Scan barcode
nicoleabouttown's review against another edition
4.0
So as of now, everyone already knows of my total fangirl love and appreciation of James Rollins and his Sigma Force series. Oh, you didn't know, well now you do!
This is book number two in the Sigma Force series and it is the first one that I read. I honestly didn't feel that I was missing anything from the story by not having read book one (which is called Sandstorm by the way).
From the opening moments of the book, the action and suspense doesn't stop. From the massacre in the cathedral in Cologne, Germany, to the famous lighthouse of Alexandria, James Rollins once again takes the reader on a never-ending trip filled with action, adventure, suspense and drama. Add to that a healthy dose of History, Science and the ancient art of Alchemy and you have one book you won't be able to put down.
I have said it before and I will say it again, the best part of the Sigma Series is that though Rollins manages to wrap up whatever mystery is the subject of the book, the overall mystery of the series, gets resolved a little at a time. All in all, it leaves you satisfied at the end of the book, but wanting to get on to the next one to get the next piece of the puzzle.
This is book number two in the Sigma Force series and it is the first one that I read. I honestly didn't feel that I was missing anything from the story by not having read book one (which is called Sandstorm by the way).
From the opening moments of the book, the action and suspense doesn't stop. From the massacre in the cathedral in Cologne, Germany, to the famous lighthouse of Alexandria, James Rollins once again takes the reader on a never-ending trip filled with action, adventure, suspense and drama. Add to that a healthy dose of History, Science and the ancient art of Alchemy and you have one book you won't be able to put down.
I have said it before and I will say it again, the best part of the Sigma Series is that though Rollins manages to wrap up whatever mystery is the subject of the book, the overall mystery of the series, gets resolved a little at a time. All in all, it leaves you satisfied at the end of the book, but wanting to get on to the next one to get the next piece of the puzzle.
krash9924's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second in the Sigma Force books. I personally really loved the science, action and adventure of the first book (Sandstorm) but the character development was weak at best.
Unfortunately this book fixes none of the character issues of the first in the series, in fact they have gotten worse. The interaction between the characters is decent at best and awful at worse, thankfully I was reading this book because I can only imagine the audio version has to be laughable.
I understand that the adventure and science were the focal points, and they were done to perfection. The depth of research done by the author was amazing. Too bad weak characters and chunky dialogue brought the story down.
All in all, I did enjoy this story and look forward to the next, hopefully this was just a sophomore slump.
Unfortunately this book fixes none of the character issues of the first in the series, in fact they have gotten worse. The interaction between the characters is decent at best and awful at worse, thankfully I was reading this book because I can only imagine the audio version has to be laughable.
I understand that the adventure and science were the focal points, and they were done to perfection. The depth of research done by the author was amazing. Too bad weak characters and chunky dialogue brought the story down.
All in all, I did enjoy this story and look forward to the next, hopefully this was just a sophomore slump.
jameshendrickson's review against another edition
1.0
Stilted dialogue, absurd plot twists, deus ex machina to salvage the plot, and factual inaccuracies make this a book almost unreadable.
These are supposed to be elite scientists and scholars?
These are supposed to be elite scientists and scholars?
bookaneer's review against another edition
1.0
This book is about secret society and Da Vinci Code-like adventure, i.e. travelling to several countries to seek for some historical stuffs). The action was probably a bit better that DVC because it involved a unit called the Sigma Force (scientists with special ops capabilities and hi-tech gadgets (still I think it's kinda corny, btw). The characters are....not memorable. Like, at all.
The story began with a robbery of the bones of the three wise men (the ones visiting Jesus when he was born, also called as Magi) by the vicious Dragon Court (a medieval group of alchemists/royals who wants to rule the world, to make the story short). Vatican then asked the Americans for help (I don't know why. Aren't they supposed to have anybody capable in Europe?), so the Sigma Force came to the rescue, in cooperation with a beautiful Italian police chick.
Okay, now it sounds REALLY corny. Gosh, I hate the stupid romance in the book.
To continue my bitchin' here, firstly I have to admit that my knowledge in history is limited. But, I don't know why the author made a scenario in which Alexander the Great is the missing fourth Magi (!). C'mon dude, Alexander lived wayyyyy before Jesus and even the Holy Roman Empire! So, there's no bloody way he came to visit Jesus' manger in Bethlehem, unless he's a vampire or highlander who could live forever.
Some people say this book is better than Da Vinci Code. Yeah right, both suck.
My only suggestion is better to read the real historical books than quasi-so called historical novels. For Da Vinci Code, better read Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln (which is superb, I must say).
For Map of Bones, better read (these even recommended by the author himself): Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark by Laurence Gardner, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas By Elaine Pagels and Magi: The Quest for a Secret Tradition by Adrian Gilbert.
The story began with a robbery of the bones of the three wise men (the ones visiting Jesus when he was born, also called as Magi) by the vicious Dragon Court (a medieval group of alchemists/royals who wants to rule the world, to make the story short). Vatican then asked the Americans for help (I don't know why. Aren't they supposed to have anybody capable in Europe?), so the Sigma Force came to the rescue, in cooperation with a beautiful Italian police chick.
Okay, now it sounds REALLY corny. Gosh, I hate the stupid romance in the book.
To continue my bitchin' here, firstly I have to admit that my knowledge in history is limited. But, I don't know why the author made a scenario in which Alexander the Great is the missing fourth Magi (!). C'mon dude, Alexander lived wayyyyy before Jesus and even the Holy Roman Empire! So, there's no bloody way he came to visit Jesus' manger in Bethlehem, unless he's a vampire or highlander who could live forever.
Some people say this book is better than Da Vinci Code. Yeah right, both suck.
My only suggestion is better to read the real historical books than quasi-so called historical novels. For Da Vinci Code, better read Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln (which is superb, I must say).
For Map of Bones, better read (these even recommended by the author himself): Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark by Laurence Gardner, Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas By Elaine Pagels and Magi: The Quest for a Secret Tradition by Adrian Gilbert.
pjc1268's review against another edition
4.0
It was a good story, cant wait to read more books by this author.
shelflife's review against another edition
3.0
A fairly, fun read. A bit long winded and found myself drifting in parts. I do enjoy James Rollins books as my bit of escapism, but this one felt it lacked something. A cross between Dan Brown and Raiders of the Lost Ark. I have liked his others more.
Some folks complained about its silliness and picked apart its improbability, buy this is escapist fiction and did deliver exactly that which was what I was looking for in a book. They are written with fun in mind, but not seriousness.
That being said, I will of course, continue reading the Sigma Force books.
Some folks complained about its silliness and picked apart its improbability, buy this is escapist fiction and did deliver exactly that which was what I was looking for in a book. They are written with fun in mind, but not seriousness.
That being said, I will of course, continue reading the Sigma Force books.
travelinkiki's review against another edition
2.0
It was about as good as expected from an action book that is part of a series. Characters were fairly well developed and the plot was engaging; I could envision this on the large screen. However, the writing often became preachy as Rollins filled readers in on the arcane knowledge required to solve the puzzles and the ending was trite. How all the "good guys" survived while almost none of the "bad guys" did was too sappy for me. I hate when a beloved character is killed off, but sometimes that lends credibility to the story - and this book could have used a little more of that. I also did not love how the characters always ended up in situations in which they were certain to die only to have some fortuitous way out. It was a little too feel-good. But it was engaging enough that I might pick up another Sigma book later.
bibliovino's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely adore books that connect scientific fact with religious myth. If you were even intrigued by The Davinci Code or the idea of quantum physics in relation to brain function, you should check this out.