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The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel (Sigma Force #4)

by James Rollins (Goodreads Author)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 9,818 ratings · 620 reviews

"ju-das strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinction"

A master at combining historical and scientific intrigue with cutting-edge adventure, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Map of Bones" and "Black Order" James Rollins returns with his most relentless, high-octane thriller to date--a terrifying story of an ancient menace re...more "ju-das strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinction"

A master at combining historical and scientific intrigue with cutting-edge adventure, "New York Times" bestselling author of "Map of Bones" and "Black Order" James Rollins returns with his most relentless, high-octane thriller to date--a terrifying story of an ancient menace reborn to plague the modern world . . . and of an impossible hope that lies hidden in the most shocking place imaginable: "within the language of angels."

From the depths of the Indian Ocean, a horrific plague has arisen to devastate humankind--a disease that's unknown, unstoppable . . . and deadly. But it is merely a harbinger of the doom that is to follow.

Aboard a cruise liner transformed into a makeshift hospital, Dr. Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis--operatives of the shadowy covert organization SIGMA Force--search for answers to the bizarre affliction that has inexplicably washed ashore. But there are others with far less altruistic intentions. In a savage and sudden coup, terrorists hijack the vessel, turning a mercy ship into a floating bio-weapons lab.

At a Fourth of July celebration a world away, SIGMA's commander Gray Pierce thwarts the murderous schemes of a beautiful assassin--a would-be killer who holds the first clue to the discovery of a possible cure. With the fate of every man, woman, and child on Earth hanging in the balance, Pierce joins forces with the woman who wanted him dead, and together they embark upon an astonishing quest--one that winds through Venetian tombs, Byzantine cathedrals, and jungle-encrusted ruins--following the trail of the most fabled explorer in history: "Marco Polo."

But time is an enemy as a worldwide pandemic grows rapidly out of control. And as a relentless madman dogs their every step, Pierce and his unlikely ally are being pulled into an astonishing mystery buried deep in antiquity and in humanity's genetic code. And as the seconds tick closer to doomsday, Pierce will realize he can truly trust no one--not the bewitching enigma who runs at his side or even those who are closest to him--for any one of them could be . . . "a Judas."(less)

Hardcover, 464 pages

Published July 2nd 2007 by William Morrow (first published 2007)

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Jul 13, 2011 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, ebooks, conspiracies-and-weird-science, spy-stuff, 2006-2010, x-filing-and-secret-histories

AN ANCIENT, PANDEMIC CAUSING, VIRUS whose origin and cure is linked to the ANGKOR WAT and the mysterious return voyage of MARCO POLO from the court of KUBLAI KHAN...yep, it looks like another job for SIGMA FORCE .

The SIGMA Force is one of the truly delicious concepts to be introduced into the popcorn-eating, page-turning, actiony, spy-guy, thrill-o-rama genre. PhD toting scientific brainiacs with Navy Seal kill skills and James Bond spy craft (minus babes and booze…damn).

SIGMA is a covert ops t...more

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Oct 08, 2007 Kendra rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm a little bit embarrassed to give this book a 4, but there you go. It's a guilty pleasure, I guess, because the book is kind of ridiculous in a testosterone-fueled Indiana-Jones-meets-Mission-Impossible kind of way. If this tells you anything, I nearly downgraded it to a 3 because of the cannibals. (Yes, cannibals.)

I was about 60 pages into the book before I realized that it was part of a series. Some of you know that reading a series out of order is one of my BIGGEST PET PEEVES EVER, so I th...more

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Aug 07, 2011 The Itzel Library rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sequel, thriller, suspense, series, scifi, science, action, 2011, adult, adult-fiction, adventure, biologia-sintetica, biologia, fiction, cover-love, horror, historical-fiction, historical, kick-ass-heroe, mistery, must-be-read, paranormal, political-issues, perfect-heroe, religion, romance, society, to-review, women, man, men-and-women, fuerza-sigma, james-rollins

Sumatra, año 1293
Marco Polo, su padre y su tío (Los Polo) fueron los primeros en hacer el viaje a China, a su regreso [a Venecia] contaban con una flota de 14 navíos y 600 hombres. En su viaje de regreso, una extraña enfermedad se extendió entre los viajeros y Los Polo se vieron obligados a quemar los navíos y a los enfermos, pues una vez contraída la enfermedad, todos los que la tienen, empiezan a presentar comportamientos erráticos, extrañas máculas en sus cuerpos, etc. Por eso Los Polo se jur...more Sumatra, año 1293
Marco Polo, su padre y su tío (Los Polo) fueron los primeros en hacer el viaje a China, a su regreso [a Venecia] contaban con una flota de 14 navíos y 600 hombres. En su viaje de regreso, una extraña enfermedad se extendió entre los viajeros y Los Polo se vieron obligados a quemar los navíos y a los enfermos, pues una vez contraída la enfermedad, todos los que la tienen, empiezan a presentar comportamientos erráticos, extrañas máculas en sus cuerpos, etc. Por eso Los Polo se juraron no decir nunca nada sobre la misteriosa cura que ellos tuvieron que tomar. La alternativa era demasiado horrorosa siquiera de pensarla, por eso, el secreto, prometieron, se iría a la tumba con ellos. Marco Polo, no obstante, estaba lejos de ser fiel a ese juramento y en sus últimos días, se dedicó a dejar un testimonio de lo acaecido en esos tiempos. Por suerte, porque de otro modo, la humanidad no habría encontrado la cura para El mal de Judas.

Mal de Judas: término científico para un organismo que lleva a toda una especie a la extinción.

Océano Indico, actualidad
Un extraña luz surgió de las profundidades del lecho marino. En poco tiempo, todas las formas de vida comenzaron a morir. Las playas de Isla de Navidad eran un cementerio. Hombres, mujeres, niños; todos fueron evacuados con distintos grados de infección: algunos estaban ciegos, otros presentaban pústulas o ampollas. Así que El Señora de los mares, un crucero de lujo que se encontraba en el lugar, se había convertido en un barco médico. La OMS había mandado a varios de sus mejores especialistas a investigar y controlar la infección. Fuerza Sigma, no se quedó atrás y envió a Monk y Lisa a hacer las investigaciones pertinentes. Van como agentes encubiertos a una misión de bajo riesgo, pero algo se descontrola y un grupo de bioterroristas se apoderan del barco. Todos los científicos tienen que empezar a trabajar para Guild y encontrar la "cura" para una enfermedad que ellos mismos van a encargarse de diseminar. Es así como descubren que por alguna extraña razón, todos los bichos han mutado haciendo que los que eran inofensivos se vuelvan patógenos. Y mientras ellos intentan descubrir por medios científicos lo que ha llevado a estos organismos a mutar y generar respuestas para los nada amigables terroristas, los enfermos siguen empeorando, si alguien no hace algo rápido, toda la humanidad podría desaparecer.

Washington, D.C., actualidad
Gray ha desaparecido. Hay un topo en Sigma. Lisa y Monk están en algún lugar del mar, a bordo de un crucero lleno de enfermos. Y el director Painter tiene que buscar a los padres de Gray que han desaparecido, de no encontrarlos pronto, es tan seguro como que no los encontrará con vida...

Difícil determinar ubicación, actualidad
Gray y sus tres compañeros van en busca de las pistas que Marco Polo dejó hace muchos años. Venecia-Estambul-Camboya. Pero no van sols, Guild les sigue los pasos, amenazando a Gray con hacer daño a sus padres si no le da los datos necesarios para resolver el misterio. Pero, ¿tiene Guild a los padres de Gray, o sólo lo están chantajeando? ¿Puede darles la información sin poner al mundo en riesgo? ¿Y si el equipo científico de Guild descubre antes la "cura", servirá de algo cortarle los pasos al equipo histórico de Guild? Gray se ve entonces entre la espada y la pared y con ayuda de una asesina de Guild, un sacerdote y un marine, irán armando el rompecabezas hasta que la ciencia y la religión colisionen en un punto donde, solo un misterioso ser luminoso pueda salvarles.

Este es el segundo libro de Rollins que tengo la oportunidad de leer y una vez más encuentro difícil pensar que los thrillers que lea de ahora en adelante, puedan superarle. James Rollins sabe conjugar historia, ciencia, suspense, intriga... y hacer una novela tan bien armada que se vuelve complicada dejar de leer. Me encontré en la noche, diciendo sólo un capítulo más... pero sabía que si seguía, no pegaría ojo en toda la noche, porque al igual que "La Orden del Sol Negro", esta novela es igual de fenomenal y adictiva.

Los personajes se prestan solos, para que los ames, para que sufras con ellos, para que sientas su miedo y su desesperación. Me mordí las uñas y lloré con aquello que sucede en ciertas páginas. Me deja una sensación de esperanza el final, pero no quiero hacerme tantas ilusiones. De lo que sí me ilusiono es de tener el siguiente libro en mis manos y saber en qué lío se meterán Painter y su equipo de Sigma. Rollins lo hizo de nuevo...(less)

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Dec 29, 2007 Lorena rated it 4 of 5 stars

James Rollins' novels generally remind me of some weird combination of Michael Crichton, Dan Brown, and Tom Clancy -- none of whom are among my favorite authors. Rollins is, though -- I love the combination of myth/legend, science, and intrigue. The Judas Strain starts with a viral outbreak, follows Marco Polo to Cambodia (via an ancient manuscript), and has the SIGMA team tracking terrorists on three continents. If that sounds far-fetched, it's only because you haven't read it. Rollins nearly a...more

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Feb 12, 2009 Toni Osborne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sigma Force book 4

An ancient and deadly plague, the Judas Strain, has suddenly re-emerged from the depths of the Indian Ocean, a disease unstoppable and deadly. Dr Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis of SIGMA FORCE search for an answer to this bizarre affliction aboard a cruise liner, transformed into a makeshift hospital. But others had different intentions. In a sudden coup, Guild members hijack the vessel full of plague victims and turn it into a bio-weapons lab.

A world away, SIGMA's Commander Gr...more Sigma Force book 4

An ancient and deadly plague, the Judas Strain, has suddenly re-emerged from the depths of the Indian Ocean, a disease unstoppable and deadly. Dr Lisa Cummings and Monk Kokkalis of SIGMA FORCE search for an answer to this bizarre affliction aboard a cruise liner, transformed into a makeshift hospital. But others had different intentions. In a sudden coup, Guild members hijack the vessel full of plague victims and turn it into a bio-weapons lab.

A world away, SIGMA's Commander Gray Pierce joins force with Seichan a Guild defector holding clues to a possible cure. Following in the footsteps of the famous explorer Marco Polo, they embark on an astonishing quest which leads them to the Vatican, Istanbul and Cambodia. As a possible worldwide pandemic grows rapidly, time becomes their enemy and seconds bring them closer to a doomsday scenario. Gray and his allies are in the midst of an astonishing mystery where they cannot trust anyone.

This novel has a blend of science and history incorporated in an action pact tale of fiction. The author spiked the adventure by adding tidbits of strange details to defy the believability throughout and to leave us pondering, a very astute ploy but it didn't work for me. I found the premise of this book to be totally off the map.

The plot is comical in some ways I found myself giggling at some of the exploits: battling giant crabs and planning to blow up a jet ski with scuba gear and other far fetched endeavours. The action is easy to follow as the story jumps back and forth from Gray and Seichan pursuing Marco Polo to Monk and Lisa trying to escape both pirates and cannibals.

As for the characters, they are very superficial lacking in real substance but nevertheless a charming bunch, dare devils facing predictable situations ending with favourable conclusions. It seems Mr Rollins is saving his characters for a later date. At one point the author was so enthralled explaining some angelic symbols and maps that I had trouble tying things together and moving on.
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Sep 12, 2007 Simone Emard rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: adults

A friend recommended James Rollins to me as I like books by Dan Brown, and Steve Barry. I have read a couple of his books so far and am in complete agreement with my friend. I find that the books start off in a very exciting way and hold my attention throughout. In this book, The Judas Strain, I am learning about Marco Polo and the mystery surrounding his 24 year voyage that took him to the palaces of Kublai Khan in China. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a historical thri...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Ananya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

2.6 stars precisely.

My reason for not giving this supposedly wondrous book a high rating is that I've outgrown them. There is an uncertainty about facts, an incomplete thread of information that blares, "The author hasn't done enough research to engage people with surprising realities and unimaginable possibilities." I was clearly disappointed when Rollins left certain sections to the imagination of people when he could have focussed more on going deeper into the biological facets of DNA or myth

...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Mike B. rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Judas Strain is another breathtakingly suspenseful book of the SIGMA series written by James Rollins. I have also read his recently released book called Bloodline. Just by reading these two books of his, I feel like an avid fan of his style. Particularly in the book I just finished reading, The Judas Strain, he grabbed my attention multiple times and I just could not stop reading. The main thing about his writing that I love is the fact that he can take any intense situation, and make it so...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Talentlesstroll rated it 5 of 5 stars

Judas Strain is kind of hard to explain how I felt. Its starts off rather slow, but at the same time, its still very interesting. I think its my Biology background. I read some of the reviews on Good Reads, and they complain that it doesn't look like Rollins does much research in his stories. I can pretty say they are full of it. Even at the end of the book, in the afterward, Rollins even cites sources and separated facts from fiction. As a biology student, almost all his bio-based science is sp...more Judas Strain is kind of hard to explain how I felt. Its starts off rather slow, but at the same time, its still very interesting. I think its my Biology background. I read some of the reviews on Good Reads, and they complain that it doesn't look like Rollins does much research in his stories. I can pretty say they are full of it. Even at the end of the book, in the afterward, Rollins even cites sources and separated facts from fiction. As a biology student, almost all his bio-based science is spot on. Bacteria does crazy stuff. Thats probably the scariest part of the novel, that it could possibly happen.

Back to the story, it actually takes about a hundred pages for anything to really start happening, but again, its not that its boring or anything, you're there reading and trying to piece the things together. Like how are the events on Christmas Island even related to the stuff happening stateside? How is Sigma Force gonna save the day? What the hell is the Guild doing now? Some of the scenarios are very outlandish, but thats the fun of the book. Its called fiction for a reason.

Its kind of funny. I read Doomsday Key first, and I really didn't have any opinion of the characters, even so much as not liking Gray all that much. Then I started the series from the beginning, and I still didn't care for him. But each book he gets more likable, to me at least. He's still no where near my favorite character of the series (that position will always belong to Painter, with Monk a close second), but he's significantly higher than when I first read Doomsday Key.

Don't start the series with this book. You need the emotional attachment to the characters, or else the impact of the story is significantly lessened. Don't start anywhere after this book either, as this book contains MASSIVE spoilers. The best place to start reading the Sigma Force is really from beginning, or Map of Bones, but since Map of Bones is the second novel, might as well start from the beginning.
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Feb 04, 2013 Dlora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-action, political-thriller

I would give this installment of the Sigma Force series 4 1/2 stars, actually, because I liked it better than the book just before it. Not quite a 5 since it didn't blow me away like some books nor have quite the amazing writing but it was still a page turner. I was more comfortable with the biological science of infectious diseases than the physics science of the earlier novels, which is perhaps why I liked it better than the previous novels. And Rollins is not afraid to kill off the good guys,...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Doug1134 rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: The illiterate

Recommended to Doug1134 by: Someone who obviously hates me

As a fan of Michael Crichton, James Rollins was recommended to me. After being underwhelmed by Ice Hunt, I figured I'd give Rollins one more shot with The Judas Strain. I didn't care for this one, either. It's a shame, too, because the subjects he chooses to write about are very interesting. But it's clear he doesn't put the level of research into his writing like Clancy or Crichton. As a result, the plot ends up empty with holes. (Why'd he bring his parents along again? If there was no mole, ho...more

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Sep 11, 2012 ConvincoDude rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventures, freaky-supernatural-adventures, fantasy, read-this-if-it-kills-you, thrillers, science-fiction, why-isn-t-this-a-bloody-movie-yet

Sigma Force is back...and this time they may not survive the challenge. A nasty disease has infected the population of a small tropical island, forcing a cruise liner on her maiden voyage to be turned into a makeshift hospital, staffed by Lisa Cummings (from Black Order) and Monk Kokkalis - until agents of the Guild, last seen in Map of Bones show up. Back in America, the Guild assassin Seichan comes to Gray Pierce for help, and he takes her to Europe, along with new character Joe Kowalski (basi...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Bogdan rated it 4 of 5 stars

чем больше я читаю этого прекрасного многоименного автора, тем больше он меня вдохновляет – фантазия, которая есть неудержимый поток, получила воплощение именно в нем: с каждым последующим романом открываются все новые и новые пируэты, которые выписывает мысль, движущая сюжет. все происходящее становится все чудесатее и чудесатее, но более всего удивляют и потрясают комментарии, прилагаемые в конце романа (отступление – пару лет назад я для одной конференции сварганил статью по немецким историко...more чем больше я читаю этого прекрасного многоименного автора, тем больше он меня вдохновляет – фантазия, которая есть неудержимый поток, получила воплощение именно в нем: с каждым последующим романом открываются все новые и новые пируэты, которые выписывает мысль, движущая сюжет. все происходящее становится все чудесатее и чудесатее, но более всего удивляют и потрясают комментарии, прилагаемые в конце романа (отступление – пару лет назад я для одной конференции сварганил статью по немецким историко-приключенческим романам, в частности, по авторским послесловиям, имеющим для текста конструктивное значение – и теперь убеждаюсь, как я был прав, что самое главное – это находящееся вне фабулы и сюжета: признание, что есть факт, а что – полет фантазии) – они раскрывают как широчайшее поле интересов автора, так и позволяют проследить путь конструирования происходящего, как автор вплетает научный факт в полотно немыслимого.

из последовательно прочитанных четырех романов роллинса в этой серии, «печать иуды», наверное, пока самый впечатляющий – и по разбросу интересов, и по размётанности географичских перемещений: америка, остров рождества, турция, граница ирана, камбоджа, тайланд, зондские острова. благословенен будь земной шар и общее убожество жизни человека на нем: даже несмотря на прошедшую эпоху географических открытий, пространство мира для большинства читающих – это белое пятно, позволяющее авторам скользить от континента к континенту, от страны к стране, создавая влекущее экзотическое влечение «к неведомому».

есть некая объединяющая величина, которая может соединить млечное сияние моря, наполнившегося поднявшимися с дна микроорганизмами, эпидемии и панэпидемии в прошлом-настоящем-будущем, марко поло и его шестнадцатилетнее пребывание при дворе кублай-хана, ватиканские строения и распри, дивную принцессу монгольскую кокеджин, пиратство в регионе между юго-восточний азией и австралией, постройку дворцов ангкора, историю айя-софии и терроризм во всех его формах. и, как ни странно, это оказывается язык, так называемый «архангельский язык», праязык, на самом деле изобретенный в 17 веке, но странным образом соотносящийся и со всем вышеперечисленным, и с открытиями, связанными с днк.

в романе есть бесконечные перемещения, дикие страсти, немыслимая жестокость (как всегда и как водится – в прекрасном женском обличье), припадки и практика людоедства (с особым вниманием к вкусовым и питательным свойствам вилочковой железы), корабли, самолеты, акваланги, собаки, мордобой, раны, увечья, свечение кожных покровов и «иудин штамм» - супервирус, рука дающая и отнимающая, разящая и излечивающая, увлекательное переплетение с хитросплетением миллиона событий с бессчетным количеством персонажей. все – для развлечения.
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Feb 08, 2012 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, mystery-suspense-and-thriller

I featured James Rollins on the blog in 2010 (May) and picked up Altar of Eden then; I also meant to pick up some of his other books, which I did – but didn’t get around to reading til’ now…

drey’s thoughts:

I know I’m reading these out of order, but that’s alright – The Judas Strain stands on its own. Even so, one of these days I will backtrack and read the prior books.

James Rollins drags you into this thriller slowly as he sets the stage for a high-action, fast-paced race against time to save (...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Filipa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: english-books, policial-thriller-mystery, 2010-reads, keen

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Já descobri a razão de não estar tão entusiasmada. É a ansiedade de ter uma maratona de SK a seguir...

Bem, mas ontem à noite fiquei chateada por não estar a pegar no livro com tudo o que tinha, portanto, fiz mesmo um esforço para me concentrar na leitura e zás...numa noite e numa manhã já o li.

Mais uma vez, o autor não me desiludiu com a sua destreza de misturar factos e ficção...uma pessoa até fica a pensar se aquilo que ele retrata obviamente como ficção não poderá ser antes um facto real.

A...more Já descobri a razão de não estar tão entusiasmada. É a ansiedade de ter uma maratona de SK a seguir...

Bem, mas ontem à noite fiquei chateada por não estar a pegar no livro com tudo o que tinha, portanto, fiz mesmo um esforço para me concentrar na leitura e zás...numa noite e numa manhã já o li.

Mais uma vez, o autor não me desiludiu com a sua destreza de misturar factos e ficção...uma pessoa até fica a pensar se aquilo que ele retrata obviamente como ficção não poderá ser antes um facto real.

A Rachel nem vê-la neste livro (estou muito destroçada), apenas uma ligeira referência a uma chamada que o Monsenhor Verona deveria esperar da sobrinha.

Grande revelação...os pais do Grayson não são tão alheados da vida do filho como fazem querer parecer. Muito bom, gostei mesmo muito que os pais dele soubessem que trabalha para a Força Sigma. Isto de andar esconder coisas da família, pode por vezes virar-se contra nós.

Já, a Seichan...bem pode dizer-se que fiquei boquiaberta! Então não é que o raio da mulher assassina faz parte dos bons?

Ora que esta! Por esta não esperava eu. As dicas que ela lhe deu , bem, verdade seja dita, que fazem muito sentido. Mas ela parece tão fria, tão somente importada com atingir os seus objectivos. Mas então como é que o Painter Crowe também não sabe de nada ?
Esta é uma das pontas soltas no fim deste livro! Ainda tem muito que dar.

O Monk, nem consigo acreditar. Foi um choque, nem queria acreditar como é que era possível o autor fazer-lhe isto, e a história dele acabava assim...
Mas nem estou triste porque sei que isto não acabou ali. O autor já levantou ali a ponta do véu...com aquela mensagem S.O.S. destinada ao Gray...ali há gato! Esta é outra das pontas soltas que ainda não está minimamente resolvida.

No geral, um livro muito bom, foi uma boa leitura. Considero que talvez tenha sido difícil de entrar no ritmo, por ter uma prospectiva de leitura em tempos próximos sobre a qual estou muito ansiosa para ler...de resto, a história em si, é sempre fenomenal ao ritmo de adrenalina a que o autor já nos habituou. (less)

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Sep 19, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I truly hate being in this position. A friend here on Goodreads with whom I usually agree recommended that I try Rollins. Now admittedly this is not the first in the series and I don't often start a series in the middle, but I was looking for an audio that I could listen to as I was busy with "mindless tasks". (I'm straining not to make a joke here.)

I wish I could say I liked this book, I wanted to, but I just don't/didn't. I was relieved to reach the end. To give credit where credits due...the...more I truly hate being in this position. A friend here on Goodreads with whom I usually agree recommended that I try Rollins. Now admittedly this is not the first in the series and I don't often start a series in the middle, but I was looking for an audio that I could listen to as I was busy with "mindless tasks". (I'm straining not to make a joke here.)

I wish I could say I liked this book, I wanted to, but I just don't/didn't. I was relieved to reach the end. To give credit where credits due...the reader had his problems also. At one point he read "MI6" as M16" and he read the word "archangel" as "arch angel" as in "arch" villain. There were other miss pronunciations that bugged me.

Still, the "book" itself get's it share of the credit. We take a bit of historical fact and a smidgen of science and then we use it as a spring board here to launch off into total absurdity, at least that's how it hit me. I'm a big fantasy fan and I'm a big action fan so you'd think suspension of disbelief wouldn't be a problem for me, and it usually isn't. But there were things here on multiple levels that kept gnawing at me. From the protagonist's inability to get his parents (including his Alzheimer's suffering father) to simply stay behind, or go somewhere, anywhere but with him (isn't there an aunt Martha...or something) to the cliches we keep stumbling over I just didn't care for it.

Sort of major spoiler below.

(view spoiler)[ See, there's this super secret society (that's super, secret....not super secret. Maybe I should have said ultra secret super organization??? Oh well, you get the idea). They're all but all knowing with moles everywhere (except where they're not, but pretend to be) and see they're seeking this virus that can enter any bacteria and suddenly convert said bacteria into a deadly plague that eats flesh, rots people, melts skin or whatever.

Well, unless you have this special protein see, and then you can convert it all into a cure and all anyone has to do is drink your blood or eat your flesh and they can get better. Inconvenient, but it's okay because you also undergo a sort of metaphysical change to and become one of the wonderful people who are waiting for something in the future but we're not sure what...except it's still a long time away and till then you get to go somewhere (like heaven...maybe, but we're not sure, again) and hang out with people you love who have died of the plague because they didn't get top eat anyone's flesh but now they're happy and okay.

Oh and if you're one of the people with the protein you glow when your ready to be eaten.

I'm not sure how to tell if your one of the very few people who can make the virus good, but it seems to have something to do with social consciousness as the doctor who is one and glows also gave us a lecture on how the seas are dying because people use fertilizer and fish too much...and maybe global warming. And after she changes she wanders through the jungle spotting endangered tigers and turtles. I know she must be special because if normal humans wander through the jungle and meet an endangered tiger species, the human gets eaten.

You get the idea I suppose.

Oh! the history. This all started because Marco Polo messed around where he shouldn't have...it was bad. There was this opening that let the Judas Strain (what they call the virus) out...or possibly in if you figure the world is a place to let stuff in...and the place had to be closed see...

Oh well. (hide spoiler)]

I'd say try this one for yourself. As much as it bugged me others, including a friend here as I said (well I hope he's still a friend) like this book very much. With it's mix of strained science and metaphysics plus just the way the story goes it's not for me.

I will give the other Rollins books I have a shot, maybe it's just this one. Still, sorry if you love this book, but 2 is all I can give it. That's just my rating. It wasn't for me.

And believe me I know what it's like to share a book you love with someone only to have it dissed...so again, to each their own, see what you think. (less)

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Apr 10, 2011 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-a-copy

This was a book I had been wanting to read for a while now, after having first come across it at the bookstore and being intrigued by the book jacket. Now that I have read and completed it, I have to say that I truly enjoyed "The Judas Strain", it kept me entertained from start to finish. Perhaps the most memorable part of the book for me, which will probably stay with me the longest was one of the quotes at the beginning of the book as cited from the US Centers for Disease Control and Preventio...more

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Jan 16, 2013 AndrewK rated it 4 of 5 stars

I highly recommend this book and the author, James Rollins. This book captivates what all his books are about. It captures and fascinates it readers within its pages for hours. This book contains his signature type of writing that mixes a Tom Clancy feel with a mythology and sci-fi feel as well. He does this through government and terrorist organizations tying in with mythological objects or ideas that gives the books purpose. This book uses multiple characters, each deep with their own flaws an...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Thk rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interestingly, Rollins write among similar lines to Reilly, and by recommendations on the cover of Reilly's book and also from Justine, I picked up this book from the library. Many similarities are found: Guantanamo, robotic prosthetics, MetalStorm guns etc. However, Rollins can be considered the antithesis of Reilly - while the latter concentrates on action set pieces and flow of storyline, Rollins concentrates on developing his characters and story, and pares down the action scenes. However, I...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thrillers-mystery

Another super Rollins Sigma Force novel! This is only the second Sigma novel I've read (after Black Order) - I really need to take time to read the first two but that TBR stack doesn't seem to get any shorter. Anyway, this was another fast-paced action novel from Rollins. As usual, he threw in a lot of interesting premises including the Judas Strain itself and bioterrorism, the use of the "angelic script", and the historical mystery of Marco Polo and what happened to his fleet on his return trip...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Barbara ★ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, mystery-thriller, zzcover-yellow, ebooks

This is the third book in the Sigma Force series that I've read and absolutely loved. James Rollins writing is historically accurate and amazingly detailed. It's one of those books that draws you in from the first horrific chapter and keeps you turning pages as fast as your fingers (and eyes) allow. Of course there are multiple things going on: a historical trail and a scientific trail which ultimately converges with dire consequences. I particularly liked the inclusion of Kowalski, an ex-milita...more

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Jun 21, 2009 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After finishing The Judas Strain, I remain a HUGE James Rollins fan! I think Map of Bones and Sandstorm are my favorite books in the Sigma Force series, but really, they are all superb adventures, and The Judas Strain is no exception.

After reading 4 books in the series, I'm completely invested in these characters. I have images of them in my head. I know and love or hate their personalities. I root for their success and worry at their failures and ultimately, I want them to save the world. I thi...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Full of Action and stunning characters

I have read just about every book written by James Rollins and in my opinion "The Judas Strain" is right up there at the top. It's a stunning and education portrait of those nasty bugs in the world of biological science. In the "The Judas Strain", the fourth novel in the Sigma Force series I thought Mr. Collins writing style captured the true effects of a loose deadly bacteria that is killing all life in the waters of Christmas Island. The story is full of...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Marcia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure

Great. We drove from Illinois to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in two and a half days. I read the book during that time. Exciting. I really do not remember the scenery. I was nearly finished when we reached our destination. Much to my husband's upset that I did not pay attention to the road.

All of Rollins' books are wonderful. I have not read anything I did not like. We get to travel to exotic lands in search of pirates, diseases,monsters both human and so human, steamy jungles. It's like going to the...more

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Jan 23, 2009 Jean rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Another really fun read from James Rollins. It brought back a number of characters from the last couple novels (and didn't incorporate too many new ones) which was fun. Being about a violent, highly-contagious disease made for a lot of nasty, skin-crawling, stomach-churning moments. The usual complaints are in effect here: flat character relationships (but they're getting a little better for me, now that Ive read these characters a number of times), unnatural dialogue (I get a little annoyed whe...more

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Mar 24, 2010 Steven W. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like books such as The Da Vinci Code

Recommended to Steven by: my neighbor

Shelves: book-for-reader-response

The book is called The Judas Strain,and the author is James Rollins.At first my nice neighbor recommended this book to me,she told me how her son liked this book and she thought I might like this kind of realistic fiction story too. So she let me borrow it, and I started to read this book as soon as I get this book into my room.
The story sets the first scene at Marco Polo and his crewmen returning to their home from a trip to China.Marco Polo and his crewmen seemed to be experiencing some kind...more The book is called The Judas Strain,and the author is James Rollins.At first my nice neighbor recommended this book to me,she told me how her son liked this book and she thought I might like this kind of realistic fiction story too. So she let me borrow it, and I started to read this book as soon as I get this book into my room.
The story sets the first scene at Marco Polo and his crewmen returning to their home from a trip to China.Marco Polo and his crewmen seemed to be experiencing some kind of plague.And when the plague stopped,Marco's father made him to swear never to tell anyone about this plague,because it's cursed.(But still Marco left some clues for people to find out)Then in the next chapters,the story shifted to modern world.There's one of the main character Gray Pierce,who is the commander of a shadowy covert organization called Sigma Force.Gray got involved into code-cracking mysteries about the plague(named as the Judas Strain)Marco had once experienced.He has to follow a historical trail of the explorer in order to get the info about the Judas Strain.Then there's another main character Dr.Lisa Cummings,who has to follow a scientific trail into the biochemistry of the plague.Lisa was examining the Judas Strain(or rather an ancient bacteria called cyanobacteria,as Lisa discovered later in the story)on a cruise ship when terrorist hijackers suddenly attacked the ship,and turning it into a floating bio-weapons lab.
I don't get the story when I read it first.Lots of characters are introduced at the beginning chapters of the book.But as I read on,there comes more details and explanations about what's going on.The author made up this ancient bacteria infection story based on the true facts about Marco Polo's return trip from China.In fact,Marco actually said,"I have not told half of what I saw"on his deathbed,and the author just wrote such an intriguing story based on that.I also admired the author's writing craft work,he puts up different scenes in just one chapter,when one scene is about how Lisa is trying to escape the hijacked cruise ship,and the next scene is about Gray and his companions are decoding the mysterious scripts left by Marco Polo.It's similar to the popular drama television series "Lost",when the scene is on the tropical island where the crashed airplane landed,and it switches suddenly to the modern world where those dead people on the island are still alive,but it's in motion pictures instead of written as a story.
Judas strain, n. A scientific term for an organism that drives an entire species to extinction.That's what the author gives as a definition for Judas strain on the first page of the book.The story is full of adventurous thrills,with the extinction of humans in threat.Gray and Lisa had to find the cure for the cyanobacteria infection before it's too late.The story mentioned a lot of scientific terms which made me a headache,but it's worth reading it,especially if you are a big fan of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code".And so as I rated it five out of 5.(less)

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Feb 18, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm pretty sure it was my own damn fault for disliking this book.

It took me about 3 weeks to slog through this, which is embarrassing considering it's meant to be a fast-paced page turner. To be fair, those 3 weeks included a cross-country move and orientation at a new job, so it's entirely possible that my own distraction prevented me from every getting involved.

But if you were ever going to get caught up in a book, wouldn't it be one like this? Rollins has pulled out all the stops here; the 5...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Benjamin Thomas rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, action-adventure

It's tough for me to give a James Rollins book only 3 stars but for me, this one was only lukewarm. I love his concepts and his action/adventure writing but his characters are usually a little wooden or stereotypical. He spends a lot of time in this one trying to add a couple of dimensions to them but he doesn't quite pull it off and that just ends up adding padding. I found myself wishing the end were nearer so I could get to my next read and that's just not a good sign.

I'll keep on going with...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Alena rated it 3 of 5 stars

For what it was, (a light, fast-paced action novel reminiscent of any-Dan-Brown-novel-meets-Outbreak) I enjoyed it. I'd never read any other "Sigma Force" or James Rollins books, but this was on sale through Amazon Kindle and I liked the description. I liked the interweaving of the real mystery of what happened to Marco Polo's crew/ships on his voyage home from China. I'm also a sucker for stories about devastating plagues. The science was "believable-enough" for this layperson, although it was...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sigma-force

After having read, Black Order, I was pretty sure that Rollins couldn't top it, and unfortunately I was right. However, it did feel a lot more epic than Black Order. Another great area of science was tackled and as an A-level Biologist/Chemist it was great to see the cis/trans idea used within Biology and then with the wonderful biochemistry!!

But, some of the ideas were hard to visualise - like the hiding place of the pirates and Mistress of the Seas. Towards the end the resolving of the problem...more

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About James Rollins

James Rollins is the New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers, 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 h

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“It ain't always rocket science, sometimes a door is just a door.” — 63 people liked it

“Are you sure, Gray?'
He lifted his eyes. 'No . . . I'm not. I'm not sure of a damn thing.' He slipped his hands free of the monsignor's and peeled the battery off the phone, cutting the last ring in half. 'But that doesn't mean I won't act.” — 12 people liked it

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The Judas Strain: A Sigma Force Novel (Sigma Force #4)

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