Wednesday, July 17, 2013

"The Eye of God" James Rollins' latest thriller

MONGOLIA - Normally, covers that indicate a book is part of a series - in this case a Sigma Force Novel - turn me right off.
James Rollins

It might be the same reason I don't eat at franchise restaurants. I want something original, fresh - like a Lionel Shriver or Jodi Picoult novel where the characters are new, the plot lively, and not a rehash of some old plot or formula that resulted in an avalanche of book sales. (James Lee Burke novels are a notable exception to this by the way. His new book Light of the World will be out July 23 and the characters in it are old friends.)

In the case of The Eye of God by James Rollins, I decided to take a look anyway, as it had quantum physics, time travel and religion mixed up in the mash with the Sigma Force people.

It was a formula that worked.

If the book were shorter, I would recommend it for reading during an airline flight across country. But at just over 400 pages, it's longish. And the action is fast and a little too tiring take in to read in just one or two settings.

Like many action books, this has a serious end-of-the-world bent, but just enough plausibility of science, religion and military action to make it, well, believable. The physical feats of some of the characters stretch credulity, but then swimming under ice flows in Lake Baikal never seemed like a good idea to me anyway.

I can't speak for other Rollins' books, but The Eye of God is worth of look. And if you do pick it up, follow it all the way to the very end. There's a surprise ending with a heart warming twist involving time and its relation to the universe.