Bloodline by James Rollins

The American President's daughter Amanda Gant-Bennet is kidnapped by Somalian Pirates. She is heavily pregnant and travelling under false passport. The SIGMA team is called for the rescue mission, Captain Gray Pierce, Kowlaski and Seichan are in the field. They have new recruits to help them in their mission, military dog Kane and his handler Tucker. This does not look like the case of ordinary kidnap by pirates in that area, there seems more to it. This has something to do with Amanda's unborn child. At the headquarters in U.S., Crowe starts investigating the all powerful President's family and the fertility clinic where Amanda conceived her baby. The Guild is back again and they are onto something more sinister. Kat and Lisa enter the fertility clinic to investigate it. What actually is happening in the fertility clinic? Will Gray and his team save Amanda and her baby? What will Kat and Lisa discover at the fertility clinic?

Rollins takes us on a journey into interior Somalia and to the artificial Islands built on the coast of Dubai. Events unfold one after another that there is hardly time to pause and think.

The basic premise of the book is -Is immortality possible? Human beings have always been in the quest of the holy grail that would make them immortal. This story is the quest for another sort of holy grail that would make humans immortal. But at what price?

Rollins creates an action packed thriller combining latest development in Science and Technology and events happening all over the world with history and Knights Templar- mixing history and myth with science creating a new kind of fanatic. Science is the new religion here and scientists the new fanatics who would go to any level in their quest for the holy grail. Why are doctors and scientists portrayed as inhuman who could go to anything?

I liked the introduction of military dog Kane into the team. The Guild and SIGMA struggle continues, only the Guild has become more and more powerful. I was expecting more on Knights Templar.

Bloodline is part of the SIGMA series and all the members are there, but some more than others and finally they all have a place in the climax. The Climax fight is very visual reminding me of The Lord of the Rings. Overall, an action packed thriller.

Book Beginnings on Friday

Book Beginnings on Friday is a Meme hosted by Katy at Few more Pages.
To play along share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading, include the title and the author and give your impressions if you feel like it.
Here is mine from The Doomsday Key by James Rollins
Spring, 1086
England
"The ravens were the first sign."
The beginning is intriguing indicating a bad omen. So what happened in 1086 England, how is it relevant to present times?

Jake Ransom and the Skull Kings Shadow by James Rollins

I like Reading Rollins' books. So when I saw this book in an online bookshop, I thought it was one of his action adventure thrillers and ordered it without Reading the review. it is a childrens book and part of a series. Well, the series starts with this book and is an adventure. So I am not disappointed. Following the fame of Harry Potter series I think Rollins wanted to try his hands at childrens adventure series.
Now for the story, Jake Ransom lives with his sister Kady, their parents have gone an archaelogical excavation and never returned. It is three years since they disapeared. They recieved a parcel shortly after their parents disappeared which contained two halves of a Mayan coin, their parents notebook with detailed sketches about Mayan artifacts. Jake and kady recieved an invitation from the british museum for the opeining of the exhibition of the artifacts their parents found in their final trip.
Jake and kady visit the museum and there begins their adventure into an unkown place habited by dinosaurus and other unimaginable creatures. A strange land inhabited by strange people. The strange land is under threat from the skull king. Will jake and kady help save the land? Will they find a way back to home? This form the rest of the story. It leaves many more questions unanswered. Will have to read the rest of the series to find them. Enjoyed reading it.