James Rollins Books In Order of Reading- Complete List of Novels

Last Updated on August 24, 2023

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 dear favorite since the first book was published in 2004. However, reading the James Rollins Sigma 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.

New James Rollins Books

Tides of Fire
Tides of Fire (Sigma Force #17), 2023

Sigma Force Books in Publication Order

  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

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 Publication Order

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 Publication Order

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 Publication Order

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 Publication Order

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

Jake Ransom Books in Publication Order

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

James Rollins Standalone Novels in Publication Order

Short Story Collections and Anthologies in Publication Order

Banned and the Banished Series in Publication Order

The author’s debut series 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 (as James Clemens)
  2. Wit’ch Storm, 1999 (as James Clemens)
  3. Wit’ch War, 2000 (as James Clemens)
  4. Wit’ch Gate, 2001 (as James Clemens)
  5. Wit’ch Star, 2002 (as James Clemens)

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 (as James Clemens)
  2. Hinterland, 2006 (as James Clemens)

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 showcases a covert team within the US Defense Department known as Sigma Force. Comprising former Special Forces with diverse scientific expertise, they’re essentially “killer scientists” on a mission to thwart global threats.

Each book, starting with Sandstorm, the first Sigma Force novel, features a unique antagonist bent on world destruction. The Sigma Force, led by Painter Crowe, combats these villains, ensuring the world’s safety. Painter Crowe is the mastermind behind the team, soon to become its leader, who decides which mission they will tackle next.

I discovered the author through Subterranean, his initial James Rollins book. Captivated by the gripping narrative, characters, and writing style, I delved into the Sigma Series from its inception, becoming a devoted fan.

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?

Reading the Sigma Force series in order by James Rollins is highly recommended. Doing so allows you to fully immerse yourself in the interconnected stories and character developments that unfold progressively throughout the series. James Rollins’ works are best enjoyed in sequence, ensuring you don’t miss out on the evolution of relationships and the growth of characters like Seichan.

Like a TV series, the James Rollins series offers a sense of following a dynamic family of heroes as they embark on world-saving missions. You become invested in their journeys and witness their triumphs across various captivating locations by reading sequentially.

The Sigma Force book series by James Rollins provides electrifying adventures, intense action, and beloved heroic characters that are best appreciated when experienced chronologically.

The Sigma Force short stories should also be read alongside the main novels in publication order, as they give us further adventures with the famous team.

James Rollins Biography – About the Author

James Rollins 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.

14 Comments

  1. Come sempre anche il regno delle ossa è stato spettacolare, si è vero mancava un donna nella storia, ma lo sappiamo che tornerà piu incazzata piu di prima. Fantasia a go-go , azione sempre in primo piano e la fluidità nel leggere è impareggiabile. Mi ha fatto emozionare e piangere mentre leggevo di kane , però sapevo anche che non lo avresti fatto morire. A proposito del futuro compagno di kane, si potrebbe chiamare Hurri che in coppia formano un tifone perfetto…Hurri-Kane.

  2. I just discovered your books when my library reopened this Summer. Your writing is unreal. You’re either sick or a genius.

    I just finished the Judas Strain. FIRST, Monk better be alive ?

    Did you have anything to do with our COVID 19 ??? Are you another Nostradamus ?

    I’m an avid reader in the winter, in Ohio. ILove mysteries and history. I’m looking forward to the rest of the Series. It’s been a long time since I can’t put a book down, because it’s so good. Yours are that good.

  3. As a MIZZOU Alum, I truly enjoy your books. I have read most of them . I have 13 to go. My sister-in-law introduced me to your books. She is also a MIZZOU Alum, as was her Dad. I am the first of my family to attend MIZZOU and have had 2 nephews, and 3 cousins to follow me. We have our own informal MIZZOU Alumni Association named for our Grandparents. You are truly blessed with talent. MIZ, Janet Hull, BS 71, BS 73

  4. Does Monk live again after “the Judas strain” and if so which book.

    I’m 76 and can’t wait to find out. Please

  5. This was an excellent series! It has left me hoping he writes more with the Sigma characters! Each novel a masterpiece in its own but a great series when all are combined! Thank you James Rollins! LOVED the historical approach and learning what was fact at the end of eac novel as well! Could feel and appreciate theresesrch and time involved developing every story line! Congratulations on an exemplary series!!!

  6. Stunning storytelling can’t get enough I spend 8 hrs a day in a patrol vehicle listening to your brilliant writing I am in love with Kane and of course Marta from last oracle stole my heart and baco could have his own book please keep up the spectacular writing and if u know lee child maybe the sigma clan can run across jack reacher . And please keep up the good work I started with sigma books can’t wait to dig into ur other work thanks for spectacular writing

  7. halfway through doomsday key I realized that I have already read the last Oracle and loved it! what most should know is that he also writes in the other name James Clemens as a fantasy writer. his wit’ch war chronicles and unfinished God Slayer chronicles are fantastic reads

  8. I love this series! He’s an excellent author who captivates you, at warp speed i might add, with each turn of the page. I started Sandstorm a month ago and now on the (6th) novel The Doomsday Key. I can’t wait to go get his stand alones and also download the short story exclusives. Of course i must finish the Sigma series as well. I’ll be sad when i’m done but i’m happy i finally found an author i can truly relate to, as far as my personal interests.

  9. It sounds great. I’m always looking for new/ different books to read. This might just be the one 🙂

  10. That sounds like a good one! I really enjoy a good series. Sometimes when it’s just one book I’m left feeling like I wanted more!

  11. What great book/series review! I love how you laid it out. Might just have to head to the library today to get started.

    1. I have been a huge fan of his for over 20 years. I reread his books over and over . Thank you gor this great article . I am too old to know what spam is oh oh it is the most eaten meat in Hawaii

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