The Doomsday Key: A SIGMA Force Novel

I'm not sure why I waited so long to read this book. Normally when a new Rollins is released I'm at the store the same day. Perhaps it was because I was afraid the goodness couldn't last forever, but I should have had better faith in Mr. Rollins. The Doomsday Key was fabulous. It contains all the necessary ingredients for a successful smörgåsbord of action-adventure-thriller-suspense entertainment. There are certain criteria you need for an endeavor like this: the good guys, the bad guys, comedic relief (oh, Kowalski), conspiracy rooted in historical truth (popes and prophecies), gunfights and explosions, caves, caves that cave in, a deadly disease, a finger in a leather bag with ancient symbols burned on the outside, a good dosing of betrayal, some stone circles and smelly peat bogs, oh and a few cliffhangers thrown in for good measure. It's all here! This time around, Sigma is back to work with a shadowy double agent operative named Seichan who also works with the Guild (see: bad guys). We still don't know if Seichan is true to us (and by us I mean Sigma, of course) or if she's just out for her own benefit. Either way, if Commander Gray Pierce doesn't work with her, the whole world could be taken over by a nasty spore; a fungus that grows mushrooms inside of you. Yeah, gross. Doomsday is the sixth Sigma novel, and it could be my favorite. Sometimes after the first few books in a series an author teeters out, the books become formulaic and predictable, but Doomsday is none of these. This one is more mature than its predecessors; I even got teary at one point toward the end. Not to mention there was so much information related to true historical facts that my head was spinning, and I came out the other side smarter for it. Google Saint Malachy and his prophecies, or the legend of the Black Madonna, or colony collapse disorder, and you'll see what I mean; but you won't understand how they all go together until you read this book. It really makes you think... if the facts and details used to make a plot are real, what if Rollins' theories as put down in fiction are actually true? And that, that right there, is why I love his books. I suggest you run your person out to the closest book store and start with Sandstorm (Sigma prequel) and work your way up from there. 5 stars. His next book is not Sigma, but I love his individual adventures too, so I can't wait for the Altar of Eden on December 29.

When was the last time you read or in my case listened to an audio book that took your breath away? If it's been a long time, then you're in for a treat. Action, great characters, fast moving plot, twist and turns, tension and suspense all geared to take your breath away and does. And the quick switches, I found myself yelling at the CD player, "No!! Don't you dare!!!". My recommendation don't start listening to the book in the evening, because you'll be up until dawn because you won't want to stop. Since I'm retired I put in the first CD early in the morning and before I knew it I spent the whole day listening but it was worth it. My only criticism and it had nothing to do with the book but I really do wish producers of audio books would strongly consider hiring both a man and woman for the narrations - some men just don't seem to be able to pull off playing a female. The tempo is wrong, the pitch is too high, while Fernandez wasn't as bad as some and he didn't ruin the experience but to tell the truth it could have been better.

This is the first James Rollins book I have read and based on it, I will read every book he has written. I only just finished chapter 5, and if I can get my heart rate down, I'll get going on chapter 6. You will love this book! There's not a single doubt about that! Fantastic author - my new favorite author!

Yes, I doubted, very briefly. I'm ashamed. It's not that The Doomsday Key doesn't start off in a readable and totally entertaining manner. It really does. Rollins has what he does down to a science by now. He quickly reintroduces the main players (a few of whom we haven't seen in a while: Rachel Verona and Seichan) and establishes their relationships with each other. In addition to the ladies above, all the main Sigma players make their appearance, but as usual not all of them are heavily featured on this adventure. Seichan fans rejoice, she has a major role and experiences tremendous character development in this novel. After the characters are reestablished, (again, as you'd expect) the action starts. A motorcycle chase here, a shootout there, a dash of international travel. Now, I love James Rollins with all my heart, but these opening salvos--while very well-written--felt a little... generic. My moment of doubt. Happily, it didn't last long. Once Rollins set the main plot in motion, all such thoughts vanished. Seriously, WHAT was I thinking? For me, things really kicked into high gear with the introduction of a new character, Professor Wallace Boyle, whose lecture on peat bogs thrilled me to my soul. I know, peat bogs, who'd a thunk it? But again, that's Rollins' gift. He must look at the world through curiosity-colored glasses; he can find the wonder in the most unlikely of places and subjects. And even more brilliantly, he manages to string together a laundry list of disparate fascinating topics into the plot of a tight, tense thriller. And he does it again and again. I know I'm being very, very vague about the plot. It would be a shame to give too much away. The central plot revolves around a plague from the past and a plague of the future: hunger. As characters in the novel expound, there will soon be a tipping point where there are far too many people on this planet to feed. Who gets to choose who lives or who dies? If you had the power and resources to make the hard choices, what would you do "to save the world?" And would you be a hero or a villain? It is the exploring of the above questions that entails ancient artifacts, hidden rooms, booby traps, prophecies come true, missing bumble bees, miracle-performing saints, love triangles, the final resting place of Merlin the wizard, polar bears, teddy bears, and the world's healthiest apple. And I didn't even give you a hint of the real shocker! A lot of thrillers make the goal, save the world, whatever, and end abruptly. Not so here. There was a nice... cooling down period after the action ended. It's a chance to check in with all the major characters, and a chance for Rollins to leave us with another of his signature cliff-hangers. This one isn't as brutal as some he's written, but those invested in the series will be left with a question to keep them wondering for the coming year. A final note: Is it wrong that the author's afterwards have become my v