Product Description

At Princeton University, a famed geneticist dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeologist is found dead in the heart of St. Peters Basilica. In Africa, a US Senator's son is slain within a Red Cross camp in Ghana. These three murders on three continents bear a horrifying tie: all the victims are marked by a Druidic pagan cross burned into their flesh. The bizarre murders thrust Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force into a global hunt for a powerful group of industrialists who have a stranglehold on the world's food supply. Aided by two women from his past, Gray flees a trio of high-tech assassins as he pieces together the clues. But saving the world comes at a high price: Pierce must sacrifice one of the women. Yet even that price might not be enough, for, as he soon discovers, the only true path to salvation lies with the Doomsday Key.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7664 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 448 pages

About the Author
James Rollins is the author of eight previous novels including the bestselling MAP OF BONES and THE JUDAS STRAIN. An amateur spelunker and scuba enthusiast, he holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Missouri. He currently lives and writes in Sacramento, California.

Customer Reviews

Entertaining Hokum
If you've read any of James Rollins' previous books and hated it/them then I wouldn't bother picking up The Doomsday Key. This latest adventure featuring the men & women of SIGMA follows the same well worn template used for all of Rollin's previous books; namely some violent incident, this time involving the death of a priest in the vatican, leads to SIGMA uncovering a hidden conspiracy and at the same time solving some long hidden historical mystery. Stir in some pseudo-science to give it a pretence to factual accuracy, a bunch of treasures guarded by Indiana Jones-style traps and a series of action set pieces and you end up with a piece of OTT, often ridiculous but none-the-less hugely entertaining action adventure hokum. Nothing more and nothing less.

Assuming that you're a fan of such things and of Rollin's earlier books you'll probably find that The Doomsday Key, despite being entertaining, doesn't quite live up some of his previous efforts. Whilst it ends with an rapid fire, tense finale, the pace of the first two thirds of the book is slightly off and at times the story seems to slow to a crawl or meander badly. The central mystery isn't quite as compelling as it needs to be either and the main sub-plot, involving genetically modified crops, never really catches fire and then simply peters out. There are some great set pieces, such as a blizzard bound fight in the artic reaches of Norway, but they aren't enough to entirely rescue a book that needs to be punchier but gets weighed down with too much exposition.

Rollins also needs to move the whole 'Guild' story arc, that has run since the first Sigma novel, forward. I struggle to remember exactly what the Guild's primary motivation is at times. Its all very well keeping them as an ominous, mysterious, secretive and ruthless threat in the background for a few books but if we don't begin to find out more about them, how they're organised, who their members are, etc I'll begin to lose patience. For the threat to remain palpable they need to be more than a name and a bunch of expedendable mercenaries who get their comupance at the end of each novel. The Doomsday Key sketches in a few new details about SIGMA's main adversaries but leaves just as many questions unanswered.

So, if you're a Rollin's fan you'll no doubt enjoy The Doomsday Key despite its flaws. If you're new to the author I would recommend picking up Sandstorm or one of his earlier standalone novels before tackling this latest one. If you haven't liked any of his previous books then you're unlikely to enjoy this one either. Personally I liked it but I also know he can do much, much better...

Another fantasic novel from the Sigma series......
....absolutely loved it. James Rollins goes from strength to strength. Each book is thoroughly entertaining with well written action sequences fitting of the best adventure thriller. The storyline is fast paced, with page turning action involving all the Sigma characters from earlier books.

In particular the section of the book which deals with the Doomsday book in the Lake District is highly entertaining, as is the action sequence that takes place in the icy stretches of Norway. Pure escapism.

Managed to read this book in a very short space of time on holiday. As with all James Rollins books they seem to end far too quickly.

I would thoroughly recommed this book and this author. If you are new to Rollins then start with Sandstorm, the first in the Sigma series and take the very entertaining rollercoaster of a journey through all of the books, I promise you will not be dissapointed. A great book from a fantastic author. I would highly recommend this book.

So heres looking forward to the next one!!!

Doomsday Key
Once again; a quick fire storyline, murder at the beginning, during the plot and the baddies die horribly at the end. A good holiday read.