The Devil Colony: A Sigma Force Novel (Sigma Force #7) by James Rollins

The Devil Colony is the seventh book in the Sigma Force series and my first exposure to it. I haven’t read any other book in this series but felt confident enough to go in as the series seemed to be standalones with common characters. In this story, Sigma Force gets involved in a case of the death of a research team member in a cave in Utah. Painter Crowe is put in charge of the case and is under pressure for earliest possible closure. He also realizes that his niece is somehow involved as she was last seen leaving the cave as the explosion took place. It is also apparent that two groups called, The Guild and True Bloodlines are involved in this case.

The author takes his time to introduce his repeat cast which made it really easy for a first timer like me. I especially loved Seichan's character since it’s the most complicated and difficult to predict. Gray Pierce can hold his own too and is the perfect partner for Seichan. Painter Crowe is also an interesting character to get introduced to. It seemed that he was back on the field after a long time, yet he warmed up to me immediately.

The plot is in the line of something that I haven’t read in a long time. It weaves together history and fiction along with science, suspense and action in a way that in the end it is much more than just a historical fiction. Usually with these kinds of books (with scientific concepts) I often have to go back and look up the initial explanations/introductions. But the author has spread out and explained his concepts slowly and really well making things easy enough for everyone to understand. What was most interesting to read was the chain of events depicted in the book… a cave explosion in Utah could very well result in the geological meltdown of the western half of United States.

Trust me this novel was action packed page turner and anyone interested in this genre should immediately pick it up. As for my part, I will be sure to catch up on the previous installments of the series as soon as possible.

 

The Kill Switch (Tucker Wayne #1) by James Rollins & Grant Blackwood

James Rollins’s Sigma Force series is quite interesting. Now here’s a new spin-off series featuring Tucker Wayne and Kane.


Tucker Wayne is a former Army Ranger and Kane is a military dog who understands over 1000 words. Together they form a team of formidable duo. They are roped in to extract a pharmaceutical magnate from Russian soil. This person holds the secret to a deadly bioweapon that could potentially destroy the world. It isn’t going to be easy what with a renegade General who is intent on getting things his way. From Russia to Namibia, this adventure takes its readers for a ride.


While I liked Tucker Wayne as a character, I sometimes expected more from him. He lacks the larger than life aura that I have come to expect from most international thriller’s protagonists. He seems a bit tame. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of action in the book but it is the fact that Tucker Wayne lacks the certain x-factor. Kane on the other hand is just awesome. I absolutely loved him and loved reading things from his point of view. The plot is straightforward an uncomplicated and I particularly like the bio-terrorism angle of the book. There are no unexpected twists that throw off the readers. I found the antagonist to be really below the mark. His character had been built up with a certain amount of hype that he failed to match in the climax.


The steady pace of the story, the action filled pages and the narration of the story from Kane’s point of view are the good and interesting parts that make this book overall an enjoyable one.