects, where I review an entire series (or part of a series). So, I thought it would be a good idea to just let you know which ones these will be:

Brian Ruckley’s Godless World series:

• Winterbirth, Bloodheir, and Fall of Thanes
  

Brad Thor’s Scott Harvath series:

• Lions of Lucerne, Path of the Assassin, State of the Union, Blowback, Takedown, The First Commandment, The Last Patriot, The Apostle
  

The Vampire Masquerade: Clan Novel Saga series:

• The Fall of Atlanta, The Eye of Gehenna, Bloody September, End Games

Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child’s Pendergast-Diogenes Trilogy:

• Brimstone, Book of the Dead, Dance of Death
  

Other authors that will receive more than one review of recent releases include Tim Green, Jim Butcher, and (in the very near future) James Rollins.

Normal reviews of new-release books (both fiction and non-fiction) will continue as well (some from Emma, some from me), but posting might be a little less frequent.

Also, there is now a Civilian-Reader Twitter account! We shall use it to post short updates, news, and also announce new books received from publishers as they come in. (The feed’s the final gadget on the left-hand sidebar, but it’s easier to follow with a normal Twitter account.)

“The Judas Strain”, by James Rollins (Orion)

Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force team up with long-time rivals to help against a plague with no cure…

Secrets buried in jungle ruins, hidden in Vatican store-rooms, and an angelic language inscribed on an Egyptian obelisk… Things just keep getting more interesting for the Sigma Force, a sort-of paramilitary wing of DARPA, made up of highly educated (usually) ex-military types who are routinely dispatched around the globe to fight against looming scientific threats to civilisation, humankind, and so forth. To top things off, their nemesis, the shadowy criminal organisation known as the Guild, is after the same answers they are, only with far less altruistic motives, using far more brutal methods.

The Judas Strain surrounds the mystery of the contagion that afflicted Marco Polo’s crew when he returned from China, and the cryptic last line of his account (“I have not told half of what I saw”). It seems as though a super-virus is resurgent, reintroduced into the biosphere by a tsunami in East Asia, turning once-benign bacteria and organisms into lethal adversaries to everyone and everything.

Like all of Rollins’ novels, they are global in scope – the action takes place pretty much in all four corners of the globe (well, three of them, at any rate): we start in Venice, then on to Christmas Island, historic Turkey and Southeast Asia. Commander Pierce, joined by Vatican’s archive prefect Vigor Verona, and disgraced Guild operative Seichan, embark on a treasure hunt with truly world-threatening implications.

Filled with plenty of action, the occasional splash of light humour, great attention to detail (scientific, especially), and a well-developed skill at penning plots that will keep the reader with you (while suspending some belief), The Judas Strain is an entertaining action/adventure read that will, after just a slightly slow start, entertain you to the end.

Rollins is able to keep things interesting, writing the science much like the writers of the TV series House (I recognise necrotizing faciitis from the show…), giving enough to make it realistic without descending into turgid, dense over-explanation that would just bore the vast majority of readers, but still enough to ensure realism. The characters are believable and well-drawn, with only slightly over-done romantic feelings between a handful of the couples (I don’t know why, but all thriller writers make their characters overly emotional and soppy, when it comes to love interests - this especially means you, James Patterson...).

In an over-populated genre – and one that often can bore to tears as you read effectively the same story over and over – James Rollins stands out as an original voice, leading the pack. With the likes of Matthew Reilly and (early) Clive Cussler, you know that any book by James Rollins is going to be a thoroughly entertaining, action-packed read. As mentioned, this one is a little slower than normal to kick off, but once it does, the plot pulls you along with it, each thread of the story complimenting the rest, eventually pulled together in a very satisfying finale.

Interesting characters and an intriguing premise, all woven together by an author who really knows his business. Great fun.

For fans of: Clive Cussler, Dan Brown, Will Adams, Matthew Reilly, Andy McDermott, James Twining, Steve Berry