Following the fall of Baghdad, two Iraqi boys stumble upon armed men looting the city zoo. The floodgates have been opened for the smuggling of hundreds of exotic birds, mammals, and reptiles to Western nations, but this crime hides a deeper secret. Amid a hail of bullets, a concealed underground weapons lab is ransacked–and something even more horrific is set free.
Seven years later, Louisiana … Louisiana state veterinarian Lorna Polk stumbles upon a fishing trawler shipwrecked on a barrier island. The crew is missing or dead, but the boat holds a frightening cargo: a caged group of exotic animals, clearly part of a black market smuggling ring.
Yet, something is wrong with these beasts, disturbing deformities that make no sense: a parrot with no feathers, a pair of Capuchin monkeys conjoined at the hip, a jaguar cub with the dentition of a saber-toothed tiger. They also all share one uncanny trait–a disturbingly heightened intelligence.
To uncover the truth about the origin of this strange cargo and the terrorist threat it poses, Lorna must team up with a man who shares a dark and bloody past with her and is now an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol, Jack Menard.
Together, the two must hunt for a beast that escaped the shipwreck while uncovering a mystery tied to fractal science and genetic engineering, all to expose a horrifying secret that traces back to humankind’s earliest roots.
But can Lorna stop what is about to be born upon the altar of Eden before it threatens not only the world but also the very foundation of what it means to be human?
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An Amalgam of Science, Science Fiction and a Thriller
James Rollins’ Alter of Eden is a roller coaster of a thriller that ties elements of the science of genetics and the research by defense companies into a tale that is terrifying close to reality, more science than science fiction. What lengths will such companies go to create the next best weapon of war? What options do such scientific breakthroughs as genetic engineering and work with fractals provide for such companies bent on landing million-dollar defense contracts?
The story opens with the discovery of some mutated animals shipwrecked in the Louisiana bayou and Lorna Polk, state veterinarian, is called in to examine and nurse the strange animals. At the scene, she works with Jack Menard from the U.S. Border Patrol and it turns out the two have history which only complicates the working arrangement. Lorna is at first intrigued, then concerned, then horrified with what she learns about these unusual creatures, such as a parrot who can recite Pi to hundreds of digits. Their work is complicated by the shadowy contractor who will stop at nothing to regain their ”intellectual property,” including killing anyone who gets in their way.
The setting of the Louisiana bayou, with its’ swamps, requisite alligators and snakes, and intricate and complicated water passageways, provides an appropriately eerie background for this mystery and thriller. At ACRES, the scientific lab, Lorna and Jack try to determine what has been done to these creatures, who could have engineered this and what is the ultimate purpose of the experimentation and all the while the mercenaries sent by the defense contractor are closing in.
In this thriller, the action is often breath-taking and the suspense is chilling, especially as the reader is drawn in to the very real potential of these incredible experiments and the firm’s actions to stop the inquiry at all costs. The story is told primarily through two POV’s, Lorna and Jack, and each bring different and interesting insights to the unfolding tale. I’m not sure that back story of Jack and Lorna, two decades earlier, is needed but it added another layer to the mystery elements of the story.
Having read this book, I was reminded of a comment by Ian Malcomb, the scientist in Jurassic Park: “Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should do it.”
This is my favourite JR novel. It contains all of the elements I enjoy in an action-thriller: a fast pace, intrigue, historical events impacting upon the present day, plenty of creatures, a good balance of science and pseudo-science, and of course some all-out, gut-busting action sequences. Yes, most of JR’s novels contain the same elements, but it’s the concept behind Altar of Eden that drops it on top of the pile for me (probably not least due to the inclusion of a prehistoric thread…)
It won’t be for everyone. The prose is basic (its meant to be), characterisation is there, but isn’t a priority (it’s not meant to be), and there is a certain quantum of ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’ (that’s par for the course for a genre fiction action-thriller). In effect, if you are after literary fiction then you may well not get on with this book. If you are after an edge-of-your-seat page-turner, however, then I would highly recommend.
Listened to the audio book when i had a long drive. Found it so-so.
I LOVE Sigma Force. Great characters saving the world, one novel at a time.
Wonderful author! Rollins really knows how to tell a story. He really makes you wonder. I highly recommend all of his books.