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    Map of Bones: A Sigma Force Novel
    Unavailable
    Map of Bones: A Sigma Force Novel
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    Map of Bones: A Sigma Force Novel
    Audiobook14 hours

    Map of Bones: A Sigma Force Novel

    Written by James Rollins

    Narrated by John Meagher

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    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 leaps into action. An elite team of scientific and Special Forces operatives under the command of Grayson Pierce and accompanied by Lieutenant Rachel Verona of Rome's carabinieri, they are 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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateDec 8, 2009
    ISBN9780061979156
    Author

    James Rollins

    James Rollins is the author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the “top crowd pleasers” (New York Times) and one of the “hottest summer reads” (People magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight. He lives in the Sierra Nevada.

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    Reviews for Map of Bones

    4/5

    766 ratings43 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I really enjoy this series and put Black Order, book 3 in the series, as one of my favourite books - however it took me a long time to get into this book and did not enjoy it as much of the others, the second half of this was much better and as a result just about gave it 4 stars. For me I think the main problem was the amount of fighting between the two different forces in the first half, I prefer the background story and the search for the treasure. However I will still be continuing in the series.
    • 4/5
      It continues the story of the covert Sigma Force team and Painter Crowe who was the main character in the first book...[Sandstorm]. It's a fast-paced story that rarely takes a break between action scenes, and was somewhat exhausting frantically racing from one scene to the next. This story delves into Catholic relics, secret organizations within the Vatican, unproven Gospel accounts, and of course, lost treasures. Many of the scientific discussions about magnetism, super conductors, and the riddles were completely over my head, but they made for an interesting plot and an exciting, well written book. I look forward to more Sigma Force adventures.
    • 5/5
      I learned so much from this book and found Rollins' research to be excellent. I also liked the biblical and historical references and the visits to Maryland, Washington D. C., Cologne, Rome, Alexandria and Avignon France. The characters were very interesting with an adventurous plot with lots of action. Rollins is a great writer and his descriptions make you feel a part of the story. This is the 2nd book of the Sigma Force series and I look forward to continuing with the series. I would highly recommend this series to those who love Clive Cussler's or Steve Berry's books.
    • 4/5
      The second book in the Sigma Force series is in the same genre as Dan Brown's books such as The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol. Puzzles to be solved; race against time. However, I do believe Rollins is a better writer than Brown.
    • 4/5
      Although unable to get my hands on book one of the Sigma Force, I decided I would jump right in and read MAP OF BONES, book 2. Overall, I enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more in the series. It is "similar" to The Da Vinci Code, only with more action.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 TomassoAuthor of Blood River and Damn the Dead
    • 4/5
      A rather entertaining romp but largely shallow and reminiscent of the Da Vinci Code loosely mixed with slightly more science and a little less church action (although still a fair bit).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.
    • 4/5
      Picking up a James Rollins thriller is a guaranteed good read. He has the knack of providing a solid thriller that moves along at a fast pace.

      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.
    • 5/5
      A mystery that involvesthe Seven Wonders of the World. A elite team of scientific and Special Forces work under the command of Grayson Pierce. the clues lead to an ancient secret society. The society has plans to use stolen ancient remains to rule the world and alter the future of mankind.
    • 3/5
      This book some how downloaded out of order . It was very hard to understand and very confusing. After completing I was able to piece together what was going on.
    • 1/5
      I’m sure this would have been a great book. I love James Rollins and have read multiple books in this series but the audio is very choppy and very hard to listen too.
    • 5/5
      Choppy audio fix it now! Ruined a great book !
    • 5/5
      Lots of action, plot twists galore ... What's not to like ???
    • 3/5
      I'm left somewhat disappointed with this, I wanted more out of it but overall it's readable but somewhat overall left me feeling a bit meh.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.
    • 4/5
      The second SIGMA Force novel. A whole new bunch of main characters, and even though there are some of the same characters as in the first book, they don't have humongous roles. Also, there were a ton of bones in this story.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.
    • 3/5
      Reading a James Rollins' Sigma Force thriller is like reading a Dan Brown mystery, but instead of the hero being know-it-all symbologist, you get a team of know-it-all scientists who just happen to also be top secret CIA operatives. The members of this special ops group all have PhDs in some science discipline and have the strength and skill of any Olympic athlete. So much for the stereotype that geeks can't walk and chew gum! Lots of action and a good bit of historic mythology thrown in about ancient alchemists.My only complaint about this specific title is that our dashing hero Gray keeps on thinking about the curves and lips of Rachel, his Italian carabinieri counterpart. Keep your mind on the mission - there are bad guys running all over the place. Definitely could see this as a Hollywood blockbuster.
    • 2/5
      This book was... just ok. It was structured SO similarly to The DaVinci Code and I was unable to get past that. I felt like I was reading The DaVinci Code again with different names. It really didn't live up to the awesomeness of its name, and yes, I picked this book because the name sounded spectacular.

      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.
    • 1/5
      Not the book the audio. It won’t play properly it’s jumpy and sounds like it’s a badly tuned radio station
    • 4/5
      Dan Brown type adventure.  
    • 2/5
      I'm a bit ambivalent about this book. I usually enjoy a good techo-thriller but I found Map Of Bones to be inferior and too structurally similar to the previous Sigma Force novel, Sandstorm.The story in Map Of Bones did not seem to flow and felt like a series of action sequences punctuated by episodes of exposition. The main characters, to me, shared too many characteristics with characters of Sandstorm. Especially the heroine, who was descended from “royal blood”.Plus, the way the heroes stumbled from ambush to ambush, repeating the same mistakes started to grate towards the end.I know novels have to have a degree of suspension of disbelief but my patience was sorely tempted by the end.The book at least made me want to reach the end, and that's the best thing I can say.I hope book 3 in the Sigma Force series is better.
    • 5/5
      I had sooooo much fun reading this book, the second in the Sigma Force series. I got to look up lots of stuff and try to see what was real and what wasn’t.Some stuff I looked up: m-state metals (monoatomic metals), the Order of Dragons, how many Magi were there?, heap-leach cyanide recovery method to extract precious metals , Meissner Fields and superconducting metals,Catharism, Thomas Chrstians, the Chinon Parchment.There were more.Non-stop action, believable storyline not going too far afield, fleshed out characters, hateable bad guys, and never sure who was on which side. What more can you want from a thriller!
    • 4/5
      A pretty great action/adventure/special forces romp that fit the bill for exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up. I see myself coming back to this series again.
    • 4/5
      So very genre, but much better than I expected.

      Review to come.
    • 5/5
      I loved this more than Da Vinci Code. More adventure, more exciting, more complex. I only say you must going to bookstore to pick it up as quick as you can.Highly Recommend!
    • 4/5
      a nice quick read. good for my airplane ride. nice action, a decent backstory, although i would have liked a little more depth on the conspiracy of it all. but overall a fun book.
    • 4/5
      I'm really enjoying James Rollins. This is only my second Rollins novel and the second in the Sigma Force series. This is a typical thriller with secret organizations, the Catholic church and some Biblical supernatural action that creates an entertaining romp. I've got the rest of the Sigma Force novels waiting for me and quite a few stand alone as well. I think one of the better authors of this nature. Recommend him highly.
    • 5/5
      5 of 5 starsMap of Bones is best described as Da Vinci Code meets Indiana Jones (I use Indiana Jones to describe most of his writing, and absolutely LOVE IT!!). Sandstorm is book one the series and introduces the Sigma Force, a secret branch of the US Military. Map of Bones is the second book in the series and picks up with Painter Crowe as the new commander of Sigma. The Sigma lead is Grayson Pierce, and he is one tough character. He is also dealing with budding love, and a sick father at home. The book moves at lightning pace from the start when the Bones of the Magi are stolen and a secret that is held for centuries is about the be unleashed. The Vatican dispatches two spies, who help Sigma along the path to keep this power out of the hand of the Dragon Court, lead by Raoul a ruthless villain who will stop at nothing to defeat Sigma, and gain the knowledge that has been hidden for 800 years. There are scenes underwater, and scenes in ancient Churches that bring you into the center of the action. Rollins has created a book that transports you to where the action is going on, also he has created characters that you care about. When one is wounded you hope for the best because he has made these heroes seem normal. Most thrillers make the hero seem like a superman who can do no wrong. Rollins creates characters that second guess each other, and make mistakes, thus creating a much more believable cast. Over and over I tell people James Rollins is one of my favorite authors and Map of Bones lives up to that expectation. A must read (for me a read and read again and again...).
    • 3/5
      Map of Bones by James Rollins is a SIGMA. It is a good adventure / mystery. Rollins tells a good story and it makes for a fun read.
    • 5/5
      This was my first book from Rollins and I picked it up at a used book store as a lark and was pleasantly surprised. I expected a decent read and fell in love with this book. The main characters were well developed and the plot was riveting. I enjoyed the historical aspect and found it fascinating. This is an author I would strongly recommend.
    • 3/5
      There's a bit too much "formula" in this book: the plot moves from one inescapable situation to another, with the good guys always escaping. Not much character development, not much of the bad guys' motivation presented, but lots of suspense and fast action. I must admit that the formula worked on me, as I was eager to keep reading the 521 pages to see "what next?"
    • 1/5
      I wouldn't have read this one if I wasn't supposed to translate it.Apparently it is widely compared to Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code. This book is perfect for a summer read if you're looking for something with an intense plot and not much else.I was annoyed with the author's attempt to make the book more authentic by using sentences in foreign languages (German, Italian, French, Portuguese). If you do that, at least do it right. Apart from German which I don't speak, there were huge mistakes in the other languages, the sentences were direct translations form English etc.As for the English parts, the language is sometimes so stilted and awkward it's nearly impossible to translate.The flow of the novel is bearable when it comes to the action parts, all the rest sounds unnatural and awkward. The dialogs are huge info dumps and are annoying to read because you constantly try to pretend they sound like real life dialogs. They don't.And if you want a realistic story, this one is not for you. The implausible premise is hard to swallow if you don't have a very vivid imagination.