Book Review — James Rollins’s “Black Order”
Today I finished reading James Rollins‘s thriller, Black Order, a Sigma Force novel.
Before anybody questions that it’s been less than two weeks since the previous book review and Black Order is a 600-page book, let me say that I started reading Black Order almost two months ago. I started the book, stopped reading it to read a few other titles, and then finally finished Black Order.
Does this mean that Black Order is so bad that I had to take a break?
Certainly not.
I just ran into a few different scenarios and ended up starting and finishing a few books while reading this one. It happens at times. Surprisingly, I still remembered quite a few details from the first part of the novel.
Black Order is part of a series of novels written by James Rollins called Sigma Force.
Not knowing anything about the Sigma Force or any other of James Rollins’ works, I took the gamble and jumped right into Black Order. The premise on the back of the novel sounded interesting, so I gave it a shot.
The novel was well worth the gamble.
Black Order begins at the tail end of World War 2 as a group of Nazi scientists are conducting secret experiments on people. The scientists and Nazi SS officers are on the run, desperate to escape from Eastern Europe before the Allied forces capture them.
Fast forward to today.
The brunt of Black Order begins in both the Himalayas in Nepal as well as Copenhagen, Denmark.
The action in Nepal involves monks in a monastery who have gone insane and turned to cannibalism. The story in Copenhagen begins as a high-profile book auction in an old book store, but assassins have a different objective in mind. Both locations ultimately send the heroes of Sigma Force into a dark and sinister plot into the world of genetic mutation and the quest for the “perfect” human being.
Along the way in Black Order, we’re also introduced to the theory of zero-point energy, a devastating and top-secret Nazi technological device simply known as “The Bell,” and even some mythological creatures that terrorize villagers in the heart of Africa. Throw in detailed knowledge of genetics and the theory of evolution, and you’ll quickly discover that this thrilling novel is scientific enough to make the late Michael Crichton proud.
In Black Order, the story lines ultimately converge in South Africa. The heroes are joined by new friends and even some people who don’t appear as evil as originally believed. In the end, the readers are treated to a thrilling action segment that keeps you on edge as you turn page after page.
What I liked about Black Order was that although the story is one of those “It’s up to two or three people to save the world” like every other thriller, Black Order handles it in a different manner. The book has more of a gradual build-up to the suspense, and the true extent of The Bell and those who control it really isn’t made clear until near the end of the story.
The genetically modified animals add an interesting aspect to Black Order. Personally, I would have liked to have more of the story take place in Africa, but what is in the novel is pretty neat. It almost has a Jurassic Park feeling when the heroes are outwitting the creatures in addition to the armed villains.
As it was stated earlier, this was my first time reading a James Rollins novel, both stand-alone or Sigma Force. The book’s cover doesn’t make it clear that some of the characters are reoccurring from other novels. Once you learn that part you know that certain characters are going to survive and save the day. Fans like to see their favorite characters keep surviving for future stories. It’s a standard policy in the majority of thrillers written by a variety of authors, especially when dealing with a series.
Personally, I didn’t care for the Sigma Force characters. They were just names on paper to me. Some of them seemed to be too bland or cliche for my tastes, and others I just didn’t care for. Thankfully for Black Order, many of the secondary characters breathe a lot of life into this story. That part makes it quite interesting and it’s a guessing game as to which of them survive to the end.
I’ve seen other people describe Black Order as “escapism.” After finishing the novel, I certainly agree with that description. From the exotic locations to bloody and horrific scenes to a dark plot against mankind, this novel is a great way to temporarily escape from the real world. Then again, after seeing the headlines and stories that dominate the news today, perhaps the horror aspects of Black Order aren’t as scary as events occurring in real life.
At least Black Order is just a work of fiction. There’s a lot of science fact in the story, but the events surrounding it are fantasy. Some of the horror material here can give Stephen King a run for his money.
As a whole, Black Order was a great novel. It’s smart, a little bit predictable, but it’s also full of very intriguing scientific knowledge. I’ll have to keep an eye out for more of James Rollins’s novels in the future.