The Last Oracle

A fast-moving novel with a truly intriguing plot, The Last Oracle achieves what might seem impossible—making Greece’s oracles real and relevant to the present time, without veering into fantasy or simplistic adventure. There’s a nice blend of modern world politics, ancient world history, and world-spanning geography. There’s a growing threat that just might promise Armageddon. And there’s a pleasing collection of characters—the novel's clearly built on a series, but it's easy to read on its own. The Last Oracle is a thoroughly enjoyable adventure, a cleverly plotted mystery, a nicely intriguing commentary on the post-WWII world, and a really good read.

Disclosure: I borrowed it from the book bank.

The Last Oracle is the fifth book in the Sigma Force series, and while the author has stated that you do not need to read the books in chronological order, this is the first book that I think would be a huge disservice if you had not read the previous few.

Having read the previous four, I would not say that this is my favorite among them. That being said, James Rollins continues to do a fantastic job of spinning historically accurate items with a twist of what ifs. In this case autistic savant children meets Chernobyl.

The one thing I will say that this book has done that the other four have failed to do is the strong emotional drag. I have yet to have such an emotional response to one of Rollins books as I have with this one. I am sad show more a character that I have liked from the beginning is no longer around, happy for a reunion (only for it to not be great), and then heartbroken by the loss of such a beautifully described soul. But yet, are they gone? And if they are, then someone else is gone, and which is worse? So many feelings!

Looking forward to seeing where he continues to take this storyline next! show less

In this, the fifth in Rollins' Sigma Force series a group of scientists from various countries collaborate in a spine tingling bioengineering experiment to try to produce to next great “prophet”. This one, rather than promising salvation, was to bring the world to its knees. Mr. Rollins' books are always filled with page turning adventure but this one had a interesting back story as well. As much as I enjoyed finding out what has happened to the members of Sigma Force since The Judas Strain I was fascinated by the theories about the Oracle at Delphi, the heritage and migration of gypsies and interesting ideas about autism that his book put forth.

A No-Spoilers Review



Last summer, the diabolical Mr. Rollins left his fans with a cliff-hanger ending that was simply TORTUROUS. Let me start this review by telling readers that the unresolved questions are answered thoroughly and in a completely satisfying manner. And, you don’t have to wait ‘til the end of the book to learn those answers. Yes, that’s all very vague, but I don’t want to give away a thing.



Now the above paragraph may seem pretty intimidating or off-putting if you haven’t read the novel that precedes this one, The Judas Strain. Well, here’s the most impressive thing about The Last Oracle: It absolutely works as a stand alone novel. Yes, it’s great if you’re a long-time fan of the Sigma Force novels, but show more Rollins manages to jump-start this tale from the opening pages, and I don’t think you’d need any back story to dive right into this adventure. And never once did I feel like there was that awkward exposition you often see in series novels. Bravo!



The hard part of reviewing any James Rollins novel is trying to summarize the plot. This novel opens in 398 A.D., with the eponymous Oracle of Delphi. The final moments of the temple are depicted. A few pages later we’re in Romania, circa 1959. The Ruskies are rounding up a bunch of charming villagers. And a few pages after that we’re at last in modern-day DC, with our old friend Gray Pierce of Sigma. Walking across the Mall, he’s approached by a “homeless” man. As he pauses to give the guy a hand-out, a shot rings out. Gray is safe, but the derelict is killed. Later investigation suggests the stranger was the intended target, not Gray. This is confirmed when Gray’s boss takes one look at the body and say’s, “I know this man.”



It turns out the man was an important part of Sigma history. Two clues from his murder lead Gray to the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History. There he meets Elizabeth Polk, who becomes a major player in the novel. The scenes in the museum (where I once worked in real life) are among my favorite that Rollins has ever written. The action picks up at this point, and as one clue leads to another, Gray, Elizabeth, and an assortment of Sigma and non-Sigma characters find themselves globe-trotting from India to Russia. With this author, it’s pretty much a given that the action comes fast and furious, and the pages will fly by at lightning speed. Along the way, Rollins explores the connections of autism to the Oracle of Delphi, the history of the Romani (Gypsy) people, and the advancement of the human race. We get to visit with old favorite characters from books past (though some you’ll expect are notably missing) and we’ll meet some new characters too. Not all are human.



As always, there was some real science entwined in the plot that absolutely floored me! Sometimes it’s almost an aside and you just wish the entire novel was about the fact that, apparently, human beings (all of us) can see two or three seconds into the future. And again Rollins provides an afterward to clarify fact vs. fiction and cite some of his sources. He also manages to incorporate up-to-the-minute current events into the novel’s plot. It was a little bizarre to have real life news delving very directly into the novel’s story. Talk about timely!



Okay, I’m unable to summarize this plot in any meaningful way. It’s simply too complex. But The Last Oracle is fantastic addition to the Sigma novels, and works shockingly well as a stand alone. You need a great airplane book or a beach read? This is the book you’re looking for. show less

There is always a steady stream...well more like a torrent...of action in these novels. This time the action was more balanced with the plot...making it more of a page-turning read. I don't know how much time James Rollins puts into research before starting one of these books but it must be considerable. Sigma Force novels are formulaic, but the formula always works. You have ancient history... new mystery...and a bunch of bad guys that always get their "just rewards" in the end. You find that you will become very attached to the characters, both old and new. James Rollins is a great storyteller and I love his books.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat.
I have to say that I was rather impressed with this book. Not completely sure what I was expecting but the writing drew me into the story. There were only a few instances where I thought that the writing got a little long winded but by the end I realized that those spots in the book were worth the time. I will read more of Rollin’s work in the future.

The Last Oracle, is the fifth in James Rollins' Sigma Force series. As we start, Gray Pierce is walking along the Mall in Washington DC when a seemingly homeless man spots him. As they meet, the man offers Pierce a coin and then is shot by a sniper. At almost the same time, a little girl disappears from the National Zoo. Sasha is no ordinary little girl - she is the centerpiece of a long-standing Russian experiment into the world of autistic savant children. As the novel progresses, we learn about the connections between some select autistic savant children, the Oracle of Delphi, and the radioactive wasteland around Chernobyl in the Ukraine.

As per usual, James Rollins has combined some fantastical ideas into a story that takes the show more reader on a roller coaster ride. This is true escape fiction - part history, part espionage and part shoot-em-up - The Last Oracle is the perfect book to read when you need to live in a completely different world for awhile. Each time I finish a Rollins novel, I'm surprised by two things: Rollins is able to create a fictional world in which the reader will believe just about anything; and Rollins' characters are pretty darn three-dimensional. I believe this is the second book by this author that has brought tears to my eyes near the end. Over the years, when reading spy/thriller/mystery books, I have come to expect that the characters will usually be pretty one-dimensional. Given the genre, the reader expects a lot of emphasis on plot with a lot less emphasis on characterization. However, Rollins has a knack of keeping the plot moving along quite quickly while also drawing the reader into the emotional lives of some of his characters.

If you like escapist reading, give this one a try. show less