Guest Review: The Devil Colony

Summary: From New York Times bestselling author James Rollins comes a novel of boundless imagination and meticulous research, a book that dares to answer a frightening question at the heart of America: Could the founding of the United States be based on a fundamental lie? The shocking truth lies hidden within the ruins of an impossibility, a lost colony of the Americas vanished in time and cursed into oblivion. A place known only as The Devil Colony.
 
Deep in the Rocky Mountains, a gruesome discovery—hundreds of mummified bodies—stirs international attention and fervent controversy. Despite doubts about the bodies' origins, the local Native American Heritage Commission lays claim to the prehistoric remains, along with the strange artifacts found in the same cavern: gold plates inscribed with an unfathomable script. 

During a riot at the dig site, an anthropologist dies horribly, burned to ashes in a fiery explosion in plain view of television cameras. All evidence points to a radical group of Native Americans, including one agitator, a teenage firebrand who escapes with a vital clue to the murder and calls on the one person who might help—her uncle, Painter Crowe, Director of Sigma Force. 

To protect his niece and uncover the truth, Painter will ignite a war among the nation's most powerful intelligence agencies. Yet an even greater threat looms as events in the Rocky Mountains have set in motion a frightening chain reaction, a geological meltdown that threatens the entire western half of the U.S. 

From the volcanic peaks of Iceland to the blistering deserts of the American Southwest, from the gold vaults of Fort Knox to the bubbling geysers of Yellowstone, Painter Crowe joins forces with Commander Gray Pierce to penetrate the shadowy heart of a dark cabal, one that has been manipulating American history since the founding of the thirteen colonies. 

But can Painter discover the truth—one that could topple governments—before it destroys all he holds dear? -- William Morrow

While I'm pretty sure that I would enjoy THE DEVIL COLONY by James Rollins, I knew someone who would probably appreciate it even more -- my dad, Booking Pap Pap. He reads almost as much as I do and I thought he could use a break from all that heavy non-fiction! After reading this review, I might end up regretting that decision. This book looks terrific! Here are his thoughts:

In THE DEVIL COLONY, author James Rollins manages to take some seemingly unrelated subjects and blends them into a fantastic action thriller. The story takes the reader through a suspense filled journey that ties together Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin, the Lewis and Clark expedition and the painting of the Declaration of Independence by John Turnbull with the lost tribes of Israel, extinct Indian tribes, the Mormon religion and nanotechnology

The novel opens in an Indian reservation where two young men, long time friends, are spending time together searching for Indian artifacts before life takes them in separate directions. They manage to accidentally set off a series of events that may lead to the physical destruction of the planet. When a radical Indian rights group is blamed for the initial explosions, one of their young female members calls her uncle, the Director of Sigma Force, for help. Enter the Sigma Force to save the day. The Sigma Force not only has a race against time to prevent further destruction but must also battle a mysterious demonic enemy organization that has crossed their paths on other occasions. The Sigma Force attacks the problem from multiple angles. One group scientifically analyzes the nanotechnology that seems to be causing the devastation. Another section investigates the tie with the history of the founding of the United States and other groups are in the field fighting the enemy force and physically investigating the findings of the other two groups. The story requires a large cast of characters as the action moves from Washington D.C. to Iceland to Fort Knox to the Rock Mountains.

The Sigma Force characters appear in a series of James Rollins novels but I found the character development such that I didn’t feel it necessary to read the prior books before this one to really appreciate the characters. Rollins not only manages to make the story work with a very large cast of characters, but portrays the Sigma Force team as real people with real issues outside of their jobs

In THE DEVIL COLONY, Rollins combines violence, suspense, superstition, history, and science in a very good action thriller. This is a large 474 page novel that moves quickly with plenty of shooting, explosions and volcanic action. Interestingly, the author includes a section of notes to the reader to separate truth from fiction. I’m not typically into novels that include ultra-sophisticated ancient civilizations and far-fetched conspiracies that would alter our nation’s history but this one held my attention. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good suspense thriller.

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for another awesome review.