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Sigma Force #5
O Último Oráculo
Primeiro lugar da lista dos "best-sellers" do 'The New York Times'.Em Washington D.C. um sem-abrigo morre nos braços do comandante Gray Pierce, atingido pela bala de um assassino. Mas a morte deixa para trás um mistério ainda maior: uma moeda ensanguentada encontrada na mão fechada do morto, uma relíquia antiga relacionada com o oráculo grego de Delfos. Enquanto perseguidores implacáveis procuram o artefacto roubado, Gray Pierce descobre que a moeda é a chave para desvendar uma conspiração que remonta à Guerra Fria e ameaça a própria fundação da Humanidade. Desde os templos da Grécia antiga aos mausoléus mais deslumbrantes, dos bairros pobres da Índia às ruínas tóxicas da Rússia, dois homens têm de correr contra o tempo para resolver o mistério que remonta ao primeiro grande oráculo da História - o oráculo grego de Delfos. Mas uma questão permanece: Será o passado suficiente para salvar o futuro?Mestre na arte de combinar a intriga histórica e religiosa com as aventuras mais alucinantes, James Rollins traz de volta a Força SIGMA para combater um grupo de cientistas sem escrúpulos que lançaram um projecto de bioengenharia capaz de conduzir a Humanidade à sua extinção.
448 pages, Paperback
First published June 24, 2008
812 people are currently reading
9785 people want to read
About the author
James Rollins
128 books14.4k followersJames Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.” Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets matched with stunning suspense. As a veterinarian, he had a practice in Sacramento for over a decade and still volunteers at local shelters. Nowadays, Rollins shares his home up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with two furry companions, Echo and Charlie. He also enjoys scuba diving, spelunking, kayaking, and hiking. Of course, he loves to travel and experience new places around the world, which often inspire his next globe-trotting adventure.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,113 reviews
October 22, 2021
The Last Oracle is the 5th book in the Sigma Force series written by James Rollins. Years ago, I read a lot of thriller/suspense novels that focused on archaeological discoveries, ancient curses, and international espionage, but for some reason I stopped. Earlier this year, I began incorporating them into my reading queue again and realized how much I'd missed them. Now that I'm catching up with about 20 across a few different series, I think maybe I'm jumping back in too quickly. So often, they feel too similar and have way too much detail that gets in the of the plot. I might need to slow down to every other month in this series.
It's good; I'm not saying it's a bad book. But it had nothing of huge shock or amazement that kept me immersed and psyched to determine how everything came together. I found myself eager to skim or put the book down rather than turn the pages so quickly I couldn't control myself. The writing is solid, perhaps a little too formulaic at times. But the plot and characters could use a bit of a varied style. Yes, it offered children descended who from the great Oracles, radiation that changed how people became psychic, explorations of the Ural mountains of Russia.... these were all different to me, but I just couldn't find that one guttural punch in the story to wow me.
Learning how the Romani clans are connected with the Eastern European nomads and gypsies was fascinating. I never knew they were related to / settled with Indians in the north part of the country. I'd forgotten what had occurred with Russia's invasion of Eastern Europe (it happened mostly before my time, but bled somewhat into it as a teenager). I enjoy when I can make connections from books to reality and learn some history, and that's why I come back to this series. I will definitely read the next one, but I'm thinking maybe I'll skip July and hold off until August this time.
It's good; I'm not saying it's a bad book. But it had nothing of huge shock or amazement that kept me immersed and psyched to determine how everything came together. I found myself eager to skim or put the book down rather than turn the pages so quickly I couldn't control myself. The writing is solid, perhaps a little too formulaic at times. But the plot and characters could use a bit of a varied style. Yes, it offered children descended who from the great Oracles, radiation that changed how people became psychic, explorations of the Ural mountains of Russia.... these were all different to me, but I just couldn't find that one guttural punch in the story to wow me.
Learning how the Romani clans are connected with the Eastern European nomads and gypsies was fascinating. I never knew they were related to / settled with Indians in the north part of the country. I'd forgotten what had occurred with Russia's invasion of Eastern Europe (it happened mostly before my time, but bled somewhat into it as a teenager). I enjoy when I can make connections from books to reality and learn some history, and that's why I come back to this series. I will definitely read the next one, but I'm thinking maybe I'll skip July and hold off until August this time.
December 4, 2020
Impossível não gostar dos livros deste autor. Os livros da coleção Sigma Force revelam sempre temas que se encontram perdidos na história.
Este livro não foi exceção, como é que uma moeda encontrada irá revelar tantos segredos escondidos? Como é que uma moeda poderá ser a chave para desvendar historias perdidas e remeter para outros tempos?
A moeda trará um conjunto de momentos que ficarão escritos na história e na ciência. Esta moeda não é uma simples moeda.
Por outro lado temos o mistério do primeiro oráculo da história, o oráculo de Delfos. Esta descoberta irá trazer eventos inesperados.
Será que tudo estará interligado? Como é que irão lidar com o que vão descobrir?
Neste caso, o passado será determinante para o futuro. Será que vão conseguir salvar o futuro e a humanidade?
Para além de todos os mistérios, o autor abordar diversos temas importantes como o autismo. Faz referências a várias personagens autistas que marcaram a história.
Impossível ficar indiferente depois de ler este livro. Num enredo de descobertas, o leitor vai sentir um misto de emoções.
Um livro de ficção com uma pitada de realidade que faz com que o leitor sinta cada vez mais curiosidade em ler página após página para descobrir o que realmente aconteceu e qual é o significado de tudo.
Este livro não foi exceção, como é que uma moeda encontrada irá revelar tantos segredos escondidos? Como é que uma moeda poderá ser a chave para desvendar historias perdidas e remeter para outros tempos?
A moeda trará um conjunto de momentos que ficarão escritos na história e na ciência. Esta moeda não é uma simples moeda.
Por outro lado temos o mistério do primeiro oráculo da história, o oráculo de Delfos. Esta descoberta irá trazer eventos inesperados.
Será que tudo estará interligado? Como é que irão lidar com o que vão descobrir?
Neste caso, o passado será determinante para o futuro. Será que vão conseguir salvar o futuro e a humanidade?
Para além de todos os mistérios, o autor abordar diversos temas importantes como o autismo. Faz referências a várias personagens autistas que marcaram a história.
Impossível ficar indiferente depois de ler este livro. Num enredo de descobertas, o leitor vai sentir um misto de emoções.
Um livro de ficção com uma pitada de realidade que faz com que o leitor sinta cada vez mais curiosidade em ler página após página para descobrir o que realmente aconteceu e qual é o significado de tudo.
July 22, 2008
I absolutely love the Sigma Force novels by James Rollins, and this one was no let down. He is everything Dan Brown wishes he could be. The stories are smartly paced, well researched, intriguing and funny and thrilling and full of heart. The characters are well crafted and we get so caught up in their personalities, even without boring side plots that reveal their relationships. This one picks up after a very intense cliffhanger, so if you're new to the series I wouldn't suggest starting with this one. The first is Map of Bones, and definitely a great intro. That being said, this book can certainly stand alone if you don't mind not knowing the intimate details of their pasts. These books are great fun, and this certainly lived up to the rest of them.
December 4, 2013
4 Stars to an Old Friend
When I picked up The Last Oracle as my next read, I didn't realize that it had been nearly two years since I read the previous book in the Sigma Series. I was quite surprised to see how far I had fallen behind. Absence, as they say, only made the heart grow fonder. Picking up a James Rollins novel is like sitting down with an old friend. The flow of the story and the likeable characters are comforting and familiar. While re-entering the world of Sigma Force, the Last Oracle does little to shake James Rollins from the top of the Action-Adventure Genre.
The Last Oracle intertwines action with history and science. We receive a brief history in Gypsy or Roma people and their ancient connections. We are also treated to an exploration of the plasticity of the human brain, autism and the scientific connections to things that we may consider "mystical". As always, Rollins has done his research and integrated seamlessly much like Michael Crichton did.
Personally, may favorite Rollins Novels are his stand alone novels. I have never come to love the Sigma force as much as his solo reads. That said, I did name my son Grayson. True story. On one level, this novel follows a similar formula to the others in the series. Generally, this bothers me and leads to the abandonment of series. In the case of this novel and the others in the series, Rollins does a masterful job of crafting an interesting story with an engaging supporting staff.
If you have not read any of the other Sigma Force Novels, do not fret if this is the only one you have to read. This could be read as a stand alone novel. While reading the previous novel would provide context for one thread of the story, the a Sigma Force newbie could read this and enjoy it fully.
Another excellent installment in the Sigma Force Series.
When I picked up The Last Oracle as my next read, I didn't realize that it had been nearly two years since I read the previous book in the Sigma Series. I was quite surprised to see how far I had fallen behind. Absence, as they say, only made the heart grow fonder. Picking up a James Rollins novel is like sitting down with an old friend. The flow of the story and the likeable characters are comforting and familiar. While re-entering the world of Sigma Force, the Last Oracle does little to shake James Rollins from the top of the Action-Adventure Genre.
The Last Oracle intertwines action with history and science. We receive a brief history in Gypsy or Roma people and their ancient connections. We are also treated to an exploration of the plasticity of the human brain, autism and the scientific connections to things that we may consider "mystical". As always, Rollins has done his research and integrated seamlessly much like Michael Crichton did.
Personally, may favorite Rollins Novels are his stand alone novels. I have never come to love the Sigma force as much as his solo reads. That said, I did name my son Grayson. True story. On one level, this novel follows a similar formula to the others in the series. Generally, this bothers me and leads to the abandonment of series. In the case of this novel and the others in the series, Rollins does a masterful job of crafting an interesting story with an engaging supporting staff.
If you have not read any of the other Sigma Force Novels, do not fret if this is the only one you have to read. This could be read as a stand alone novel. While reading the previous novel would provide context for one thread of the story, the a Sigma Force newbie could read this and enjoy it fully.
Another excellent installment in the Sigma Force Series.
October 16, 2017
প্রসঙ্গ- জেমস রলিন্স ও সিগমা ফোর্সঃ
জেমস রলিন্সের ব্যপারে কোনও একটা অনলাইন ম্যাগাজিনে পড়েছিলাম, "James Rollins is everything that Dan Brown wants to be." সেসময় রলিন্সের লেখার সাথে পরিচিত ছিলাম না বলে তেমন গুরুত্ব দেইনি কথাটায়। তবে কয়েকটি স্ট্যান্ড আলোন এবং সিগমা ফোর্স সিরিজের বইগুলো পড়ার পর, কিছুটা হলেও একমত হতে বাধ্য হয়েছি। পেশায় পশু চিকিৎসক এই ভদ্রলোক লেখালেখি করতে গিয়ে প্রচুর রিসার্চ করেন, পড়াশুনা করেন। তার ফলশ্রুতিতে জন্ম নেয় একের পর এক মাস্টারপিস; ইতিহাস,বিজ্ঞান,মনস্তত্ব,পুরাণ,ভ্রমণ,সংস্কৃতি,ধুমধাড়াক্কা একশন-এডভেঞ্চারের অসাধারন মেলবন্ধন ঘটে তার লেখনীতে। "শ্বাসরুদ্ধকর', ' আল্টিমেট পেইজ টার্নার' - এই বিশেষনগুলো তাই অনায়াসেই ব্যবহার করা যায়।
লাস্ট ওরাকল সম্পর্কে আলোচনা করার আগে, ছোট্ট করে সিগমা ফোর্স সম্পর্কে বলে নিচ্ছি। সিগমা ফোর্স মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্রে DARPA প্রোগ্রামের একটি কাল্পনিক বিভক্তি। সিগমার প্রধান কর্মকর্তাদের বিশেষ বৈজ্ঞানিক জ্ঞানের পাশাপাশি রয়েছে প্রশিক্ষিত সামরিক দক্ষতা। এ সংঘের উদ্দেশ্য হচ্ছে এমন সব সংবেদনশীল তথ্য সংরক্ষন করা, যা যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের জন্য হুমকি হতে পারে। কাজগুলো হচ্ছে সন্ত্রাসবাদবিরোধী অভিযান , গবেষণা, এবং গোপন অপারেশন।
প্রসঙ্গ - কাহিনী সংক্ষেপঃ
দ্য লাস্ট ওরাকল - সিগমা ফোর্স সিরিজের পঞ্চম বই এটি। কাহিনীর শুরুতে সিগমা সদস্য কমান্ডার গ্রে পিয়ার্সের কোলে মাথা রেখে মারা যায় এক ভবঘুরে গোছের লোক। আততায়ীর গুলির আঘাতে মৃত লোকটার হাতে ধরে থাকা প্রাচীন এক কয়েনকে ঘিরে জন্ম নেয় রহস্য। এই কয়েন এমন এক কয়েন, যার সাথে সম্পর্ক আছে হাজার বছরের পুরনো কিংবদন্তীর এক চরিত্র—ডেলফির ওরাকলের।
একদল অতিমানবিক প্রতিভাধর অটিস্টিক শিশু, সেই ১৯৫০ সাল থেকে গোপনীয়তার সাথে চালিয়ে আসা জেনেটিক অল্টারেশন প্রজেক্টের ফসল ওরা। বিশেষ প্রতিভাধর শিশুদের ক্ষমতাকে পুঁজি করে দুনিয়ায় প্রলয় ডেকে আনতে চলেছে দুই ম্যানিয়াক;জেনারেল-মেজর সাভিনা মারতোভ আর তার ছেলে রাশিয়ান সিনেটর নিকোলাস। সাথে জুটেছে পাগলাটে কিছু বিজ্ঞানী। তেজস্ক্রিয়তার প্রয়োগে সমগ্র বিশ্বের নেতৃস্থানীয় গোষ্ঠীকে মাটির সাথে মিশিয়ে দিয়ে, পৃথিবীর একমাত্র নিয়ন্ত্রক হিসেবে অধিষ্ঠিত হতে চায় তারা। রাশিয়ান ইতিহাসের সবচেয়ে কলঙ্কিত অধ্যায়ের সাথে কী সম্পর্ক এই ব্যাপারটার?
এদিকে ভু-গর্ভস্থ রাশিয়ান ফ্যাসিলিটিতে জ্ঞান ফিরে পায় স্মৃতিভ্রষ্ট, বিকলাঙ্গ এক মানুষ, পৃথিবীর সবাই যাকে মৃত বলেই জানে। তিনজন প্রতিভাধর প্রতিবন্ধী শিশুকে সাথে নিয়ে স্বাধীনতার উদ্দেশ্যে যাত্রা করল সে। কনস্টানটাইন - ম্যাথমেটিক্যাল জিনিয়াস; কিস্কা- অনুকরণে অদ্বিতীয়, যে কোনও শব্দ নকল করতে যার জুড়ি নেই; পিওতর- মাইন্ড রিডার, সহজেই অন্যের চিন্তাভাবনা বুঝতে পারে। সাথে আছে বৈজ্ঞানিক গবেষণার আরেক ফসল - শিম্পাঞ্জি মার্তা। ওদিকে পিওতরের ছোট্ট বোন সাশা (যোজন যোজন দূরে থেকেও যে পৃথিবীজুড়ে ঘটতে থাকা সমস্ত ঘটনার পূর্বাভাস দিতে পারে) কে আটকে রাখা হয়েছে ওয়াশিংটনে।
স্বাধীনতা প্রাপ্তির চেয়ে বড় দায়িত্ব চেপে বসেছে ঘাড়ে, আসন্ন বিপদ থেকে পৃথিবীকে বাঁচাতে হবে। রক্ষা করতে হবে লক্ষ লক্ষ মানুষের জীবন।
প্রাচীন গ্রীক মন্দির থেকে আধুনিক পারমাণবিক কেন্দ্র পর্যন্ত, ভারতের বস্তি থেকে রাশিয়ার ধ্বংসস্তুপ পর্যন্ত, দুজন মানুষকে ছুটতে হচ্ছে এমন এক রহস্য সমাধানের জন্য, যার উৎপত্তি হয়েছে ইতিহাসের প্রথম ভবিষ্যতদ্রষ্টা, ওরাকল অফ ডেলফির আমলে।
প্রশ্ন একটাই, অতীত কি পারবে ভবিষ্যৎকে রক্ষা করতে?
প্রসঙ্গ - পাঠ প্রতিক্রিয়াঃ
একটামাত্র শব্দ দিয়ে যদি মনোভাব প্রকাশ করতে যাই, তবে বলতে হবে "unputdownable"। সিরিজের চতুর্থ বই 'দ্য জুডাস স্ট্রেইন' যেখানে শেষ হয়েছে 'দ্য লাস্ট ওরাকল' এর কাহিনী শুরু হয়েছে ঠিক সেখান থেকেই। ধুমধাড়াক্কা অ্যাকশনের সাথে ইতিহাস আর বিজ্ঞানের পুর্ণ মেলবন্ধন ঘটানো শুধু রলিন্সের পক্ষেই সম্ভব। জিপসি অথবা রোমা গোষ্ঠীর সাথে জড়িত প্রাচীন এক গোপনীয়তার বিস্তারিত ইতিহাস জানা যাবে বইটিতে। মানব মস্তিষ্কের রহস্যময়তাকে অত্যন্ত সুন্দর ও সাবলীল্ভাবে তুলে ধরা হয়েছে। রলিন্সের অন্যান্য বইগুলোর মতো দ্য লাস্ট ওরাকল-ও পাঠককে যোগায় চিন্তার খোরাক; বিজ্ঞানকে ছাপিয়ে অতিপ্রাকৃত অব্যাখ্যায়িত বিষয়গুলোর সমাধান কি আদৌ মিলবে?
ঐতিহাসিক গুরুত্ব সম্বলিত স্থানগুলো বইয়ের সাদাকালো অক্ষরকে দুরে সরিয়ে জীবন্ত হয়ে চোখের সামনে ধরা দেয় লেখকের ভৌগোলিক বিবরণের দক্ষতার কারণে। ক্যারেক্টার ডেভেলপমেন্টের কোনও বালাই নেই। এতদিনে চরিত্রগুলোকে অত্যন্ত আপন হিসেবে ধরে নিতে পেরেছি। সবচেয়ে বেশি খুশি হয়েছি প্রিয় এক চরিত্রের পুনরাগমনে... না থাক! এটা বললে আবার স্পয়লার হয়ে যায়!
এপিলগের টুইস্টটাও .... নাহ! এটাও স্পয়লার! :/
প্রসঙ্গ- রুপান্তর অথবা অনুবাদঃ
আদনান আহমেদ রিজনের প্রথম অনুবাদ। 'বাসর রাতে বিড়াল মারা' বলতে একটা প্রবাদবাক্য প্রচলিত আছে। সেই প্রবাদের সূত্র ধরে বলা যায়, রিজন যথেষ্ট দক্ষতার সাথে বিড়াল মেরে দিয়েছে ; থুক্কু রুপান্তরের দক্ষতা দেখিয়েছে। অনুবাদ পড়তে গিয়ে যদি মূল বইয়ের স্বাদ পাওয়া যায়, তবেই তো অনুবাদকের সার্থকতা। বিশেষ করে হিউমার আর সাস্পেন্স সমৃদ্ধ জায়গাগুলোোতে অনুবাদের দক্ষতা খুব স্পষ্টভাবে লক্ষণীয়। পুরো বই পড়ার সময় একবারও ঠেকতে হয়নি, কপাল কুঁচকাতে হয়নি, গুগল করতে হয়নি। রিজনকে অভিনন্দন, এধরনের ঝরঝরে সুস্বাদু অনুবাদ সামনে আরো আশা করছি ওর কাছ থেকে।
প্রচ্ছদের কথাটা উল্লেখ না করলেই নয়। যে রাঁধে সে চুলও বাঁধে - জানেন তো? সেই সূত্র ধরেই অনুবাদক এক্ষেত্রে প্রচ্ছদশিল্পী। টারকয়েজ কালারের নজরকাড়া এই প্রচ্ছদ বইটির উৎকর্ষে যোগ করেছে নতুন মাত্রা।
খারাপ দিক হচ্ছে, স্পেলিং/ প্রিন্টিং মিস্টেক। খুঁটিনাটি ভুল বানান এবং কিছু কিছু জোড়া লেগে যাওয়া শব্দ 'চাঁদে কলঙ্ক' হিসেবে ধরা দিয়েছে। এই ব্যাপারে দৃষ্টি আকর্ষণ করছি।
জেমস রলিন্সের ব্যপারে কোনও একটা অনলাইন ম্যাগাজিনে পড়েছিলাম, "James Rollins is everything that Dan Brown wants to be." সেসময় রলিন্সের লেখার সাথে পরিচিত ছিলাম না বলে তেমন গুরুত্ব দেইনি কথাটায়। তবে কয়েকটি স্ট্যান্ড আলোন এবং সিগমা ফোর্স সিরিজের বইগুলো পড়ার পর, কিছুটা হলেও একমত হতে বাধ্য হয়েছি। পেশায় পশু চিকিৎসক এই ভদ্রলোক লেখালেখি করতে গিয়ে প্রচুর রিসার্চ করেন, পড়াশুনা করেন। তার ফলশ্রুতিতে জন্ম নেয় একের পর এক মাস্টারপিস; ইতিহাস,বিজ্ঞান,মনস্তত্ব,পুরাণ,ভ্রমণ,সংস্কৃতি,ধুমধাড়াক্কা একশন-এডভেঞ্চারের অসাধারন মেলবন্ধন ঘটে তার লেখনীতে। "শ্বাসরুদ্ধকর', ' আল্টিমেট পেইজ টার্নার' - এই বিশেষনগুলো তাই অনায়াসেই ব্যবহার করা যায়।
লাস্ট ওরাকল সম্পর্কে আলোচনা করার আগে, ছোট্ট করে সিগমা ফোর্স সম্পর্কে বলে নিচ্ছি। সিগমা ফোর্স মার্কিন যুক্তরাষ্ট্রে DARPA প্রোগ্রামের একটি কাল্পনিক বিভক্তি। সিগমার প্রধান কর্মকর্তাদের বিশেষ বৈজ্ঞানিক জ্ঞানের পাশাপাশি রয়েছে প্রশিক্ষিত সামরিক দক্ষতা। এ সংঘের উদ্দেশ্য হচ্ছে এমন সব সংবেদনশীল তথ্য সংরক্ষন করা, যা যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের জন্য হুমকি হতে পারে। কাজগুলো হচ্ছে সন্ত্রাসবাদবিরোধী অভিযান , গবেষণা, এবং গোপন অপারেশন।
প্রসঙ্গ - কাহিনী সংক্ষেপঃ
দ্য লাস্ট ওরাকল - সিগমা ফোর্স সিরিজের পঞ্চম বই এটি। কাহিনীর শুরুতে সিগমা সদস্য কমান্ডার গ্রে পিয়ার্সের কোলে মাথা রেখে মারা যায় এক ভবঘুরে গোছের লোক। আততায়ীর গুলির আঘাতে মৃত লোকটার হাতে ধরে থাকা প্রাচীন এক কয়েনকে ঘিরে জন্ম নেয় রহস্য। এই কয়েন এমন এক কয়েন, যার সাথে সম্পর্ক আছে হাজার বছরের পুরনো কিংবদন্তীর এক চরিত্র—ডেলফির ওরাকলের।
একদল অতিমানবিক প্রতিভাধর অটিস্টিক শিশু, সেই ১৯৫০ সাল থেকে গোপনীয়তার সাথে চালিয়ে আসা জেনেটিক অল্টারেশন প্রজেক্টের ফসল ওরা। বিশেষ প্রতিভাধর শিশুদের ক্ষমতাকে পুঁজি করে দুনিয়ায় প্রলয় ডেকে আনতে চলেছে দুই ম্যানিয়াক;জেনারেল-মেজর সাভিনা মারতোভ আর তার ছেলে রাশিয়ান সিনেটর নিকোলাস। সাথে জুটেছে পাগলাটে কিছু বিজ্ঞানী। তেজস্ক্রিয়তার প্রয়োগে সমগ্র বিশ্বের নেতৃস্থানীয় গোষ্ঠীকে মাটির সাথে মিশিয়ে দিয়ে, পৃথিবীর একমাত্র নিয়ন্ত্রক হিসেবে অধিষ্ঠিত হতে চায় তারা। রাশিয়ান ইতিহাসের সবচেয়ে কলঙ্কিত অধ্যায়ের সাথে কী সম্পর্ক এই ব্যাপারটার?
এদিকে ভু-গর্ভস্থ রাশিয়ান ফ্যাসিলিটিতে জ্ঞান ফিরে পায় স্মৃতিভ্রষ্ট, বিকলাঙ্গ এক মানুষ, পৃথিবীর সবাই যাকে মৃত বলেই জানে। তিনজন প্রতিভাধর প্রতিবন্ধী শিশুকে সাথে নিয়ে স্বাধীনতার উদ্দেশ্যে যাত্রা করল সে। কনস্টানটাইন - ম্যাথমেটিক্যাল জিনিয়াস; কিস্কা- অনুকরণে অদ্বিতীয়, যে কোনও শব্দ নকল করতে যার জুড়ি নেই; পিওতর- মাইন্ড রিডার, সহজেই অন্যের চিন্তাভাবনা বুঝতে পারে। সাথে আছে বৈজ্ঞানিক গবেষণার আরেক ফসল - শিম্পাঞ্জি মার্তা। ওদিকে পিওতরের ছোট্ট বোন সাশা (যোজন যোজন দূরে থেকেও যে পৃথিবীজুড়ে ঘটতে থাকা সমস্ত ঘটনার পূর্বাভাস দিতে পারে) কে আটকে রাখা হয়েছে ওয়াশিংটনে।
স্বাধীনতা প্রাপ্তির চেয়ে বড় দায়িত্ব চেপে বসেছে ঘাড়ে, আসন্ন বিপদ থেকে পৃথিবীকে বাঁচাতে হবে। রক্ষা করতে হবে লক্ষ লক্ষ মানুষের জীবন।
প্রাচীন গ্রীক মন্দির থেকে আধুনিক পারমাণবিক কেন্দ্র পর্যন্ত, ভারতের বস্তি থেকে রাশিয়ার ধ্বংসস্তুপ পর্যন্ত, দুজন মানুষকে ছুটতে হচ্ছে এমন এক রহস্য সমাধানের জন্য, যার উৎপত্তি হয়েছে ইতিহাসের প্রথম ভবিষ্যতদ্রষ্টা, ওরাকল অফ ডেলফির আমলে।
প্রশ্ন একটাই, অতীত কি পারবে ভবিষ্যৎকে রক্ষা করতে?
প্রসঙ্গ - পাঠ প্রতিক্রিয়াঃ
একটামাত্র শব্দ দিয়ে যদি মনোভাব প্রকাশ করতে যাই, তবে বলতে হবে "unputdownable"। সিরিজের চতুর্থ বই 'দ্য জুডাস স্ট্রেইন' যেখানে শেষ হয়েছে 'দ্য লাস্ট ওরাকল' এর কাহিনী শুরু হয়েছে ঠিক সেখান থেকেই। ধুমধাড়াক্কা অ্যাকশনের সাথে ইতিহাস আর বিজ্ঞানের পুর্ণ মেলবন্ধন ঘটানো শুধু রলিন্সের পক্ষেই সম্ভব। জিপসি অথবা রোমা গোষ্ঠীর সাথে জড়িত প্রাচীন এক গোপনীয়তার বিস্তারিত ইতিহাস জানা যাবে বইটিতে। মানব মস্তিষ্কের রহস্যময়তাকে অত্যন্ত সুন্দর ও সাবলীল্ভাবে তুলে ধরা হয়েছে। রলিন্সের অন্যান্য বইগুলোর মতো দ্য লাস্ট ওরাকল-ও পাঠককে যোগায় চিন্তার খোরাক; বিজ্ঞানকে ছাপিয়ে অতিপ্রাকৃত অব্যাখ্যায়িত বিষয়গুলোর সমাধান কি আদৌ মিলবে?
ঐতিহাসিক গুরুত্ব সম্বলিত স্থানগুলো বইয়ের সাদাকালো অক্ষরকে দুরে সরিয়ে জীবন্ত হয়ে চোখের সামনে ধরা দেয় লেখকের ভৌগোলিক বিবরণের দক্ষতার কারণে। ক্যারেক্টার ডেভেলপমেন্টের কোনও বালাই নেই। এতদিনে চরিত্রগুলোকে অত্যন্ত আপন হিসেবে ধরে নিতে পেরেছি। সবচেয়ে বেশি খুশি হয়েছি প্রিয় এক চরিত্রের পুনরাগমনে... না থাক! এটা বললে আবার স্পয়লার হয়ে যায়!
এপিলগের টুইস্টটাও .... নাহ! এটাও স্পয়লার! :/
প্রসঙ্গ- রুপান্তর অথবা অনুবাদঃ
আদনান আহমেদ রিজনের প্রথম অনুবাদ। 'বাসর রাতে বিড়াল মারা' বলতে একটা প্রবাদবাক্য প্রচলিত আছে। সেই প্রবাদের সূত্র ধরে বলা যায়, রিজন যথেষ্ট দক্ষতার সাথে বিড়াল মেরে দিয়েছে ; থুক্কু রুপান্তরের দক্ষতা দেখিয়েছে। অনুবাদ পড়তে গিয়ে যদি মূল বইয়ের স্বাদ পাওয়া যায়, তবেই তো অনুবাদকের সার্থকতা। বিশেষ করে হিউমার আর সাস্পেন্স সমৃদ্ধ জায়গাগুলোোতে অনুবাদের দক্ষতা খুব স্পষ্টভাবে লক্ষণীয়। পুরো বই পড়ার সময় একবারও ঠেকতে হয়নি, কপাল কুঁচকাতে হয়নি, গুগল করতে হয়নি। রিজনকে অভিনন্দন, এধরনের ঝরঝরে সুস্বাদু অনুবাদ সামনে আরো আশা করছি ওর কাছ থেকে।
প্রচ্ছদের কথাটা উল্লেখ না করলেই নয়। যে রাঁধে সে চুলও বাঁধে - জানেন তো? সেই সূত্র ধরেই অনুবাদক এক্ষেত্রে প্রচ্ছদশিল্পী। টারকয়েজ কালারের নজরকাড়া এই প্রচ্ছদ বইটির উৎকর্ষে যোগ করেছে নতুন মাত্রা।
খারাপ দিক হচ্ছে, স্পেলিং/ প্রিন্টিং মিস্টেক। খুঁটিনাটি ভুল বানান এবং কিছু কিছু জোড়া লেগে যাওয়া শব্দ 'চাঁদে কলঙ্ক' হিসেবে ধরা দিয়েছে। এই ব্যাপারে দৃষ্টি আকর্ষণ করছি।
February 9, 2013
Writing about characters that this reader doss nott care about is a recipe for disaster. 1 of 10 stars
April 12, 2016
A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!!!!!!
O-U-T-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G!!
O-U-T-S-T-A-N-D-I-N-G!!
December 22, 2016
বের হবার আগেই, বই পড়ে ফেলার একটা আলাদা মজা আছে। তা অনুবাদ-ই হোক আর মৌলিক। সেই সাথে যদি সুখপাঠ্য হয়...তাহলে বলাই বাহুল্য।
:)
:)
August 12, 2022
Read out of sequence good but for me a little jerky in the ideas.
January 15, 2023
У мене є таке відчуття, що бог мене за щось наказує. Як не візьму щось почитати - виявляється якимось трешем або взагалі гівном.
"Чорнобиль? -- перепитата Елізабет. -- Що мій батько робив у Росії?"
Бл#ть...
Цю книжку взагалі неможливо читати в 2022 році. І не тільки через географічний кретинизм автора (книга вийшла, до речі, у 2008 році), а й тим, що він у цій книзі змішав купу речей: дельфійських оракулів, чорнобиль, циган, грецію, радіацію, москалів, челябінськ, тигрів, спасіння світу, музеї Вашингтона, політику, Індію, аутизм, обдарованих дітей....
Роллінс, звісно, автор не самий майстерний, але попередні дві його прочитані книги сформували в мені думку, що він "автор на стабільні 4 зірки". А виявилося, що...
Бл#ть, бл#ть, бл#ть!
Не став навіть дочитувати останні 100 сторінок, бо нічого не розумію що відбувається.
"Чорнобиль? -- перепитата Елізабет. -- Що мій батько робив у Росії?"
Бл#ть...
Цю книжку взагалі неможливо читати в 2022 році. І не тільки через географічний кретинизм автора (книга вийшла, до речі, у 2008 році), а й тим, що він у цій книзі змішав купу речей: дельфійських оракулів, чорнобиль, циган, грецію, радіацію, москалів, челябінськ, тигрів, спасіння світу, музеї Вашингтона, політику, Індію, аутизм, обдарованих дітей....
Роллінс, звісно, автор не самий майстерний, але попередні дві його прочитані книги сформували в мені думку, що він "автор на стабільні 4 зірки". А виявилося, що...
Бл#ть, бл#ть, бл#ть!
Не став навіть дочитувати останні 100 сторінок, бо нічого не розумію що відбувається.
December 20, 2015
As the world turns in this series, I am riveted to the next adventure as Rollins continues to capture the characters where they have left off. Monk, one of the leading men of the Sigma Team was lost to us in the previous novel, The Judas Strain, and presumed dead. He is back! Yippie!! I love him. He is surrounded by 'gypsy' children who have been genetically altered and kept near Chernobyl where there is a vast amount of radiation, still active. A team of mad scientists have a major use for these autistic savant young ones and the chase is on when a few of the kids decide to enlist Monks help to escape and save the world from disaster.
Just amazing how much talent is present in these Rollins novels. Always fast paced, intense, factual as well as fictional and riveting! I expect at some point this series might wane, fade or fall short, but so far, no, not in this one.
Just amazing how much talent is present in these Rollins novels. Always fast paced, intense, factual as well as fictional and riveting! I expect at some point this series might wane, fade or fall short, but so far, no, not in this one.
October 26, 2017
یک پیرمرد بیخانمان درست جلوی در ساختمان سیگما به سمت فرمانده گری آمده و درخواست کمک میکند؛ اما ناگهان مورد اصابت گلوله قرار گرفته و با یک سکه قدیمی یونانی که در دست دارد در آغوش فرمانده گری کشته میشود. بعد از شناسایی جسد مشخص میشود پیرمرد نه تنها بیخانمان نبوده، بلکه پروفسور آرکیبالد چولک، عصب شناس معروف و یکی از ایدهپردازان اولیه سیگما بوده است. فرمانده کراو پیگیری این قتل را برعهده گری میگذارد و گری هم که بعد از گم شدن مونک هنوز فکر میکند مونک زنده است و دنبال او میگردد با دریافت اخبار ناامید کننده دست از تعقیب مونک برداشته و این پرونده را میپذیرد. اما سر نخها او را درگیر ماجرای کودکانی با قابلیتهای ذهنی بالا میکند که در یک آزمایش مشترک بین روسیه و آمریکا به عنوان نمونههای آزمایشگاهی زنده گرفتار شده اند. گری با همراهی کولیهای رومانیایی و جو کاوالسکی به هند و سپس به اوکراین و منطقه چرنوبیل میرسد و متوجه میشود سناتور اوکراینی قصد ایجاد یک فاجعه اتمی از بازماندههای چرنوبیل و درپی آن جکومت بر کل دنیا با تکیه بر قدرت ذهنی همان کودکان را دارد. از طرفی مونک هم در همان بیمارستان محل نگهداری کودکان به هوش میاید ولی خاطراتش را از دست داده و به کمک سه کودک از بیمارستان فرار میکند. اما فرار او نقشهای توسط همان کودکان برای جلوگیر از کارهای سناتور دیوانه بوده.
گری و مونک از دو مسیر متفاوت به محل حادثه رسیده و باید دنیا را از یک فاجعه اتمی نجات دهند...
گری و مونک از دو مسیر متفاوت به محل حادثه رسیده و باید دنیا را از یک فاجعه اتمی نجات دهند...
February 2, 2020
I read this while I was in the goofy garage during 2014. My delightful friends supported my reading habit, and never once wondered (to me, that is, I have no idea what they said amongst themselves!) why I was asking for Rollins's books.
I wanted to read them because they are very entertaining, have enough plot and character development to keep me distracted from being in a public mental health facility, and are intensely visually told stories with deep sci-fi roots and some supernatural almost-Lovecraftian cosmic horror overtones.
And this entry in the series was a real pulse-pounder! Goddesses below us, was it a ride, but we went some serious weird places. Unlike the others, I don't think I'd ever re-read this book. The sheer implausibility of the supernatural elements...well...waaayyy over my top. And the soap-operatic elements with the team were ratcheted up in this one, too, so there was a touch too much for my fullest enjoyment.
Suited me down to the ground at a time when anything more or less challenging would've been impossible to handle.
I wanted to read them because they are very entertaining, have enough plot and character development to keep me distracted from being in a public mental health facility, and are intensely visually told stories with deep sci-fi roots and some supernatural almost-Lovecraftian cosmic horror overtones.
And this entry in the series was a real pulse-pounder! Goddesses below us, was it a ride, but we went some serious weird places. Unlike the others, I don't think I'd ever re-read this book. The sheer implausibility of the supernatural elements...well...waaayyy over my top. And the soap-operatic elements with the team were ratcheted up in this one, too, so there was a touch too much for my fullest enjoyment.
Suited me down to the ground at a time when anything more or less challenging would've been impossible to handle.
July 24, 2018
shades of amazonia:
p306: monk could almost hear his mind flying at speeds beyond normal mentation. after a moment of study, his hands flew over the board, flipping switches with deft assuredness, as if he'd done this a thousand times before.
p306: monk could almost hear his mind flying at speeds beyond normal mentation. after a moment of study, his hands flew over the board, flipping switches with deft assuredness, as if he'd done this a thousand times before.
September 19, 2009
James Rollins is one of my absolute favorite of authors and I anxiously awaited the release of this book after turning the last page of The Judas Strain, which I reviewed on July 27, 2007. Rollins did not disappoint!
The Last Oracle picks up where The Judas Strain left off. From Rollins website I pulled this description, most of which is also the backliner:
"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 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."
I love the way Rollins takes an incident in history and creates a fascinating, page-turner which you will not put down until you have turned that last page. Yeah, that's what I did. I started The Last Oracle while I was waiting in line to see Glenn Beck Live. I stopped only to watch the show, and it was well worth watching, then crawled into bed as soon as I got home and finished reading it.
This man can write! He takes us deep into the mountains of Russia, not far from Chernobyl, tosses megalomaniac Russian determined to rule the world, his crazy mother, secret combinations and organizations, gypsies or Romani and the Greek Oracles at Delphi. Mix it all up with the SIGMA force and you've got a ride that will keep you breathless to the end.
This book is a must read. I thoroughly and completely enjoyed it. And if you've never read James Rollins before then be prepared. Because you're going to head straight to the bookstore or Amazon.com to purchase all his other books. And believe me, you'll like them all. And they'll be a wonderful addition to your home library.
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (June 24, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061230944
ISBN-13: 978-0061230943
Purchase The Last Oracle here.
The Last Oracle picks up where The Judas Strain left off. From Rollins website I pulled this description, most of which is also the backliner:
"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 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."
I love the way Rollins takes an incident in history and creates a fascinating, page-turner which you will not put down until you have turned that last page. Yeah, that's what I did. I started The Last Oracle while I was waiting in line to see Glenn Beck Live. I stopped only to watch the show, and it was well worth watching, then crawled into bed as soon as I got home and finished reading it.
This man can write! He takes us deep into the mountains of Russia, not far from Chernobyl, tosses megalomaniac Russian determined to rule the world, his crazy mother, secret combinations and organizations, gypsies or Romani and the Greek Oracles at Delphi. Mix it all up with the SIGMA force and you've got a ride that will keep you breathless to the end.
This book is a must read. I thoroughly and completely enjoyed it. And if you've never read James Rollins before then be prepared. Because you're going to head straight to the bookstore or Amazon.com to purchase all his other books. And believe me, you'll like them all. And they'll be a wonderful addition to your home library.
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (June 24, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061230944
ISBN-13: 978-0061230943
Purchase The Last Oracle here.
January 26, 2026
The Last Oracle was an excellent addition to the Sigma Force series with an engaging plot that wraps up a thread left hanging in The Judas Strain.
Outside of SIGMA headquarters, Commander Gray Pierce is caught in a firefight that leaves a man dead with an ancient coin clutched in his hand. After the coin leads Sigma to a relic traced back to the Oracle of Delphi, the race is on to solve the artifact’s mysteries while keeping it out of the hands of the unrelenting killers on their trail. At the same time, half a world away, a man awakens with no memory of who he is accompanied by two extraordinary children who are in a mad dash to stop mankind’s destruction before it’s too late.
Both plotlines in this book are action-packed with intriguing mysteries for the characters to solve. Ultimately I enjoyed both plotlines but for different reasons. The plot following Gray has more action and I felt like the stakes were higher which kept me invested. I also thought the pacing in Gray’s plot was better and the story moved forward at a good rate which kept things from stagnating. The plot with the man with amnesia however, I loved because of the characters involved. I won’t give spoilers relating to the man’s identity, but his appearance made me genuinely excited and I was interested to learn how he ended up where he did. When the two plots ultimately merge, it was fantastically done and I thought the author did a great job blending the two character groups together.
The characters in this series continue to be one of the best aspects of the books. In this book, we got to see more of characters who previously had smaller roles in the series. I was particularly happy to get more of Kowalski as he’s an excellent character and the most relatable of the bunch. Kat continues to be a favorite as well and I enjoyed that she had a bigger role this time around. We are also introduced to some new characters in this installment and of those Marta was definitely my favorite.
Overall The Last Oracle was a fast-paced, thrilling read and I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Doomsday Key, soon.
Outside of SIGMA headquarters, Commander Gray Pierce is caught in a firefight that leaves a man dead with an ancient coin clutched in his hand. After the coin leads Sigma to a relic traced back to the Oracle of Delphi, the race is on to solve the artifact’s mysteries while keeping it out of the hands of the unrelenting killers on their trail. At the same time, half a world away, a man awakens with no memory of who he is accompanied by two extraordinary children who are in a mad dash to stop mankind’s destruction before it’s too late.
Both plotlines in this book are action-packed with intriguing mysteries for the characters to solve. Ultimately I enjoyed both plotlines but for different reasons. The plot following Gray has more action and I felt like the stakes were higher which kept me invested. I also thought the pacing in Gray’s plot was better and the story moved forward at a good rate which kept things from stagnating. The plot with the man with amnesia however, I loved because of the characters involved. I won’t give spoilers relating to the man’s identity, but his appearance made me genuinely excited and I was interested to learn how he ended up where he did. When the two plots ultimately merge, it was fantastically done and I thought the author did a great job blending the two character groups together.
The characters in this series continue to be one of the best aspects of the books. In this book, we got to see more of characters who previously had smaller roles in the series. I was particularly happy to get more of Kowalski as he’s an excellent character and the most relatable of the bunch. Kat continues to be a favorite as well and I enjoyed that she had a bigger role this time around. We are also introduced to some new characters in this installment and of those Marta was definitely my favorite.
Overall The Last Oracle was a fast-paced, thrilling read and I really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Doomsday Key, soon.
September 22, 2016
5 STARS (OR SOMETHING VERY CLOSE)
The Last Oracle, more than any of the previous books in this series, is a non-stop rollercoaster ride. There was no time to take a break, have a coffee or even go out to walk the dogs (don't worry, they did get taken out - just not by me) while I was reading this. It was 48 hours of intensive page-flipping with few breaks.
It starts with a single death and ends with many more. Rollins doesn't pull punches with his novels - he takes us close to the darkest depths of humanity and some of the atrocities we as a species are capable of committing. And if you read the Author's Note at the back, a lot of the experiments Rollins writes about have in fact taken place at some point in our shared history. A scary thought.
The Last Oracle, more than any of the previous books in this series, is a non-stop rollercoaster ride. There was no time to take a break, have a coffee or even go out to walk the dogs (don't worry, they did get taken out - just not by me) while I was reading this. It was 48 hours of intensive page-flipping with few breaks.
It starts with a single death and ends with many more. Rollins doesn't pull punches with his novels - he takes us close to the darkest depths of humanity and some of the atrocities we as a species are capable of committing. And if you read the Author's Note at the back, a lot of the experiments Rollins writes about have in fact taken place at some point in our shared history. A scary thought.
January 13, 2019
oh MOMMA I loved this book. This is one of the few books in a series that the story alone carried it away to 5 stars. It delved into the characters of Monk and Kowalski (I am one of his HUGE fans!!!) and let go of Painter and Grey development. It sure worked for me. I don't know why, but this book dinged a spot in my heart.
January 10, 2015
Great book. Loved the story. My kind of book that takes history and brings it to fiction to tell a tale that is interesting and hard to stop reading.
April 2, 2019
هر کدام از کتابهای نیروی سیگما را که میخوانم، می گویم بهتر از این کتاب، کتابی نیست. بعد جلد بعدی میآید و دوباره همین را میگویم.
سپاس فراوان از انتشارات تندیس، آقای میرباقری
و جناب آقای امینی.
سپاس فراوان از انتشارات تندیس، آقای میرباقری
و جناب آقای امینی.
July 8, 2017
The Last Oracle follows a similar path to Black Order, in that a Sigma operative ends up in the base of a nefarious foreign group, intent on killing the world through SCIENCE! In Black Order it was Painter with the Germans, in The Last Oracle it’s Monk with the Russians. The Germans were intent on creating quantum sickness with a device called “The Bell”, allowing their genetically modified offspring to reign superior. The Russians in this book are intent on creating widespread radiation sickness with the dismantling of the Chernobyl “sarcophagus”, allowing a single Russian leader to rise above with the help of autistic savant children.
Go into The Last Oracle with an open mind about autistic savants. Simply accept that the differences in their sensory perception might allow for seemingly “superhuman” abilities. Simply accept that while they might have difficulties communicating and perceiving the world as we do, they may be capable of remote viewing, seeing into the future, or sensing heart and intent across long distances. If you’re capable of accepting all that then you’re going to have a good time!
While all Sigma Force novels span more than one country, The Last Oracle is a little less linear than most. The story begins centuries ago in ancient Greece with the Delphi Oracle. Under fire from the encroaching Roman Army, the Delphi Oracle and a gifted child flee Greece to the area now known as Punjab, India. They assimilate into the local population but later flee into Europe to avoid persecution, where they’re now known as Romani gypsies. Unfortunately as history dictates the persecution doesn’t ease up in Europe. Russian soldiers hone in on a clan known for their mystical talents, massacring the adults and kidnapping the children. The children are then bred and experimented on over a series of decades, the Russians intent on identifying the genetic markers for autism and exploiting them to produce talented savants.
While I previously compared The Last Oracle with Black Order, it shares some similarities with The Judas Strain too. Instead of using modern day science to explain seemingly miraculous acts in human history (like the m-state gold’s properties explaining away Bible events in Map of Bones), The Judas Strain and The Last Oracle follow historical trails to explain scienctific events happening here and now. The Judas Strain followed Marco Polo’s journey through Asia, where Sigma discovered that a naturally occurring and recurring cyanobacterial bloom in ancient Cambodia was responsible for a plague threatening to sweep the planet today. The Last Oracle follows the Delphi Oracle’s trail through Greece, India and Europe, to explain the heritage and mystical talents of the Romani gypsies and autistic savants.
I love Greek mythology, but have read very little on the Delphi Oracle - surprising, given my predilection for all things weird and wonderful! I’ve also read very little on the Romani gypsies, though I’ve watched documentaries about the population in the UK and always found Hitler’s fascination with gypsies to be intriguing. And though Philip K Dick’s Martian Time-Slip presented a view on autism that I ruminated on for hours afterward, I’ve never read much more into it either! Half the reason I love this genre is the way it teaches me about history and science in a fun way, so it was great to see these three topics all woven together!
While Sasha is the initial star of the story with her ability to foresee the future, Pyotr’s abilities are the real focal point of the novel. His ability to feel peoples’ “hearts” is curious enough, but Rollins continually hints at a dark secret between himself and Marta the chimpanzee. In the final showdown we learn that Marta and Pyotr are psychically and physiologically linked. Both empaths, they knew from the moment they met that they would die together. We also learn that Pyotr is not just an empath, he’s a conduit: he can draw on the power of other autistic savants, gaining their abilities if only for a short time. Unfortunately full use of this power comes at a massive cost, causing Pyotr’s consciousness to literally burn out.
Warning: You will cry in this novel. It has an elderly female chimpanzee as a main character, so you know that means something bad will happen to her. If you don’t cry it’s scientifically proven that you do not have a soul. Seriously. I spent the entire novel preparing for an untimely death to come to Marta, and when it happened the floodgates opened and wouldn’t stop. I could barely see the words on my Kindle, I was crying that much over the visual of the elderly chimpanzee drowning in radioactive waste to save the children. (Note: I may or may not be tearing up while writing this….this is why I don’t watch Disney movies anymore!)
Thankfully it was revealed that Marta hadn’t truly died, that her consciousness had been transferred to Pyotr’s shell of a body when his mind burned out. Not that that stopped the tears and tissues! I really hope that Rollins plans to bring back Marta/Pyotr in the future so we can see how she’s surviving.
Speaking of surviving, OH MY GOD MONK IS BACK. Rollins managed to link the two novels together using Sasha, her psychic abilities spurring the Russians on to save him from death by squid (it sounds so ridiculous when you say it like that)! I wasn’t convinced that Rollins could let a newlywed father like Monk go so I was over the moon to see him back in this book. I’m hoping that the next book will see him take a safer desk job!
I was also over the moon to see that Kowalski got a love interest! He’s no longer the thickheaded brute he was in The Judas Strain; we learn that he’s got a love of shoes, speaks Romani and actually has more than a dozen brain cells! I really hope the relationship with Elizabeth works out as it was adorable seeing their fumbling chemistry.
It was a shame to see Sean McKnight go although I can’t say I was surprised. We don’t know much more about McKnight other than his history with Painter and his greying red beard. Rollins didn’t seem to care enough about the character to make the reader miss him, much like Painter’s non-descript aide that was killed off in a previous book. If anything, it’s a more a bummer to the reader because Sigma and DARPA will undergo yet another structural change. They remind me of the Russian and Chinese siblings in Pacific Rim: they were barely given 1 line so the viewer knew they weren’t going to survive the film.
I wish that James Rollins had fleshed out the cruelty inflicted by Savina Martov at Chelyabinsk 88, turing her into a truly repulsive villain worthy of a Stephen King novel. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that she still retained some humanity in her soft spot for the children, but I think it would’ve contrasted better against tales of barbaric experiments. She was neither a fanatical zealot nor a true monster, she came across as a slightly nutty soccer mum that was a bit pissed about the state of Russia for the last 40 years.
Overall: Romani gypsies, autistic savants, Greek oracles and nuclear meltdowns don’t sound like plot devices that should fit together, but they do. James Rollins solves the Romani lineage mystery, explores the potential of the autistic mind, gets Kowalski a date and saves our favourite character. Unfortunately the tale is a little fragmented and the villain not quite as “villainy” as we deserve, but it was a solid effort.
Go into The Last Oracle with an open mind about autistic savants. Simply accept that the differences in their sensory perception might allow for seemingly “superhuman” abilities. Simply accept that while they might have difficulties communicating and perceiving the world as we do, they may be capable of remote viewing, seeing into the future, or sensing heart and intent across long distances. If you’re capable of accepting all that then you’re going to have a good time!
While all Sigma Force novels span more than one country, The Last Oracle is a little less linear than most. The story begins centuries ago in ancient Greece with the Delphi Oracle. Under fire from the encroaching Roman Army, the Delphi Oracle and a gifted child flee Greece to the area now known as Punjab, India. They assimilate into the local population but later flee into Europe to avoid persecution, where they’re now known as Romani gypsies. Unfortunately as history dictates the persecution doesn’t ease up in Europe. Russian soldiers hone in on a clan known for their mystical talents, massacring the adults and kidnapping the children. The children are then bred and experimented on over a series of decades, the Russians intent on identifying the genetic markers for autism and exploiting them to produce talented savants.
While I previously compared The Last Oracle with Black Order, it shares some similarities with The Judas Strain too. Instead of using modern day science to explain seemingly miraculous acts in human history (like the m-state gold’s properties explaining away Bible events in Map of Bones), The Judas Strain and The Last Oracle follow historical trails to explain scienctific events happening here and now. The Judas Strain followed Marco Polo’s journey through Asia, where Sigma discovered that a naturally occurring and recurring cyanobacterial bloom in ancient Cambodia was responsible for a plague threatening to sweep the planet today. The Last Oracle follows the Delphi Oracle’s trail through Greece, India and Europe, to explain the heritage and mystical talents of the Romani gypsies and autistic savants.
I love Greek mythology, but have read very little on the Delphi Oracle - surprising, given my predilection for all things weird and wonderful! I’ve also read very little on the Romani gypsies, though I’ve watched documentaries about the population in the UK and always found Hitler’s fascination with gypsies to be intriguing. And though Philip K Dick’s Martian Time-Slip presented a view on autism that I ruminated on for hours afterward, I’ve never read much more into it either! Half the reason I love this genre is the way it teaches me about history and science in a fun way, so it was great to see these three topics all woven together!
While Sasha is the initial star of the story with her ability to foresee the future, Pyotr’s abilities are the real focal point of the novel. His ability to feel peoples’ “hearts” is curious enough, but Rollins continually hints at a dark secret between himself and Marta the chimpanzee. In the final showdown we learn that Marta and Pyotr are psychically and physiologically linked. Both empaths, they knew from the moment they met that they would die together. We also learn that Pyotr is not just an empath, he’s a conduit: he can draw on the power of other autistic savants, gaining their abilities if only for a short time. Unfortunately full use of this power comes at a massive cost, causing Pyotr’s consciousness to literally burn out.
Warning: You will cry in this novel. It has an elderly female chimpanzee as a main character, so you know that means something bad will happen to her. If you don’t cry it’s scientifically proven that you do not have a soul. Seriously. I spent the entire novel preparing for an untimely death to come to Marta, and when it happened the floodgates opened and wouldn’t stop. I could barely see the words on my Kindle, I was crying that much over the visual of the elderly chimpanzee drowning in radioactive waste to save the children. (Note: I may or may not be tearing up while writing this….this is why I don’t watch Disney movies anymore!)
Thankfully it was revealed that Marta hadn’t truly died, that her consciousness had been transferred to Pyotr’s shell of a body when his mind burned out. Not that that stopped the tears and tissues! I really hope that Rollins plans to bring back Marta/Pyotr in the future so we can see how she’s surviving.
Speaking of surviving, OH MY GOD MONK IS BACK. Rollins managed to link the two novels together using Sasha, her psychic abilities spurring the Russians on to save him from death by squid (it sounds so ridiculous when you say it like that)! I wasn’t convinced that Rollins could let a newlywed father like Monk go so I was over the moon to see him back in this book. I’m hoping that the next book will see him take a safer desk job!
I was also over the moon to see that Kowalski got a love interest! He’s no longer the thickheaded brute he was in The Judas Strain; we learn that he’s got a love of shoes, speaks Romani and actually has more than a dozen brain cells! I really hope the relationship with Elizabeth works out as it was adorable seeing their fumbling chemistry.
It was a shame to see Sean McKnight go although I can’t say I was surprised. We don’t know much more about McKnight other than his history with Painter and his greying red beard. Rollins didn’t seem to care enough about the character to make the reader miss him, much like Painter’s non-descript aide that was killed off in a previous book. If anything, it’s a more a bummer to the reader because Sigma and DARPA will undergo yet another structural change. They remind me of the Russian and Chinese siblings in Pacific Rim: they were barely given 1 line so the viewer knew they weren’t going to survive the film.
I wish that James Rollins had fleshed out the cruelty inflicted by Savina Martov at Chelyabinsk 88, turing her into a truly repulsive villain worthy of a Stephen King novel. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that she still retained some humanity in her soft spot for the children, but I think it would’ve contrasted better against tales of barbaric experiments. She was neither a fanatical zealot nor a true monster, she came across as a slightly nutty soccer mum that was a bit pissed about the state of Russia for the last 40 years.
Overall: Romani gypsies, autistic savants, Greek oracles and nuclear meltdowns don’t sound like plot devices that should fit together, but they do. James Rollins solves the Romani lineage mystery, explores the potential of the autistic mind, gets Kowalski a date and saves our favourite character. Unfortunately the tale is a little fragmented and the villain not quite as “villainy” as we deserve, but it was a solid effort.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2017
Jos jedna Rollinsova knjiga pročitana. Ovaj put nisam sasvim zadovoljna. Ne znam je li knjiga stvarno lošija ili sam se jednostavno zasitila. Možda nisam trebala tako brzo nakon prošle uzeti novi nastavak.
Uglavnom, i ova je brzog tempa, prepuna akcije, Sigma spašava svijet. Poznat Rollinov recept za uspjeh. Međutim, glavni lik Gray Pierce koji mi je inače odličan, u ovoj knjizi me razočarao. Kroz cijelu knjigu se baš ružno ponašao prema jednom drugom liku. Očekivala sam bolje od njega. S druge strane, pozitivno je što je drugi glavni lik, Grayev partner Monk u ovoj knjizi dobio mogućnost više se razviti kao lik.
Čitajuci ovu knjigu neke nove stvari sam saznala i naučila. Jedno od mjesta radnje bio je Černobil i neko jezero Karachay, koje je najradioaktivnije mjesto na svijetu. Uz čitanje sam malo i guglala pa sam saznala neke dodatne činjenice o tim mjestima.
Uglavnom, i ova je brzog tempa, prepuna akcije, Sigma spašava svijet. Poznat Rollinov recept za uspjeh. Međutim, glavni lik Gray Pierce koji mi je inače odličan, u ovoj knjizi me razočarao. Kroz cijelu knjigu se baš ružno ponašao prema jednom drugom liku. Očekivala sam bolje od njega. S druge strane, pozitivno je što je drugi glavni lik, Grayev partner Monk u ovoj knjizi dobio mogućnost više se razviti kao lik.
Čitajuci ovu knjigu neke nove stvari sam saznala i naučila. Jedno od mjesta radnje bio je Černobil i neko jezero Karachay, koje je najradioaktivnije mjesto na svijetu. Uz čitanje sam malo i guglala pa sam saznala neke dodatne činjenice o tim mjestima.
July 2, 2020
first book i’ve read by james rollins and i honestly loved it. the facts and history behind the story was really intriguing and i just really enjoyed the story line.
September 15, 2022
The historical fiction continues in this conspiracy thriller. Rollins really knows his technical stuff and I find most of the science compelling.
December 4, 2020
Tanto a parte histórica como a científica são muito interessantes. Contudo, continua a haver alguma coisa neste escritor que não me prende... :(
September 9, 2025
৫ম বারের মত পৃথিবী বেচে গেল। এবারের বইটা একশনে ভরপুর ছিল। বিরতি দিয়ে দিয়ে সিরিজের বইগুলা পড়লে এর রস আস্বাদন করা যায় ভালোই। বরাবরের মত গ্রে ছিল দারুণ ফর্মে। সাথে মঙ্কও এসে জুটেছে আলাদা এক মিশন নিয়ে। দারুণ।
January 1, 2010
Exploiting savant talents for military purposes is a fascinating yet horrifying prospect, which makes for a novel story. Kick up the intensity by making it exploiting the talents of autistic savant children who have been biologically altered to heighten their abilities, and you get Rollins' The Last Oracle. This fresh topic appealed to me from the very beginning and kept me turning pages quickly to see how things would turn out.
As you would expect with a Sigma novel, there is ample government secret agency involvement, espionage, and double crossing. The involvement of The Jasons was very intriguing. There is also a threat of radiation poisoning on a global scale. The reasoning behind the threat is even more interesting than the threat itself.
While The Last Oracle is a book in the Sigma Force series, you won't need any knowledge of the preceding books to enjoy and understand all that's going on. Rollins does an excellent job of giving the reader all he/she needs to follow the characters and the story without ever getting bogged down. A perfect example of this is a character named Monk, who was in an accident and presumed to be dead in a previous novel, appears in this book. The mystery surrounding his accident is integral to this plot, but you need no prior info to follow it.
The story offers much more complexity than having a single villain or even all the villains on one side or even in the same country. Fanaticism beyond reason is displayed on many sides. I enjoyed the varying levels of "bad" in the opposition in this book. While the story moves rapidly from one front to another (Washington D.C., India, Greece, Chernobyl), we do get to see the background and motivation that turns someone from being an ambitiously well-meaning patriot into a dangerous zealot, the road to believing that the ends justify the means. And, people do die, including some characters that you might not expect.
WARNING spoilers ahead. Linking the mythology of The Oracle of Delphi in Greece through the "untouchables" at the bottom of the caste system in India to the fabled mystic abilities of the Roma (Gypsies) made for some interesting reading. The way the story is presented also provides genetic reasons for the special abilities; one needs not believe in any mysticism to buy into the story. This next part won't make any sense unless you've read the book, but I also thought it was a nice touch that the epsilon was included in the mythology of the Oracle which provided a link to Sigma itself.
The ending is satisfying with just the right amount of closure and mystery that will continue into the next book.
Some of my favorite lines and descriptions are:
"...Nicholas had seen piles of discarded gas masks, lying in limp heaps like the scalped faces of the dead."
"Roots tangled out of the sandstone walls, like the gnarled faces of old men..."
"...windows shattered into broken fangs..."
As you would expect with a Sigma novel, there is ample government secret agency involvement, espionage, and double crossing. The involvement of The Jasons was very intriguing. There is also a threat of radiation poisoning on a global scale. The reasoning behind the threat is even more interesting than the threat itself.
While The Last Oracle is a book in the Sigma Force series, you won't need any knowledge of the preceding books to enjoy and understand all that's going on. Rollins does an excellent job of giving the reader all he/she needs to follow the characters and the story without ever getting bogged down. A perfect example of this is a character named Monk, who was in an accident and presumed to be dead in a previous novel, appears in this book. The mystery surrounding his accident is integral to this plot, but you need no prior info to follow it.
The story offers much more complexity than having a single villain or even all the villains on one side or even in the same country. Fanaticism beyond reason is displayed on many sides. I enjoyed the varying levels of "bad" in the opposition in this book. While the story moves rapidly from one front to another (Washington D.C., India, Greece, Chernobyl), we do get to see the background and motivation that turns someone from being an ambitiously well-meaning patriot into a dangerous zealot, the road to believing that the ends justify the means. And, people do die, including some characters that you might not expect.
WARNING spoilers ahead. Linking the mythology of The Oracle of Delphi in Greece through the "untouchables" at the bottom of the caste system in India to the fabled mystic abilities of the Roma (Gypsies) made for some interesting reading. The way the story is presented also provides genetic reasons for the special abilities; one needs not believe in any mysticism to buy into the story. This next part won't make any sense unless you've read the book, but I also thought it was a nice touch that the epsilon was included in the mythology of the Oracle which provided a link to Sigma itself.
The ending is satisfying with just the right amount of closure and mystery that will continue into the next book.
Some of my favorite lines and descriptions are:
"...Nicholas had seen piles of discarded gas masks, lying in limp heaps like the scalped faces of the dead."
"Roots tangled out of the sandstone walls, like the gnarled faces of old men..."
"...windows shattered into broken fangs..."
November 7, 2022
“L’ULTIMO ORACOLO” è il secondo libro che leggo di James Rollins e devo ammettere che, nonostante le molte esagerazioni presenti, ha avuto il grande pregio di incollarmi alle pagine finché non sono arrivata in fondo. Pur essendo l’impianto di base un po’ scontato (con i cattivi che, in seguito ad una catastrofe orchestrata da loro stessi, vogliono dominare il mondo e i buoni che, nonostante innumerevoli difficoltà, riescono a salvare l’intera umanità all’ultimo secondo), la narrazione scorre molto bene in modo particolareggiato ed accattivante, facendo gradualmente convergere situazioni apparentemente scollegate ed indipendenti, in un crescendo adrenalinico di suspense e tensione.
Se l’azione e il complotto sono i grandi protagonisti di questo romanzo, non meno importanti risultano altre tematiche davvero interessanti, come le ricerche antropologiche per stabilire l’origine dei popoli romaní, l’approfondimento di alcune caratteristiche riguardanti i disturbi dello spettro autistico, la documentata rievocazione del disastro nucleare di Cernobyl e, come già avevo notato in “Artico”, l’ineluttabilità della ricerca scientifica, con annessi tutti i dilemmi morali legati ai vari tipi di sperimentazione.
Se l’azione e il complotto sono i grandi protagonisti di questo romanzo, non meno importanti risultano altre tematiche davvero interessanti, come le ricerche antropologiche per stabilire l’origine dei popoli romaní, l’approfondimento di alcune caratteristiche riguardanti i disturbi dello spettro autistico, la documentata rievocazione del disastro nucleare di Cernobyl e, come già avevo notato in “Artico”, l’ineluttabilità della ricerca scientifica, con annessi tutti i dilemmi morali legati ai vari tipi di sperimentazione.
January 27, 2012
This was the first James Rollins book I read and glad it was the first. The book hit a core in me as I read the story as it dealt with children, autistic or savant or just the fact they were children is unknown. It was tightly weaved with science and history which made it tie together. It was like watching a movie in slow motion but included thoughts and small details that might be missed on the big screen. It moved me like watching a good movie as I cried by page 410 and hadn't read a book in long while that moved me to such emotions. I am skeptical if any of Rollins other books would do the same but his style of storytelling is worth the time. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author's note at the end gave in to my suspicions of his historical data as realities and was glad he included that side note.
August 16, 2017
A great adventure, yet missed opportunities within the larger Sigma Force context, The Last Oracle is frustrating at times. The concept of enhanced autistic children is very far fetched, though Rollins makes it work by humanizing the kids, allowing them to feel terror, love and even playfulness instead of being mini super people. There's a lot less chasing ancient clues around the world, however Rollins still lapses into formula, especially with the new scientist who is somehow able to kick butt with no training. The rescue of a key character is where The Last Oracle really falls short. A significant connection to The Judas Strain could have been made, especially considering the connection between a key antagonist and children. With how it's done here it just seems convenient. Overall, The Last Oracle is fun as always, though ultimately a little flat.
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