The Eye of God by James Rollins (Sigma Force Series #9)

The Eye of God by James Rollins is the only book that I haven’t read (except for the novella called Tracker, which is the 7.5 book) in the Sigma Force series. I’ve just finished reading it yesterday so it’s all still fresh in my mind.

First of all, I love the entire series. Reading the James Rollins books in order has been a real joy. I’ve read his first book, Sandstorm, back in the day when I was in love with the military adventure/science thriller genre. Once I read the first book, I had to read the rest as well. They are very engaging, full of action, with likable characters and a writing style that simply speaks to me.

The Eye of God follows the team – this time split into two separate groups, each with its own mission – as they cross continents and seas and deserts while trying to save the world – which has literally a few days left to exist.

As it’s usual with the Sigma Force series, archaeology meets sci-fi, technology, and history, mixed in with a bit of faith just for the good measure in a well-crafted novel that keeps you on the edge of your toes.

And as it’s usual with these books, it all starts with a bang. A satellite crashes in the deep Mongolia only to bring with it for just a few seconds some disturbing images of a world in ruins, smoke and decay, which are not images of the world as we know it today. The Sigma team is brought in to try to find the satellite to figure out what those few last images were that it showed before its crash. Thus half the team joins forces with one of the scientists who will be able to decrypt those images once the satellite is found.

Before this, however, we are brought to the past where Attila the Hun just got married and is about to live his last few moments, while someone is desperately looking for a relic that could turn the tides of the future around.

Back in the present, in another part of the world, in Hong Kong, Grey, Seichan and Kowalski are looking for Seichan’s mother, only to get the surprise of their lives and more action that they can almost handle. But I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I’ll leave it at that.

Suffice to say at some point the three stories merge, along with the two separate teams in a desperate run to save the world that has no more than a few hours to exist.

This is just one of those roller coasters that I’m used to from James Rollins, who always manages to come up with something new in his books that make each of these novels so engaging and can’t-put-it-down style.

And as usual, I ended up learning from this author about a few things that I had no idea about. Let’s just say that once I finished reading the novel, I eagerly went online searching for ‘biohacking’ as I got really interested in it. Oh, the possibilities…

As for the characters and their dynamics, I really enjoyed the story between Grey and Seichan, which has been developing from several books back already. Seichan, a former assassin, became a (half) part of the team and only then she started to thaw out her icy character – and warm up to Grey a bit.

Grey still has a past with Rachel (who will play a major part in this book), yet he is very clear on his feelings for Seichan, so luckily there is no love triangle here.

As for the other characters, I wish I could have read a bit more about Painter Crowe, the head of the Sigma Force, alas he was not a major part of this episode. We also get to learn of new guys on the team, each with his or her unique abilities and strengths.

I think the ending of this book was one of the few that actually brought some tears to my eyes when reading. However, I was smiling broadly when I read the Epilogue. It was so matching with one of the major themes in the book and it’s one that brings humanity hope.

All in all, a very rewarding read, a book that will stay with you for some time after you’ve finished devouring it.

The Eye of God by James Rollins
Series: Sigma Force Series #9
Published by William Morrow
Published 2013
Genres: Adventure, Sci-Fi Thriller
Source: Purchased
Also by this author: Tracker, The 6th Extinction, Innocent Blood, The Bone Labyrinth, The Seventh Plague, Ghost Ship, The Demon Crown