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    The Doomsday Key: A Sigma Force Novel
    The Doomsday Key: A Sigma Force Novel
    The Doomsday Key: A Sigma Force Novel
    Audiobook14 hours

    The Doomsday Key: A Sigma Force Novel

    Written by James Rollins

    Narrated by Peter Jay Fernandez

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    In this electrifying adventure from James Rollins, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sigma Force series, Commander Gray Pierce returns to solve a centuries-old secret, one coded in prophecies of doom.

    At Princeton University, a famed geneticist dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeologist is found dead in St. Peters Basilica. In Africa, a US Senator’s son is slain outside a Red Cross camp. Three murders on three continents bear a horrifying connection: 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 race against time to solve a riddle going back centuries, to a ghastly crime against humanity hidden within a cryptic medieval codex. The first piece of the puzzle is discovered inside a mummified corpse buried in an English peat bog-a gruesome secret that threatens America and the world.

    Aided by two women from his past–one his ex-lover, the other his new partner–Gray must piece together the horrifying truth. But the revelations come at a high cost, and to save the future, Pierce will have to sacrifice one of the women at his side. That alone might not be enough, as the true path to salvation is revealed in a dark prophecy of doom.

    Sigma Force confronts humankind’s greatest threat in an adventure that races from the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway, from the ruins of medieval abbeys to the lost tombs of Celtic kings. The ultimate nightmare is locked within a talisman buried by a dead saint–an ancient artifact known as the Doomsday Key.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 23, 2009
    ISBN9780061902215
    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 Doomsday Key

    4.5/5

    81 ratings33 reviews

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    • 5/5
      As usual Sigma manages to get into, and out of, more impossible situations than anyone can keep track of. Exciting, thrilling, good reading!
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I have all of the Sigma Force series. As always, the pace is fast, the history and science fascinating and the characters compelling. My favorite kind of read! I highly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a page turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat.Princeton University, a famed geneticist dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeologist is found dead in St. Peter's Basilica. In Africa, a U.S. senator's son is slain outside a Red Cross camp. The three murders on three continents bear a horrifying connection: 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 race against time to solve a riddle going back centuries, to a ghastly crime against humanity hidden within a cryptic medieval codex. The first clue is discovered inside a mummified corpse buried in an English peat bog--a gruesome secret that threatens America and the world.Aided by two women from his past--one his exlover, the other his new partner--Gray must piece together the horrifying truth. But the revelations come at a high cost, and to save the future, Gray will have to sacrifice one of the women at his side. That alone might not be enough, as the true path to salvation is revealed in a dark prophecy of doom.Sigma Force confronts humankind's greatest threat in an adventure that races from the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway, from the ruins of medieval abbeys to the lost tombs of Celtic kings. The ultimate nightmare is locked within a talisman buried by a dead saint--an ancient artifact known as the Doomsday Key.
    • 5/5
       I really love James Rollin's books. I love how he takes a historical tidbit of information and connects it to a slice of science, mixes it all together with a lot of adventure and a dash of romance and voilà!; I'm ready for an enjoyable read~I also love how he points out the facts and the fiction at the end of his stories; more than once I have gotten lost on the internet satisfying my curiosity regarding the history/science he calls to attention there.I think he does a great job with his protagonists, I find most to be really interesting and fleshed out. Sigma Force is a recurring theme in many of his stories and it adds another layer of interest for me, taking the adventure to the next level.Rollin's novels are every bit as enjoyable to me as a big screen summer blockbuster; think I'll go get some popcorn~
    • 3/5
      If you're already a James Rollins fan, you'll know what to expect and won't be disappointed.For everyone else, this is a good, fast-paced action thriller in the "Da Vinci Code Genre".
    • 4/5
      This is one of my favorite books because of how well it was researched. It seemed everything in it was true even if it wasn't. I've never heard of the Slavbard Global Seed Vault, and it might not exist but it was described so well it seemed real. At sometimes the story was confusing, like when they're trying to explain all the bio-genetics, but other than that, I really liked the novel. I recommend this book to anyone who likes action.
    • 5/5
      Great fast paced book. The twists and turns are always eye-opening.
    • 4/5
      It's always nice to revisit the Sigma Force gang, and this was a solid outing with some pretty cool scientific and historical underpinnings. And while I know that it's practically a requirement for a thriller to have some crazy and over-the-top plot elements, I wish that this series would fight the trend a bit more, as Rollins's work is far more than just mindless fluff, and I hate to see him giving any ammo (pun sort of intended) to those who live to denigrate the genre. In fact, the crazy (and entirely unnecessary) plot elements had ensured a three-star rating until the very nice twist at the end, which took me completely by surprise and served as a game changer for one of the characters. And yes, someone really needs to get Kowalski a teddy bear.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy the way that Rollins writes but I find the entire Sigma Force versus The Guild annoying. It reminds me of the old TV show Get Smart. Having two agencies fighting each other tooth and nail yet being totally secret and unknown to the general population is fine when played for comedy, but it's difficult to take seriously.In Doomsday Key there's multiple times when military jets and helicopters attack our intrepid heroes, and this force is projected on multiple continents and in public areas...but nobody seems to realize that The Guild exists. Hmmm.Despite that I really enjoyed the book. Rollins takes on a lot of heavy topics like plague, global warming, over population, genetically modified food, and even the disappearance of honey bees---and wraps it all in a novel that uses religion and ancient explorers to explain things.The action sequences are a lot of fun, albeit a mite over the top every now and then, but the tech trappings that comprise the plot are the real attraction here. Rollins does a great job fitting all those threats and dangers listed above into a credible plot. He even gives sources at the end of the book for those that want to explore the topics in greater detail. Great stuff.
    • 4/5
      One of the best Rollins novel thus far. This novel is part of the Sigma Force Series. As usual Rollins blends history, science, and thrilling writing to create an exciting page turner. In this novel he has given the main & recurring characters depth. One of the main Characters Siechan has grown tremendously, however some of the other characters seemed a little flat. This novel compared to Rollins other novels contain more real world scientific facts & ideas that showcases a growing problem:Over Population.....Overall, if you like real world problems/history/science....this is the novel for you....As usal Rollins makes history/science fun and exciting to read....A great "real world scary" kind of book....
    • 5/5
      This is to the agriculture market what the DaVinci Code was to religion! This is a great piece of faction (fictionalized non-fiction) and documented as well. It will make you think twice about eating anything even organic. Why? because it it now about the production of seed. So even if you buy seed and farm organically, if the seed is enhanced or mutated, then what are you getting? Well written and made me read to the very end.
    • 4/5
      This is the first James Rollins book I’ve read, and I must say It was a fabulous read. Even though this books runs in a series, it still stands alone and I had no problem understanding or following the characters. The way the story ended bothered me just a little, but other than that, inside the covers was a great place for my mind to inhabit a world full of spies, secret guilds, murder, intrigue, espionage , along with nonstop action. Every chapter ends by parking your imagination on the edge of suspense. It was really a roller coaster thrill ride for me and I highly recommend the book if you like a great 007 type of international good vs evil action story. James Rollins has won over a new fan and I now look forward to reading some of his other works!
    • 4/5
      A dead geneticist at Princeton, a dead Vatican archaeologist in St. Peter’s Basilica, and a dead aid worker in Ghana who happens to be the son of a US Senator. In every case, a Druidic cross is burned into the flesh of the victim. Gray Pierce and Sigma Force are called into the investigation from two different angles, and end up in deep.This is the fifth book in James Rollins’ Sigma Force series. I haven’t read the other books, so I wasn’t sure how I would like this one; five books in isn’t the best place to start a new series, after all. But The Doomsday Key is an outstanding thriller that I would recommend to anyone.There are hints in the book of past plot-lines, and surely there are some spoilers mixed in, so if you really want to read the other books in the series, I’d recommend you read them first. But there’s really nothing in this book that would prohibit a newcomer from picking it up and enjoying it. That’s not something you can say about most thriller series books.Rollins’ writing is strong; the plot is tight, even when there are two or three different plot-lines going on at the same time, you aren’t really distracted, and you don’t have trouble keeping track of who is where and what’s going on in each. It helps that each plot-line is very closely related to the others, even though it’s not obvious to the characters at the beginning of the book. This is an outstanding beach book — in fact, the cover of my ARC is a little weathered because it got a bit damp while I was on the beach.One of the things you don’t always get in a thriller is good characterization. Rollins’ characters in The Doomsday Key aren’t as deep as characters in fine literature, but they are far more developed than in most thrillers you’ll read. That’s the advantage of a series.Rollins doesn’t assume that readers have read all the other Sigma Force books, which I appreciated. Of course, he’s also banking on them wanting to read the other Sigma Force books once they’re done with this one. And in that respect he is correct; I will at the very least paying a visit to my local library in the very near future to catch up on the past exploits of Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force.
    • 4/5
      This is the first and only book of this series that I have read, therefore plopping me in the middle of some ongoing plots.The main characters work for a secret U.S. Intelligence/Military organization called Sigma Force. The bad guys work for a secret evil military/terrorist organization known as the Guild. The technology displayed in the book was a little advanced compared to current technology, but at no point was the technology a deciding factor. The plot: a priest/archeologist finds the clue to a cure of an ancient plague. The priest is murdered, but not before he could get the clue to an ally of the good agency Meanwhile there is an organization that wants to shrink the population of the earth, through any means possible. Thus a race is started to find the legendary Doomsday Key, stretching from the British Islands to Norway and France, Sigma Force works on finding the key. The Guild works on stopping them and acquiring the Key for themselves. An enjoyable read, the characters are standard adventure book types. The action is crisp and not overdone with military fetishes.The puzzle itself is a clever link between a few legends and ancient symbols. The book nicely sets up a continuation of the underlying stories, but all plot-lines in the book are concluded satisfactorily.
    • 5/5
      Fast paced, topical and just as much fun as the previous installments. A worthy successor to Michael Crichton when in comes to science-inspired thrillers.
    • 5/5
      Another winner--why do I even doubt? Yes, I doubted, very briefly. I'm ashamed. It's not that The Doomsday Key doesn't start off in a readable and totally entertaining manner. It really does. Rollins has what he does down to a science by now. He quickly reintroduces the main players (a few of whom we haven't seen in a while: Rachel Verona and Seichan) and establishes their relationships with each other. In addition to the ladies above, all the main Sigma players make their appearance, but as usual not all of them are heavily featured on this adventure. Seichan fans rejoice, she has a major role and experiences tremendous character development in this novel. After the characters are reestablished, (again, as you'd expect) the action starts. A motorcycle chase here, a shootout there, a dash of international travel. Now, I love James Rollins with all my heart, but these opening salvos--while very well-written--felt a little... generic. My moment of doubt. Happily, it didn't last long. Once Rollins set the main plot in motion, all such thoughts vanished. Seriously, WHAT was I thinking? For me, things really kicked into high gear with the introduction of a new character, Professor Wallace Boyle, whose lecture on peat bogs thrilled me to my soul. I know, peat bogs, who'd a thunk it? But again, that's Rollins' gift. He must look at the world through curiosity-colored glasses; he can find the wonder in the most unlikely of places and subjects. And even more brilliantly, he manages to string together a laundry list of disparate fascinating topics into the plot of a tight, tense thriller. And he does it again and again. I know I'm being very, very vague about the plot. It would be a shame to give too much away. The central plot revolves around a plague from the past and a plague of the future: hunger. As characters in the novel expound, there will soon be a tipping point where there are far too many people on this planet to feed. Who gets to choose who lives or who dies? If you had the power and resources to make the hard choices, what would you do "to save the world?" And would you be a hero or a villain? It is the exploring of the above questions that entails ancient artifacts, hidden rooms, booby traps, prophecies come true, missing bumble bees, miracle-performing saints, love triangles, the final resting place of Merlin the wizard, polar bears, teddy bears, and the world's healthiest apple. And I didn't even give you a hint of the real shocker! A lot of thrillers make the goal, save the world, whatever, and end abruptly. Not so here. There was a nice... cooling down period after the action ended. It's a chance to check in with all the major characters, and a chance for Rollins to leave us with another of his signature cliff-hangers. This one isn't as brutal as some he's written, but those invested in the series will be left with a question to keep them wondering for the coming year. A final note: Is it wrong that the author's afterwards have become my very favorite part of these novels? This may be the longest one yet (And for God's sake, DON'T read it before you finish the book!), and I am staggered by how much true stuff was worked into the novel. I mean, pretty much every too-amazing-to-be-true fact was, in fact, true. James Rollins, you rock my world!
    • 4/5
      A somewhat guilty pleasure of an adventure/suspense novel, with the Sigma Force crew trying to prevent a biological apocalypse from an ancient plague which dark forces are trying to bring back. It feels like I've read several books with this theme, but it has the virtue of being a fast read, fast-paced, and fast to fade from memory. It's like good junk food.
    • 3/5
      So, there's another think tank club in this one, The Club of Rome (and of course there also happens to be a club within that club too). In this book another thing that's featured is the giant seed vault that's supposed to collect every seed in the world eventually.I thought that was the most interesting part of the book, the stuff that went on around that part of the story. There was also another, 'we're (Gray et al) being chased while trying to solve an unsolvable riddle' story that took place mostly in the UK. But it was a bit predictable.On the other hand we do find out a bit more about The Guild, which is nice. I was wondering if we'd ever learn anything about it or if it would just continue to be the 'evil company' like in Get Smart.With the Guild being in the book, there was lots of Seichan drama and even some Rachel Verona drama as well.And then there was the ending. I usually am not a fan of cliff hanger endings. Even if a book is in a series it should also be its own entity. And I especially didn't like cliffhangers of the romance variety, most seem fake and forced, but, this cliffhanger ending seemed to work, and wasn't too bad at all. I liked it. I guess we'll learn which 'she' Gray was with in his place in the next book.
    • 4/5
      I think this is my favorite of his Sigma Force. I love the way Gray can figure things out, I love the action. The Celtic twist was interesting. Can't wait for the next one.
    • 5/5
      The Doomsday Key by James Rollins is the sixth book in the Sigma Force series, reading the previous books is not required to understand or to enjoy the book. This is my first book by Rollins and I enjoyed it so much I read the last half in a single evening. As a matter of fact I plan on reading the rest of the series since I really enjoyed this one.Sigma Force is a special black ops group that has a very wide range of skills and duties, similar to 'Mission: Impossible'. This time 2 separate and seemingly unrelated incidents peak Sigma’s interest for different reasons, discovering they are very much related and are only the tip of the iceberg. Someone has found an ancient biological weapon and has plans for it’s dissemination, all they need to do is find an antidote to protect those chosen. Sigma Force gets tangled up in the plot while trying to figure out who’s doing what and why.The book was an exciting fast-paced ride that started on page 10 after an easy introduction and didn’t stop to let anyone off. As a matter of fact, it kept picking up speed until the end. Helping keep the pace, the chapters were relatively short and each chapter was broken down into sections with time stamps as we jumped back and forth between different groups doing things concurrently. I thought it was well put together and really enjoyed the story. It captured my attention and didn’t let it go. I highly recommend for those who enjoy spy thrillers of the action kind.
    • 4/5
      The Doomsday Key by James Rollins ( A Sigma Force Novel)
      Painter Crowe and his associates from Sigma Force, Gray and Monk, along with Rachel, an Italian detective, and Seichan, “former” Guild member, try to track down some substance kept hidden for centuries, but referred to in The Domesday Book produced for William, King of England, also known as William the Conqueror, in the eleventh century. The book hurtles from Italy to Scandinavia, with side trips involving Scotland and Wales, but culminating in action in an old abbey in France. It is non-stop action with warring factions appearing to have access to tremendous levels of resources. Needless to say there are plenty of puzzles to be solved, traps to be avoided and physical dangers to be faced. It is never easy to know exactly who is on the side of good apart from the Sigma Force members, but this leads to some very interesting scenarios. Read very quickly.
      4.5 stars.
    • 5/5
      I’m not sure why I waited so long to read this book. Normally when a new Rollins is released I’m at the store the same day. Perhaps it was because I was afraid the goodness couldn’t last forever, but I should have had better faith in Mr. Rollins. The Doomsday Key was fabulous. It contains all the necessary ingredients for a successful smörgåsbord of action-adventure-thriller-suspense entertainment. There are certain criteria you need for an endeavor like this: the good guys, the bad guys, comedic relief (oh, Kowalski), conspiracy rooted in historical truth (popes and prophecies), gunfights and explosions, caves, caves that cave in, a deadly disease, a finger in a leather bag with ancient symbols burned on the outside, a good dosing of betrayal, some stone circles and smelly peat bogs, oh and a few cliffhangers thrown in for good measure. It’s all here! This time around, Sigma is back to work with a shadowy double agent operative named Seichan who also works with the Guild (see: bad guys). We still don’t know if Seichan is true to us (and by us I mean Sigma, of course) or if she’s just out for her own benefit. Either way, if Commander Gray Pierce doesn’t work with her, the whole world could be taken over by a nasty spore; a fungus that grows mushrooms inside of you.Yeah, gross. Doomsday is the sixth Sigma novel, and it could be my favorite. Sometimes after the first few books in a series an author teeters out, the books become formulaic and predictable, but Doomsday is none of these. This one is more mature than its predecessors; I even got teary at one point toward the end. Not to mention there was so much information related to true historical facts that my head was spinning, and I came out the other side smarter for it. Google Saint Malachy and his prophecies, or the legend of the Black Madonna, or colony collapse disorder, and you’ll see what I mean; but you won’t understand how they all go together until you read this book. It really makes you think… if the facts and details used to make a plot are real, what if Rollins’ theories as put down in fiction are actually true? And that, that right there, is why I love his books. I suggest you run your person out to the closest book store and start with Sandstorm (Sigma prequel) and work your way up from there.5 stars. His next book is not Sigma, but I love his individual adventures too, so I can’t wait for the Altar of Eden on December 29.
    • 4/5
      Best Rollins yet (haven't read his latest one). Great story, and the characters finally have begun to really develop and set up for future novels in the Sigma Force series. I especially like the love/hate relationship between Pierce and Seichan, mortal enemies but seem to need each other in weird, twisted, adventure novel sort of ways.
    • 3/5
      Rollins' Sigma Force novels are action-adventure stories based on science, but taking that science well beyond established bounds. That's ok, the what-if-it's-true feeling you get from them is part of the fun. It doesn't hurt that the action is non-stop and the heroes are enjoyable. So what if they're essentially all the same book and major characters are clones of one another? I manage to enjoy four Lethal Weapon and who knows how many Schwarzenegger movies that have the same problem. If action/adventure/thriller is your thing, you'll likely enjoy Rollins.Doomsday Key is better than the previous couple of books in the series. The plot's a bit more science-y and less hinting at the supernatural than earlier ones. The prose and the characters didn't disappoint, and the bit of a plot twist at the end sets up the next book nicely. Rollins is definitely a good antidote to the technical reading I've been doing for work lately!
    • 3/5
      Good read, interesting weave of details that all come together in the end
    • 5/5
      I chose this book as it was an intriguing idea to me to marry facts and early history with a fabled story. I wanted to see how well the author could mesh things together. I was pleasantly surprised and read the entire book on my week's vacation. It was a compelling read.This will make a good dude film, lots of action, explosions, etc. (I'm not a dude but am married to one. I have him reading it now).This was my first Sigma Force read, and I would read the others. The book was fast paced and the character developments were such that I could immediately like the 'hero's'. Seichan was well-developed as well; I liked her, I hated her and also felt pity for her.
    • 3/5
      Scientists cum superheroes Sigma Force explore the myths behind the Domesday book and the conspiracy behind GM crops in their latest caper. Often reading more like a film script than a novel the action is non-stop yet often predictable. Yes, the characters are likeable and it never felt like any of them were in genuine peril, which makes the story seem very "safe,"Rollins needs to shake things up a bit in the next instalment to keep me interested.
    • 3/5
      Typical Rollins... Lot's of action. Lot's of history. Good but not his best.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book as it dealt with several historical mysteries.
    • 5/5
      Sigma Force confronts humankind's greatest threat, world hunger. This was an exciting adventure which took us to the Roman Coliseum to the icy peaks of Norway to the lost tombs of Celtic kings in search of a talisman, the Doomsday Day key, which was buried by a dead saint. Most chapters ended with a cliffhanger which kept the pages turning. This book had it all - history, mystery, prophecy, religion and science with lots of action in between. James Rollins is an excellent writing and I look forward to reading the next book in the Sigma Force series. I would highly recommend this series to adventure lovers.
    • 4/5
      The Doomsday Key is another solid entry in the Sigma Force series. There's yet another grand conspiracy, betrayals within betrayals, bad guys where you least expect them, good guys where you least expect them, and so on.The plot, which seem to be a derivative of any number of similar novels, is somewhat redeemed by the good writing.Sigma Force novels seem to take to an extreme the plot device of scrappy underdogs versus what would usually be overwhelming force. A couple of Sigma Force guys with a empty gun against helicopters of Guild henchman? No problem! If Sigma Force had been stationed at Thermopylae, they apparently could have defeated a Persian force ten times greater, in addition to curing hunger and disease between attacks.