Following the fall of Baghdad, two Iraqi boys stumble upon armed men looting the city zoo. The floodgates have been opened for the smuggling of hundreds of exotic birds, mammals, and reptiles to Western nations, but this crime hides a deeper secret. Amid a hail of bullets, an underground secret weapons lab is ransacked--and something even more horrific is set free. Seven years later, Louisiana state veterinarian Lorna Polk stumbles upon a fishing trawler shipwrecked on a barrier island. The crew is missing or dead, but the boat holds a frightening cargo: a caged group of exotic animals, clearly part of a black market smuggling ring. Yet, something is wrong with these beasts, disturbing deformities that make no sense: a parrot with no feathers, a pair of Capuchin monkeys conjoined at the hip, a jaguar cub with the dentition of a saber-tooth tiger. They also all share one uncanny trait--a disturbingly heightened intelligence. To uncover the truth about the origin of this strange cargo and the terrorist threat it poses, Lorna must team up with a man who shares a dark and bloody past with her, now an agent of the U.S. Border Patrol, Jack Menard. Together, the two must hunt for a beast that escaped the shipwreck while uncovering a mystery tied to fractal science and genetic engineering, all to expose a horrifying secret that traces back to mankinds earliest roots. But can Lorna stop what is about to be born upon the altar of Eden before it threatens not only the world, but also the very foundation of what it means to be human?
If
you scroll down a bit on this page you're reading, you might wonder if I'm only
reading one author, James Rollins, but no. I've just missed reading his books
that I now read three in a row of his titles. Yeah. He's that good. Can't get
enough of him! I'm in a bit of a problem here, honestly, I don't know what to
say anymore regarding this author! I think I've said all that I needed to say
from my last two reviews. Those reviews were nothing but praises. But I guess I
have to find words to review this book, okay then, Altar Of Eden is as good as
his previous works of fiction. No surprises there. I think James has found the
perfect formula to keep his readers interested on whatever latest offering he
has, great plot + great characters + great story + great ending = Greatness. I
know he does research and all, but like any other author, he goes to places to
do some background check of a certain area where his novels will be set and
that's really fun. I often wonder if to become a writer, you need to study first,
or you're born with the ability to write. I think it's both ways, I know a
friend who has written a novel and she was good at it. So I guess I can also
write if I set my heart on it. But for now, I am content to be a reader at the
moment. |
My Rating: 4 ½ Stars
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Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a gruesome discovery—hundreds of mummified bodies—stir international attention and fervent controversy. Despite doubts to the bodies’ origins, the local Native American Heritage Commission lays claim to the prehistoric remains, along with the strange artifacts found in the same cavern: gold plates inscribed with an unfathomable script. During a riot at the dig site, an anthropologist dies horribly: burned to ash 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 across 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. From the volcanic peaks of Iceland to the blistering deserts of the American Southwest, from the gold vaults of Fort Knox to the bubbling geysers of Yellowstone, Painter Crowe joins forces with Commander Gray Pierce to penetrate the shadowy heart of a dark cabal, one that has been manipulating American history since the founding of the thirteen colonies. But can he discover the truth—one that could topple governments—before it destroys all he holds dear?
It's official, The Devil Colony is the second best novel I've ever read
from James Rollins! Amazonia, my very first book from James, still is my number
one. I will not tire to recommend this book to all of you because it is one of
the very best. Really amazing book! James is an unpredictable author, there are
authors' who are predictable, you'll know ahead of time what will happen in the
story, I like surprises, I like to be taken to a twist and turn ride from start
to finish. When I first read the plot of The Devil Colony, I wasn't that
excited to read it, my immediate thinking was that, the story will be centered
on the founding of America, and I must honestly say that American History
doesn't interest me, maybe because I'm living oceans away from the country, I
don't know. Can't explain it. But then I thought, this is James Rollins, the
guy can make any boring subject into an interesting one. I relied on all the
books that I've read from him and surprised to learn that I liked all of them!
This is just a true testament that James can't do anything wrong with his
books. I hope he continues to bring almost real life action novels for all of
us. |
My Rating: 4 ½ Stars
|
At Princeton University, a famed geneticist dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeologist is found dead in St. Peters Basilica. In Africa, a US Senator's son is slain outside a Red Cross camp. Three murders on three continents bear a horrifying connection: all the victims are marked by a Druidic pagan cross burned into their flesh. The bizarre murders thrust Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force into a race against time to solve a riddle going back centuries, to a ghastly crime against humanity hidden within a cryptic medieval codex. The first piece of the puzzle is discovered inside a mummified corpse buried in an English peat bog-a gruesome secret that threatens America and the world. Aided by two women from his past--one his ex-lover, the other his new partner--Gray must piece together the horrifying truth. But the revelations come at a high cost, and to save the future, Pierce will have to sacrifice one of the women at his side. That alone might not be enough, as the true path to salvation is revealed in a dark prophecy of doom. Sigma Force confronts humankind's greatest threat in an adventure that races from the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway, from the ruins of medieval abbeys to the lost tombs of Celtic kings. The ultimate nightmare is locked within a talisman buried by a dead saint--an ancient artifact known as the Doomsday Key.
It’s been a while since I last read a Sigma
Force novel. I’ve been very engrossed with so many other books that I’ve
forgotten how much I enjoy reading the Sigma Force novels. I’ve been waiting
for so long to read this book, but first, I’d like to say thank you again to my
sister for this wonderful birthday present, this means a lot to me sis. Love
ya! What could possibly go wrong with a James Rollins book? Nothing. It’s near
perfect. My eyes were cemented to The Doomsday Key and once again I was
transported back to adventure and never ending suspense that James only can
deliver. This time around the story is about a symbol that could mean the end
of the world. Gray Pierce and a bunch of other agents will try and solve the
mystery that surrounds a Druidic symbol. |
My Rating: 4 ½ Stars
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It’s August in New York, and the only thing that’s hotter than the pavement is Manhattan D.A. Alex Cooper’s professional and personal life. Just as she’s claiming an especially gratifying victory in a rape case, she gets the call: the body of a young woman has been found in an abandoned building. The brutality of the murder is disturbing enough, but when a second body, beaten and disposed of in exactly same manner, is found off the Belt Parkway, the city’s top brass want the killer found fast, before the tabloids can start churning out ghoulish serial killer headlines. Between dodging the bullets of the gang members who are infuriated by Alex’s most recent courtroom victory and keeping a rendezvous with a charming restaurateur, a serial killer on the loose is the last thing she needs on her plate right now. Then a third victim is found, and it becomes clear to Alex and her team that time is not on their side.Through Alex’s peerless interrogation skills—and one big break—the search becomes focused on someone who has a twisted obsession with the military, and things grow increasingly dangerous when the chase leads to a chain of small, abandoned islands around New York harbor.
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My Rating: 4 Stars
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