Reviews

Altar of Eden by James Rollins

gbdill's review against another edition

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2.0

Rednecks from the swamp collide with brilliant scientists gone mad.

I really pushed myself to finish this book. The first half of the story was excellent; quite compelling and adventurous. Mutant saber-toothed tiger on the loose, protecting its young and devouring unsuspecting people. The second half of the story gets lost in a bunch of gunfights and explosives on some obscure island in the Caribbean.

Not Rollins best work, but certainly not his worst either. Two-stars for his unique creativity. But, too lengthy of a story that inevitably loses its momentum to warrant a higher rating.

liberrydude's review against another edition

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3.0

A creepy military biotech thriller that starts during Operation Iraqi Freedom and ends up years later in Louisiana and the Caribbean with abnormal animals that can synchronize their brains into a hive mentality. Of course it was all going well until the mastermind crosses paths with Dr. Lorna Polk, a resourceful veterinarian, and her Cajun friends.

michellefleming33's review against another edition

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2.0

Get to the Chopper!!!! PSSHUEJKFFMG! Gunfire! More Gunfire! The CHOPPER! Yeah, that's my impersonation of Arnold. Ok moving on...



Ok so...this book kept me turning the pages, that's for sure. But was I really all that excited about it? Did I really want to see how things turned out? No, not really.

Yes, this was typical Rollins with mixing DARPA, science, weapons, and a lot of scientific jargon. BUT, and this is a major "but" for me, he incorporated animals into this one WAY too much!

Similar to one of the SIGMA Force novels, the name of it escapes me at this point, but it was the one with the menagrie of animals, Chernobyl, and mutated kids, he incorporated animals being mutated, their genetics being messed with.

SPOILER! I can't believe he almost made me think that Burt was dead! I KNEW that he wouldn't have let that happen, but c'mon. Even that fathom of a doubt kind of pissed me off. And besides, I hated the fact that the jaguar and her cub had to die.

After the point of Lorna, did not like that name by the way, being captured, and finding out they were not only tinkering with animals' lives but with humans, it was just too far fetched for me. Yeah, I wanted to see where it lead and how the story mircalously ended, but I did not care for the fact that the mutated and regressed furry humans worked together with the "good" humans. Just to much beyond belief at that point. I literally had to laugh at it. I did not like how it got twisted that way on the islands of Eden.

Totally NOT what I thought this book was going to be about. Really just wanted another SIGMA force novel.

Yes, it was nice to see that Rollins actually utilized his veternanian skills in writing one of this books, but we normally see that with his other books. There's always an animal in there somewhere.

Not his best, and definitely NOT worth a re-read.

leannaaker's review against another edition

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2.0

I'm all up for a crazy sci fi/genetic experiment book, but....this just wasn't very good. Shallow characters, poor character development, and a "just too unbelievable" plot made this just so so.

apiratethatdoesnothing's review against another edition

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5.0


I throughly enjoyed this book! I not only liked the story line, I liked how it was written! This is my first Rollins book and I am happy with my choice! No point In Summarizing the story - that isn't a review. I am happy that everything worked out for the best for Lorna, Jack, Jack's family and of course the children! I was so curious to discover what was going to happen!

reneek84's review against another edition

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3.0

As it started out I thought what a spooky macabre story line, but since I'm big fan of Rollin's books, I wanted to finish it. I will say it was not my favorite by him, but still interesting.

asteroidbuckle's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

leleroulant's review against another edition

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3.0

Not my typical genre, but a pretty good read.

purplelephant's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

morgan_haybook's review against another edition

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4.0

This author is really courting the reader with the combination of fascinating details and fast paced action. Come to think of it, I'm not sure many of the characters got much to eat or slept during the two day span of the story.
Mr. Rollins is so sure you will want to keep reading after the last page that he even included some references at the end on where to research the subjects he incorporated into his book. Any author that takes this much care into his fans deserves my respect.