City of Screams: A Short Story Exclusive (Order of the Sanguines Series) by James Rollins (Epub)

Description

In the haunted, war-torn highlands of Afghanistan, amid the ruins of Shahr-e-Gholghol, an archaeology team is massacred in the night. Sergeant Jordan Stone and his crack forensic team are called in to examine the site, to hunt for the perpetrators of this horrific act. But the discovery of a survivor–a child of ten–will shatter all the team knows about life and death. Among the crumbling bones of dead kings, something hoary and murderous stirs out of the ancient past, lurching forward to claim vengeance on those still living.

Included with this thrilling story is a sneak peek at The Blood Gospel, where the further exploits of Sergeant Stone and his team will be revealed.

User’s Reviews

From the Author About James RollinsJAMES ROLLINS is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. Known for unveiling unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets, Rollins’ knack for breakneck pacing and stunning originality has been hailed by critics and embraced by scores of millions of readers around the world.The Critics RaveThe New York Times says that his “roguish charm comes from his efforts to persuade readers the story is credible [through] real-life sources for his novel’s science, history and geography.” Rollins’ rare blend of action, suspense, and knowledge was also mentioned by the Huffington Post, which stated that “After Crichton passed away in 2008 he clearly passed the baton to James Rollins, who like Crichton, is a renaissance man.”NPR calls his work “adventurous and enormously engrossing…” and the New York Journal of Books had this to say: “If you’re a fan of smart, entertaining adventure fiction, this is your summer beach read writ large….All the science, all the history, and all the locations are masterfully intertwined. The characters are multi-dimensional. And the story is, well, a corker.”The Story Teller’s StoryAs a boy immersed in the scientific adventures of Doc Savage, the wonders of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, and pulps such as The Shadow, The Spider, and The Avenger, James Rollins decided he wanted to be a writer. He honed his storytelling skills early, spinning elaborate tales that were often at the heart of pranks played on his brothers and sisters.Before he would set heroes and villains on harrowing adventures, Rollins embarked on a career in veterinary medicine, graduating from the University of Missouri and establishing a successful veterinary practice. This hands-on knowledge of medicine and science helps shape the research and scientific speculation that set James Rollins books apart.Explosive Page-Turning AdventuresThe exotic locales of James Rollins novels have emerged as a hybrid between imagination, research, and his extensive travels throughout the United States and Europe, as well as New Zealand, the South Pacific, China, Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America. Recent jaunts include book tours and stops across the country and several European nations to give talks, seminars, and media interviews.In recent years, much of James’ travel has involved meeting readers in small and large groups, at writing and fan conferences, and even aboard seagoing “seminars.” James’ mentoring and coaching skills have made him a sought after writing instructor and guest speaker for workshops, symposia, conventions, and other forums throughout the country.James Rollins is the author of nine thrillers in the bestselling Sigma Force series (Sandstorm, Map of Bones, Black Order, The Judas Strain, The Last Oracle, The Doomsday Key, The Devil Colony, Bloodline, and The Eye of God); six individual adventure thrillers; and the Jake Ransom middle grade series (Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow, Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx.)

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ I’ve been a fan of Mr. Rollins for several years now and I must say I was a bit wary of the idea of collaboration. Trust me, there are no concerns now. I am so impressed with this story. Ms. Cantrell is next on my “to read” list. I love the e-book leading into the new novel. And I was so drawn into this story. I don’t want to give any of the story away. It’s a completely new take on ancient mysteries. Sergeant Jordan Stone is an impressive new leading character. The premise is fascinating, and I am hooked! This new series is going to be a huge hit, and I can’t wait to read more. You can tell that Mr. Rollins and Ms. Cantrell have done their research,they have a genuine love of telling a story, and they are very good at it! It’s going to be a LONG time until January 8,2013. Bravo Mr. Rollins and Ms. Cantrell! The City of Screams is a great introduction into The Order of the Sanguines Series and will certainly leave you wanting more!!!

⭐ I have been wanting to read Rollins for quite a while now but have never gotten around to it. I have always been intriqued with his subject matter and book titles. When I found this short story when waltzing through Amazon, I thought it would be a perfect introduction. In the end, though, I came away disappointed.I don’t want to begrudge Mr. Rollins his success, because he obviously is a successful novelist, but I found the writing itself to be distractingly poor. Poor grammar, poor punctuation, illogical paragraph breaks… The characters were flat and 2 dimensional, despite a couple of brief references to the protagonist’s Iowa farm boyhood. Absolutely no character development (granted, this was a short story and there isn’t a lot of time for character development). It was like I was reading the writer’s unedited notes for a longer story, or for an action movie screenplay. It is really sad because I really wanted to like Rollins’ work.That being said, I found the story engaging. I liked the thematic elements, the juxtaposition of the logical and supernatural, and the mystery behind the plot. The pacing was good and it was definitely a page turner. At no time was I tempted to stop reading it and move on to something else, so it held my interest. It was reminiscent of a Clive Cussler Dirk Pitt story, of which I have read a couple.I realize that I need to take this for what it is, as short introduction to the characters and marketing tool for the series. But I would think that for what it is, it would contain some of the author’s best writing. I would hate to think that is the case with this story.

⭐ The city is question is the site of a former Jewish fort on top of a steep plateau where and entire group held out against the Roman soldiers. There are two parts to this story which connect in the novels. First one is the discovery of site of hundreds of infant skeletons. The second is the story of a young man who climbed up to a site dealing with the effects of his cancer and was the sole survivor of an eruption of poisonous gas plus cured of his cancer.

⭐ This short story is a prequel to the full length novel, “The Blood Gospel.” This story takes place in Afghanistan where Sergeant Jordan Stone works for the Joint Expeditionary Forensic Facility (JEFF). He is a crime investigator for the military. If there was a mystery, it was his team’s responsibility to solve it. And … the mystery is a SOS call received at 4:32 a.m. of an apparent firefight with sounds of screams and then words, “They’re coming again!” After listening to the tape 14 times one of his team advisors tells him the message was sent from an archaeological team in Bamiyan Valley, which is comprised of four men and one woman, all Americans. Professor Thomas Atherton, who has worked with the team, listens to the tape, hearing the last unintelligible words and immediately becomes shocked. He recognizes the words of a language, Bactrian, a language not used for centuries. What does it mean? He interprets it as, “The girl is ours!” Jordan and his team, along with the professor, board a helicopter and head to the valley to solve the mystery. This story is highly paced and mystifying. A well written prequel to the full novel of “The Blood Gospel” which also includes the hero, Jordan Stone. Don’t miss out reading James Rollins’ outstanding thriller.

⭐ The hero of this novel is Army Ranger Seargent Jeff Stone. He is on duty in Afghanistan with JEFF(Joint Expeditionary Forensic Facility).They are headquartered in Bamiyan Valley. The facility recieves a distress call from an archeological team that is doing exploratory work. The facility gets a distress call from the team. It is in a strange language that was spoken in ancient times. Stone is able to get the call interpreted by one of his group named Professor Thomas Thomas Atherton. Stone and a rescue team are dropped off at the camp location by a U.S. Army ranger helicopter. They discover to their horror that a massacare has taken place at the camp site. There is blood everywhere but no bodies. It is then that a fierec snowstorm blows in.Whileriding out a snow storm they discover a 10 year old survivor of the massacare. The little girl isd traumitized and in a state of shock.She gives them an incoherent description of what took place. During the night they are attacked by beasts who are wanting to kill them. Sgt, Stone leads the beast to the site of the archeological dig in the Shar-e-Gholghol. He makes a stunning discovery . He is then forced to fight for his life. This is a very good short that you will find very enjoyable.

⭐ I like James Rollins’ books. They are a pulse-pounding blend of action, intrigue, sci-fi/fact and the occult.Each reads like a terrific popcorn movie; and, it they have a flaw, its that the characters tend to be lightly drawn.In the short story, ‘City Of Screams’, Mr. Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell introduce a compelling new hero: Sergeant Jordan Stone, head of a US Army Forensics Investigation team. Their job is to examine military crime scenes (ambushes, I.E.D.’s, bombings, etc.), and determine the who-what-why-when-where & how.’City Of Screams’ takes the Sarge & his team of stalwarts to a haunted mountain, where they have to confront the mystery of a missing group of soldiers/scientists, a legendary hidden stronghold and cursed lovers. The authors take these elements and blend them into a spine-tingling, hair-raising spook story that lingers long after you turn the last page.What I liked best was that the authors let you ‘get-to-know’ Sergeant Jordan in the short length of this story, much more then many other Rollins protagonists at the end of full-length novels. Hopefully, the authors plan on bringing back the Good Sergeant and Co. very soon…and, perhaps, Mr. Rollins will enhance his already formidable skills with more fully fleshed-out characters?Bottom line: Army procedural, historical mystery, supernatural horror…this little gem excels at them all. Read it!

⭐ The cursed city, Mao Balegh,is the ruins of an ancient site where Genghis Khan, mad with power, and red-eyed with blood thirst revenge because he blamed the citizens for killing his favorite grandson, slaughtered 100,000 people. Later, Buddhist monks inhabited the area until it was destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.Army Ranger Sergeant Jordan Stone, a team leader for the Joint Expedition Forensic Facility (JEFF),receives news that an archaeologist group has been massacred amidst the ruins of Shahr-e-Gholghol.A ten year old girl is the only traumatized survivor. No other bodies were found, earning speculation that they were carried off by a leap of leopards. A belief arose that the girl was possessed by an escaped djinn.Rollins and Cantrell meld their skills in this intricate adventure by blending action, historical fact and fiction with the mysterious unknown.A transmission, barely discernible, was supposedly in Bactrian. “A lost language of Afghanistan. It has not been spoken since….for centuries.” The whispery words said, “The girl is ours.”This short story version is an introduction for the Rollins and Cantrell New series, The Blood Gospel, which is the first book in the Order of the Sanguine series.

⭐ I’ve been interested in reading some of James Rollins’ work for a while before I stumbled upon The Blood Gospel and figured this would be up my alley. Since I wanted to check out the kind of work he would be doing with Rebecca Cantrell, I thought this would be a good indicator.Basically, the idea behind City of Screams is way more interesting then the actual application. The entire story feels rushed, right up to the summarized ending that tidies up loose ends without bothering to show the action that lead to that point. Despite the rush job on the ending, however, it felt like the only properly paced part of the entire story. The rest of City of Screams felt forced and, as a result, made reading it something of a chore.The writing aside, I will reiterate that the story itself is fairly interesting. Its your typical “expedition unearths ancient evil and bad stuff happens” schtick, but that’s something I enjoy and anyone else who likes that sort of thing will find at least something here.A side note on this package as a whole, I didn’t notice any glaring errors on my Kindle and I had no trouble with the formatting. This does come with a sneak peak of the first three chapters of The Blood Gospel as well. I will say that I found the preview more interesting and better paced than City of Screams. Writing a story this short just might not be Rollins and Cantrell’s thing. Since I bought this only as a way of determining if I’d like to buy The Blood Gospel, I can say that the preview sold me more than the short story itself.

⭐ This is a prequel short story to the Order of the Sanguines series. While the story itself was fine and centered around the character that (so far) I like the best in the series, it didn’t really add anything to the rest of the series and doesn’t need to be read for additional detail/clarification.

⭐ A riveting quick read jam packed with suspense. A story so full of ancient lore, it will leave you thinking for days. Sergeant Jordan Stone, a team leader for JEFF (Joint Expedition Forensic Facility), a CSI type group of investigators in Afghanistan, receives audio of a perplexing crime committed against a group of archaeologist, he and his team move to investigate scene in the “Cursed City.” Accompanied by a nervous archaeology professor, Thomas Atherton, Stone and his men find themselves in the ruins of an ancient city where Genghis Khan slaughtered more than a 100, 000 citizens. Later, Buddhist monks inhabited the area adorning and meditating in the nooks and crannies of rocky mountainous terrain, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. The story is a fascinating tale full of reality teasing twists!

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