Black Order

I've been reading James Rollins since his very first novel. I look forward to each one with anticipation months ahead of its publication. (Thank God he's prolific!) Truthfully, I like some of them better than others. This latest, The Black Order, is an unequivocal slam dunk. I loved everything about it from start to finish.

One thing Rollins has done right is bring back Painter Crowe in a more significant roll. I've had a warm spot for him since Sandstorm. And in his second outing, I feel that I know Gray Pierce better than I did. How wonderful that these individuals have become like friends and I see their characters deepen and grow from book to book. He introduces a new character in this book that has become a favorite. I really hope show more we get to see her again!

But the best thing about The Black Order is the plot. I couldn't turn pages fast enough! I plowed through the book in two days and was then sad it was over. What a thrill ride! The novel is complex enough that I can't do it justice trying to sum it up in a paragraph. There were several different intertwined stories spanning the globe, from Asia to Europe to Africa to America. Rollins ties in Nazi science projects dating back to WWII to South African mythological beasts. And even though there were Nazi bad guys, this book has a lot of shades of gray and things aren't necessarily what they seem at first glance.

As always, there was fascinating, cutting-edge science. Each book has some bit of factual science that literally makes my jaw drop, and I think: I have to learn more about that! This one was no exception, but there were also major philosophical aspects to the story. Really, it's a book that has everything--non-stop action, terrific characters, a little romance, a little humor, some good scares, and a lot to make you think. I can't recommend it highly enough! show less

I fell in love with Rollins' work way back when I was in high school, and although I don't quite get sucked into his Sigma Force novels in the way I did his stand-alones, I'm still enjoying the series and characters. There are pieces of this book, in particular, that feel a little bit more over-the-top and Hollywood-ized than necessary, but in terms of it being a book that sucked me in and kept me engaged, it's as strong as most of Rollins' work and I really can't complain. I'd still recommend his stand-alones first, this was a fun, Indiana-Jones type romp through action and science and history.

As is the case of most of the Sigma stories, there is a great deal of action which always provides an entertaining story. History buffs will love the background information. I feel that Rollins books are a bit too long but they just keep you reading regardless. The only problem I have with the writing is that at some critical point in a segment of the story....the story shifts to another segment which is a bit confusing. Overall I have to say the characters were fascinating and Rollins has given his readers another top of the line book.

Blurb from the cover:

In Copenhagen…a suspicious bookstore fire propels Commander Gray Pierce on a relentless hunt across four continents – and into a terrifying mystery surrounding horrific experiments once performed in a now-abandoned laboratory buried in a hollowed-out mountain in Poland.

In the mountains of Nepal…in a remote monastery, Buddhist monks inexplicably turn to cannibalism and torture – while Painter Crowe, director of Sigma Force, begins to show signs of the same baffling, mind-destroying malady…and Lisa Cummings, a dedicated American doctor, becomes the target of a brutal, clandestine assassin.

Now only Gray Pierce and Sigma Force can save a world suddenly in terrible jeopardy. Because a new order is on the rise show more – an annihilating nightmare growing at the heart of the greatest mystery of all: the origin of life.

My review:

Black Order is the third book in the Sigma Force series, and truthfully, the hardest one for me to get through. I enjoyed the first two books in the series for various reasons, but I found myself dragging myself through Black Order. The plot of the story (basically tracking down the creation and use of a machine that can create a perfect specimen) was interesting, but it was pretty long winded. There were also three locations through most of the book, and it wasn't until close to the last 100 pages that it all seemed to come together.

Like in the previous two books, Rollins does a fantastic job of showing the extent of research that he puts into his writing. At no point was I confused or needed further explanation of what science topic he was discussing. That being said, at times it did seem like the explanations turned into doctoral papers.

I was happy to see all of my favorite characters from the first two books come together in this one. I know it is stated that you do not need to read the books in order, however I do see the benefit of doing so, and I would highly encourage anyone interested in the books to read them in order. The character development and their deeper story lines carried through and I as a reader have become invested in them.

While this was not my favorite book by Rollins, I did still enjoy the adventure that he wrote and will continue on to read the next book in the series. show less

The third book in James Rollins Sigma Force series was an improvement over book two but still, ultimately, underwhelming.
The plot, involving Nazi scientists, secret research in hidden lairs, plays out like one of the more fantastic James Bond movies which dazzle with special effects but are soon forgotten.

The pacing between action and exposition is better handled and so flows better but the characters are limited.
Despite this being either the second or third outing for some of these characters they still felt one dimensional and I found it difficult to emphasise with any of them. For me, one of the main characters, Fiona; starts irritating, becomes grating and ends up annoying.
For the most part they felt like placeholders merely acting show more to move the story onwards.

However, for thrillers of this type, I can forgive a lot if I feel the resolution was reached in a satisfactory manner.
For Black Order though, the resolution came down to faith and prayer. Which for a story about evolution, genetics and quantum theory was basically a cop-out. show less

James Rollins once again outdoes himself in Black Order.

"Lisa knew what she had to do. She let go of the scientist inside, let go of her own self. Her goal was beyond consciousness, beyond prayer, it was simply belief in the purity of that moment, the Bell burst with a blinding light, binding them together."

This quote comes at the end of a long, harrowing and heartbreaking journey from WWII and the mad scrabble of the Superpower Allies to scoop up the best/worst of Nazi Germany's scientists and their work.

Ranging from the Himalayas to the Veldt of South Africa through Europe; Stigma Force chases, well, I can't tell you. This is an outstanding scientific and philosophical thriller. Well read!

The head of the SIGMA Force in a loin cloth in Nepal. It's definitely a unique way to start a story. This is the third book in the SIGMA Force series about the DARPA super secret commando agents.

This time there are two (and eventually three) stories going on at once. That made it a little hard to get into at first, since there were some characters that just appeared with no context. Still they were interesting stories. One was set in a South African wildlife preserve, another in a Nepalese Mountain (one that isn't named Everest), and one in Copenhagen.

Once the story got going though and connections started to be made between the disparate stories the novel got much more interesting.

And like the previous two novels in the series a lot of show more the history stuff and the science stuff was done well and most definitely fun to read (here and there even more fun to read than the plot).

It wasn't quite as much of a thriller as I've read, a bit more like a mystery with a bit of suspense. But, it was a mostly interesting mystery as well.

All in all a good book in an interesting series. Not a have to read, but more of a, 'if you have the time you should definitely read', read. show less