Crucible

Can Even Sigma Defeat This Threat? Honestly, the best thing about this book is that Rollins ups the stakes *so much* that the threat feels *all too real* - even moreso than during the events of The Demon Crown. And yes, in part this is because I'm reading this book - where the science involved is fully realized Artificial General Intelligence - in 2023, when it seems we hear every day that this is truly just days away from actually being real. But also because of Rollins' writing and what he is willing to put the characters we've come to love so much through. The team is actually split in *three* ways here, rather than the more typical two, and with each feeding on the other (as usual)... pulse pounding at its finest. Rollins truly makes you feel that even Sigma is actually being gravely threatened - and that is a true talent, after spending so many books showing them to be almost a John Cena type of organization, able to take any beating that comes their way and ultimately win anyway. Combining the science of AI with the history of the witch purges and in particular the Spanish Inquisition - which was still raging as recently as just 200 yrs ago - was truly inspired here, and works quite well - even moreso with the particularly shocking revelation in the end that ties all the way back to the very first words of the book. Truly one of the better Sigma books, but absolutely one that needs to be read at minimum in order as a trilogy with this being Book Three and The Seventh Plague and The Demon Crown being books 1 and 2, respectively. (Even if you don't go back and re-read the *entire* Sigma story before coming into this one.) Very much recommended.

I find these books increasingly anoying.
Most of the woman characters and all the child characters are put into great harm or great danger
mostly so the men can feel scared or be determined.
Two groups are chasing the McGuffin and the one abusing the women and children is
not related to the main gang. The AI technology in here is essentially magic.
Anyways, it was OK but I'm not excited to read the next one.

James Rollins is always good for a fun, exciting read. I found this book to be similar to Dan Brown's Origins in the topics and themes explored. With that said, this was action packed and had me on the edge of my seat. I did feel like the ending was slightly rushed (maybe that was just me though). Overall, very entertaining and fun.

Awful. The writing style can only be described as “handwringingly overwrought”. Plus it's bloated at 440+ pages. I've read every book in the series but I think it's time to retire this one.

An absolute home run. Rollins never fails to disappoint, but this Sigma adventure was a real treat. The technological aspects of this novel were pivotal to its success and the detail captured was comprehensive without being overdone. Something not easily achieved. Writers hoping to deliver an exceptional techno-thriller tend to either overindulge in the tech aspects of the tale, or skimp to the point where they lose credibility. Rollins continues to walk this delicate line with precision and finesse to deliver a spellbinding thriller that keeps the pages flying by from begging to end.

My romance with globe trotting action-adventure/spy thrillers started almost a decade ago and I've always had so much fun reading them. But I did feel that some of them have been losing their mojo when some of their books in the past few years didn't feel upto the mark. However, I have been pleasantly surprised in the past few months and I'm so thankful for it. While Steve Berry's latest The Malta Exchange and Matthew Reilly's Three Secret Cities thoroughly impressed me, this book showed me why James Rollins has been my go-to author for this genre for the past ten years. I was just expecting to have some fun but this book definitely did so much more.

Rollins's strength has always been combining aspects of history with advanced technology which seems both implausible but not completely unrealistic at the same time. In Crucible, he really intertwines these concepts brilliantly and I just couldn't put the book down even for a minute. Even though this book has a historical backdrop starting with the Spanish Inquisitions and the inhuman witch trials that happened across Europe, the story here is definitely more about the extremely fast technological developments that are happening in the area of Artifical Intelligence and how when unchecked, these might have very unintended and unimaginable consequences. The core part of the plot in the book deals with an almost sentient AI which is something that has never been seen before and it's capabilities are very vast, but the most surprising part is that this is the only fictional part of the story. As Rollins mentions in his always riveting Author's Note, almost all of the technology that is mentioned in the book apart from the AI itself and the other incidents that have occurred are all true and that's what makes this book absolutely terrifying. These stories are supposed to be escapist fiction, not impending doom of our own reality, but it's this touch of reality that makes this book both entertaining and thrilling while also serving as a word of caution.

If you are a James Rollins fan, you are going to adore this book and I don't have to sing it's praises. If you haven't read the Sigma Force series before but love action-adventure novels with a touch of history and science, please go and checkout Sandstorm right away. This book was action packed, full of thrills and terrifying events but also very very emotional at its core. I don't think I've ever cried reading one of these books before, but I did here and that's what makes this installment truly special.