- Paperback: 448 pages
- Publisher: William Morrow & Company; Int edition (July 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0061791415
- ISBN-13: 978-0061791413
- Product Dimensions: 22.8 x 15.2 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 943,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
'If you require the book equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster, then The Doomsday Key fits the bill nicely.' (SOUTH WALES ARGUS )
'thrives on a heightened sense of suspense' (BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH )
'A rollercoaster ride from start to finish...never pack a holiday suitcase without one' (RECORDER series ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
'thrives on a heightened sense of suspense' (BIG ISSUE IN THE NORTH )
'A rollercoaster ride from start to finish...never pack a holiday suitcase without one' (RECORDER series ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Book Description
Three brutal murders, three high-profile victims, three bodies marked with a mysterious and archaic symbol... The massive new Sigma Force thriller from the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of MAP OF BONES and THE JUDAS STRAIN.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
If you've read any of James Rollins' previous books and hated it/them then I wouldn't bother picking up The Doomsday Key. This latest adventure featuring the men & women of SIGMA follows the same well worn template used for all of Rollin's previous books; namely some violent incident, this time involving the death of a priest in the vatican, leads to SIGMA uncovering a hidden conspiracy and at the same time solving some long hidden historical mystery. Stir in some pseudo-science to give it a pretence to factual accuracy, a bunch of treasures guarded by Indiana Jones-style traps and a series of action set pieces and you end up with a piece of OTT, often ridiculous but none-the-less hugely entertaining action adventure hokum. Nothing more and nothing less.
Assuming that you're a fan of such things and of Rollin's earlier books you'll probably find that The Doomsday Key, despite being entertaining, doesn't quite live up some of his previous efforts. Whilst it ends with an rapid fire, tense finale, the pace of the first two thirds of the book is slightly off and at times the story seems to slow to a crawl or meander badly. The central mystery isn't quite as compelling as it needs to be either and the main sub-plot, involving genetically modified crops, never really catches fire and then simply peters out. There are some great set pieces, such as a blizzard bound fight in the artic reaches of Norway, but they aren't enough to entirely rescue a book that needs to be punchier but gets weighed down with too much exposition.
Rollins also needs to move the whole 'Guild' story arc, that has run since the first Sigma novel, forward. I struggle to remember exactly what the Guild's primary motivation is at times. Its all very well keeping them as an ominous, mysterious, secretive and ruthless threat in the background for a few books but if we don't begin to find out more about them, how they're organised, who their members are, etc I'll begin to lose patience. For the threat to remain palpable they need to be more than a name and a bunch of expedendable mercenaries who get their comupance at the end of each novel. The Doomsday Key sketches in a few new details about SIGMA's main adversaries but leaves just as many questions unanswered.
So, if you're a Rollin's fan you'll no doubt enjoy The Doomsday Key despite its flaws. If you're new to the author I would recommend picking up Sandstorm or one of his earlier standalone novels before tackling this latest one. If you haven't liked any of his previous books then you're unlikely to enjoy this one either. Personally I liked it but I also know he can do much, much better...
Assuming that you're a fan of such things and of Rollin's earlier books you'll probably find that The Doomsday Key, despite being entertaining, doesn't quite live up some of his previous efforts. Whilst it ends with an rapid fire, tense finale, the pace of the first two thirds of the book is slightly off and at times the story seems to slow to a crawl or meander badly. The central mystery isn't quite as compelling as it needs to be either and the main sub-plot, involving genetically modified crops, never really catches fire and then simply peters out. There are some great set pieces, such as a blizzard bound fight in the artic reaches of Norway, but they aren't enough to entirely rescue a book that needs to be punchier but gets weighed down with too much exposition.
Rollins also needs to move the whole 'Guild' story arc, that has run since the first Sigma novel, forward. I struggle to remember exactly what the Guild's primary motivation is at times. Its all very well keeping them as an ominous, mysterious, secretive and ruthless threat in the background for a few books but if we don't begin to find out more about them, how they're organised, who their members are, etc I'll begin to lose patience. For the threat to remain palpable they need to be more than a name and a bunch of expedendable mercenaries who get their comupance at the end of each novel. The Doomsday Key sketches in a few new details about SIGMA's main adversaries but leaves just as many questions unanswered.
So, if you're a Rollin's fan you'll no doubt enjoy The Doomsday Key despite its flaws. If you're new to the author I would recommend picking up Sandstorm or one of his earlier standalone novels before tackling this latest one. If you haven't liked any of his previous books then you're unlikely to enjoy this one either. Personally I liked it but I also know he can do much, much better...
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
....absolutely loved it. James Rollins goes from strength to strength. Each book is thoroughly entertaining with well written action sequences fitting of the best adventure thriller. The storyline is fast paced, with page turning action involving all the Sigma characters from earlier books.
In particular the section of the book which deals with the Doomsday book in the Lake District is highly entertaining, as is the action sequence that takes place in the icy stretches of Norway. Pure escapism.
Managed to read this book in a very short space of time on holiday. As with all James Rollins books they seem to end far too quickly.
I would thoroughly recommed this book and this author. If you are new to Rollins then start with Sandstorm, the first in the Sigma series and take the very entertaining rollercoaster of a journey through all of the books, I promise you will not be dissapointed. A great book from a fantastic author. I would highly recommend this book.
So heres looking forward to the next one!!!
In particular the section of the book which deals with the Doomsday book in the Lake District is highly entertaining, as is the action sequence that takes place in the icy stretches of Norway. Pure escapism.
Managed to read this book in a very short space of time on holiday. As with all James Rollins books they seem to end far too quickly.
I would thoroughly recommed this book and this author. If you are new to Rollins then start with Sandstorm, the first in the Sigma series and take the very entertaining rollercoaster of a journey through all of the books, I promise you will not be dissapointed. A great book from a fantastic author. I would highly recommend this book.
So heres looking forward to the next one!!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
James Rollins has penned a number of excellent escapist novels. I would recommend Ice Hunt, Subterranean, Amazonia and Sandstorm to anyone who enjoys adventuring science/techno-thrillers. I would be more reluctant to do so with this installment of his Sigma series though.
This is yet another thoroughly researched, keep-surviving-by-the-skin-of-your-teeth adventure. Less pronounced in this book yet still present is Rollins' tendency to move from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, with small breathers in between. It is a book to enjoy during a flight or a rainy weekend - and it will keep you turning pages for hours. However, for a number of reasons this would had been a much better book had it not been yet another Sigma sequel.
Sigma simply does not work that good for me. I cannot buy the small number of people undertaking such critical tasks. In fact, Sigma is so understaffed that not only has to rely on certified idiots (sorry Kowalski, but you know it is true...) but even the director himself has to go into the field. They operate all over the world under thin pretexts, they do not even seem to be official sanctioned. And to add insult to injury, most new recruits seem to suffer the Star Trek's away-party odd crew-member fate...
On top of that, Sigma seems to deal with one crisis after another while under attack from both a shadow power group and other government secret services. For a writer who takes great pride in the accuracy of his facts interweaved with his fiction, this requires a continuous leap of faith.
I can understand how having a book franchise can work for both the writer and his publisher. The first has a set framework of characters to weave his new plot with whereas the later has a more or less loyal fun-base to fall back to. However, they should both keep in mind that this does not always work for the reader.
This is a 3.5 stars novel but I rounded it up because Rollins has given a number of techno-thrillers I greatly enjoyed in the past.
This is yet another thoroughly researched, keep-surviving-by-the-skin-of-your-teeth adventure. Less pronounced in this book yet still present is Rollins' tendency to move from cliffhanger to cliffhanger, with small breathers in between. It is a book to enjoy during a flight or a rainy weekend - and it will keep you turning pages for hours. However, for a number of reasons this would had been a much better book had it not been yet another Sigma sequel.
Sigma simply does not work that good for me. I cannot buy the small number of people undertaking such critical tasks. In fact, Sigma is so understaffed that not only has to rely on certified idiots (sorry Kowalski, but you know it is true...) but even the director himself has to go into the field. They operate all over the world under thin pretexts, they do not even seem to be official sanctioned. And to add insult to injury, most new recruits seem to suffer the Star Trek's away-party odd crew-member fate...
On top of that, Sigma seems to deal with one crisis after another while under attack from both a shadow power group and other government secret services. For a writer who takes great pride in the accuracy of his facts interweaved with his fiction, this requires a continuous leap of faith.
I can understand how having a book franchise can work for both the writer and his publisher. The first has a set framework of characters to weave his new plot with whereas the later has a more or less loyal fun-base to fall back to. However, they should both keep in mind that this does not always work for the reader.
This is a 3.5 stars novel but I rounded it up because Rollins has given a number of techno-thrillers I greatly enjoyed in the past.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
James Rollins EXCAVATION
I have read only three of James Rollins books to-date and have just finished EXCAVATION. This book is one that holds your interest from start to finish and I am currently buying... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Greenaway2011
Too expensive
I know this states, 'price set by the publisher' however a price that is more than £2 above the paper back for an e book is unacceptable, this does not encourage use of kindle. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lily
A Sigmaficant story
Yet again well written with plenty of corroberating facts that could be significant to a real story. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Robert C. Brown
Absolutely brilliant!
Having picked up The Doomsday Key last week, I've been barely able to put it down. My only previous experience of a Rollins novel has been Map of Bones but this new novel beats... Read more
Published on 22 May 2010 by veggie_grasshopper
Rollins does it again
The Doomsday Key,is another great book from Rollins,it gets a little confusing in the middle,but a short recap brings the story back in line. Read more
Published on 25 April 2010 by Mr. Ronald Carter
Yet another Sigma success
I love these books by James Rollins. I have read them all and I can't wait for the next one. I love the way I can follow the same group of characters through all the stories. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2010 by Ms. MLA James
buy them all
i had never heard of James Rollins until i picked up SAND STORM in a second hand shop, i have since bought his whole library and throughly enjoyed every one of them . Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2010 by Andrew Whelton
Loved it!
Other reviewers have already given a run-down on the plotline, so I won't go there. Instead I will just say that I loved this book. Read more
Published on 22 Dec 2009 by Pamela
Good as always
James Rollins delivers a very good story. After kind of a stumble with "The Last Oracle" he's back to his best. Well conceived and written, with the right pace. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2009 by Andrea Agostini
Love it!
I love James Rollins. This book is not as good as Sandstorm but it is still great! Great holiday read. Finished all too soon.
Published on 22 Sep 2009 by V. Gray
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