The Judas Strain: A Novel

James Rollins

Edition	Hardcover
List Price	$25.95
	$17.13 (Save 33%)

Published by	William Morrow
Release date	2007-07-02
ISBN	0060763892
Availability	Usually ships in 24 hours

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.

Customer Reviews - courtesy of Amazon.com ( Marked4Sale.com is not responsible for review content )

Should have been abridged with a more complete ending

It has always been a mystery to me why a lot of writers have a few good books and then a mediocre one. This is the fifth Rollins Book that I have read; two have been five star, Black Order: A Sigma Novel (Sigma Force Novels) and Ice Hunt, and the others something less, like this one.

Part of the plot was unrealistic such as four people were captured and all were kept alive as they traveled to other countries. One of these, a bodyguard, was kept alive by this vicious group that had no qualms about killing hundreds of innocent victims. Was this manufactured since he was used later on in the story? Another woman switched sides so many times it is unbelievable that either side would have trusted her more than once, or twice at the most.

You had to set aside your disbelieve when it came to the group's code-breaking discussions and just skip over the dialog as you knew the answer would just pop-out from the discussion. A lot of the book was too wordy and an abridged version would have made for a better read.

This was the fourth book in the Sigma Force series which is not a problem if only the main characters are carried forth from book to book, but Rollins seems to like to leave a question about some characters for resolution in the next book. Someone in a review for a previous Rollins book said they didn't understand why `Seichan' was even introduced but guess she would be needed in a later book. Well yes she was needed in this book and became one of the main characters but was allowed to escape at the end. Will she be in the next book?

Other than what I mentioned here the book was well written and kept my interest but had an incomplete ending in several respects.

Judas is a fitting name

After finishing this book, I felt betrayed and it was definitely a strain to get through it. There are plenty of good action adventure fiction stories out there so don't waste your time or money with this author.

Sadly, I bought 2 books by this author at the same time: Judas Strain and Black Order. I struggled to finish Judas Strain, finding the dialog, story and action contrived and hard to follow at times. I gave up after 200 pages of Black Odor, finding it even worse.

The books by Preston and Child are generally much better and their worst novel is far better than either Judas Strain or Black Order.

Great book

As usual, Rollins delevers a book full of action and thrills. The masterpiece that I have come to expect from his every release. A must read!!!!!!!!

Over the top action ride

This was my first James Rollins book and i do have to say that overall i enjoyed the book very much. So how come it only got 3 stars? well true believers read on to find out.

With out ruining the plot of the book to much lets say that it involves a Bio-Terrorist group, a covert government agency, a world ending virus, a famous explorer and of course completely over the top action.

This book will keep you very entertained if your an action junkie. Most of the action is completely over the top that it becomes kinda silly. This was pretty much the downfall of the book for me. I love action as much as the next guy but when "Secret agents/scientists/scholars" can do everything from deciphering century old puzzles in one breath and dodging rockets a second later it kinda gets ridicules. I mean one guy even has a prosthetic hand that can clamp down with superhuman strength.

But if you can look past the cheesy action sequences you will find a truly compelling story involving a very well known explorer....it should be noted though that the characters in this book have stared in a book from this author once before and a few references were made to past relationships. I think the book is called "Map Of Bones". However since this is the first James Rollins book that i have read, i cant really say should read the other book first. After i read it ill let you know!

Hard to Get Through

I had a very hard time getting through this book. I really liked all the characters but the plot was over the top. Every element you can think of was thrown in - bioterrorism, religious artifacts, natural disasters, historical figures, love story, parents in peril - and it was just too much mixed together to really enjoy the sotry.