The Last Oracle audiobook

The Last Oracle is the 5th book in the Sigma Force series written by James Rollins. Years ago, I read a lot of thriller/suspense novels that focused on archaeological discoveries, ancient curses, and international espionage, but for some reason I stopped. Earlier this year, I began incorporating them into my reading queue again and realized how much I'd missed them. Now that I'm catching up with about 20 across a few different series, I think maybe I'm jumping back in too quickly. So often, they feel too similar and have way too much detail that gets in the of the plot. I might need to slow down to every other month in this series.It's good; I'm not saying it's a bad book. But it had nothing of huge shock or amazement that kept me immersed and psyched to determine how everything came together. I found myself eager to skim or put the book down rather than turn the pages so quickly I couldn't control myself. The writing is solid, perhaps a little too formulaic at times. But the plot and characters could use a bit of a varied style. Yes, it offered children descended who from the great Oracles, radiation that changed how people became psychic, explorations of the Ural mountains of Russia.... these were all different to me, but I just couldn't find that one guttural punch in the story to wow me.Learning how the Romani clans are connected with the Eastern European nomads and gypsies was fascinating. I never knew they were related to / settled with Indians in the north part of the country. I'd forgotten what had occurred with Russia's invasion of Eastern Europe (it happened mostly before my time, but bled somewhat into it as a teenager). I enjoy when I can make connections from books to reality and learn some history, and that's why I come back to this series. I will definitely read the next one, but I'm thinking maybe I'll skip July and hold off until August this time.

Impossível não gostar dos livros deste autor. Os livros da coleção Sigma Force revelam sempre temas que se encontram perdidos na história. Este livro não foi exceção, como é que uma moeda encontrada irá revelar tantos segredos escondidos? Como é que uma moeda poderá ser a chave para desvendar historias perdidas e remeter para outros tempos? A moeda trará um conjunto de momentos que ficarão escritos na história e na ciência. Esta moeda não é uma simples moeda. Por outro lado temos o mistério do primeiro oráculo da história, o oráculo de Delfos. Esta descoberta irá trazer eventos inesperados. Será que tudo estará interligado? Como é que irão lidar com o que vão descobrir? Neste caso, o passado será determinante para o futuro. Será que vão conseguir salvar o futuro e a humanidade? Para além de todos os mistérios, o autor abordar diversos temas importantes como o autismo. Faz referências a várias personagens autistas que marcaram a história. Impossível ficar indiferente depois de ler este livro. Num enredo de descobertas, o leitor vai sentir um misto de emoções. Um livro de ficção com uma pitada de realidade que faz com que o leitor sinta cada vez mais curiosidade em ler página após página para descobrir o que realmente aconteceu e qual é o significado de tudo.

4 Stars to an Old Friend When I picked up The Last Oracle as my next read, I didn't realize that it had been nearly two years since I read the previous book in the Sigma Series. I was quite surprised to see how far I had fallen behind. Absence, as they say, only made the heart grow fonder. Picking up a James Rollins novel is like sitting down with an old friend. The flow of the story and the likeable characters are comforting and familiar. While re-entering the world of Sigma Force, the Last Oracle does little to shake James Rollins from the top of the Action-Adventure Genre. The Last Oracle intertwines action with history and science. We receive a brief history in Gypsy or Roma people and their ancient connections. We are also treated to an exploration of the plasticity of the human brain, autism and the scientific connections to things that we may consider "mystical". As always, Rollins has done his research and integrated seamlessly much like Michael Crichton did.Personally, may favorite Rollins Novels are his stand alone novels. I have never come to love the Sigma force as much as his solo reads. That said, I did name my son Grayson. True story. On one level, this novel follows a similar formula to the others in the series. Generally, this bothers me and leads to the abandonment of series. In the case of this novel and the others in the series, Rollins does a masterful job of crafting an interesting story with an engaging supporting staff.If you have not read any of the other Sigma Force Novels, do not fret if this is the only one you have to read. This could be read as a stand alone novel. While reading the previous novel would provide context for one thread of the story, the a Sigma Force newbie could read this and enjoy it fully.Another excellent installment in the Sigma Force Series.

A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!!!!! O-U-T-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G!!

Read out of sequence good but for me a little jerky in the ideas.

shades of amazonia:p306: monk could almost hear his mind flying at speeds beyond normal mentation. after a moment of study, his hands flew over the board, flipping switches with deft assuredness, as if he'd done this a thousand times before.

James Rollins is one of my absolute favorite of authors and I anxiously awaited the release of this book after turning the last page of The Judas Strain, which I reviewed on July 27, 2007. Rollins did not disappoint!The Last Oracle picks up where The Judas Strain left off. From Rollins website I pulled this description, most of which is also the backliner:"What if you could bio-engineer the next great world prophet: scientifically produce the next Buddha, the next Muhammad, or even the next Jesus? Would it mark the Second Coming or initiate a chain reaction with disastrous consequences?"A master at combining historical and religious intrigue with edge-of-your-seat adventure, New York Times bestselling author James Rollins brings back SIGMA Force to battle a group of rogue scientists who've unleashed a bioengineering project that could bring about the extinction of humankind."In Washington D.C., a homeless man dies in Commander Gray Pierce's arms, shot by an assassin's bullet. But the death leaves behind a greater mystery: a bloody coin found clutched in the dead man's hand, an ancient relic that traces back to the Greek Oracle of Delphi. As ruthless hunters search for the stolen artifact, Gray Pierce discovers the coin is the key to unlocking a plot that dates back to the Cold War, one that threatens the very foundation of humanity."For an international think-tank of scientists known as the JASONS has discovered a way to bioengineer autistic children who show savant talents--mathematical geniuses, statistical masterminds, brilliant conceptual artists--into something far greater and far more frightening--all in hopes of creating a world prophet for the new millennium, one to be manipulated to create a new era of global peace--a peace on their own terms.:While halfway around the world, a man wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of who he is, only that he's a prisoner in a subterranean research facility. With the help of three unusual children, he makes his escape across a mountainous and radioactive countryside, pursued by savage hunters bred in the same laboratory. But his goal is not escape, nor even survival. In order to thwart a plot to wipe out a quarter of the world's population, he must sacrifice all, even the children who rescued him."From ancient Greek temples to glittering mausoleums, from the slums of India to the toxic ruins of Russia, two men must race against time to solve a mystery that dates back to the first famous oracle of history--the Greek Oracle of Delphi."I love the way Rollins takes an incident in history and creates a fascinating, page-turner which you will not put down until you have turned that last page. Yeah, that's what I did. I started The Last Oracle while I was waiting in line to see Glenn Beck Live. I stopped only to watch the show, and it was well worth watching, then crawled into bed as soon as I got home and finished reading it.This man can write! He takes us deep into the mountains of Russia, not far from Chernobyl, tosses megalomaniac Russian determined to rule the world, his crazy mother, secret combinations and organizations, gypsies or Romani and the Greek Oracles at Delphi. Mix it all up with the SIGMA force and you've got a ride that will keep you breathless to the end.This book is a must read. I thoroughly and completely enjoyed it. And if you've never read James Rollins before then be prepared. Because you're going to head straight to the bookstore or Amazon.com to purchase all his other books. And believe me, you'll like them all. And they'll be a wonderful addition to your home library.Hardcover: 448 pagesPublisher: William Morrow (June 24, 2008)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0061230944ISBN-13: 978-0061230943Purchase The Last Oracle here.

5 STARS (OR SOMETHING VERY CLOSE)The Last Oracle, more than any of the previous books in this series, is a non-stop rollercoaster ride. There was no time to take a break, have a coffee or even go out to walk the dogs (don't worry, they did get taken out - just not by me) while I was reading this. It was 48 hours of intensive page-flipping with few breaks. It starts with a single death and ends with many more. Rollins doesn't pull punches with his novels - he takes us close to the darkest depths of humanity and some of the atrocities we as a species are capable of committing. And if you read the Author's Note at the back, a lot of the experiments Rollins writes about have in fact taken place at some point in our shared history. A scary thought.

oh MOMMA I loved this book. This is one of the few books in a series that the story alone carried it away to 5 stars. It delved into the characters of Monk and Kowalski (I am one of his HUGE fans!!!) and let go of Painter and Grey development. It sure worked for me. I don't know why, but this book dinged a spot in my heart.

The historical fiction continues in this conspiracy thriller. Rollins really knows his technical stuff and I find most of the science compelling.

** spoiler alert ** The Last Oracle follows a similar path to Black Order, in that a Sigma operative ends up in the base of a nefarious foreign group, intent on killing the world through SCIENCE! In Black Order it was Painter with the Germans, in The Last Oracle it’s Monk with the Russians. The Germans were intent on creating quantum sickness with a device called “The Bell”, allowing their genetically modified offspring to reign superior. The Russians in this book are intent on creating widespread radiation sickness with the dismantling of the Chernobyl “sarcophagus”, allowing a single Russian leader to rise above with the help of autistic savant children.Go into The Last Oracle with an open mind about autistic savants. Simply accept that the differences in their sensory perception might allow for seemingly “superhuman” abilities. Simply accept that while they might have difficulties communicating and perceiving the world as we do, they may be capable of remote viewing, seeing into the future, or sensing heart and intent across long distances. If you’re capable of accepting all that then you’re going to have a good time! While all Sigma Force novels span more than one country, The Last Oracle is a little less linear than most. The story begins centuries ago in ancient Greece with the Delphi Oracle. Under fire from the encroaching Roman Army, the Delphi Oracle and a gifted child flee Greece to the area now known as Punjab, India. They assimilate into the local population but later flee into Europe to avoid persecution, where they’re now known as Romani gypsies. Unfortunately as history dictates the persecution doesn’t ease up in Europe. Russian soldiers hone in on a clan known for their mystical talents, massacring the adults and kidnapping the children. The children are then bred and experimented on over a series of decades, the Russians intent on identifying the genetic markers for autism and exploiting them to produce talented savants. While I previously compared The Last Oracle with Black Order, it shares some similarities with The Judas Strain too. Instead of using modern day science to explain seemingly miraculous acts in human history (like the m-state gold’s properties explaining away Bible events in Map of Bones), The Judas Strain and The Last Oracle follow historical trails to explain scienctific events happening here and now. The Judas Strain followed Marco Polo’s journey through Asia, where Sigma discovered that a naturally occurring and recurring cyanobacterial bloom in ancient Cambodia was responsible for a plague threatening to sweep the planet today. The Last Oracle follows the Delphi Oracle’s trail through Greece, India and Europe, to explain the heritage and mystical talents of the Romani gypsies and autistic savants. I love Greek mythology, but have read very little on the Delphi Oracle - surprising, given my predilection for all things weird and wonderful! I’ve also read very little on the Romani gypsies, though I’ve watched documentaries about the population in the UK and always found Hitler’s fascination with gypsies to be intriguing. And though Philip K Dick’s Martian Time-Slip presented a view on autism that I ruminated on for hours afterward, I’ve never read much more into it either! Half the reason I love this genre is the way it teaches me about history and science in a fun way, so it was great to see these three topics all woven together! While Sasha is the initial star of the story with her ability to foresee the future, Pyotr’s abilities are the real focal point of the novel. His ability to feel peoples’ “hearts” is curious enough, but Rollins continually hints at a dark secret between himself and Marta the chimpanzee. In the final showdown we learn that Marta and Pyotr are psychically and physiologically linked. Both empaths, they knew from the moment they met that they would die together. We also learn that Pyotr is not just an empath, he’s a conduit: he can draw on the power of other autistic savants, gaining their abilities if only for a short time. Unfortunately full use of this power comes at a massive cost, causing Pyotr’s consciousness to literally burn out. Warning: You will cry in this novel. It has an elderly female chimpanzee as a main character, so you know that means something bad will happen to her. If you don’t cry it’s scientifically proven that you do not have a soul. Seriously. I spent the entire novel preparing for an untimely death to come to Marta, and when it happened the floodgates opened and wouldn’t stop. I could barely see the words on my Kindle, I was crying that much over the visual of the elderly chimpanzee drowning in radioactive waste to save the children. (Note: I may or may not be tearing up while writing this….this is why I don’t watch Disney movies anymore!) Thankfully it was revealed that Marta hadn’t truly died, that her consciousness had been transferred to Pyotr’s shell of a body when his mind burned out. Not that that stopped the tears and tissues! I really hope that Rollins plans to bring back Marta/Pyotr in the future so we can see how she’s surviving. Speaking of surviving, OH MY GOD MONK IS BACK. Rollins managed to link the two novels together using Sasha, her psychic abilities spurring the Russians on to save him from death by squid (it sounds so ridiculous when you say it like that)! I wasn’t convinced that Rollins could let a newlywed father like Monk go so I was over the moon to see him back in this book. I’m hoping that the next book will see him take a safer desk job! I was also over the moon to see that Kowalski got a love interest! He’s no longer the thickheaded brute he was in The Judas Strain; we learn that he’s got a love of shoes, speaks Romani and actually has more than a dozen brain cells! I really hope the relationship with Elizabeth works out as it was adorable seeing their fumbling chemistry. It was a shame to see Sean McKnight go although I can’t say I was surprised. We don’t know much more about McKnight other than his history with Painter and his greying red beard. Rollins didn’t seem to care enough about the character to make the reader miss him, much like Painter’s non-descript aide that was killed off in a previous book. If anything, it’s a more a bummer to the reader because Sigma and DARPA will undergo yet another structural change. They remind me of the Russian and Chinese siblings in Pacific Rim: they were barely given 1 line so the viewer knew they weren’t going to survive the film. I wish that James Rollins had fleshed out the cruelty inflicted by Savina Martov at Chelyabinsk 88, turing her into a truly repulsive villain worthy of a Stephen King novel. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that she still retained some humanity in her soft spot for the children, but I think it would’ve contrasted better against tales of barbaric experiments. She was neither a fanatical zealot nor a true monster, she came across as a slightly nutty soccer mum that was a bit pissed about the state of Russia for the last 40 years. Overall: Romani gypsies, autistic savants, Greek oracles and nuclear meltdowns don’t sound like plot devices that should fit together, but they do. James Rollins solves the Romani lineage mystery, explores the potential of the autistic mind, gets Kowalski a date and saves our favourite character. Unfortunately the tale is a little fragmented and the villain not quite as “villainy” as we deserve, but it was a solid effort.

first book i’ve read by james rollins and i honestly loved it. the facts and history behind the story was really intriguing and i just really enjoyed the story line.