James Rollins Books In Order of Reading- Complete List

Last Updated on April 18, 2024

James Rollins is the New York Times bestselling author of the popular Sigma Force book series, a spellbinding set of novels that has become a favorite since the first book was published in 2004. However, reading the Rollins Sigma Force series is not enough if you want to read everything this author has ever written, including his standalone novels, some of which are also under his other pen name James Clemens.

Here are all the James Rollins books in order for his popular adventure series, including Sigma Force books, The Order of the Sanguines series, Jake Ransom series, Tucker Wayne series, Banned and the Banished books, and Moon Fall books, along with his standalone adventure novels listed in publication and chronological order.

Latest James Rollins Books

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Sigma Force Books in Order of Publication

1. Sandstorm, 2004 (originally published as a stand-alone novel)
2. Map of Bones, 2005
3. Black Order, 2006
4. The Judas Strain, 2007
5. The Last Oracle, 2008
6. The Doomsday Key, 2009
7. The Devil Colony, 2011
8. Bloodline, 2013
9. The Eye of God, 2013
10. The 6th Extinction, 2014
11. The Bone Labyrinth, 2015
12. The Seventh Plague, 2016
13. The Demon Crown, 2017
14. Crucible, 2019
15. The Last Odyssey, 2020
16. Kingdom of Bones, 2022
17. Tides of Fire, 2023
18. Arkangel, 2024

Sigma Force Short Stories in Publication Order

There are several short stories in the author’s popular series, which are set in the world of the Sigma Force books. The Devil’s Bones has been co-authored with Steve Berry and features Cotton Malone working along with commander Gray Pierce.

1. Kowalski’s in Love, 2006
2. The Skeleton Key, 2011
3. Tracker, 2012 (introduces Tucker Wayne and his dog Kane)
4. Devil’s Bones, 2009 (novella featuring Gray Pierce) – co-authored with Steve Berry
5. The Midnight Watch, 2015
6. Crash and Burn, 1016
7. Ghost Ship, 2017

Tucker Wayne Series in Order of Publication

Co-authored with Grant Blackwood, the Tucker Wayne books are a spin-off series from Sigma Force that focuses on Captain Tucker Wayne and his war dog Kane. They were initially introduced in the Tracker short story, and later were also brought back in Bloodline, the 8th Sigma novel.

1. The Kill Switch, 2014 (with Grant Blackwood)
2. Tracker, 2012 (novella) (with Grant Blackwood)
3. War Hawk, 2016 (with Grant Blackwood)

Moon Fall Books in Order of Publication

The latest James Rollins series, the Moonfall books, or the Moon Fall Saga, go back to the fantasy genre, focusing on doomsday. A gifted student foretells an upcoming apocalypse, and after evading a death sentence, she teams up with a group of outcasts, working together to save the world.

1. The Starless Crown (Moonfall Saga #1), 2022
2. The Cradle of Ice (Moonfall Saga #2), 2023

Order Of The Sanguines Books in Order of Publication

The Sanguines trilogy has been co-authored with Rebecca Cantrell, and it includes the author’s known style of action-adventure stories mixed with additional elements, including horror, fantasy, and supernatural. It includes three main novels and two short stories.

1. The Blood Gospel, 2013 (with Rebecca Cantrell)
2. Innocent Blood, 2013 (with Rebecca Cantrell)
3. Blood Infernal, 2015 (with Rebecca Cantrell)

Order of the Sanguines Series Short Stories in Order of Publication

1. City of Screams, 2012
2. Blood Brothers, 2013

Jake Ransom Books in Order of Publication

The Jake Ransom books are a fantasy adventure series (often called the Kids & Adult series) that follows Jake Ransom and his sister Kady. While they still feature all the adventures and escapades James Rollins is well-known for in his stories, they have been written for a much younger audience.

1. Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow, 2009
2. Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx, 2010

Standalone Novels in Order of Publication

• Subterranean, 1999
• Excavation, 2000
• Deep Fathom, 2001
• Amazonia, 2002
• Ice Hunt, 2003
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, 2008 (movie novelization)
• Altar of Eden, 2009
• Devil’s Bones, 2009

Short Story Collections and Anthologies in Order of Publication

• Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night, 2006 (edited by James Patterson)
• Killer Year: Stories to Die For…, 2008
• Unrestricted Access, 2020

Writing as James Clemens

Banned and the Banished Series in Publication Order

The author’s debut series was written under the pseudonym James Clemens. The series features a group of heroes, a female lead gifted with magic, a world in grave danger, and an ancient evil that is awakened by the heroine’s mighty gift.

1. Wit’ch Fire, 1998
2. Wit’ch Storm, 1999
3. Wit’ch War, 2000
4. Wit’ch Gate, 2001
5. Wit’ch Star, 2002

Godslayer Chronicles in Publication Order

The Godslayer series is a fantasy series set in the fictional world of Nine Lands and is also written under the pseudonym of James Clemens. While there are currently only two Godslayer books in this series, the author mentioned on his website that the series is unfinished. There will be a third novel eventually, tentatively with the title God-Sword. Once this third novel is published, James Rollins intends to continue it with a second trilogy in the same series.

1. Shadow Fall, 2005
2. Hinterland, 2006

James Rollins Biography – About the Author

James Rollins, aka James Clemens, was born as James Paul Czajkowski in 1961 in Chicago. James Czajkowski went to school to the Parkway South Junior High School and then graduated from Parkway West Senior High School in 1979. As part of a large Roman Catholic family including three brothers and three sisters, he grew up in a blue-collar area of Chicago.

As a child, James Rollins loved reading pulp fiction, such as the Avenger, The Shadow, and Doc Savage and also novels by H.G. Wells, and Jules Verne. These were the very books that sparked in him the need and want to become a writer.

However, James Rollins was also very interested in animals. He loved them, so he enrolled at the  University of Missouri, Columbia, where he graduated in 1985 with a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Not long after, he moved to Sacramento in California, to start his own veterinary practice so he could help injured and sick animals.

Unfortunately, this didn’t leave James Rollins a lot of time to writing. He would jot down idea and writing a page or two whenever he had a bit of time, but that was not enough.

In 1998, James Rollins attended the Maui Writers Conference in Hawaii where, under the name James Clemens, he sold his first ever manuscript, Wit’ch Fire, which he’d just completed previously. The book was a fantasy novel. It started a series called The Banned and the Banished books, which included five books. He also wrote an additional fantasy series under the same alias, with the title Godslayer, which also includes five books.

Next, the author James Rollins began writing adventure standalone novels, the first one being Subterranean, also published in 1999, followed by Excavation, Amazonia, and Ice Hunt. However, James Rollins made the biggest impact in the adventure fiction world with his Sigma Force series, which the author first released in 2004.

Eventually, James Rollins stepped down from his veterinary practice to fully dedicate himself to becoming a full-time author to entertain his avid readers with his numerous adventure series and standalone novels. Still, as he mentioned in an interview with St. Louis Magazine, “Once a week, I spend about eight hours spaying and neutering trapped feral cats for the Sacramento Council of Cats. All I do with my veterinary degree now is remove genitalia.”

Overall, his over 50 books have been translated into over 40 languages and sold over 20 million copies over the years, making James Rollins one of the most popular adventure fiction writers alive today.

James Rollins founded Authors United for Veterans, a non-profit organization that includes bestselling authors dedicated to raising funds for U.S.A. Cares, helping soldiers and their families find jobs, houses, and emergency aid.

What Are the Sigma Force Books About?

The Sigma Force series is the author’s second major work, following the Wit’ch books written as James Clemens. It’s also his first series under the pen name James Rollins.

The series is about a covert team known as Sigma Force which works under the umbrella of the US Defense Department. Its members are former Special forces with various scientific knowledge, what is called “killer scientists.”

Each book features a different story with a different enemy who is hell-bent on destroying the world. Painter Crowe, the crew’s boss, is the mastermind and team leader. He is the one who decides on which missions the team goes next.

I discovered the author through Subterranean, his initial James Rollins book. I was captivated by the adventure and action in each novel, and the author’s strong writing style, so I became a major fan of the Sigma Series from the very first book.

I think the only other author that had the same effect on me as James Rollins was the duo Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child with their museum mysteries, involving the aloof and charming Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast.

As for what genre this series belongs to, the author explains it better than I ever could:

I generally classify the books as scientific thrillers or adventure thrillers. I’m always looking to blend a bit of historical mystery and a bit of scientific speculation, and setting up a large adventure story to wrap all around it.

Should We Read the Sigma Force Series in Order?

I do recommend reading the Sigma Force series in order, although it’s not necessary. While each book has its own adventure, the stories are interconnected, and it’s easier to follow each major character’s development and each relationship throughout the series.

The author himself mentioned this about the series:

You do not need to read the books in a specific order to enjoy the adventure. That said, if you do read them in the order of release, there is some plot development with the characters.