Customer Reviews

The Last Oracle

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The first James Rollins book I ever read was SUBTERRANEAN. It was a "lost world" adventure, about an underground world that spawned the marsupial creatures that inhabit Australia. The book was a blistering good read and I read it - held completely in thrall - in a single sitting. Not many 400-page novels can do that to me these days.

Rollins is the pseudonym of Jim Czajkowski, but he also writes fantasy novels under the pen name James Clemens. As Clemens, he's written and published seven high fantasy novels so far, with more in the works.

Writing under the Rollins name, he wrote five stand-alone thrillers that took readers inside the earth -- SUBTERRANEAN, into high mountains -- EXCAVATION, to the ocean's bottom -- DEEP FATHOM, through the deepest jungles -- AMAZONIA, and to the most remote and dangerous pole in the world -- ICE HUNT. He also wrote the novelization of the newest Indiana Jones movie, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL.

In SANDSTORM, Rollins introduced a covert espionage team called Sigma Force that deals with archeological and scientific threats to the world. Made up of scientists and military personnel, Sigma Force goes anywhere and battles anything to ferret out puzzles and mysterious left throughout history. Imagine Dan Brown on steroids with Tom Clancy weaponry and you've got a good idea of what Rollins does in these books.

His interest in science and history are immediately noticeable in these books. They're carefully researched (albeit with an eye toward getting Rollins and his fans where they want to go in high adventure), and the pacing is absolutely frantic. Not only does Rollins present information, but he also leavens the exciting mixture with no-holds barred conjecture on his part. He doesn't just know how to relay information, he's quite handy at spinning theories in bite-sized chunks that don't get in the way of the action and don't blow the readers away. I read these books for the information bytes almost as much as for the action and adventure.

The fifth and newest novel in the series, THE LAST ORACLE begins with a bang. After a prologue containing a compelling peek back at the Oracle of Delphi, Commander Gray Pierce is approached by a man only seconds before he's shot and dies in Pierce's arms. The callous murder sends Sigma Force into motion to try to figure out what's going on. Especially since the dead man seemed to know about Sigma Force, one of the most closely guarded secrets in the United States espionage network.

The man turns out to be Dr. Polk, one of the men who helped create Sigma Force. As soon as that mystery is cleared up, the team realizes that Polk - not Pierce - was the intended target all along. Even more mysterious, Polk was a walking dead man, already dying from radiation poisoning.

Rollins plants his clues deftly, charging into the adventure vigorously. A coin clutched by Polk leads them to the museum, and to Dr. Polk's daughter, Elizabeth. I love the pacing of these books, but Rollins strips the characters down a lot, leaving them more blocked-out than filled in. Sometimes I miss not getting to know more about them, but then I realize with the headlong pacing of the books there's no real way to explore any kind of personal life.

In short order, Rollins has got his plot up and running, separating Sigma Force into teams and branching out with different avenues of action. Director Painter Crowe and his group try to figure out the mystery of the Russian girl that falls into their hands while Gray Pierce follows up on the trail of bread crumbs Dr. Polk has left behind. On another front, we pick up the story of yet another Sigma Force member who's fighting for his life to escape enemy clutches with a cadre of the psychically gifted children. And then there are the machinations of the bad guys.

Although I finished the book in a couple sittings, I admit I had to take a breath now and again to figure out who was doing what to whom from time to time. Rollins introduces all the elements of his adventure, from the Oracle of Delphi to the Gypsy culture to Punjab history, then kicks in a lot of psychic spying (remote viewing that the Russians spent so much time with) as well as archeological and scientific background.

Rollins tells his story adroitly, like a sketch artist. He lays out a line that gives the reader just enough to whet the imagination, then jumps to another set of characters and does the same. The pacing and plotting is pure potboiler, and these books could have easily been pulps or serials movies back in the 1940s. Rollins has acknowledge a love of Doc Savage novels when he was younger, and it truly shows.

THE LAST ORACLE also deals with a cliffhanger left over from THE JUDAS STRAIN, and a lot of fans are going to be reading with even more interest than the casual reader. Rollins puts a lot on the line for his regular readers, and they're going to respond.

The book is out just in time for summer. But I have to warn you, if you open this book and begin reading expecting to have a calm day of it, you're going to spend the day on the beach or in a hammock tensed up, dodging bullets and bad guys, and trying to figure out the final mystery of THE LAST ORACLE.

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 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.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I haven't read another James Rollins novel. THE LAST ORACLE was my first, and I enjoyed it. While this style of plot-driven novel is definitely not for everyone, I'd be hard-pressed to name another author who is more on top of his game writing action and suspense than Rollins is in THE LAST ORACLE.

The story concerns a group of autistic savant children who have been bred and surgically altered to improve their savant skills. A rogue Russian senator has plans to create a nuclear disaster that will vault him to global power, and he plans to use the children's talents in his new, self-appointed position. Furthermore, the children's ancestry dates to the ancient Oracle of Delphi, which acts as a historical backdrop for the story.

SIGMA Commander Gray Pierce leads the band of folks who must stop him, navigating from SIGMA's headquarters in Washington DC, to India, to Chernobyl, and finally to the Ural Mountains in the former Soviet Union. Many people try to kill them along the way.

James Rollins has clearly done his research to ground THE LAST ORACLE in a reality that fits the story, and the fear of nuclear waste left available in the former Soviet Union is an issue that needs to be addressed. The political unease underlying the novel works to ratchet the tension, and Rollins does a remarkable job of juggling multiple storylines to enhance the suspense even further.

I'm not convinced that a writer in this genre can't create realistic, emotionally-complex characters, but it does seem like they might get in the way of the plot. That said, if you're looking for a fun action-suspense novel, Rollins is your man. He is at the top of his game in THE LAST ORACLE, and I do recommend this novel. I enjoyed his hard work and the escape from my real life of diapers and bills.

Stacey Cochran
Author of CLAWS available for 80 Cents

I'm generally a fan of these types of thrillers; I like to call them "historical thrillers" because they incorporate a certain amount of history into their storylines. Dan Brown falls into this category, as does Steve Berry. This is my third James Rollins novel, and while I enjoyed the other two, and this one to an extent, the only word that comes to mind to describe it is "weird."

I've read the previous two books in Rollins' SIGMA Force series, Map of Bones and The Judas Strain, both of which were intriguing, though I enjoyed Map of Bones more. The Last Oracle was intriguing as well, but the premise and the unfolding of the plot were just so strange that I had trouble just enjoying the book. I didn't know much about the book when I picked it up, but the title The Last Oracle implies that there is some sort of history involved; in this case, there isn't much.

I feel like The Last Oracle could have been better; in the end, it was just too strange for me to be a big fan of it. If you like James Rollins, or if you are looking for a book with great action but don't really care about believability, I would definitely recommend it, but if you are trying this genre out for the first time, I'd steer clear of this one!

The Last Oracle is my pick for "Best Summer Read of 2008."

It's got it all - fast pacing, well-defined characters, surprising intrigue, and an intricate weaving of subplots that will keep you reading and wishing it would never end.

The Russians, old nemesis of SIGMA, have discovered how to develop the ability of foretelling the future in austic savants. Their technique is not a kindness to their unwitting victims. SIGMA stumbles over their secret - and we're off! Off to a read that's perfect for lazy summer days. Off to mind manipulation, Chernobyl radiation secrets, lost friends, mystical caverns, oracles, divination. You name it - it's in there.

Rollins is a master storyteller and a fine writer. He manages to keep content fresh and up-to-date while drawing the reader into a plot that may - or may not - reflect reality. You'll be the judge.

Forget the twisted, plodding efforts of other mystery/thriller writers - this is one that will keep you entertained and involved throughout the whole book. Get it now for summer reading.

Five stars!

I've read every James Rollins book except the Indiana Jones one. The Last Oracle is his best yet. The action is fast-paced and thrilling. The characters are fascinating.

What is perhaps most interesting to me is that at the end of the book, Mr. Rollins explains that incredible items of information he uses in the novel are actually true. The amount of research backing each novel and especially The Last Oracle is mind-boggling.

I usually contribute books I have read to a senior citizens center and the public library. These along with Tolkein's are ones I won't part with because I read them again and again.

My only regret is that I have only one autographed one!

I will start by saying that if you are a fan of fast paced action, this is right up your alley. This book continues the characters of Black Order and a few others with the Sigma group. I really don't want to give anything away to those who have read the books before. i can say that you won't be disappointed by the pacing or the story. You start right after the events of the last book and the pace never stops. Then again, this is a James Rollins novel. Only reason for my rating is that I felt the story lacked some of the character development of the past novels that really made the pop. While there is some development, it feels like you are only there for the ride. Fun but7 I wish some of the relationships between the characters could have been examined.

One of my friends got me started on the Sigma Force - and once read, you become hooked.
One of my favorite characters in the Sigma Force was missing in the last book, and we find out his fate. And his fate and the core of the book are wonderfully interlocked.
We've heard of Russians experimenting with ESP, and psychic spying - In The Last Oracle, the Russians are using children who have been operated on enhancing the childrens' power to further the Russian's plan to further their plan for world domination.
The Oracle of Delphi starts the story - for those of you not familiar with the Oracle, a succession of Priestesses, or Oracles, would sit and with 'the Gods' help and some vapors that facilitated communication with the Gods, these Oracles would give advise to those who would seek answers to their problems - from Kings to shephards. They are featured prominently in Greek history, and foretold many events in the future. Sometimes they were wrong.
A emaciated man collapses in Gray Pierce's arms in D.C. - he holds a coin that looks like the columns at Delphi, and the tale runs from there.
It is fascinating, exciting and Rollins has once again blended fiction and truth to create another Sigma masterpiece.
For those of us lucky enough to have visited Delphi, memories of seeing where the Oracles sat, and worshipped is a moving experience - The experience is beautifully recreated by Rollins.
Another fast read - setting up another classic Sigma showdown. I can't wait!

This is a very good story with a lot of it based on facts. I already knew of some of the nuclear waste problems in Russia and a bit about autistic people. Rollins did a great job tying the story together about Sigma force personnel working with the autistic children and trying to prevent a major catastrophy. I think he also did a good job making the characters in the story seem believable. The only problem I had was with all the luck both Monk and Gray seemed to be having in staying alive. If I had half that luck I would be winning the lottery this weekend.

I began this whole saga with 'Subterranean' several years ago...moved onto 'Excavation' and have devoured everything written by Rollins ever since. He continues to impress and while raising the bar with each successive novel, the one thing he can do that many authors who write in the same genre have a problem doing: he stays consistently GOOD.

I forget which book in which SIGMA Force began with, but suffice it to say that these boys stay busy! One thing that Rollins does REALLY well is the seamless way in which he weaves fact and fiction together. I really appreciate at the end of his books you can find information that explains the origins of specific parts of the story and just how REAL or imagined they truly are. More than once I was shocked to discover just how far so-called Scientific Experiments have gone in the pursuit of honest-to-goodness strange and bizarre X-Files-like results.

Can man truly--and scientifically predict the future? Just how deep did the Soviet's get into mind-control? While we may never know the EXACT details regarding this, the fact that tests actually were conducted lend an eerie authenticity to the storylines Rollins produces. In one vein I am constantly amazed at what mankind is capable of achieving--consequently I am constantly repulsed at what man is capable of descending to in order to accomplish sometimes truly horrific outcomes.

WARNING: to begin a Rollins novel is to gamble with your time--sometimes dangerously so. If you require a night FULL of sleep to do your job properly, you may just wish to begin this as you wrap up your shift for the weekend, because it draws you in, as do ALL of his previous works do, and once you begin, you find yourself again and again saying to yourself: I'll go to sleep after I finish the NEXT chapter...okay, the one after THAT... Sure, you might have better self-control than I do, and face it, let's hope you do if you're a slow reader--but one thing IS for certain: this book aims to satisfy and entertain you, and once again I can say that James Rollins comes through yet AGAIN. The Last Oracle is in EVERY way a worthy addition to the SIGMA Force series and a fantastic read specifically even without the novels that preceed it.