Book: Sandstorm (2005), Author: James Rollins, read online free in EPUB,TXT at ReadOnlineFree4.net. The Explosive first adventure in James Rollins’ bestselling Sigma Force series!A freak explosion in the British museum in London ignites a perilous race for an.

An inexplicable explosion rocks the antiquities collection of a London museum, setting off alarms in clandestine organizations around the world. And now the search for answers is leading Lady Kara Kensington; her friend Safia al-Maaz, the gallery's brilliant and beautiful curator; and their guide, the international adventurer Omaha Dunn, into a world they never dreamed exi An inexplicable explosion rocks the antiquities collection of a London museum, setting off alarms in clandestine organizations around the world. And now the search for answers is leading Lady Kara Kensington; her friend Safia al-Maaz, the gallery's brilliant and beautiful curator; and their guide, the international adventurer Omaha Dunn, into a world they never dreamed existed: a lost city buried beneath the Arabian desert. But others are being drawn there as well, some with dark and sinister purposes. And the many perils of a death-defying trek deep into the savage heart of the Arabian Peninsula pale before the nightmare waiting to be unearthed at journey's end: an ageless and awesome power that could create a utopia. Or destroy everything humankind has built over countless millennia. Sandstorm started out in London with a literal bang and ended with a storm of supposedly epic proportions in an ancient desert city.

But by the time it did, I didn't care anymore. All I saw was a swirly world of sand, glass, and static electricity populated by cardboard characters. The good ones would probably survive and the bad ones wouldn't and so what. What happened in between was pedestrian and predictable thriller fare with too many guns and action and not enough thrill. Bucky Sandstorm started out in London with a literal bang and ended with a storm of supposedly epic proportions in an ancient desert city.

But by the time it did, I didn't care anymore. All I saw was a swirly world of sand, glass, and static electricity populated by cardboard characters. The good ones would probably survive and the bad ones wouldn't and so what. What happened in between was pedestrian and predictable thriller fare with too many guns and action and not enough thrill. Underground cities?

It all adds up to too much to suspend disbelief. More like 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls' than 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', if you want an Indiana Jones comparison (and Rollins apparently does, naming one character 'Omaha' and having another repeatedly calling him 'Indiana'). The characters never really clicked for me, although the settings were pretty vivid. The plot started unraveling for me when the big puzzle turned into a simple map to a city that wasn't lost, but sealed.

If you intentionally hide a city, why do you leave a map to it? And if you do, why do you make it a puzzle? In the end, there was absolutely no point for anyone to go there, anyway.

Which is pretty much how I felt. Well, if you're going to have insomnia, this is one heck of a book to have handy. It took me a long time to finish this book because I had so many irons in the fire towards the end of last year. I am so glad that I did pick it up now, because it turned out to be a very rewarding read. Just a few of Danielle's Late Night Review Observations: 1) James Rollins writes detail-oriented, science heavy action/adventure. It took me a bit to get used to his writing style, but I have to say it really worked Well, if you're going to have insomnia, this is one heck of a book to have handy. It took me a long time to finish this book because I had so many irons in the fire towards the end of last year.

I am so glad that I did pick it up now, because it turned out to be a very rewarding read. Just a few of Danielle's Late Night Review Observations: 1) James Rollins writes detail-oriented, science heavy action/adventure. It took me a bit to get used to his writing style, but I have to say it really worked for me. Since I am a self-admitted science nerd, I found the scientific aspects quite interesting, and it usually didn't go too far over my head. I loved Coral Novak's character. A tough as nails special forces operative, who is also a serious brainiac. Which leads me to my next point.

2) I think Mr. Rollins really loves and respects women. Painter Crowe and Omaha Dunn are strong, pivotal characters in this novel, but the women really carry the show. This novel is underscored and wrapped in the depths and characterization of women, from the shy, introverted, scholarly, tortured Safia, to her more outgoing adoptive sister, Lady Kara, who is equally tortured, to the seriously twisted villain character (a major spoiler) if you haven't read the book, and then there are the mysterious women of the Ubar descent who trace their origins back to the Queen of Sheba. Although I thought that Lady Kara could have been more fleshed out, I think overall Rollins did a great job of rounding out this book with incredible women. 3)Painter Crowe and Omaha Dunn surprise you, because they are a lot more emotional than I would expect tough guy action heroes to be. Painter actually gets choked up a few times.

And I loved the image of him running around in his boxers. (I'm a bit boy crazy, I freely admit) I like a man who can be free with his emotions. Omaha is in the Indiana Jones vein, but with a soft-hearted depth that Jones doesn't quite show with women; he's never fallen out of love with Safia, even with the bad mistakes he made. That's another plus with this novel that Rollins is unafraid to stray from gender conventions, and dare I say, stereotypes. 4)Going back to point 1, (forgive me, it's almost four am, and my brain is muzzy), I like that Rollins does his research to write a story that is about the possible and the plausible. I loved the fact that he built this imaginative science/fantastical adventure on a foundation of real life facts.

5)The action in this book is hot and heavy. When I said it was detailed in the science facts, don't let that scare you away.

Rollins doesn't let his readers down when it comes to things blowing up, characters in serious jeopardy, and yes, violent, gruesome deaths. Nothing gratuitous mind you. If you like all the hardware and high tech action meeting the ancient treasure hunting motif, you'll be a happy camper with this novel. Wrapping my wobbly thoughts together, I thought this would just be a four star novel because of the fact it took a while to get into the book.

However, I have talked myself into a higher rating during this review, actually as I read the incredible imagery in this book at its climax. I was mentally reading with my mouth wide open. A guy who can write with this kind of depth and imagination is a man I want to read more of. I have to give this book 4.5 stars at the minimum. Highly recommended! This is the first of James Rollins's 'Sigma Force' novels. This is different than most of the books that are in my book list, quite different in some cases.

It's basically an action movie in book form, but it's a good one, like Indiana Jones style. And Rollins seems to know that it's that kind of adventure.

One of the characters is referred to as 'Indiana Jones' occasionally. It's the kind of humor I like in books, the wink to the audience that everything is kind tounge in cheek. But even with it This is the first of James Rollins's 'Sigma Force' novels. This is different than most of the books that are in my book list, quite different in some cases. It's basically an action movie in book form, but it's a good one, like Indiana Jones style. And Rollins seems to know that it's that kind of adventure.

One of the characters is referred to as 'Indiana Jones' occasionally. It's the kind of humor I like in books, the wink to the audience that everything is kind tounge in cheek. But even with it being not in the same class of book as Hitchhiker's Guide or Lost In A Good Book, it's a lot of fun. I usually read one of these after I've read something by George R.R. Martin, because I know that it's going to be fast paced and fun with action, explosions, humor and completely ridiculous science. And that's one of the things I like about the Sigma Force novels, there's always a scientific reason behind everything, and it looks like James Rollins actually does a lot of research into these subjects. It may not always be totally believeable, but I enjoyed Jurasic Park and I doubt I'd actually enjoy being chased by dinosaurs across a tropical island.

Er, that means that it's good enough for me. Not nearly as good as I expected., I read & loved Map of Bones, Rollins most recent release, so I picked up this book thinking it would be just as good.

I moved backwards to this predecessor because I had not heard of Rollins before. I cannot start a book & not finish it & I don't like to read more than one book at a time; personal quirks I live with.

Usually I read a book a week, because I usually find good reads based on reviews, research & sales. There was nothing to Not nearly as good as I expected., I read & loved Map of Bones, Rollins most recent release, so I picked up this book thinking it would be just as good.

I moved backwards to this predecessor because I had not heard of Rollins before. I cannot start a book & not finish it & I don't like to read more than one book at a time; personal quirks I live with. Usually I read a book a week, because I usually find good reads based on reviews, research & sales. There was nothing to suggest that I wouldn't like this. Reviews of the book were good, sales were good, & the story seemed enthralling.

My formula did not work. This was a month long marathon of torture. I felt like I was back in high school or college reading a book that I hated but had to read to complete a report or take a test to pass the course.

What a disaster of a novel. The book is over 500 pages long for 1 very simple reason: this guy can drag out the description of a piece of dirt for at least a page. It would also appear that Rollins pulled out a thesaurus the day he started writing this book, picked out five to ten words that are not often used in conversation, & regurgitated those five to ten words over and over again. I don't know. The story and the facts supporting it are promising, intriguing.

It involves anti-matter (yes, the same stuff in 'Angels & Demons'), the lost city of Ubar (the queen of Sheba and the Garden of Eden), & the potential for world domination based on some long-buried secret. A good formula for a scientific & historical thriller. To top it off, Rollins attempts to add a love story (you could call it a love triangle) to this train wreck of a novel, which only further bogs down the story. Some of the characters (described in full as if they will be a major player) exist for no apparent reason other than to add a line of dialogue, and the dialogue is bad throughout. One character, who appears in the first chapter & is described with enough detail that you can assume he will be a key character, never returns.

It's a muddled mess. The main characters are unemotional & unresponsive, almost lifeless, considering that they are facing life-and-death situations. The dialogue is ridiculous: calm conversations about scientific realities & falsehoods in the midst of a gunfight taking place under the so-called sand-storm of the century; attempted witty banter between two characters that have not had an ounce of chemistry; run-on, endless dialogue about scientific facts without a pause or interruption. I was thoroughly disappointed in this book & I won't be reading any of Rollins' earlier works. I may attempt the follow up to 'Map of Bones', if one is released.

Maybe that was the turning point for Rollins, the place where he found his writing niche. I'm not sure if I will, but I might. I am sure that there are many people who truly enjoyed this novel, but I found it to be trite & cliche, a drudgery. I hope anyone who buys this book enjoys it, I just want to let you know that you may want to think twice before believing the great reviews. For the sake of relativity, I will provide a list of some of my favorite books in this genre so you can decide whether or not my opinion matters to you: The Last Templar by Khoury, The Third Secret & The Romanov Prophecy by Berry, Obsessed by Dekker, Brethren by Young, Labyrinth by Mosse, and The First Horseman & The Genesis Code by Case. Here's the thing about James Rollins - his books are utterly predictable and he is just unable to create any type of suspense or intrigue. I've read multiple Rollins books and they are all pretty much the same.

They are the epitome of the books that you see on endcaps at your local pharmacy or grocery store and that's about the type of reading level they are as well. I just can't read any more of his novels.

This one was another disappointment - a wannabe Michael Crichton/Clive Cussler type of s Here's the thing about James Rollins - his books are utterly predictable and he is just unable to create any type of suspense or intrigue. I've read multiple Rollins books and they are all pretty much the same. They are the epitome of the books that you see on endcaps at your local pharmacy or grocery store and that's about the type of reading level they are as well.

I just can't read any more of his novels. This one was another disappointment - a wannabe Michael Crichton/Clive Cussler type of story but nowhere near the skill to pull it off the way that thoose two excellent authors can. I'm sure this will rub some the wrong way because his books sell millions and millions of copies (see Dan Brown), but I have to be honest. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.

To view it, This is one of those stories I felt that I should’ve liked, but didn’t. The plot needed some editing – it reached the part I felt should’ve been the exciting climax and then kept going, building to the level of absurdity – and then the characters killed it. I liked Safia for all of about one page after she was introduced, after which my opinion of her started to wane. After a chapter of her, I was sincerely hoping she’d get killed off, so I was very disappointed to learn that not only would she n This is one of those stories I felt that I should’ve liked, but didn’t.

The plot needed some editing – it reached the part I felt should’ve been the exciting climax and then kept going, building to the level of absurdity – and then the characters killed it. I liked Safia for all of about one page after she was introduced, after which my opinion of her started to wane.

After a chapter of her, I was sincerely hoping she’d get killed off, so I was very disappointed to learn that not only would she not get killed off, but that she was crucial to the story. All of the characters make observations about how “strong” Safia is, which is interesting, since I never saw Safia being strong. In fact, if it wasn’t for the other characters beating me over the head with how strong and admirable Safia was, I would’ve pegged her as being kinda pathetic, seeing as how she kept having panic attacks and angsting over her not-so-terrible terrible past.

I kinda liked Painter Crowe, up until his infatuation with Safia, at which point I started to lose some respect for him. Then later in the book there was some terrible line about how Safia’s wonderful, womanly vulnerability called out the man in him and I very nearly stopped reading.

The first Sigma Force Novel. A freak explosion in the Meuseum of Natural History in London sets off a chain reaction of events. A race to find out what caused the explosion and find the source begins, with deadly consequences for the civilized world. Painter Crow, hardened CIA operative takes a job at DARPA in the newly organized 'Sigma Force.' Their first mission takes them into the scalding Saudi desert in search of the unknown. The answers may be older than Christ and rooted in obscure script The first Sigma Force Novel.

A freak explosion in the Meuseum of Natural History in London sets off a chain reaction of events. A race to find out what caused the explosion and find the source begins, with deadly consequences for the civilized world. Painter Crow, hardened CIA operative takes a job at DARPA in the newly organized 'Sigma Force.' Their first mission takes them into the scalding Saudi desert in search of the unknown. The answers may be older than Christ and rooted in obscure scripture from the Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the truth could shake the pillars of Christianity itself.

Fun charachters. I Found Painter Crow 'Hard around the edges' but in a way that I liked. In the finest tradion of Action Adventure, Rollins starts fast and ends at a crazy fast pace. I've read the entire Sigma force series (well listened to the audio books for some) and this is another just plain fun read.

And just when you think this is all too good to be believed, James Rollins comes out after the story and tells you what he invented and what really exists, along with references. You would be amazed at what we can do these days.

Yahhhhh loved it, 4* read, t'rrific Harry!:) It's all there, has the right formulae for a good read & glad I finally got around to this series. Starts with a BANG, a mystery evolves, scientists & government agencies come to the fore as the lead protagonists, many with obvious sterotypical flaws which is all good fun, a nemesis comes into the fray.

You'll see, there's a few good scientific leaps which are kinda viable if not plausible, there's the Oh yeah that Yahhhhh loved it, 4* read, t'rrific Harry!:) It's all there, has the right formulae for a good read & glad I finally got around to this series. Download Free Software Pierpoljak Kingston Karma Rarely Bites. Starts with a BANG, a mystery evolves, scientists & government agencies come to the fore as the lead protagonists, many with obvious sterotypical flaws which is all good fun, a nemesis comes into the fray. You'll see, there's a few good scientific leaps which are kinda viable if not plausible, there's the Oh yeah thats clever alright moment which bridges the story nicely & it finishes with a.! There's even an Indiana Jones style character called.wait for it. Moments of tongue in cheek & recommend to all who've not come across this series before, will be adding Sigma 2 to my trl.

Simply put, I love this guy's work. Less 'bromantic' than Clive Cussler and more accessible than Micheal Crichton, both of whom I do enjoy, his tales are just fun, adventurous, and often educational. Can I Install Flash Player On My Samsung Smart Tv. I wanted to read the Sigma Force books in order, so it took me a while until I could track down the first in the series - and I wasn't disappointed. With any literature of this type, you have to be able to muster up a certain suspension of belief. Sigma Force, in itself, is a wild concept - scientist Simply put, I love this guy's work. Less 'bromantic' than Clive Cussler and more accessible than Micheal Crichton, both of whom I do enjoy, his tales are just fun, adventurous, and often educational. I wanted to read the Sigma Force books in order, so it took me a while until I could track down the first in the series - and I wasn't disappointed.

With any literature of this type, you have to be able to muster up a certain suspension of belief. Sigma Force, in itself, is a wild concept - scientist soldiers running around acquiring deadly tech for DARPA. We're not even going to get into the near meta-physics that pop up in every book. The thing is. None of that matters. You don't read these books looking for an accurate portrayal of our impact in socio-economic politics - you read these books for sexy spies, crazy weapons, secret societies, and stuff blowing up! And oh, oh does Rollins give it to us.

So yes, I'm hooked. Painter Crowe and the whole crew are awesome. I think I'm on the 4th book now.

And seriously. Gray Pierce would beat 'The DaVinci Code's' Robert Langdon into a stain with one fist.

More Nationally bestselling author James Rollins has transported readers to the dark heart of the Amazon, the bowels of the earth, far below the ocean, and the top of the world. Now he embarks upon his most gripping and terrifying adventure yet: to a nightmare buried beneath a treacherous desert wasteland. An inexplicable explosion rocks the antiquities collection of a London museum—a devastating blast that sets off alarms in clandestine organizations around the world, as the race begins to determine how it happened, why it happened, and what it means. Lady Kara Kensington's family paid a high price in money and blood to found the gallery that now lies in ruins. And her search for answers is about to lead Kara and her friend Safia al-Maaz, the gallery's brilliant and beautiful curator, into a world they never dreamed actually existed.

For new evidence exposed by the tragedy suggests that Ubar, a lost city buried beneath the Arabian desert, is more than mere legend... And that something astonishing is waiting there. Two extraordinary women and their guide, the international adventurer Omaha Dunn, are not the only ones being drawn to the desert. Navy SEAL Painter Crowe, a covert government operative and head of an elite counterespionage team, is hunting down a dangerous turncoat, Crowe's onetime partner, to retrieve the vital information she has stolen. And the trail is pointing him toward Ubar.

But the many perils inherent in a death-defying trek deep into the savage heart of the Arabian Peninsula pale before the nightmarish secrets to be unearthed at journey's end. What is hidden below the sand is more than a valuable relic of ancient history. It is an ageless power that lives and breathes—an awesome force that could create a utopia or tear down everything humankind has built during millennia of civilization. Many lives have already been destroyed by ruthless agencies dedicated to guarding its mysteries and harnessing its might. And now the end may be at hand for Safia, for Kara, for Crowe, and for all the interlopers who wish to expose its mysteries, as it prepares to unleash the most terrible storm of all...