The Last Oracle: A Sigma Force Novel
Released On: Jun 24, 2008

What if you could bio-engineer the next great world prophet: scientifically produce the next Buddha, the next Muhammad, or even the next Jesus? Would it mark the Second Coming or initiate a chain reaction with disastrous consequences?

A master at combining historical and religious intrigue with edge-of-your-seat adventure, New York Times bestselling author James Rollins brings back Sigma Force to battle a group of rogue scientists who’ve unleashed a bioengineering project that could bring about the extinction of humankind.

In Washington D.C., a homeless man dies in Commander Gray Pierce’s arms, shot by an assassin’s bullet. But the death leaves behind a greater mystery: a bloody coin found clutched in the dead man’s hand, an ancient relic that traces back to the Greek Oracle of Delphi. As ruthless hunters search for the stolen artifact, Gray Pierce discovers the coin is the key to unlocking a plot that dates back to the Cold War, one that threatens the very foundation of humanity.

For an international think-tank of scientists known as the JASONS has discovered a way to bioengineer autistic children who show savant talents – mathematical geniuses, statistical masterminds, brilliant conceptual artists – into something far greater and far more frightening, all in hopes of creating a world prophet for the new millennium, one to be manipulated to create a new era of global peace…a peace on their own terms.

While halfway around the world, a man wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of who he is, only that he’s a prisoner in a subterranean research facility. With the help of three unusual children, he makes his escape across a mountainous and radioactive countryside, pursued by savage hunters bred in the same laboratory. But his goal is not to escape, nor even survival. In order to thwart a plot to wipe out a quarter of the world’s population, he must sacrifice all, even the children who rescued him.

From ancient Greek temples to glittering mausoleums, from the slums of India to the toxic ruins of Russia, two men must race against time to solve a mystery that dates back to the first famous oracle of history – the Greek Oracle of Delphi.

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Critical Acclaim

  • "Once again, the action is nonstop."

    Sacramento Bee
  • "Rollins combines real-world science with high-octane action to create rousing stories of adventure that are as exciting as any movie."

    Chicago Sun-Times
  • "Rollins has outdone himself with this fabulous mix of history, science, and adventure that will easily increase his growing number of fans."

    School Library Journal
  • "The perfect escape novel, an edge of-your-seat read."

    Knoxville News-Sentinel
  • "Lots of absorbing scientific information and tantalizing sentences."

    Publishers Weekly
  • "Go out and buy James Rollins’s latest saga. He just keeps getting better and better."

    The Barnstable Pariot
  • "Heroes: Painter Crowe, Gray Pierce and Monk Kokkalis, members of the elite covert military group Sigma Force. •Setting: Ukraine; Washington, D.C.; India •Story: An ancient coin found in the hand of a man shot and killed in front of the Smithsonian Castle kicks off a high-octane, globe-trotting hunt for the mystery behind an autistic savant who may be part of a plot to change world history. •Sizzle factor: Radioactive. Foot chases through mountains near Chernobyl, discovery of a mysterious skull in the Museum of Natural History, gun battles, car chases and the uncovering of a secret temple in India are just part of the action. No wonder Rollins was chosen to write the novelization of summer hit movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

    Carol Memmott, USA Today

FAQ

  • Q. In perhaps the most terrifying plotline within The Last Oracle, you reference the decaying radioactive tomb of Chernobyl, the new Sarcophagus being created to encase the wreckage, and lethally toxic lakes of nuclear waste scattered throughout Russia,some of which lie on top of geographic fault lines. You talk of the possibility of one earthquake tearing the land apart, unleashing a toxic tidal flow, which would flood the Arctic Circle and poison the world. It's all true, isn't it?
    A. As frightening as that all sounds, it's all true. The toxic legacy of the Cold War is still with us ... Read More
  • Q. In The Last Oracle, scientists around the globe are working to engineer the next Buddha, Jesus or Mohammed. Can a great prophet, a person whose touch and thought changes the world, be created by man?
    A. I believe we are not far off from this possibility (if we're not already there). The new frontier of ... Read More
  • Q. In your author's notes, you write that the JASONS, a global think tank of scientists, truly exist. How were you able to delve into the shuttered world of this secret organization?
    A. The JASONS formed during the Cold War to offer advice and counsel to the Department of Justice. They ... Read More
  • Q. Tell us more about what sparked your fascination with autism and the manipulation of savant talents?
    A. Rain Man-like talent still baffles scientists and has challenged our conception of human mental abil ... Read More
  • Q. This novel traces the Romani, known as Gypsies from Delphi, into the Indian Continent and across the world. Do the members of this nomadic tribe truly hold the key to long-buried secrets?
    A. Considering the origin of the Romani people has only recently been determined by linguistics, I wage ... Read More
  • Q. You seem to be the Indiana Jones of the genre. What amazing adventures did you undertake in researching/mapping the plot of The Last Oracle?
    A. I finally succumbed and accepted an invitation to go diving with sharks. Suffice it to say, I still ... Read More
  • Q. You very gently tread into an area that borders on the taboo: scientific experimentation with children.
    A. Human experimentation has often been cloaked in the "greater good," where the "ends justify the mean ... Read More
  • Q. Your books tend to feature man-eating squid, toothy grendels, flesh-eating swarms of frogs, and more. What killer creature (or exceptional animal) did you mastermind for The Last Oracle?
    A. In this book, a group of children are on the run from a menagerie of genetically enhanced beasts, bu ... Read More

Media

  • Which Order to Read Sigma Force Books
  • Autism and Its Relationship in The Last Oracle
  • Chernobyl and its role in The Last Oracle
  • The Last Oracle Cover Story
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