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The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel
The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel
The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel
Audiobook18 hours

The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel

Written by James Rollins

Narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

An elite scientific military force must combat a plague beyond any cure—a scourge that turns all of nature against mankind in this nail-biting new thriller from James Rollins, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sigma Force series.

From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind – unknown, unstoppable…and merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow.

Operatives of the shadowy covert organization Sigma Force, Dr. Lisa Cummings, and Monk Kokkalis search for answers to the bizarre affliction aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital. But a sudden and savage attack by terrorist hijackers turns the mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.

Time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. As the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Sigma’s commander, Gray Pierce, must join forces with the beautiful assassin who tried to kill him – following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history into the terrifying heart of an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity’s genetic code.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateJul 2, 2007
ISBN9780061475900
Author

James Rollins

James Rollins is the author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the “top crowd pleasers” (New York Times) and one of the “hottest summer reads” (People magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight. He lives in the Sierra Nevada.

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Reviews for The Judas Strain

Rating: 4.352941176470588 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

85 ratings30 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I have to admit that I'm a die-hard James Rollins fan. Cracking open his new book is one of the highlights of my summer. Sure his action can be a bit over-the-top and a few details slightly hyperbolic, LOL. I mean, what's a thriller without the thrills? But the books are consistently well-researched, deftly plotted, and very, very smart. Probably my favorite aspect of Rollins' thrillers is their integration of science into the story. After all, his team of protagonists, the Sigma Force, is part of a government agency that recruits former special forces operatives and educates them to the Ph.D. level in scientific disciplines. They've got both the military training and the scientific knowledge to investigate technological and scientific phenomenon around the world on behalf of the US government. Not a bad starting premise. The plots of Rollins' novels tend to be complex, multi-stranded affairs that are difficult to summarize. In Judas Strain, as has been noted by other readers, there is an urgency brought on by a possible pandemic outbreak of bacterial infections. That, in and of itself, is not the most original plot. But in a Rollins novel, it's never that simple. Did you know that only 10 percent of the cells that make up your body are human, and the other 90 percent are alien--bacteria, parasites, etc? It's true, absolutely true. Did you know that the difference between a commonplace, harmless bacteria and a potential killer disease is just the tiniest alteration to its genetic code? What would happen if something altered all the zillions of harmless bacteria we have contact with daily and suddenly they turned on us in the most horrific way imaginable? And I do mean the most horrific way imaginable, because James Rollins is a bit of a sicko, and nothing seems to be off limits for him. What he puts his poor "patient zero" through is--yuck--awful! But what does all this have to do with the travels of Marco Polo? The architecture of Angor Wat? The behavior of red crabs on Christmas Island? The development of "Angelic" text? The religious beliefs of cannibals? How the heck does Rollins COME UP WITH all this stuff? And most impressively, how the heck does he tie all the strands together! Because he does, most satisfyingly. Although, it must be warned that The Judas Strain leaves readers with a simply terrible cliff-hanger that will have us all on tenterhooks until next summer. Waiting for the next book in the series is going to be torture!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Where would the world be without Joe Kowalski. He's definitely my favorite ?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Slightly better than Ice Hunt (see above), but again just your average adventure read. I find some of his characters in the Sigma Force novels to be a bit bland.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved it. I've been very busy lately and haven't been able to really get into a book. Couldn't put this down. Three storylines interwoven well, fast moving, interesting science and history background.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I picked this book up for a few dollars in passing and I have to say it was fantastic. Of course, all of the usual thriller books are far-fetched in terms of the main characters survival ability, but put that aside and the plot was wonderfully imaginative. The book focuses on an elite US force called Sigma and a large international cabal called The Guild who are always battling each other. Rollins does an awesome job of twisting both a historical plot and a scientific plot around Marco Polo's travels that took place throughout the 13th century. The historical arm of the book has a lot of research into the story of Marco Polo and a horrific disease they encounter during his travels returning from Asia. History repeats itself and causes both the Sigma and Guild scientific groups to cross paths working in the modern day to figure out the mystery disease before its too late. Great blend of both science and history. Great book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The Judas Strain suffered from several problems. First, too much of the action was simply too over the top. I love wild action as much as anybody, but for some reason I found myself shaking my head too often. Second, for me the story actually bogged down in the shifts of point of view from one group of characters back to the other; sometimes, I felt as if the author was primarly trying to extend the story but wasn't really saying anything new. Finally, I found the scientific/fantastic elements of the actual story a bit far-fetched. Maybe that's just me, but I felt that Rollins simply went "a bridge too far" in his ideas and the book seemed to leave the realm of the plausible thriller to speculative science fiction.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A page-turner about a secret group called the Sigma Force, a group of soldier scientists. The group is in a race as a world-wide pandemic threatens. Two arms of the group work to discover the science and history of a mysterious illness called the Judas Strain. Monk, Lisa, and Gray work diligently to try to stay ahead of the groups covert evil counterpart. A thrilling vacation read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Great book. Kind of a cross between The Davinci Code and a Clive Cussler novel
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    At the end of Marco Polo’s Expedition he runs into a deadly virus that causes skin rashes and drives the inflicted into a mad frenzy, either killing them outright or turning them against the survivors. The fleet returns to Europe with only 18 members and never speaks of the plague they found. Several hundred years later the same virus turns up on Christmas Island, off the coast of Australia. Together, Sigma, a guild member and the Vatican must follow the trail of clues cross continental, while racing against other operatives and time as the diseases takes more lives. Judas Strain is filled with pirates, cannibalism, action, and a good mix of science and history (although stretched). I am looking forward to the fifth book in the series- The Last Oracle and will be diving into it next.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Judas Strain, by James Rollins, is an action-packed international thriller. Gray Pierce, commander of the Sigma Force (an elite, science-based governmental agency), finds himself retracing the footsteps of Marco Polo to discover the source - and cure - for a deadly bacteria that threatens to afflict humankind. While Pierce follows the historical trail (accompanied by Seichan, an elite terrorist who once tried to kill him), his colleagues Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis are at the ground zero for the release of the mysterious plague that turns humans into crazed cannibals.As I type this, the story sounds so far-fetched as to be ridiculous, but Rollins weaves an engrossing tale. Rollins is one of the better writers of thrillers, and he does a great job of using both science and history to tell how a plague could incubate for hundreds of years before being released once again into the world. This certainly isn't high literature, but is well-written and tightly plotted, making it an excellent book for it's type. Plus, the ending left me a little misty-eyed, which is pretty unusual for a thriller.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A fun ride, especially if you're into virology. Rollins delivers action, a touch of romance and some somewhat questionable but interesting science... an easy read without being insulting. Rollins seems to be honing his craft with each successive book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've always liked Rollins' novels.  They have plenty of historical facts with just a tinge of the supernatural to make a good story.  The Judas Strain is no different, though the supernatural really doesn't come into play until the very end.  Plenty of intrigue with this one, gun battles, hostages being tortured, escapes, some deaths.  Of course the church has an involvement and the historical figures from the past are never quite what they seem.  And the amazing part, is most of this does have a basis in historical fact.  I can't say this is the best of Rollins, but it is worth the read if you enjoy his other work.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Terrible book. Too many coincidences for my taste, characters overdrawn, almost every chapter ends with someone or another about to die - and then you wait several chapters before those characters reappear. And what do you know, they are safe again. A real potboiler as they used to say.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Smacking sounds. Strange breaths and wrinkling plastic sounds. My ears feel icky.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    For sear fun and adventure a great read. Will keep you interested for days. Perfect summer read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I have to admit there are always some parts of James Rollins' books that I find cheesy, but I really look forward to reading his books because I think he's a great storyteller. The Judas Strain was a great addition to the Sigma Force novels because I like the character development and stories of Gray, Painter, Kat and Monk.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fast paced - easy "summer" read - Rollins' novels have just enough factual content to make them somewhat plausible. Always an enjoyable - light experience.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Marco Polo, the vatican, elite force and mysterious evil force surrounding the mystery of deadly plagues that seem to erupt every couple of centuries. What causes them? Can they be contained, used, abused for evil or for good? A good read.... makes me want to read Marco Polo's travels. Loved the neon predatory squid.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I had read some Rollins books years ago and remember them as entertaining -- nothing difficult, nothing gruesome, just kind of escapist. So much for my memory. I started this one, got about 200 pages into it, and quit. There were some pretty horrific descriptions of violence which were upsetting to me. The characters I neither found likable nor believable. The story jumps from one set of characters to another with little pattern. And the whole plot was so far divorced from any reality that it was laughable.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Judas Strain by James Rollins is a SIGMA story. It is a very good adventure / mystery tale. The book is a fun read and well worth the purchase price.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Non-stop action. This book just kept moving along and it was really hard to put down. Curse the need to sleep! With this being the fourth in a series, I'm already vested in the characters, but Rollins keeps developing them which is great. A realy good read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Full of Action and stunning characters I have read just about every book written by James Rollins and in my opinion "The Judas Strain" is right up there at the top. It's a stunning and education portrait of those nasty bugs in the world of biological science. In the "The Judas Strain", the fourth novel in the Sigma Force series I thought Mr. Collins writing style captured the true effects of a loose deadly bacteria that is killing all life in the waters of Christmas Island. The story is full of action and the author had a way of drawing me into the characters; it was as if I knew them. I like that about an author. Off the top of my head the mega author Clive Cussler also a knack for strong character development and Mr. Collins in his own style has proved he knows a thing or two about developing character traits. A great thriller.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The book is way, way too long. I found myself counting the pages remaining...and believe me there were lots! Just when I was falling asleep the story would take off again and I'd be caught up. Overall... thanks to relentless action in spectacular places, great characters in the Sigma Force crew, and plenty of spurious science (again sometimes too much)...it all provided more than enough distraction from some almost unbelievable breathtaking coincidences and leaps of logic.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There's been a definite flow tot he SIGMA Force books (after the first one at least). Their internal history is nicely consistent. If you see the Dragon Court, or a character in one of the books, it's likely that he or she (if they survive their introduction book) may very well pop up in another of the books. It's sort of interesting and makes me wonder who's going to appear in each next book.This time the stories gel pretty early, which I liked. There's a plague sort of thing going around on Christmas Isle, and at the same time a couple of old friends, Monsignor Vigor and Seichan (of The Guild) along with Gray have to save the world by following another bunch of historical clues hidden centuries ago.Rollins doesn't really change his formula, that's fur sure, but, what I like about the books is how well (compared to some others I've read) he interweaves the history and science with the storytelling and the fantastic, and the exposition rarely seems forced.I also really like how he writes his characters. They're so vivid that you can't help but get invested in them as full and fleshed out people.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I greatly enjoyed this book. The historical aspect of the mystery is very appealing and he blends historical fact, possibilities and unlikely history smoothly into an entertaining read. The characters are well developed and have great depth. James Rollins books are my guilty pleasure reading. Great for a nice light read or a summer vacation book. I would strongly recommend his books.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the 4th book of the Sigma Force and was a mixture of science and history of Marco Polo's trip to China. When a virus is threatening devastating results it is a race for the cure between the Guild and Sigma Force. The book takes us to Cambodia, Christmas Island and Istanbul with pirates, cannibals, crabs and squid which keep the book interesting and the plot moving forward with lots of action. The scientific explanations were hard to follow at times but flowed easier with the audio. The final cliffhanger makes you want to read the next book soon. I would recommend this series to those who love science, history and adventure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Judas Strain is the fourth in Rollins' Sigma Force series. As is usual, the book is a roller coaster ride of a thriller that ends with a great battle between the forces of Good and Evil in an exotic location. Bombs go off, bullets fly, miraculous saves are made, the good guys survive impossible odds, and the world is saved. Is it a classic literary work? No. Is it scientifically realistic? No. But it's entertaining, and the continuing characters are fun to get to know. And Rollins kicks the ending up a notch by leaving us hanging as to the fate of at least one of the characters. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although it took a real stretch of the imagination to make the plot of the novel even half believeable I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. Rollins' Sigma Force characters are real 'boys own' heroes believing in truth, justice and the American Dream as they romp around the world trying to save us all from ungodly disasters - in this instalment a virus, the eponymous Judas Strain, threatening to wipe out life as we know it. The exotic locations, Christmas Island and Angkor are richly described and it's hard not to have been swept up by the adventure as the story nears it's climax.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fast paced - easy "summer" read - Rollins' novels have just enough factual content to make them somewhat plausible. Always an enjoyable - light experience.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    James Rollins seems never to disappoint, and I'm a definite fan of his Sigma Force series.