The Devil Colony audiobook

Let me just start off by saying that I love books by James Rollins. Specifically, I love the books in his Sigma Series. Having said that, I think that this book is one of the best in his Sigma Series. Over the course of the series, you are introduced to characters who have pretty much reappeared throughout every one of the seven books. What I especially love, is that no one character is the main focus of the novel where he/she single-handedly solves the worlds problems and holds off the evil foe. Each of the main character’s in this series has their specialty and individual talents and they use them to form one hell of a team.In the Devil Colony, James Rollins brings the Sigma team back to their home turf and as such the majority of the action takes place in the U.S. In this novel, we get more of a look into the shadowy organization that has been a thorn in the side of Sigma and the U.S. intelligence community. At the same time, Rollins provides a bit of history lesson on the founding of the U.S and ties a 200-year-old mystery to events happening in books modern setting.There is plenty of action, and intrigue, and the suspense is enough to keep you flipping from page to page to see how it all plays out. Plus, I love all the various explanations and lessons that happen in the course of the story unravelling. As someone who works with engineers and physicists on a daily basis, I wish they would explain things as clearly to me as it’s done in the book. The concepts are fairly advanced, but the way they are explained makes them relatively easy to understand on a fundamental level.One thing I was very pleased with is that the characters continue to develop and show hidden depths with each book in the series. The way that Rollins’ describes them and the situations that they are in, had me imagining that I was there as well watching everything unfold as it was happening. I have yet to come across another series or author that combines action, adventure, suspense, mystery, history, and various other scientific concepts and principles in such a way that they are not leaving the reader either out of their depth or feeling like the author has dumbed down the concepts for them to understand.All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a well thought out book with plenty of suspense and intrigue.*This is number 7 in the Sigma Series of books. While you can probably read them out-of-order, I wouldn’t recommend it as there is a natural progression in both character development and overall series plot.*

Sigma Force #7, The Devil Colony, by James Rollins is an intense ride through Native American and Colonial history, touching on nanotechnology, the truth behind the Declaration of Independence signers, volcanoes, and the secrets of the people running The Guild. Thoroughly enjoyed the book, even if a good 10% went over my head! I'm sure if I slowed down and truly focused on every word, meaning, and implication, I might understand the technical details way more... but I'm a reader and a lover of a good story, not the way in which science works! LOLWhat if there were a 14th colony composed of the Native Americans who were willing to work with the Colonial settlers on the formation of the United States? Were Jefferson and Franklin integral in making this almost happen, only for a ruthless family to stop it? Which family was that? We now know that's the family behind the infamous Guild leadership in this series, and we also know their last name... and who it connects to by the very last line in this book. Wow! What a way to immerse us in an amazing story full of fictional accounts, some realities, and a treasure of action adventure.While not in my top 2 of this series so far, it's high up there. The background of the members in the Guild, the Native American connections, and the trip 250 years into history were great, and they made this one stand out more. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

At the outset of this review, I need to make a couple of things clear:1. I was asked by the PR dept. at Harper Collins if I would accept a free copy of this book and review it. I imagine they asked me (along with other Mormon writers/bloggers) to do this due to the book's subject matter including Mormons and Mormon history. I accepted, without any strings attached.2. There exists no agreement that I would necessarily review this book favorably. The review below is my honest appraisal of this book with zero input from Harper Collins.3. I believe that I am the target audience for this book. I am an adult male who loves espionage, thrillers, and history.4. I'm assuming that since I am brazenly Mormon and Harper Collins asked me to do this review that they wanted me to add a Mormon perspective. What I say in this review is NOT an official position of my church, but it IS my, at times very nit-picky take on how Mr. Rollins treats his subject matter. To be clear: I nit and I pick in this review.I shall start with my nit picking so that I can get it out of the way and review the book on its overall merit.Nits and Picks:1. Maggie Grantham is a BYU professor (not explicitly described as LDS). Hank Kanosh is a Mormon and BYU professor as well. He chews stogies, which is referred to in the book as a necessary concession, but there is a reference to a tryst between these two, with no judgement of such a thing. LDS doctrine considers an extra-marital sexual tryst as far more serious than chewing on a stogie. This would be of extreme significance to these two people in the context of their LDS culture. It would inform much of these people's lives and what they do. Also, both professors are expected to live by BYU's honor code; a sexual tryst is far, far outside that code.2. Referring to the Mormon church as the Church of Latter-Day Saints is a sign of an incomplete knowledge of the church, its doctrine and history. It's officially called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, shortened to the LDS church, the Mormon church, or the Mormons.3. Joseph Smith is the name of the man who translated the golden plates, which translation became the Book of Mormon. Rollins gets this right early in the book, but inexplicably starts calling him John Smith about halfway through the book and never gets it right again.4. There is a point in the book wherein Kanosh (remember, a Mormon from birth) ostensibly seems to be meeting the prophet/president of the LDS church to give him something of great value. Kanosh does this in the Salt Lake City temple, apparently right outside the Holy of Holies. Not likely at all. And Kanosh kneels in front of the prophet. That's very not Mormon. People meet the LDS prophet all the time. We shake his hand and absolutely do NOT worship the man. And that, my friends, is it. Harmless little things. There are plenty of other interesting references to Mormon beliefs, particularly regarding the history of the peoples talked about in the Book of Mormon. But those are generally authorial fabrications made in order to tell the story.Now the review:James Rollins is very like a combination of Dan Brown, Matt Reilly, and Clive Cussler. I would say that he is all three of those authors on their best day. I liked The Devil Colony about 17,452 times more than anything I have read by Dan Brown, particularly since Rollins demonstrates zero addiction to melodramatic adverbs and this book was populated by real people who do things that exact a real price upon them.That's also why The Devil Colony is more effective than Clive Cussler's work, which I quite enjoy. Dirk Pitt, Cussler's usual hero, seems completely invincible and to always have the answers; there is never much doubt about the inevitable outcome of Pitt's adventures. Matt Reilly is another favorite thriller writer for me, and Rollins really compares well to Reilly. The difference is that Reilly's action is so non-stop that you forget who's doing what sometimes. And there are a couple of eye rolls that come about with Reilly's work.I have to say I think The Devil Colony is the best modern thriller I have read in ages. This is because the characters really seem human. Kai is a particularly good character-- her inner dialogue is deftly done and she never seems like a throwaway character. But each person is flawed, and they each have relationships that motivate what they're doing. They also all go through hell and pay a price for their narrow escapes and successes. I like it when a character uses ingenuity to fix the 'fix' that they're in.Another place that The Devil Colony shines is that it's a team effort. The Sigma team is a group of folks who are all insanely intelligent and they work together. I like that they made solid use of modern technology to stay in touch and coordinate their efforts. The real-time sense of the pacing also lent a nice feeling of authenticity to the story. The characters are interesting and well developed, with plenty going on internally to lend tension to the conflicts around the characters. Rollins, like many other thriller writers, uses 3rd person omniscient, thus enabling him to allow the reader to follow the antagonist. This is effectively done in The Devil Colony, and again, it's far better than anything by Dan Brown. Browns' villains all feel like they're out of an old melodrama like Klondike Kalamity. Rafael Saint Germaine, the main antagonist of The Devil Colony, is an intriguing fellow whose secrets are murky but who seems like a real fellow. A bad fellow, mostly, but a real one. This is a big book. It comes in at 474 pages. But it was engaging enough and well paced to the point that I felt like it was a quick read. Even the prose is smooth and well-crafted. Rollins is clearly a master of this game.As a book-- a novel-length story-- I really don't have anything critical to say about The Devil Colony. It's very creative, manages cliffhangers very well, moves things along at a suitably breathless clip, makes you mostly care about the characters, and pulls some slick twists. I liked the book. As a dyed-in-the-wool, true-blue Mormon (a convert, yes, but nonetheless), I found nothing at which to take offense. Rollins takes a few liberties, but they're more or less innocuous. I'd like to chat with the fellow about some of his research, actually.I'd say, read the book. If you like thrillers, you'll love The Devil Colony. Vast in scope, daring in its implications, and rollicking in its action; it's a great read.4.5 out of 5 pens.

Consider this: 14 arrows in a bundle, nanotubes, Indians, Lewis & Clark, Sigma Force, Thomas Jefferson, 5 guys in a painting that aren’t supposed to be there, Ben Franklin, a buffalo hide, Jewish settlers and Mormons. What are you going to do with all? Hunh? I mean seriously! Well that is exactly what James Rollins has inside this novel plus a lot more.If you want to hear him talk about it as an added bonus , go to the archives of The G-ZONE, my blogtalk radio show, from Monday and listen in. Jeff Mudgett was my guest on the show also. He was discussing Jack the Ripper. Here is the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gelatiss...Here is the synopsis of the novel:“Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a gruesome discovery — hundreds of mummified bodies — stir international attention and fervent controversy. Despite doubts to the bodies’ origins, the local Native American Heritage Commission lays claim to the prehistoric remains, along with the strange artifacts found in the same cavern: gold plates inscribed with an unfathomable script.During a riot at the dig site, an anthropologist dies horribly: burned to ash in a fiery explosion in plain view of television cameras. All evidence points to a radical group of Native Americans, including one agitator, a teenage firebrand who escapes with a vital clue to the murder and calls on the one person who might help: her uncle, Painter Crowe, director of Sigma Force.To protect his niece and uncover the truth, Painter will ignite a war across the nation’s most powerful intelligence agencies. Yet, an even greater threat looms as events in the Rocky Mountains have set in motion a frightening chain reaction, a geological meltdown that threatens the entire western half of the U.S.From the volcanic peaks of Iceland to the blistering deserts of the American Southwest, from the gold vaults of Fort Knox to the bubbling geysers of Yellowstone, Painter Crowe joins forces with Commander Gray Pierce to penetrate the shadowy heart of a dark cabal, one that has been manipulating American history since the founding of the thirteen colonies.But can he discover the truth — one that could topple governments — before it destroys all he holds dear? “James Rollins expanded my brain and made hypothesis that I thought were unbelievable. But, and I need to add this, if you read past the end of the novel, he has some added bonus material and it does explain what is fact and what is not. My brain still hurts. Amazing stuff in this novel: a fiction/non –fiction novel that also gives a new history lesson/science lesson/kick-a@# action story. The pages were flying through my fingers, they wouldn’t stop turning themselves. If I read it on my Kindle it may have caught fire or I would have busted the next page button. I am a Sigma Force and I thoroughly enjoy the way that James Rollins weaves the science and history throughout the piece. This is a novel that needs to get into your hands. Please treat yourself to the interview also. Listening to Jeff Mudgett and James discuss their individual writing processes is well worth the time.

I read this book a couple of years ago and it's brilliant, my favorite book in this series. Btw this series is awesome! Read it!

The mysteries and excitement here... like the founding of America, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, the Native American peoples, the Book of Mormon, and nanotechnology are all plots that fit well into the Sigma story frame that fans of this series have come to expect and look forward to. There is a large number of side characters here that also takes some time to place them in their places and importance in the story. Overall I have to call it a very enjoyable read though it was a bit too long. On a side note I read that it took Rollins 2 years to write this novel...so...another winner in this series and a well earned 4.5 stars.

Not my usual genre, but gave it a try on Lee Child's recomm. Wow! Awed by the multiple subplots, multiple historical angles, multiple characters and the sheer number of balls Rollins keeps in the air while maintaining a jet-propelled storyline. And his characters have a LOT more depth than most of what you see in the mega-thriller genre. Man, I gotta take notes. But I was too busy enjoying a terrific story the first time through. Gotta read some more SIGMA FORCE.

Sigma force continues to battle evil in their trademark style.

Blurb:Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a gruesome discovery--hundreds of mummified bodies--stirs international attention and fervent controversy. Despite doubts about the bodies' origins, the local Native American Heritage Commission lays claim to the prehistoric remains, along with the strange artifacts found in the same cavern: gold plates inscribed with an unfathomable script.During a riot at the dig site, an anthropologist dies horribly, burned to ashes in a fiery explosion in plain view of television cameras. All evidence points to a radical group of Native Americans, including one agitator, a teenage firebrand who escapes with a vital clue to the murder and calls on the one person who might help--her uncle, Painter Crowe, Director of Sigma Force.To protect his niece and uncover the truth, Painter will ignite a war among the nations's most powerful intelligence agencies. Yet an even greater threat looms as events in the Rocky Mountains have set in motion a frightening chain reaction, a geological meltdown that threatens the entire western half of the U.S.From the volcanic peaks of Iceland to the blistering deserts of the American Southwest, from the gold vaults of Fort Knox to the bubbling geysers of Yellowstone, Painter Crowe joins forces with Commander Gray Pierce to penetrate the shadowy heart of a dark cabal, one that has been manipulating American history since the founding the thirteen colonies.But can Painter discover the truth--one that could topple governments--before it destroys all he holds dear?I enjoyed this novel immensely. Even though I had not been introduced to any of these characters previously, Rollins does an excellent job of re/introducing them--even to new readers.I thought the plot was a tad too complicated--but only a little.The scientific concepts were well explained, with just enough detail.The close timing (character predicaments) seemed a little too forced a couple of times.I haven't read any other Sigma Force novels, but that will be remedied shortly!I only found two editing errors (not that I was actually looking for them), a "\" popped in two places (page 135, and 213).This was a wonderful novel, and I am looking forward to the next Sigma Force novel.

I enjoyed this book. I like that structure, one thing happens to cause the problems for the other and then they are interrupted by another. At the end, there is some lost but they save the big spot. Most of all, the mystery still remains to keep me want to read the next one! :)

The second half was great but the first half was basically a repeat of the previous book. Not nearly his best but it was still quite good.

James Rollins undoubtedly writes some of the best techno-thrillers in English, as i am having the opportunity to realise and savour these days, thanks to his works dealing with the 'Sigma Force'. This book was also very good, very fast, very interesting, and highly enjoyable. I, however, am also developing the idea that these books, which can't be re-read, should be used for intensive reading aimed at learning more about some of the most intriguing things of human history, especially the development of science and technology. Rollins has a style of presenting such nuggets of knowledge in a manner that makes them immensely thought-provoking, rather than drab or boring. However, to sum it up, this is another volume from the said author that should be compulsory reading for anyone interested in history, especially American history. Recommended.

Awesome book and terrifying too.The story might be fiction but the backdrop of science and history makes you believe it could be true. I think that makes Rollins books so scary is that his theories are as good as anyones and can possibly be true.