To save the world and our future, Sigma Force must embark on a dangerous odyssey into an ancient past whose horrors are all too present in this page-turning thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins that combines cutting-edge science, historical mystery, mythology, and pulse-pounding action.For eons, the city of Troy—whose legendary fall was detailed in Homer’s Iliad—was … was detailed in Homer’s Iliad—was believed to be myth, until archaeologists in the nineteenth century uncovered its ancient walls buried beneath the sands. If Troy was real, how much of Homer’s twin tales of gods and monsters, curses and miracles—The Iliad and The Odyssey—could also be true and awaiting discovery?
In the frozen tundra of Greenland, a group of modern-day researchers stumble on a shocking find: a medieval ship buried a half-mile below the ice. The ship’s hold contains a collection of even older artifacts—tools of war—dating back to the Bronze Age. Inside the captain’s cabin is a magnificent treasure that is as priceless as it is miraculous: a clockwork gold map imbedded with an intricate silver astrolabe. The mechanism was crafted by a group of Muslim inventors—the Banū Mūsā brothers—considered by many to be the Da Vincis of the Arab world—brilliant scientists who inspired Leonardo’s own work.
Once activated, the moving map traces the path of Odysseus’s famous ship as it sailed away from Troy. But the route detours as the map opens to reveal a fiery river leading to a hidden realm underneath the Mediterranean Sea. It is the subterranean world of Tartarus, the Greek name for Hell. In mythology, Tartarus was where the wicked were punished and the monstrous Titans of old, imprisoned.
When word of Tartarus spreads—and of the cache of miraculous weapons said to be hidden there—tensions explode in this volatile region where Turks battle Kurds, terrorists wage war, and civilians suffer untold horrors. The phantasmagoric horrors found in Homer’s tales are all too real—and could be unleashed upon the world. Whoever possesses them can use their awesome power to control the future of humanity.
Now, Sigma Force must go where humans fear to tread. To prevent a tyrant from igniting a global war, they must cross the very gates of Hell.
more
All the characters are evolving and growing older, but with changes come new insights into what they value most in their lives. Gray and Seichan are now parents of a newborn. Life has changed to a more quiet suburban life until Gray gets a call from Painter and we have another thrilling adventure with the Sigma Force filled with historical facts blended with myths, science, and technology.
I enjoy armchair traveling by looking up facts and photos of each of the local areas as the characters move to different locations around the world. My only regret is that I finished this one too fast.
James Rollins never disappoints. The latest book in the Sigma series is sure to please all lovers of action/adventure tales. The action is nonstop and the danger never ends from first page to last.
Loved it!
Always an amazing great; this author is the best of the best!
Rollins does it again with this Sigma Force thriller that takes the reader from a glacier in Greenland to Morocco via Italy and Sardinia. As always, the operatives of Sigma are busily trying to save the world and this time they literally have to go through the gates of Hell (or Tartarus, anyway) to do it. With his unique blend of action, science and technology, with a leavening of mysticism, Rollins continues to turn out books that read well and will satisfy most thriller fans.
Another in the Sigma Force Novel.. Series… An excellent blend of Sci Fi, History, Mythology, legends, geology, & historic refrence… tales of Special Ops.. of The Sigma Force… An engaging, read.. I love the historical refrences at the end by the author;..I enjoy following the Sigma Force Team… over the years.
Another good book by James Rolllins. Enjoyed many books by this author.
Rollins offers a chilling premise with solidly researched and believable plot. Again his book does not disappoint. As always, his story motivates research and an urge to travel and “go there” on my part.
Watch out Cussler hear comes Rollins! Rollins mixes history with Greek mythology to produce an edge of the seat action packed thriller. The characters are fictional but take on a new dimension when having to battle a group bent on destroying mankind as we know it. For a fictional story the weaving of historical records into it makes it seem very realistic.
Read it and enjoy
Cheers
mrbrush
A fun read that is typical of his books. You always learn something you never knew.
James Rollins is a master author. I love his books and have purchased them all. All of his Sugma series are based on factual data that Mr. Rollins has researched. I learn so much new info. At the end of each exciting novel he sorts out fact from fiction. And what do you know? The information is usually all based on some of the latest scientific data. Mr. Rollins was an accomplished veterinarian so he knows his science. I can’t wIt to read what he writes next.
Love James Rollins books!
Only James Rollins can take you to hell and have you enjoy the journey.
One of the most original stories I’ve read. It was hard to put down. Some knowledge of Ancient Greek stories definitely helps. The villains are some of the most ruthless of any book.
I’ll admit to being a Rollins junkie, and try to read all of his books. This one proves as ingenious and innovative as the others, with a nod to Ancient Greece and the city of Troy, the Illiad, Homer’s Odyssey and all the gods–and monsters–of that time come to life. The characters you love from Sigma Force, plus some new faces, must once again save the world, and …. oh, but that would be telling! You’re in for a treat!
Reading a James Rollins novel is the literary equivalent of going slumming. There are goofy, middle-school boy fantasies right out of a cheap graphic novel, like a 10th century Arab ship inside a glacier in Greenland that offers such surprises as the captain sitting frozen at his desk hugging a jeweled, radioactive map; a re-animated nest of crablike creatures of solid bronze with long, articulated legs that run out in all directions, attacking people and bursting into flames; and a “massively shouldered beast, its ruddy bulk glowing with an inner fire”, “casting flames from its maw, revealing jaws lined with fiery razors. Curved bronze horns mounted on its brutish head.” The stuff of comic books. The book would have us believe that evangelical Catholics are working with radical Muslims to bring about the Apocalypse (each thinking they will see their own version of the end of the world), and that the Catholic church can somehow command that artifacts from the frozen ship be delivered to the Pope’s summer palace before scientific analysis. At other points in the story we have an ancient underground city made entirely of bronze; huge bronze automatons that function better thousands of years later than we can even make robots today; and a huge automaton dog with three heads, diamond eyes glowing with fire, and flames for tongues. The heroes are women who look good in neoprene suits and hunky men who can take torture without a peep, and the villains are the classic type who give long-winded explanations of their evil plans. The best thing about the book was learning all about the very real ancient civilization on the island of Sardinia. I can’t believe I never heard of them or saw pictures of their buildings and art in years of reading archaeology books.
I always enjoy Rollins’s books with the fiction based on some truth, some legend, and some imagination. This was one of my least favorite of the Sigma Force books.
Couldn’t stop reading, his usual exciting book!
Always a new exciting adventure with James Rollins.
James Rollins never disappoints. This was another fantastical adventure.
Love James Rollins books