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Loading... Map of Bones (original 2005; edition 2006)by James Rollins (Author) kames04 | Feb 2, 2024 |   All that aside, I really enjoyed most of the characters. Gray was pretty cool. I liked that we were privy to some of his internal dialogue. It was interesting to see someone who exuded such strong vibes to his teammates fighting with himself in his head. Uncle Vigor was great too, even if he was a bit of a know it all. It did bug me some though, that he was nearly ALWAYS the one figuring out the puzzles. I would have liked more from Kat, but I liked what we did get from her. She was pretty bad ass, if I do say so myself. One thing I will give this book good marks for is it's ability to just be picked up. I found out after I'd read a good chunk of the book that it was, in fact, the second in the series. You don't miss anything, as far as I can tell, by starting the series with this book. (  ) cebellol | Nov 8, 2024 | BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 | During a crowded service at a cathedral in Germany, armed intruders in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and destruction. But the killers have not come for gold; they seek a more valuable prize: the bones of the Magi who once paid homage to a newborn savior . . . a treasure that could reshape the world. With the Vatican in turmoil, Sigma Force under the command of Grayson Pierce leaps into action, pursuing a deadly mystery that weaves through sites of the Seven Wonders of the World and ends at the doorstep of an ancient, mystical, and terrifying secret order. For there are those with dark plans for the stolen sacred remains that will alter the future of humankind . . . when science and religion unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time. The bones lead to ancient mysteries and present-day terror . . . To follow them means death. My Review: Map of Bones is the second book in the Sigma Force Series, and also the second book by James Rollins that I have read. While it is not necessary to read Sandstorm prior to this book, doing so provides the reader some additional background information from side characters that brings more to the story. This story follows Grayson Pierce, who at the beginning of the book is described as impulsive, reckless, and aggressive in his actions. Throughout the book, after being placed in charge of a team, the reader gets to see Pierce grow as both an operative as well as a leader of a team. He is a well developed main character, and I became invested in his success and happiness. Map of Bones traverses over multiple locations, each of which brings about action and new mysteries to unravel. Pierce's team also has decent character development that pulls the reader in, making you care not only for Pierce, but the well being of the whole team and their success. I continue to be impressed by Rollins' extensive research that is very apparent from his writing. This plot had the potential for becoming convoluted, overly wordy, or difficult to follow, but Rollins does a fantastic job of slowly integrating the history, mythology, and religious backgrounds to give the reader a better understanding without losing them in the process. I also think that Rollins did a great job of integrating religious information in a tactful way that still makes the book appealing to those who are devoted and those who are not. Overall, I very much enjoyed the pace, mystery, and action that Map of Bones laid out. The story brings about a lot of history in such a way that leads the reader through the quest with the main characters, trying to solve the riddles right too. After two books from the Sigma Force Series, I have found myself excited to continue to pick up the next one. Both of the novels I have read thus far are staunchly researched with constant action, but not repetitive on itself. Highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of novels like those from Dan Brown. (  ) kames04 | Feb 2, 2024 | The characters were well developed, and knowing they continue through other books keeps you interested in them. Can't wait to read the next book in the series! ( ) PurplOttr | Dec 1, 2023 |  ) decaturmamaof2 | Nov 22, 2023 | davdittrich | Feb 14, 2023 | ) cuteseal | Aug 17, 2022 | ) MarkLacy | May 29, 2022 | Meticulously researched, spread across multiple continents and populated by strong female characters, both evil and good, this story literally drives the reader faster and faster towards a totally unexpected end. (  ) Windyone1 | May 10, 2022 | ) bxwretlind | Dec 10, 2021 | ) skipstern | Jul 11, 2021 | I am still looking for James Rollins work prior to this as having read a good number of this books find him one of the masters of the scientific and historic based thrillers. If you enjoy thrillers you have to read James Rollins. ( ) can44okie | Aug 28, 2020 | ) Carol420 | Feb 13, 2018 | Whilst the over riding impression is the ridiculousness of there being one shadowy group with a seemingly unidentified purpose, one shadowy group trying to bring about armageddon, a super secret US based spy agency and the group carries seemingly magic bags which have an assortment of gadgets that appear when the plot needs advancement. - Stuck behind bars? I'll just get this car jack out of my bag. Need an acidic fluid? Here's a few 6 packs of coke I was carrying for no apparent reason even though we were just popping in for a few moments and didn't even bring spare torch batteries. So whilst it's good in terms of passing some time, like a B grade movie, it's not exactly an enriching experience. (  ) HenriMoreaux | Sep 27, 2017 | Now, we aren't talking Matthew Reilly pace, and not Andy McDermott either. Rollins is in that pacey category with (his good friend) Steve Berry and Clive Cussler. So this is "does my side have air-bags" as opposed to "my parachute isn't opening". Map of Bones is part of Rollins' Sigma Force series. I like that the heroes are highly intelligent military operatives; it is a nerd's wet dream. This is the second book in the series and the first to feature Seichan, the nemesis of protagonist Gray Pierce. You know you have a good series when the bad guy is this interesting. ( ) TysonAdams | Jun 20, 2017 | One of those books riding the coat-tails of the Da Vinci Code, only better, in my opinion. Using as many of the conspiracy theories about ancient alchemy as possible. Add in a murderous organisation wanting ultimate power and stir in good guys, some of whom have hidden links to the bad guys and you get this novel. Oh let's not forget a manic hunt across Europe with some bonus Americans saving the world and you get this novel. Readable but fairly forgettable. ( ) wyvernfriend | Oct 20, 2016 | ) Andrew-theQM | Jun 20, 2016 | Este livro aborda os ossos dos Reis Magos e coloca a hipótese das relíquias não serem apenas aquilo que aparentam ser, tratando de temas que são elaborados mas interessantes como a supercondutividade de materiais como o ouro. Também explora (um pouco a la Dan Brown) a seita da Corte do Dragão formada no tempo dos Templários e o clássico desejo de querer construir linhagens perfeitas e obter um poder tremendo através do conhecimento e informação escondida na História. As personagens são sólidas e simpáticas, despertando desde já a curiosidade para ler o terceiro livro. Esta série Sigma parece apresentar-se como uma boa leitura de descontração e visualização cinematográfica. Interrogo-me porque razão nenhum estúdio adaptou os livros deste autor ao cinema. Espero que não demore. ( ) bruc79 | Mar 27, 2016 | ) mspoet569 | Mar 6, 2016 | ) John_Warner | Jan 22, 2016 | ) MarkPSadler | Jan 17, 2016 | ) MarkPSadler | Jan 17, 2016 | ) MarkPSadler | Jan 17, 2016 | The one downfall was the overwhelming amount of Info-Dumps Rollins takes in each chapter. He does a fair job of keeping it simple for laymen (me). The history lessons get a little flat, whether relevant to the plot or not. Each "main" character takes a turn providing amble Info-Dumps. Rarely does a chapter pass without one -- right up until the climax. Again, aside from that, the plot is fast, the characters are engaging. I hope to see many of them re-appear in future books. I will continue reading the series. The only reason this was not a 5 star review -- is clearly stated in the above paragraph. Phillip Tomasso Author of Blood River and Damn the Dead ( ) ptom3 | Dec 7, 2015 | It's not a surprising thriller plot. There's a horrible even at a church and so a team from the Vatican as well as a team from SIGMA get sent to figure out what happened and of course, get possession of the tech that did it. There are two other groups also trying to find the tech of course, the Dragon Court, which I guess isn't evil in Real Life (a good thing) and The Guild, who were the bad guys in the first novel as well. It was definitely thrilling and there were enough mysteries in it that I was kept guessing. Also, most of the characters, new and old alike, were interesting and different. And I worried a little if the romantic subplots would take over, but thankfully they didn't. But, while I like a good twist as much as anyone, in this novel it seemed as though there were a few too many crossings, and double and triple crossings. At some points in the story very hard to tell who was on which team, or in which organization. Perhaps there were too many teams. Still those couple of things aside it was an enjoyable read and a well written book. ( ) DanieXJ | Oct 25, 2014 | |
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During a crowded service at a cathedral in Germany, armed intruders in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and destruction. But the killers have not come for gold; they seek a more valuable prize: the bones of the Magi who once paid homage to a newborn savior . . . a treasure that could reshape the world.
With the Vatican in turmoil, Sigma Force under the command of Grayson Pierce leaps into action, pursuing a deadly mystery that weaves through sites of the Seven Wonders of the World and ends at the doorstep of an ancient, mystical, and terrifying secret order. For there are those with dark plans for the stolen sacred remains that will alter the future of humankind . . . when science and religion unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time.
The bones lead to ancient mysteries and present-day terror . . . To follow them means death.
My Review:
Map of Bones is the second book in the Sigma Force Series, and also the second book by James Rollins that I have read. While it is not necessary to read Sandstorm prior to this book, doing so provides the reader some additional background information from side characters that brings more to the story.
This story follows Grayson Pierce, who at the beginning of the book is described as impulsive, reckless, and aggressive in his actions. Throughout the book, after being placed in charge of a team, the reader gets to see Pierce grow as both an operative as well as a leader of a team. He is a well developed main character, and I became invested in his success and happiness.
Map of Bones traverses over multiple locations, each of which brings about action and new mysteries to unravel. Pierce's team also has decent character development that pulls the reader in, making you care not only for Pierce, but the well being of the whole team and their success.
I continue to be impressed by Rollins' extensive research that is very apparent from his writing. This plot had the potential for becoming convoluted, overly wordy, or difficult to follow, but Rollins does a fantastic job of slowly integrating the history, mythology, and religious backgrounds to give the reader a better understanding without losing them in the process. I also think that Rollins did a great job of integrating religious information in a tactful way that still makes the book appealing to those who are devoted and those who are not.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the pace, mystery, and action that Map of Bones laid out. The story brings about a lot of history in such a way that leads the reader through the quest with the main characters, trying to solve the riddles right too. After two books from the Sigma Force Series, I have found myself excited to continue to pick up the next one. Both of the novels I have read thus far are staunchly researched with constant action, but not repetitive on itself. Highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of novels like those from Dan Brown. (