Crucible

Can Even Sigma Defeat This Threat? Honestly, the best thing about this book is that Rollins ups the stakes *so much* that the threat feels *all too real* - even moreso than during the events of The Demon Crown. And yes, in part this is because I'm reading this book - where the science involved is fully realized Artificial General Intelligence - in 2023, when it seems we hear every day that this is truly just days away from actually being real. But also because of Rollins' writing and what he is willing to put the characters we've come to love so much through. The team is actually split in *three* ways here, rather than the more typical two, and with each feeding on the other (as usual)... pulse pounding at its finest. Rollins truly show more makes you feel that even Sigma is actually being gravely threatened - and that is a true talent, after spending so many books showing them to be almost a John Cena type of organization, able to take any beating that comes their way and ultimately win anyway. Combining the science of AI with the history of the witch purges and in particular the Spanish Inquisition - which was still raging as recently as just 200 yrs ago - was truly inspired here, and works quite well - even moreso with the particularly shocking revelation in the end that ties all the way back to the very first words of the book. Truly one of the better Sigma books, but absolutely one that needs to be read at minimum in order as a trilogy with this being Book Three and The Seventh Plague and The Demon Crown being books 1 and 2, respectively. (Even if you don't go back and re-read the *entire* Sigma story before coming into this one.) Very much recommended. show less

My romance with globe trotting action-adventure/spy thrillers started almost a decade ago and I’ve always had so much fun reading them. But I did feel that some of them have been losing their mojo when some of their books in the past few years didn’t feel upto the mark. However, I have been pleasantly surprised in the past few months and I’m so thankful for it. While Steve Berry’s latest The Malta Exchange and Matthew Reilly’s Three Secret Cities thoroughly impressed me, this book showed me why James Rollins has been my go-to author for this genre for the past ten years. I was just expecting to have some fun but this book definitely did so much more.

Rollins’s strength has always been combining aspects of history with show more advanced technology which seems both implausible but not completely unrealistic at the same time. In Crucible, he really intertwines these concepts brilliantly and I just couldn’t put the book down even for a minute. Even though this book has a historical backdrop starting with the Spanish Inquisitions and the inhuman witch trials that happened across Europe, the story here is definitely more about the extremely fast technological developments that are happening in the area of Artifical Intelligence and how when unchecked, these might have very unintended and unimaginable consequences. The core part of the plot in the book deals with an almost sentient AI which is something that has never been seen before and it’s capabilities are very vast, but the most surprising part is that this is the only fictional part of the story. As Rollins mentions in his always riveting Author’s Note, almost all of the technology that is mentioned in the book apart from the AI itself and the other incidents that have occurred are all true and that’s what makes this book absolutely terrifying. These stories are supposed to be escapist fiction, not impending doom of our own reality, but it’s this touch of reality that makes this book both entertaining and thrilling while also serving as a word of caution.

If you are a James Rollins fan, you are going to adore this book and I don’t have to sing it’s praises. If you haven’t read the Sigma Force series before but love action-adventure novels with a touch of history and science, please go and checkout Sandstorm right away. This book was action packed, full of thrills and terrifying events but also very very emotional at its core. I don’t think I’ve ever cried reading one of these books before, but I did here and that’s what makes this installment truly special. show less

Another really interesting trip into history science in a roller coaster thriller from James Rollins. It is hard to describe how effortlessly these are intertwined. We start during the Spanish Inquisition end up in interstellar space and along the way meet and work with an Artificial Intelligence that is almost god like in its abilities. Yet they are so flawless integrated into the story line you almost forget how relevant each of these are from a historical and scientific prospective. Personally I believe that this is what makes James Rollins work so plain flat out fun, his ability to make a totally believable scenario out of parts so totally unrelated.

Rollins always gives a great story line that is so well though out that makes it show more easy to accept the unbelievable and unlikely as the gospel. The quality of the righting is very good, the characters live on the pages and the resolution of the seemingly impossible becomes plausible. There is not much more that can be said about how a true thriller should be written that it is by James Rollins.

While none of this series is absolute spectacular they are all above average and make for great reading. This one is no different and I have to recommend it highly. Thank you James Rollins. show less

Crucible by James Rollins is a very highly recommended action/adventure thriller and the latest addition to the Sigma Force Series. Rollins never lets you down!

On Christmas Eve Sigma Force commander Gray Pierce and his best friend, Monk Kokkalis, return to Monk’s house in Silver Spring, Md., where they discover the house has been broken into and is a wreck. Monk’s wife, Kat, is lying unconscious on the kitchen floor. Even more alarming is that Monk's two daughters, six-year-old Penny and five-year-old Harriet, are gone, along with Gray's pregnant wife, Seichan. Kat is the only witness to what happened, but she is in a semi-comatose state and cannot speak - until a way is found to communicate with her.

What they find out, along with show more other events, sends the team to the site of a massacre in Portugal. The lives of five women who led an international network of female scientists have been murdered and 21 year-old Mara Silviera, whose AI research they were funding, is missing. Somehow the current cutting edge AI research is tied to a group that dates back to the Spanish Inquisition, but the ultimate stakes are even more dire.

Crucible is another exciting addition to the Sigma Force Series. Rollins always delivers pulse-pounding, nail-biting action and bases his story on historical facts and current scientific research resulting in a great mix of action, history, and science. The story itself is full of twists and surprise along with the trade-mark action you expect. As usual, do not skip Rollins author's notes at the end about his research for the novel. I've said it before, and I'm going to repeat myself here, but I appreciate the fact that Rollins treats his readers with respect and a nod to their intelligence and ability to comprehend a complex plot.

As expected the writing is impressive as the various plot threads move along and are all equally captivating. This was a novel that will result in the "just one more chapter" mantra. Although I have read almost all the Sigma Force novels in order, I think you could enjoy this one as a stand-alone as Rollins provides enough background information on the characters. There is, however, a greater depth to the story if you know the characters, their backgrounds, their struggles, and their relationships. I will always take the time to read anything Rollins writes. He always delivers a fast-paced interesting thriller.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
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A good book by Rollins but different. He most often tells about a historical mystery, which creates a current crisis. The history here is the Malleus Maleficarum, but no mystery about it. It’s a plot device for a story about artificial intelligence, sci fi that initially slowed me down. But it picked up again & was hard to put down. I think Rollins writes about science that scares him, but AI seems to top his list based on the fact he added an unusual alternative ending.

As a James Rollins superfan, I always look forward to his new books, especially those in the Sigma Force series. "Crucible" didn't grab me quite like Rollins's books usually do, but it did grow on me as the story progressed.

In this 14th book in the Sigma Force series, the danger to the team doesn't just hit close to home; it actually hits home, and in a very personal way. After having drinks together on Christmas Eve, Monk and Gray return to Gray's house to find the place tossed, Seichan and Monk's two daughters missing, and Kat near death on the kitchen floor. Not knowing what happened and with no other options, Monk agrees to try a radical experimental approach to finding out what Kat knows, even though she is comatose. Meanwhile, in show more Portugal, a group of female scientists are murdered while gathered for a scientific demonstration. How are these things related? The Sigma Force team works against the clock to find out.

I think what appealed to me less about this book vs. the previous Sigma Force books is that part of the Sigma Force team is out of commission in this book - Seichan and Kat. The action belongs to the rest of the team. Because Seichan is eight months pregnant, she wouldn't be able to be involved in much action anyway, but I really missed her badassery. Toward the end of the book, we get just a small taste of what she's capable of -- even with an eight-months-pregnant belly, and I revelled in it. Seichan is one of my favorite characters (and always has been, even before she joined Sigma Force), and I really, really wanted more of her.

Also, while in real life the concept of artificial intelligence fascinates me, AI's role in "Crucible" didn't really draw me in until about halfway through the book. I can't really explain why, except that it just wasn't connecting with me.

Regardless, I give this book a solid 4 stars because James Rollins really knows how to write action thrillers. Even with a dual story line that didn't engage me like past Sigma Force books did, "Crucible" still held my interest well enough that I thoroughly enjoyed the action sequences. I look forward to book #15! show less

A very readable and fast paced thriller. Rollins effectively weaves science, pseudo-science, and future science into his novels. If even a small percentage of his plot stirrers come to pass, the world will be a totally changed place - and not necessarily for the good. As a work of fiction this book, even more than his others, comes very close to being completely science fiction. All-in-all a fun read - action packed and somewhat thought provoking.