The Last Oracle: A SIGMA Force Novel

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!

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!

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 clari

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

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