The 6th Extinction

"This is sierra, victor, whiskey. There’s been a breach. Fail-safe initiated. No matter the outcome: Kill us…kill us all.”

In Northern California a military research facility is blown up along with its staff in order to contain the experiments within. The precautions fail however, unleashing a deadly cloud that destroys everything it touches. Bad weather coupled with a lack of information has bureaucrats looking at a possible nuclear option. Sigma Force must now find a cure, traveling as far afield as the Amazon rainforest and Antarctica for answers and a cure.

The book is part of a series but can be read as a stand-alone. There will be references to past exploits and characters that can be confusing if you haven’t read the show more previous books but it doesn’t detract from the plot.

As well I appreciated how much the book leaned on real science for the foundation of the plot, addressing the ethical issues that can arise in the face of new technology as well as showing what happens when morality isn’t a consideration. For readers looking for an explanation of terms there is an entire section in the Author’s Note dedicated to expanding on the locations, history and science cited.

The main problem I had with the book was balance. While the book doesn’t drag in terms of plot, which is appreciated, it’s so long and unrelenting in terms of action that it gives readers no room to breathe. Rollins weaves multiple storylines together to create a complex plot but at times we jump around too much to stay grounded with one chapter being only five pages long. Also almost every chapter ended on a cliff-hanger which while exciting, also became predictable and exhausting. The pace of action never lagged but at over 500 pages it was a slog to reach the end.

It was an entertaining read that immediately grabs the reader and doesn’t let go. With a story and secrets that span centuries, this book will keep you on your toes until the very end. show less

The 6th Extinction by James Rollins is the very highly recommended 10th Sigma Force Novel, but more importantly, it is a terrific thriller that will deliver an action packed ride to the suspenseful end. This is not a leisurely read. It is a "stuck overnight at the airport book," meaning The 6th Extinction will keep you up, awake, and entertained with minimum trips to find coffee or a distraction. In fact, you will be a toe-tapping, nail-biting mess trying to read fast enough to find what will happen next. (And I literally was a toe-tapping, nail-biting mess reading while waiting for my car's oil to be changed today.)

A distress call comes out of an old military station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, by Mono Lake, asking for someone to, show more "Kill us all!" Jenna Beck, a California State Park Ranger and her dog, Nikko, go up to investigate and quickly become part of something much larger than anything she could anticipate. It appears everything near the site is dead - and then commandos in black from a ubiquitous black helicopter fly in to finish the job. The site is blown up, releasing a man-made pathogen that kills everything.

The Sigma Force is called into action to find out what the pathogen is, where the scientist in charge has been taken, who is attacking them and the scientists, and where the genesis of the pathogen can be found. Their teams must travel from California to Brazil to Antarctica in a race to discover the answers and stop the madness before it causes the 6th extinction, this time of the human race.

Rollins always delivers the goods!

This thriller benefits from all the real science and research Rollins does to enhance the book. (Those who miss Michael Crichton's books, take note.) The 6th Extinction is full of science and history. Rollins clues you in at the end what science and research is real, what research or beliefs the scientific debates and theories are based on, and where the science is heading, along with other information. I love that about his books. Rollins not only provides us with an excellent, electrifying thriller full of action and adventure, he also treats his readers with respect and a nod to their intelligence and comprehension.

Having read all the Sigma force novels (or almost all of them), I could easily follow along with the many characters and the action. I really think that you could jump into the series and still finish the book with just as much enjoyment. Of course, then I'm predicting that you'll then want to go back and read the other Sigma force novels - and everything else Rollins has written.


Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes. show less

This is the first James Rollins book I read and I rather liked the research he put into it. The book starts with the journals of Charles Darwin and concern some creatures that were found? uncovered? during the voyage of the Beagle.

Fast forward to modern times, and Jenna, a park ranger in Mojo Park, California, drives to a sudden conflagration and a panicked emergency call. The science complex in her district is the site of this explosion, hovered over by commandos and a helicopter, and she is able to hold her own against them with the help of her beloved husky, Nikko.

Meanwhile, the Sigma Force is called into the case, in part because of the nature of the research and in part because of the commandos. And then the action really builds: show more from California, to Washington, D.C., to a Tepui in the Amazon, to a scientific research station in Antarctica. It was all a wild ride, bordering on the unbelievable with the timing, though with lots of brave folks taking risks to save the planet and the ones they love.

One of the factors I really liked about this book was its exploration of the current sixth extinction of so many species on our planet, along with some of the differing views about the best way to mitigate this tragedy. Do we continue to conserve resources and keep wild what is wild? Or do we mess with genes and DNA and try to help extant species adapt to the new climate? show less

This was the July book for our group book read on Mystery & Suspense group the Library Thing site. I like James Rollins. I have read most of his other series including some in this one, so I thought I knew what to expect. The book description read like it would be a top-notch adventure... and it was...but only up to a point. The opening chapter was mesmerizing...Charles Darwin on the Beagle in Antarctica...secret maps...science fiction, right? Maybe. It wasn't long before I began to find that it was much less a sci-fi story than I had expected. The female leads are highly trained and capable but somehow, they always need to be rescued by a potential love interest with a gun. All the heroes, of course, have guns with no doubts about show more killing and with astounding accuracy...but they are saving the world. If you want to read a fast-paced action novel, then this will not disappoint. If you are a science fiction fan, you might find the flaws in logic regarding the potential microbial threat a bit on the doubtful side. After the journey through history with Charles Darwin, the story switches over to modern times, along with a genetically engineered microbe that escapes from the laboratory and is threatening life on earth. The author skillfully weaves in some information about the Nazi development of Antarctic caverns, then he focuses on the continent's bizarre lifeforms...and begins to address the microbial dangers in this cavern purported to contain super-mutating, predatory species. He by-passes the fact that Mother Nature has quite a long-standing reputation for dealing with life-threatening life forms of any type. I guess the author believes that teeth and squirmy underwater threats are story-worthy villains...and, mostly he is right. I was rather disappointed with the flawed logic where the reader is expected to be fearful of man-made microbes, but not of microbes in a super-mutating environment. If you like gun-toting heroes and villains, then you will probably eat this story up...if it doesn't eat you up first. It has lots of bad guys, some very good guys that we can all root for, multiple life-threatening monsters, a fuzzy warm and sympathetic animal who loves one of the damsels in destress... in this case a dog...and a time-sensitive, can they save-the-world mission. If you are looking for an intellectually challenging science fiction drama with a sweet dog, and a complex moral challenge, then you will diffidently like this one. Side Note: I listen to the audio version read by Christian Baskous. He didn't do a bad job, but I had problems with the way he portrayed the voice of the characters. Of course, I had to take into consideration how many of those different voices he had to do. show less

Responding to an urgent distress call from a remote research sstation in Utah, Painter Crowe and the rest Sigma Force are once again on a mission to save the world. This time they are facing a kidnapped scientist who studies extremeophiles and synthetic biology, a rogue environmentalist, and a para-military group who hunts them all the way to Antarctica. Assisting them is intrepid Park Ranger Jenna Beck and her husky, Niko.

As always, this story is utterly improbable, though it is firmly rooted in real science and history, with information for further research provided in the author's note. While I said when I read the eighth book in the Sigma Force that the format was getting a little tired, I enjoyed this one a bit more. The science show more really intrigued me, and I will definitely be reading more on those topics. A couple of Sigma Force's team members were either entirely absent, or only peripherally involved, with the introduction of a new computer scientist, Jason Carter (who was actually introduced first in Rollins first novel Subterranean, which is not part of the series) taking their place.

I opted to listen to this one on audio, and wish I hadn't for two reasons. The narrator Christian Baskous was not at all enjoyable to listen to. I didnt like his pacing, how he interjectec emotion, or the voices he gave to any of the characters, especially women and the many Brits. Further, it made it painfully obvious to me that while I enjoy these books for what they are, exciting thrillers, Mr. Rollins is not a highly skilled writer. He does a lot of telling not showing, and some of his phrasing and descriptions are truly cringe-worthy. I have never really noticed it before, so I think it was just brought to my attention because I was listening to this book. In the future, I will stick to the printed word.

Rollins recently released the 11th installment in the Sigma Force series, Bone Labirynth, which I look forward to reading soon. show less

Everything James Rollins is famous for is here in The 6th Extinction: fascinating history, cutting edge science and technology, and an adrenaline-soaked pace. I loved the ties to history: which countries had been in Antarctica and why, Darwin visiting while aboard the HMS Beagle, an ancient Antarctica not buried under snow and ice. The science was fascinating as well, especially the look into synthetic biology. As always, Rollins' notes at the end should be required reading for anyone who wants to know how much of the book is factual.

As much as I loved the research behind the story, the two "worlds" Rollins created (one of which is in Antarctica) just didn't grab me. In fact I was reminded of two blockbuster movies. When Kowalski says, show more "Something tells me we're gonna need bigger guns," I immediately thought of Roy Scheider's famous line in "Jaws," and all the talk of synthetic biology and what could be created? I heard Jeff Goldblum in "Jurassic Park" telling Richard Attenborough, "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." Sometimes it's a good thing to be reminded of other books and movies, but this time, remembering movie quotes just made this story feel stale.

Although I did tire of the non-stop action that skipped from group to group in scenarios I just couldn't believe in, I have to admit that I perked up whenever Jenna Beck and her dog Nikko walked on stage. Those two are a winning combination that I actually would look forward to seeing again. All in all however, compared with other Sigma Force adventures, The 6th Extinction doesn't quite hit the target. show less

The 6th Extinction by James Rollins is the very highly recommended 10th Sigma Force Novel, but more importantly, it is a terrific thriller that will deliver an action packed ride to the suspenseful end. This is not a leisurely read. It is a "stuck overnight at the airport book," meaning The 6th Extinction will keep you up, awake, and entertained with minimum trips to find coffee or a distraction. In fact, you will be a toe-tapping, nail-biting mess trying to read fast enough to find what will happen next. (And I literally was a toe-tapping, nail-biting mess reading while waiting for my car's oil to be changed today.)

A distress call comes out of an old military station in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, by Mono Lake, asking for someone to, show more "Kill us all!" Jenna Beck, a California State Park Ranger and her dog, Nikko, go up to investigate and quickly become part of something much larger than anything she could anticipate. It appears everything near the site is dead - and then commandos in black from a ubiquitous black helicopter fly in to finish the job. The site is blown up, releasing a man-made pathogen that kills everything.

The Sigma Force is called into action to find out what the pathogen is, where the scientist in charge has been taken, who is attacking them and the scientists, and where the genesis of the pathogen can be found. Their teams must travel from California to Brazil to Antarctica in a race to discover the answers and stop the madness before it causes the 6th extinction, this time of the human race.

Rollins always delivers the goods!

This thriller benefits from all the real science and research Rollins does to enhance the book. (Those who miss Michael Crichton's books, take note.) The 6th Extinction is full of science and history. Rollins clues you in at the end what science and research is real, what research or beliefs the scientific debates and theories are based on, and where the science is heading, along with other information. I love that about his books. Rollins not only provides us with an excellent, electrifying thriller full of action and adventure, he also treats his readers with respect and a nod to their intelligence and comprehension.

Having read all the Sigma force novels (or almost all of them), I could easily follow along with the many characters and the action. I really think that you could jump into the series and still finish the book with just as much enjoyment. Of course, then I'm predicting that you'll then want to go back and read the other Sigma force novels - and everything else Rollins has written.


Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of HarperCollins for review purposes.
Excerpt
www.jamesrollins.com/books/view/46 show less