The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel (Sigma Force Series Book 4) by James Rollins (Epub)

Description

New York Times bestselling author James Rollins returns with a terrifying story of an ancient menace reborn to plague the modern world . . . and of an impossible hope that lies hidden in the most shocking place imaginable: within the language of angels.

From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind–a disease that’s unknown, unstoppable . . . and deadly. But it is merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow. Aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis–operatives of SIGMA Force–search for answers to the bizarre affliction. But there are others with far less altruistic intentions. In a savage and sudden coup, terrorists hijack the vessel, turning a mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.

A world away, SIGMA’s Commander Gray Pierce thwarts the murderous schemes of a beautiful would-be killer who holds the first clue to the discovery of a possible cure. Pierce joins forces with the woman who wanted him dead, and together they embark upon an astonishing quest following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history: Marco Polo. But time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. As a relentless madman dogs their every step, Gray and his unlikely ally are being pulled into an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity’s genetic code. And as the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Gray Pierce will realize he can truly trust no one, for any one of them could be . . . a Judas.

User’s Reviews

“…The books’ style perfectly matches their subject matter, and it’s impossible not to be swept up by their energy and excitement. Action/adventure fans unfamiliar with Rollins’ work should be emphatically urged to read this series.” — Booklist (David Pitt)”…Rollins’s latest thriller should appeal to those who prefer books that focus on serpentine plots rather than multidimensional characters, and it will give readers something scary to think about while vacationing at the beach.” — Bookreporter.com (Donna Volkenannt) 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.) From the Inside Flap ju·das strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinctionA master of combining historical and scientific intrigue with cutting-edge adventure, New York Times best selling author of Map of Bones and Black Order James Rollins returns with his most relentless, high-octane thriller to date-a terrifying story of an ancient menace reborn to plague the modern world…and of an impossible hope that lies hidden in the most shocking place imaginable: within the language of angels.THE JUDAS STRAINFrom the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind–a disease that’s unknown, unstoppable . . . and deadly. But it is merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow.Aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis–operatives of SIGMA Force–search for answers to the bizarre affliction. But there are others with far less altruistic intentions. In a savage and sudden coup, terrorists hijack the vessel, turning a mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.At a Forth of July celebration a world away, SIGMA’s Commander Gray Pierce thwarts the murderous schemes of a beautiful would-be killer who holds the first clue to the discovery of a possible cure. Pierce joins forces with the woman who wanted him dead, and together they embark upon an astonishing quest following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history: Marco Polo.But time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. As a relentless madman dogs their every step, Gray and his unlikely ally are being pulled into an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity’s genetic code. And as the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Gray Pierce will realize he can truly trust no one, for any one of them could be . . . a Judas. From the Back Cover PRAISE FOR JAMES ROLLINS”Rollins combines the mystery and research of Dan Brown with the adrenaline-charged action of Clive Cussler into a slick thriller that you can’t put down — Jack Du Brul, nationally bestselling author of Deep Fire Rising”James Rollins is a master thriller writer whose unique blend of fact and fiction creates a labyrinthine adventure that keeps you riveted to every word and thinking long after the last page is turned.” — Andrea Kane, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Room and Wrong Place, Wrong Time”While Clive Cussler maintains the gold standard in action lit, Rollins has a firm grasp on the silver.” — Publishers Weekly”Rollins writes with intelligence, clarity, and a refreshing sense of humor.” — Kirkus

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:

⭐ Bring on the suspense! Sit on the edge of your seat and enjoy the ride! Well written and enough suspense to keep you guessing until the end. I love a good mystery and this definitely fits the bill. I am relatively new to the Sigma Force novels, only owning one other – The Doomsday Key, but I like the concept. A little historical and scientific truth added to a little science fiction, but fiction that could easily become reality,and you have your mystery. The characters are well defined but just enough is left in the air about each to keep you wondering whose the bad guy and just what is the actual mystery.In these novels, you begin with historical fact, then scientific fact, and then some mystery is revealed in current day. This is just the preamble to get you thinking before jumping into the chapters which begin the hunt, the questions, the challenge. Love it and will be buying more Sigma Force books

⭐ I love this series. It flows well and is engaging. The author takes real life situations and puts his twist on them while keeping them ‘true’. There is always a section at the back that explains where he got his idea and what parts are true and what parts have his spin on them. Highly recommend!

⭐ This takes over the #1 slot among Rollins novels from Bone Labyrinth with tighter, better focused action and good characterization. If the character work feels just a hair below the excellence of Bone, Rollins more than makes up for it in other ways. As his characters work through their increasingly intertwined business and personal lives, what appears to be a natural phenomenon at Christmas Island in the Pacific turns out to involve the nefarious Guild, a (real) historical mystery going back to Marco Polo, and the quest for the ultimate biological weapon. The sheer amount of action is toned down a notch from Bones, but that lets us understand better what’s going on, and the focus on key characters is tighter. The usual coincidences and luck help our heroes out, but this is a thriller and we readers accept his as part of the books’ universe. Some of the “wisdom of the ancients” stuff is still farfetched (they knew about DNA how?) but this novel only relies on it enough to make the story work. The biological science is scary, indeed terrifying, and plausible. The technology throughout works fine: a last-chapter connection between continents on a low-power device initially struck me as absurd, but then I started working it out, and realized you could do it, and do it clandestinely, by bypassing the usual military/intel satellites and hiding it in a civilian system like ARGOS. That was reassuring, as I sometimes feel Rollins treats global communications almost as magic. The details of architecture and history are everywhere convincing, and the heroes have to rely heavily on their brains as well as their guns and gadgets to solve the mystery. Some of the heroes (e.g., Lisa, Gray) take the next step in developing as operatives and leaders, and a hunt for a mole (In stories like Midnight Watch, Sigma has a nasty habit of developing security weaknesses when the plot requires it) leads to a jaw-dropping scene about loyalties and who’s playing who. Also, one of the early chapters wins some kind of ingenuity award for the cleverest use of a natural “weapon” to take out bad guys.Overall, then, I think this is the best-written of the Sigma series, one I had an easy time following but a hard time putting down. Excellent work, sir.Matt Bille,[…], author The First Space Race,[…]

⭐ Once again, we have a story that takes a bit of scientific facts and throws it together into a suspense packed thriller. In this novel, we get introduced to another member of Sigma Force, Kowalski, who is presented as a walking muscle but he does have a working mind under the muscle, considering how he sees things.This story follows two paths of two teams who wind up together in the same place at the end in the search for a solution to a problem. One path follows clues left by Marco Polo during his voyage back home. The other path follows a pathogen to it’s source.

⭐ I am thouorghly enjoying the Sigma series. James Rollins has done a remarkable job of drawing the reader into caring for the main as well as the secondary characters in the stories. The only (minor) niggle I have with his writing style is the repeated use of what I call “mini cliff hangers” to end a chapter, only to have the issue almost miraculously resolved a few pages later. It works the first few times, but loses much of it’s literary punch after a while. That aside, the story telling keeps the reader engaged to the last page. I think Rollins’ signature move is that one part in each book where the content of the entire story is drawn down to a razor edge; the reveal and subsequent emotional release in those few pages is almost magical and Rollins is at his absolute best here. I realize this has been a general review and not book-specific, but if it helps draw a few more readers into the Sigma series, then I will have accomplished my task. Don’t be afraid to invest in this series.

⭐ I’ve been reading James Rollins since I picked up The Devil Colony at Target. I have been looking forward to reading each of his Sigma novels with anticipation before buying it. I have been reading each in the order they were written after reading The doomsday Key, The Devil Colony and Bloodline last summer his latest, The Judas Strain, is a slam dunk. I loved everything about it from start to finish.I enjoyed the premise from the first page, which is ALWAYS a good sign in my book. The voyage of Marco Polo from Asia back to Italy was beset by some kind of major tragedy which nearly wiped out all those who participated on the journey…a voyage which Marco never spoke about to seemingly anyone, even at his deathbed…or DID he? Yet another fantastic What If scenario begins as we jump to the modern day world where what seems to be a particularly nasty plague is infecting, and then altering the very DNA of those inflicted. It seems to be originating from the ocean, and after a very short time, scientists from Sigma Force kidnapped by the infamous Guild are working side-by-side attempting to stop what could very well be a planet-wide catastrophe. As always, those in the Guild may or may NOT be what they seem, and all the while we factor in the Vatican and surprisingly the possibility of an actual language of the Angels being translated which somehow seems to be all connected. But to what end? Never fear…Mr. Rollins has control, and he takes us on another thrilling roller-coaster ride that never fails to entertain as well as inform — which always seem to be the best kind of books to read (IMHO).Probably my favorite aspect of Rollins’ thrillers is their integration of science into the story. After all, his team of protagonists, the Sigma Force, is part of a government agency that recruits former special forces operatives and educates them to the Ph.D. level in scientific disciplines. They’ve got both the military training and the scientific knowledge to investigate technological and scientific phenomenon around the world on behalf of the US government. Not a bad starting premise.The plots of Rollins’ novels tend to be complex, multi-stranded affairs that are difficult to summarize. In Judas Strain, as has been noted by other readers, there is an urgency brought on by a possible pandemic outbreak of bacterial infections. That, in and of itself, is not the most original plot. But in a Rollins novel, it’s never that simple. Did you know that only 10 percent of the cells that make up your body are human, and the other 90 percent are alien–bacteria, parasites, etc? It’s true, absolutely true. Did you know that the difference between a commonplace, harmless bacteria and a potential killer disease is just the tiniest alteration to its genetic code? What would happen if something altered all the zillions of harmless bacteria we have contact with daily and suddenly they turned on us in the most horrific way imaginable? And I do mean the most horrific way imaginable, because James Rollins is a bit of a sicko, and nothing seems to be off limits for him. What he puts his poor “patient zero” through is–yuck–awful!But I dont want to spoil anymore details about the plot to you so you should go buy this book you will not be disapointed For those familiar with the novels by Rollins, this is one of those No Brainer decisions: you simply MUST get this book, it really IS awesome…however, for those who may be new to these books, by all means, buy, read and then run to go purchase the complete works by Mr. Rollins. IF you have the chance, while you do not have to, buy and read his books in the order they were released. ( I highly recomind it ) Entertainment written by a real master… Now, my reading of the NEXT Sigma Force novel begins…See you soon

⭐ The Judas Strain remains ad one of the best novels Rollins has ever written, even among the Sigma Force series. The adventurous settings – spanning SPOILER ALERT(Istanbul to Cambodia)Are rich and vibrant, bringing together a world of wonder as its characters visit famous landmarks portrayed in astounding and historically accurate detail and imagery. The science behind the fiction is particularly fascinating for those interested in biology, physiology, and pathology. Highly recommend.

⭐ James Rollins is one of the best thriller writers around. The Sigma Force books are specifically wonderful. The relationships between the team members, the plotting, and the science and history that are woven into each book make for an extremely pleasant experience while reading, each book can send you down a rabbit hole of researching related historical and scientific info.

⭐ The world is threatened by a bacterial outbreak of biblical proportions and, possibly, origins. That brings Sigma Force into play, along with a host of other characters.Can Sigma stem the tide of this deadly scourge and keep its lethal powers out of the hands of the dark side? Well, of course they can and no one will fail to see that marching down Main Street.The action is fast-paced and entertaining, but the writing sounds like writing and is mediocre. The characters are over the top with not one of them apparently being deterred by the effects of traumatic injury or onslaught of legions of enemy forces. Even the Force leader’s aging and handicapped parents can vanquish trained assassins with hardly breaking a sweat. One could abide the comic bookish hyperbole of this, if they talked and acted like real people. But, they don’t.What adds to the plus side is the extensive factual information about science, history and locations. Coupled with the non-stop action, the foibles are overcome enough to merit a read.

⭐ I guess I should have paid closer attention. The story was fast paced with a lot of action. The characters were portrayed well and I enjoyed the book. However I missed some basic facts like why and how did the cure work? The ending seemed to be drug induced. I think it ended; anyway it stopped.

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