Map of Bones by James Rollins

Books Read: 35
Completion Date: March, 2007
Publication Year: 2006
Pages: 560
Owned Prior to 2007

During a crowded service at a cathedral in Germany, armed intruders in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and destruction. But the killers have not come for gold; they seek a more valuable prize: the bones of the Magi who once paid homage to a newborn savior . . . a treasure that could reshape the world.

With the Vatican in turmoil, SIGMA Force leaps into action. An elite team of scientific and Special Forces operatives under the command of Grayson Pierce and accompanied by Lieutenant Rachel Verona of Rome's carabinieri, they are pursuing a deadly mystery that weaves through sites of the Seven Wonders of the World and ends at the doorstep of an ancient, mystical, and terrifying secret order. For there are those with dark plans for the stolen sacred remains that will alter the future of humankind . . . when science and religion unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time.

I am a big James Rollins fan, but I like to savour his books. They are my fun reads for the most part, and I have yet to dislike anything I have read by him. I felt that it was about time that I got caught up on his books, I think I have three left to read after this one. This is one of his newer ones, and is technically the first book in his SIGMA series, but I personally think that Sandstorm is book one because SIGMA is in that book and because one of the main characters in this book appears in that one. So, if you like to read a series in order, this is really, for me, book two.

I know that this book has been heavily compared with The Da Vinci Code, but really, you should try and separate the two. I enjoyed this book way more than Brown's book, and I think it is sad that because Brown pushes the envelope his book beats out books that are actually much more interesting. Religion plays a role in this book, and their a treasure hunt of sorts, but it does not challenge religion like Da Vinci did. It is more about the search, the thrilling conclusion, that sort of thing. The only thing that disappointed me about this book is that the setting was more ordinary than other books. I mean, they find something that was lost forever and such, but his other books just have the exotic location play a larger role.

This book also reminded me of how much I like the Ancient Wonders of the World. They used to be a part of history that I read a great deal about, so it was nice to see them, predominantly The Lighthouse of Alexandria, get a mention. It made me start looking for new books that cover the subject of the ancient wonders.

Overall, I really liked this book. Rollins is really my guilty pleasure because I do not normally read the genre that he writes in, but I am glad that I was introduced to him, and I hope that he continues to write good books! I admit I am a little worried about the direction his books might go into now that he is writing a series, but I have high hopes that they will remain good!

4/5

To see reviews of other books by this author, click on the titles:
Sandstorm
Excavation