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Black Order: A Sigma Force Novel (Sigma Force Novels) [Kindle Edition]

James Rollins
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (257 customer reviews)

Print List Price: $9.99
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Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers

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Book Description

A sinister fire in a Copenhagen bookstore ignites a relentless hunt across four continents. Arson and murder reveal an insidious plot to steal a Bible that once belonged to Charles Darwin. And Commander Gray Pierce dives headlong into a mystery that dates back to Nazi Germany...and to horrific experiments performed in a now-abandoned laboratory in Poland.


A continent away, madness ravages a remote monastery in Nepal, as Buddhist monks turn to cannibalism and torture. Lisa Cummings, an American doctor investigating the atrocity, is suddenly a target of a brutal assassin. And Lisa's only ally is Painter Crowe, director of SIGMA Force, who already shows signs of the baffling malady.


Now it is up to Gray Pierce to save them both as SIGMA Force races to expose a century-old plot that threatens to destroy the current world order . . . and alter the destiny of humankind forever.


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What would thriller writers do without the Nazis? At the start of Rollins's inventive eighth Sigma Force novel, a secret experiment is smuggled out of Berlin in the waning days of WWII. While the Americans have been working on the atomic bomb, the Nazis were delving into the paradoxical tenets of quantum mechanics. In the present day, descendants of Heinrich Himmler are trying to create a new race of Aryan supermen. Last seen in 2005's Map of Bones, Painter Crowe and Grayson Pierce, employees of Sigma Force, a secret arm of the U.S. military, venture to the brink of death to puzzle out mysteries that encompass the theories of evolution, intelligent design, and the physical and spiritual nature of love and God. It's a tall order, but every time the author appears to have stretched too far, he saves the read by throwing in a fascinating scientific or historical fact, plus a scene of heart-pumping action. This is Cussler and Ludlum territory with a dash of Dan Brown, sure to please devotees of any of these authors. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The globe-trotting adventurers of Sigma Force, that elite American special-ops team, return in this high-powered thriller. The story begins cryptically. In Nepal, a strange plague has struck a remote Himalayan monastery, and a Nazi swastika is found on a cave wall. In Denmark, someone is buying up rare historical documents connected to Victorian scientists (for instance, Charles Darwin's family Bible), and the purchaser is desperate enough to kill for his prizes. In South Africa, a mythological beast is apparently alive and well and preying on wildlife. The author interweaves these stories, following the Sigma Force team members as they risk their lives to get to the heart of one of humankind's greatest mysteries: the origins of life itself. Rollins keeps getting better with every novel, and his fast-paced thrillers are feasts for the imagination. Why Hollywood hasn't snapped his books up yet is a mystery, but it's doubtful any big-screen version could capture the author's gung-ho enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity. If you like all-stops-out, high-concept adventure, this one's for you. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

  • File Size: 774 KB
  • Print Length: 544 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1409117502
  • Publisher: HarperCollins e-books; Reprint edition (October 13, 2009)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B000JMKO0U
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,226 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Best thriller of the year! July 26, 2006
Format:Hardcover
I've been reading James Rollins since his very first novel. I look forward to each one with anticipation months ahead of its publication. (Thank God he's prolific!) Truthfully, I like some of them better than others. This latest, The Black Order, is an unequivocal slam dunk. I loved everything about it from start to finish.

One thing Rollins has done right is bring back Painter Crowe in a more significant roll. I've had a warm spot for him since Sandstorm. And in his second outing, I feel that I know Gray Pierce better than I did. How wonderful that these individuals have become like friends and I see their characters deepen and grow from book to book. He introduces a new character in this book that has become a favorite. I really hope we get to see her again!

But the best thing about The Black Order is the plot. I couldn't turn pages fast enough! I plowed through the book in two days and was then sad it was over. What a thrill ride! The novel is complex enough that I can't do it justice trying to sum it up in a paragraph. There were several different intertwined stories spanning the globe, from Asia to Europe to Africa to America. Rollins ties in Nazi science projects dating back to WWII to South African mythological beasts. And even though there were Nazi bad guys, this book has a lot of shades of gray and things aren't necessarily what they seem at first glance.

As always, there was fascinating, cutting-edge science. Each book has some bit of factual science that literally makes my jaw drop, and I think: I have to learn more about that! This one was no exception, but there were also major philosophical aspects to the story. Really, it's a book that has everything--non-stop action, terrific characters, a little romance, a little humor, some good scares, and a lot to make you think. I can't recommend it highly enough!
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36 of 42 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Children of the Bell October 4, 2006
Format:Hardcover
James Rollins novels are generally readable, but several of his most recent, in particular Map of Bones and this new release, Black Order show greatly improved structure and narration. While SIGMA Force stories have appeared before, Rollins has greatly developed the basis of this series, and the result is characters that have some claim for personality and glimmers of original plotting. In a genre that isn't particularly noted for novelty and depth of plot, this is a welcome change. If you have enjoyed Rollin's stories before you will like this new work even better.

Several related subplots make up the story. Commander Gray Pierce is in Copenhagen following an auction of rare books that involves some surprise bidders. Attempted murder and arson make what he thought was an easy assignment that he could use as an excuse to have a lover's tryst into a frantic chase that comes very close to nipping him in the bud. Meanwhile, a continent or so away, an isolated Tibetan monastery goes insane, trapping Lisa Cummings, a young doctor studying survival in the severe heights of Mt. Everest. Also hidden in the monastery is Painter Crowe, Director of SIGMA Force. The two join in their own flight from merciless hunters.

Deep in the mountains is hidden the castle Granitschloss, the ultimate retreat of Heinrich Himmler. Nazi experiments interrupted by the end of the war are still carried on there. An arcane technology is being used to create the super race of which Hitler dreamed. But the current residents may be heirs of the Nazi's but they are no longer the monsters of the Third Reich. Gray Pierce and Painter Crowe piece together the truth, that there is an even more secret organization that intends to use the deadly technology hidden at the castle to forward their own goals of world conquest.

Rollins keeps up a good pace, and the suspense builds as Crowe struggles against a deadly condition that is dissolving his body from within even as he tried to put an end to the threats. The story mixes neo-Nazis with not quite Nazi's, secret rays and genetic manipulation, and occult runes with Darwin's bible. Some of the plot is standard thriller fare, but there are just the right number of twists to keep the story fresh. I hope Rollins can keep this up in future volumes, because I'll be buying them.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Suspense at it's best! July 11, 2006
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Black Order" is, by far, the most exciting, fascinating, heart-wrenching, suspenseful book I've read in years. The premise is believable, the pace is fast, and the characters are all well developed and interesting.

I cheered for the hero's, bled with them, worried for them, held my breath waiting to find out what happened to them, and I cried for them. The 2 anti-heroes were worthy of my contempt, suspicions, limited admiration, encouraging cheers and my tears. The evil ones are pure evil--evil that is believable and caused the hairs to stand up on the back of my neck.

James Rollins has done his research--and it shows. He carefully explains several scientific theories, without talking down to the reader, and I was able to follow along without being lost in the mechanics of it all.

The highlight of the book for me was near the end when Gray and Lisa figured out the puzzle and stated the simple answer--I cried. It's something I discovered long ago in my life, and to read this in a book touched my heart.

Jim stated in his "Author's Note":

"Rather than focusing so intently on where we have come from, a larger question deserves even more fervent attention: Where are we headed?"

What a great summation--to encourage the reader to think: to think about their life and it's purpose, to think about their life and their future.

In "Black Order" Jim incorporates history, science, and religion as effortlessly as a chef moves about the kitchen. Put together, it's an exciting blend of story telling that draws the reader along on a grand adventure. I highly recommend this adventure.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
My first James Rollins novel, but I'm eager to read more! Fascinating plot and well developed characters. The suspense kept me captivated through their very last page.
Published 2 days ago by Nancy McQuinn
2.0 out of 5 stars Not One Of His His Better Books
I'm finding James Rollins' books to be a bit hit-or-miss. Some are fabulous where the imagination is spectacular while others like this one get bogged down in too many moving... Read more
Published 12 days ago by Sarah Cole
5.0 out of 5 stars very good
I loved the action right from the start, loaned it out to another he praises your book too. keep up the good work
Published 13 days ago by wayne c.
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting action
Good story but not easy to follow. Readers with a high rate of reading speed will do best. Story will move faster and the slower parts will fade.
Published 21 days ago by Carl'sPen
5.0 out of 5 stars permanent fixture
James Rollins has become a permanent fixture in my favorite authors list, I love his off center slants on things
Published 24 days ago by Vivian Garber
3.0 out of 5 stars Repetitave and Predictable
While the Sigma force books may be actoin packed, they are no where near the level of suspense that the author intended for them to be. Read more
Published 25 days ago by mark lillie
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite Sigma books
This book and The Judas Strain are my favorite Sigma books. It glued me to it from the first page and I lost a lot of sleep not being able to put it down. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Betty Ems
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Rollins
Since I have not been reading the series in chronological order I wasn't sure if this was a wise choice. But instead I was treated with some history of the Sigma Force team. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Kiburtz
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
Another great, can't put it down novel by James Rollins. My first read of his was " Bloodlines". I liked it so much I back tracked to find the first "Sigma Force" novel. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Benjamin Franklin
4.0 out of 5 stars Each book in the Sigma Force series gets better!
I can't seem to put them down. Each country's description takes you there.
The twist always surprises me. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mary Lindley
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More About the Author

Questions from Readers for James Rollins

Q
I just finished reading The Blood Gospel at around 1AM and loved it. couldn't put it down. When is the series going to continue or is it on its way already. I love stories like this and am great fan of series stories?
Carmen asked Jan 30, 2013
Author Answered

Absolutely! The date is not yet released but I will let everyone know via my newsletter once the date is known.

James Rollins answered Feb 5, 2013

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Intelligent Design Be the first to reply
The Other Books in this Series
I just read it not knowing it was part of a series and it was an okay read. The Sigma Force charaters come across as paper thin since they were introduced long ago, thus making things that should seem like huge revalations quite lackluster and annoying. The side characters are really interesting... Read more
Jun 11, 2007 by P. D. Schlueter |  See all 2 posts
Best of the Sigma Series! - Advance Review Be the first to reply
Rollins Strikes Gold Be the first to reply
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