The Judas Strain (Sigma Force Novels #4) [Mass Market Paperback]

James Rollins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2008

Buried deep within a jungle, ancient ruins conceal a deadly secret...Buried in a tomb in Venice, a great explorer hides a truth that could shatter history...Buried in our own genetic code, a mystery like no other...But nothing stays buried forever-and it will be up to Sigma Force to face what will be unearthed: a plague beyond any cure, a scourge that turns all of Nature against mankind. From the high seas of the Indian Ocean to the dark jungles of Southeast Asia, from the canals of Venice to the crypts of ancient kings, Sigma Force must piece together a mystery that, unless solved, will end all life on our planet. But even this challenge may prove too large for Sigma Force alone. With a worldwide pandemic growing, Painter Crowe and Commander Gray Pierce turn to their deadliest adversaries for help, teaming up with a diabolical foe who thwarted them in the past. But can the enemy be trusted even now? Or will they prove to be another Judas?

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The special-ops trained scientists of Sigma Force battle the criminals of the shadowy Guild in bestseller Rollins's lively third Sigma Force thriller (after Black Order). An ancient and deadly plague, the Judas Strain (which afflicted Marco Polo), has suddenly re-emerged. Gray Pierce, a Sigma operative, and Seichan, a Guild defector, pursue clues to the nature of the plague to the Vatican, Istanbul (with a fine shootout in the Hagia Sophia mosque), Marco Polo's tomb and, finally, Cambodia's Angkor Wat. Meanwhile, Guild members hijack a cruise ship full of plague victims (to provide experimental subjects for the weaponizing of the plague), and Gray's parents are taken hostage (though the senior Grays prove feistier than their kidnappers reckon). Sophisticated the plot isn't, but Rollins includes more than enough action and suspense to keep readers turning pages. 8-city author tour. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The crack, ultrasecret Sigma Force team returns in another adventure that, as usual, unfolds at breakneck speed. Sigma Force, made up of former Special Forces officers trained as experts in various scientific fields ("killer scientists," one of their number calls them), scours the world for technologies that could help or threaten the U.S. This time the group's mission involves a devastating bacteriological plague, a mysterious cryptogram that may predate humanity, and the deadly truth about what happened after Marco Polo's expedition to China. After a handful of Sigma Force novels, Rollins has fine-tuned the formula to precision: characters rendered in broad strokes, punchy dialogue, short paragraphs that propel us headlong through the story. The novels are like prose versions of comic books, or lightly fleshed out movie treatments. But this is not a criticism, at least not completely. The books' style perfectly matches their subject matter, and it's impossible not to be swept up by their energy and excitement. Action/adventure fans unfamiliar with Rollins' work should be emphatically urged to read this series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Harper; First Thus edition (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060765380
• ISBN-13: 978-0060765385
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (141 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sigma Force does it AGAIN!, July 2, 2007

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel (Hardcover)

James Rollins does what many authors fail to do: He continues to get better. While I still believe 'Map of Bones' to be his best all-around novel, 'The Judas Strain' is certainly no light-weight follow-up. This is great storytelling, simply put. While you would be hard-pressed to find an action/adventure oriented novel by almost ANY author that doesn't stretch the limits of credibility to SOME extent, I like that no matter how difficult some of Rollins' stories seem to be, he manages to put enough believable science into the mix to make what would otherwise be hard to swallow right into the What If category.

I liked the premise from the first page, which is ALWAYS a good sign in my book. The voyage of Marco Polo from Asia back to Italy was beset by some kind of major tragedy which nearly wiped out all those who participated on the journey...a voyage which Marco never spoke about to seemingly anyone, even at his deathbed...or DID he? Yet another fantastic What If scenario begins as we jump to the modern day world where what seems to be a particularly nasty plague is infecting, and then altering the very DNA of those inflicted. It seems to be originating from the ocean, and after a very short time, scientists from Sigma Force kidnapped by the infamous Guild are working side-by-side attempting to stop what could very well be a planet-wide catastrophe. As always, those in the Guild may or may NOT be what they seem, and all the while we factor in the Vatican and surprisingly the possibility of an actual language of the Angels being translated which somehow seems to be all connected. But to what end? Never fear...Mr. Rollins has control, and he takes us on another thrilling roller-coaster ride that never fails to entertain as well as inform -- which always seem to be the best kind of books to read (IMHO).

For those familiar with the novels by Rollins, this is one of those No Brainer decisions: you simply MUST get this book, it really IS awesome...however, for those who may be new to these books, by all means, buy, read and then run to go purchase the complete works by Mr. Rollins. IF you have the chance, while you do not have to, I would buy and read his books in the order they were released. Entertainment written by a real master...and definitely worth the wait. Kudos again to James Rollins boundless imagination. Now the wait for the NEXT Sigma Force novel begins...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Material, Annoying Writing, October 14, 2007

By 

Raving Reviewer (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel (Hardcover)

Rollins certainly did his homework when researching the science and the locales in this book, the result being some intriguing content for a story, but then it went downhill from there. The characters lacked any real substance and the action was described a bit too superficially to be believable. In addition, many of the desperate situations in which the characters find themselves seem to have very convnient resolutions, like a movie with predictable plot twists. And what's with the repetitive use of one-line parahraphs? The book is infested with them! Instead of nicely flowing narrative, many of the scenes read like a list, one thing right after the other, written in repeated one-line sentences or fragments.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what beach reading is all about!, August 2, 2007

By 

Susan Tunis (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel (Hardcover)

I have to admit that I'm a die-hard James Rollins fan. Cracking open his new book is one of the highlights of my summer. Sure his action can be a bit over-the-top and a few details slightly hyperbolic, LOL. I mean, what's a thriller without the thrills? But the books are consistently well-researched, deftly plotted, and very, very smart.

Probably my favorite aspect of Rollins' thrillers is their integration of science into the story. After all, his team of protagonists, the Sigma Force, is part of a government agency that recruits former special forces operatives and educates them to the Ph.D. level in scientific disciplines. They've got both the military training and the scientific knowledge to investigate technological and scientific phenomenon around the world on behalf of the US government. Not a bad starting premise.

The plots of Rollins' novels tend to be complex, multi-stranded affairs that are difficult to summarize. In Judas Strain, as has been noted by other readers, there is an urgency brought on by a possible pandemic outbreak of bacterial infections. That, in and of itself, is not the most original plot. But in a Rollins novel, it's never that simple. Did you know that only 10 percent of the cells that make up your body are human, and the other 90 percent are alien--bacteria, parasites, etc? It's true, absolutely true. Did you know that the difference between a commonplace, harmless bacteria and a potential killer disease is just the tiniest alteration to its genetic code? What would happen if something altered all the zillions of harmless bacteria we have contact with daily and suddenly they turned on us in the most horrific way imaginable? And I do mean the most horrific way imaginable, because James Rollins is a bit of a sicko, and nothing seems to be off limits for him. What he puts his poor "patient zero" through is--yuck--awful!

But what does all this have to do with the travels of Marco Polo? The architecture of Angor Wat? The behavior of red crabs on Christmas Island? The development of "Angelic" text? The religious beliefs of cannibals? How the heck does Rollins COME UP WITH all this stuff? And most impressively, how the heck does he tie all the strands together! Because he does, most satisfyingly. Although, it must be warned that The Judas Strain leaves readers with a simply terrible cliff-hanger that will have us all on tenterhooks until next summer. Waiting for the next book in the series is going to be torture!