Reviews

The Judas Strain CD: A SIGMA Force Novel by James Rollins

wmdonnelly's review against another edition

3.0

Sigma Force #4

topdragon's review against another edition

3.0

It's tough for me to give a James Rollins book only 3 stars but for me, this one was only lukewarm. I love his concepts and his action/adventure writing but his characters are usually a little wooden or stereotypical. He spends a lot of time in this one trying to add a couple of dimensions to them but he doesn't quite pull it off and that just ends up adding padding. I found myself wishing the end were nearer so I could get to my next read and that's just not a good sign.

I'll keep on going with the series but I still prefer his stand-alone novels like [b:Amazonia|294047|Amazonia|James Rollins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1347738838s/294047.jpg|2492953], [b:Subterranean|98807|Subterranean|James Rollins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1336889308s/98807.jpg|1018132] and even the first Sigma Force novel, [b:Sandstorm|183822|Sandstorm|James Rollins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1305960920s/183822.jpg|868206]

carfitzpa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

jeansbooks's review

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

mkpatt's review against another edition

3.0

Overall not a bad book. There were annoying parts - like the stuff with Gray's parents. Distracting and not really important to the central action in the book. I like the Sigma Force novels in general and this one killed off a key character which was sad but kept it very real.

On the other hand, there was some surprising and fun revelations in the way of character development which was very pleasant. But I think you'd only appreciate them if you've been reading the series. If you just picked up this book and read it without the context of the other earlier novels, the character development points will point you to the earlier books but not be particularly fun of themselves.

ziggy_bew's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

3.0

thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition

4.0

awesome...and scary. I think I already learned about a hundred new things halfway through the book.

jacqueshol's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this book, especially at the time of reading, we happened to be in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis. The opening few paragraphs are particularly chilling and one wonders how James Rollins predicted the current world events so accurately, right down to the virus being caused by a bat.

The book seemed a bit longer than some of his others, but the pace was spot on.

bennought's review against another edition

4.0

As with the rest of his novels, I absolutely loved 'The Judas Strain.' Rollins has an incredible ability to combine obscure bits of historical facts, modern science, and general special forces shtick into intelligent, fun, incredibly interesting thrillers. And, he's not a half-bad writer, to boot. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys high-paced action, and a plot whose basis is only a half-step away from plausible.

jessicaswhirled's review

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.25

At least my third or fourth read. While formulaic, the Sigma Force books never fail to entertain. This one has some well due character development.