Product Description

ju·das strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinction

A master at combining historical and scientific intrigue with cutting-edge adventure, New York Times bestselling author of Map of Bones and Black Order James Rollins returns with his most relentless, high-octane thriller to date—a terrifying story of an ancient menace reborn to plague the modern world . . . and of an impossible hope that lies hidden in the most shocking place imaginable: within the language of angels.

From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind—a disease that's unknown, unstoppable . . . and deadly. But it is merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow.

Aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis—operatives of the shadowy covert organization SIGMA Force—search for answers to the bizarre affliction that has inexplicably washed ashore. But there are others with far less altruistic intentions. In a savage and sudden coup, terrorists hijack the vessel, turning a mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.

At a Fourth of July celebration a world away, SIGMA's commander Gray Pierce thwarts the murderous schemes of a beautiful assassin—a would-be killer who holds the first clue to the discovery of a possible cure. With the fate of every man, woman, and child on Earth hanging in the balance, Pierce joins forces with the woman who wanted him dead, and together they embark upon an astonishing quest—one that winds through Venetian tombs, Byzantine cathedrals, and jungle-encrusted ruins—following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history: Marco Polo.

But time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. And as a relentless madman dogs their every step, Pierce and his unlikely ally are being pulled into an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity's genetic code. And as the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Pierce will realize he can truly trust no one—not the bewitching enigma who runs at his side or even those who are closest to him—for any one of them could be . . . a Judas.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #422278 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-02
• Released on: 2007-07-02
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The special-ops trained scientists of Sigma Force battle the criminals of the shadowy Guild in bestseller Rollins's lively third Sigma Force thriller (after Black Order). An ancient and deadly plague, the Judas Strain (which afflicted Marco Polo), has suddenly re-emerged. Gray Pierce, a Sigma operative, and Seichan, a Guild defector, pursue clues to the nature of the plague to the Vatican, Istanbul (with a fine shootout in the Hagia Sophia mosque), Marco Polo's tomb and, finally, Cambodia's Angkor Wat. Meanwhile, Guild members hijack a cruise ship full of plague victims (to provide experimental subjects for the weaponizing of the plague), and Gray's parents are taken hostage (though the senior Grays prove feistier than their kidnappers reckon). Sophisticated the plot isn't, but Rollins includes more than enough action and suspense to keep readers turning pages. 8-city author tour. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The crack, ultrasecret Sigma Force team returns in another adventure that, as usual, unfolds at breakneck speed. Sigma Force, made up of former Special Forces officers trained as experts in various scientific fields ("killer scientists," one of their number calls them), scours the world for technologies that could help or threaten the U.S. This time the group's mission involves a devastating bacteriological plague, a mysterious cryptogram that may predate humanity, and the deadly truth about what happened after Marco Polo's expedition to China. After a handful of Sigma Force novels, Rollins has fine-tuned the formula to precision: characters rendered in broad strokes, punchy dialogue, short paragraphs that propel us headlong through the story. The novels are like prose versions of comic books, or lightly fleshed out movie treatments. But this is not a criticism, at least not completely. The books' style perfectly matches their subject matter, and it's impossible not to be swept up by their energy and excitement. Action/adventure fans unfamiliar with Rollins' work should be emphatically urged to read this series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author James Rollins holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine and resides in the Sierra Nevada mountains. An avid spelunker and certified scuba enthusiast, he can often be found underground or underwater.

Customer Reviews

Sigma Force does it AGAIN!
James Rollins does what many authors fail to do: He continues to get better. While I still believe 'Map of Bones' to be his best all-around novel, 'The Judas Strain' is certainly no light-weight follow-up. This is great storytelling, simply put. While you would be hard-pressed to find an action/adventure oriented novel by almost ANY author that doesn't stretch the limits of credibility to SOME extent, I like that no matter how difficult some of Rollins' stories seem to be, he manages to put enough believable science into the mix to make what would otherwise be hard to swallow right into the What If category.

I liked the premise from the first page, which is ALWAYS a good sign in my book. The voyage of Marco Polo from Asia back to Italy was beset by some kind of major tragedy which nearly wiped out all those who participated on the journey...a voyage which Marco never spoke about to seemingly anyone, even at his deathbed...or DID he? Yet another fantastic What If scenario begins as we jump to the modern day world where what seems to be a particularly nasty plague is infecting, and then altering the very DNA of those inflicted. It seems to be originating from the ocean, and after a very short time, scientists from Sigma Force kidnapped by the infamous Guild are working side-by-side attempting to stop what could very well be a planet-wide catastrophe. As always, those in the Guild may or may NOT be what they seem, and all the while we factor in the Vatican and surprisingly the possibility of an actual language of the Angels being translated which somehow seems to be all connected. But to what end? Never fear...Mr. Rollins has control, and he takes us on another thrilling roller-coaster ride that never fails to entertain as well as inform -- which always seem to be the best kind of books to read (IMHO).

For those familiar with the novels by Rollins, this is one of those No Brainer decisions: you simply MUST get this book, it really IS awesome...however, for those who may be new to these books, by all means, buy, read and then run to go purchase the complete works by Mr. Rollins. IF you have the chance, while you do not have to, I would buy and read his books in the order they were released. Entertainment written by a real master...and definitely worth the wait. Kudos again to James Rollins boundless imagination. Now the wait for the NEXT Sigma Force novel begins...

If you haven't tried this series out, you are in store for a treat
James Rollins is getting better with every novel he writes. Unlike other popular novelists with a series, he hasn't fallen into formula or stock characters. He reaches and stretches in every novel, both in plot and idea and character development.

The Judas Strain doesn't disappoint. Rollins has endearing characters that you really care about, a very interesting premise, and non-stop action.

He moved up to hardcover with Black Order, and is now on my "pre-order" list. To see an author get better and better with every novel is a real treat.

Campy Action fun
This book has it all...Cannibals, killer squids, glowing people and barbie-squad villains, and I enjoyed every guilty minute of it! I'm a big fan of disaster fiction- and in this novel the disaster is a toxic virus that has infected the waters off of Christmas Island. Enter: Sigma Force. Sigma force a GI Joe'esque group of professionals who contain the problem and send medical experts to investigate on a donated Yacht.

I liked the bacteria plot and the Marco Polo backstory, and I really liked Kowalski, he was funny! I was less excited about Gray's romance, and I found the villains really cheesy, particularly the sadistic (but hot and multi-cultural) women. They seemed so stereotyped. Does the guild hire from Barbizon? Seriously.

I was torn about Gray's Parents subplot. On one hand I found them endearing, on the other hand I found them distracting. Maybe I would care more if I read the first book. I was grateful when that subplot ended.

Overall, a solid entertaining book with some fun ideas and lot of shallow characters. I could easily see this being made into a movie. 4 stars.