The Bone Labyrinth: A Thrilling Sigma Force Adventure Unveiling Ancient Mysteries and Modern Genetic Science (Sigma Force, 11) Mass Market Paperback – Illustrated, July 26, 2016

This was my first James Rollin book, though I'd seen his books on the suspense best-seller lists. I picked up this book because I heard James Rolins on Coast To Coast AM, and found that he was a guy who really did his homework in an area that I'm currently studying, so I thought why not combine my own study in a fun way with a suspenseful novel. I was no disappointed. Rollins goes into depth in the study of where humans came from, or rather who our ancestors might have been.I'd just been reading in a book called Voyagers by Ashsayana Deane, that aliens came to earth 200,000 years ago and started gene-splicing to enlarge our intelligence. Rollins book says the same thing. Deane mentions that 70,000-50,000 years ago, another group of aliens came to Atlantis and started giving mankind tools and teaching them about war, even intermarrying with the humans. Rollins book talks about the Great Leap Forward that happened 50,000 years ago for no reason.The Book of Enoch mentions the Watchers(which Rollins does in his book) who came to earth and took wives from the 'daughters of men', something forbidden, and giants coming into the world because of the interbreeding of two such different species(there's youtube video about the breeding of lions with tigers and how there's no switch off gene in the offspring so they grow larger than their parents).Rollins then brings Neil Armstrong into his story, a man who'd been to the moon, and then was part of an expedition to Ecuador, fabled Atlantis? Then Rollins tells how the moon is 1/400 the size of the sun and and just far enough away to cover it during an eclipse, and how the prime number 37 works into all of the sun/moon/earth connection(Solomon-Wisdom, Sun/Moon/Man). Add to all that an elite fighting force protecting cutting edge scientist, fighting an oppressive government bent on ruling the world, and you have a great read.If you want well-written suspense with fascinating, and little-known facts, James Rollins delivers. Get educated while being entertained.A hypersonic jet that can soar from London to New York in half an hour, a flying car and a plane that can land almost anywhere: The year's most radical aircraft concepts revealedBritish holidaymakers unlikely to return to Sharm el-Sheikh until Spring 2016 as Thomson Airways extends its flight ban to the Egyptian resortChristmas in Iran: Santa makes a Middle Eastern pit stop as families are pictured shopping for festive decorations and stocking fillers in TehranThe out of office is on! Mariah Carey leads the way as a procession of celebrities fly out to the snow, surf and shops for the Christmas holidaysIs this the most beautiful country on earth? A photographer captures Scotland's spectacular natural landscape through all four seasonsTo the ends of the earth: Photographer travels to Greenland to capture the striking splendour of the 'iceberg capital of the world'Holidaymaker dies from traumatic injury after she was struck on the head in tragic accident at airport'They acted irritated, rude and completely lacking empathy': New mother slams Delta Airlines after staff refuse to allow iced container of breast milk on planeThe best seat on the plane! Mesmerising footage filmed from the cockpit reveals what it's like to fly a jumbo jetPutting love on the line: Mistletoe has appeared all over the London Underground (but awkward commuters still look grumpy)Love Actually IS at the airport! Video shows families reuniting at Heathrow ahead of Christmas holidays in scenes reminiscent of the classic festive filmHandcrafted gifts, Britain's finest gingerbread - and luxury hotels: Why the Lake District is the perfect place for a 2016 shopping mini-break (and a trip there will help the flood-hit economy, too)Coyote causes havoc as it runs amok through airport security and baggage for an hour (before being tasered)A photographer's dream: Spectacular images showcase Iceland's breathtaking winter scenery from a waterfall of icicles to wild horses grazing in the snowWorld War II air raid shelters that kept 8,000 Londoners safe from German bombs during the Blitz to open for regular toursWould YOU be able to locate these banned items in airport hand luggage? X-ray images reveal just how eagle-eyed security staff have to beWatch the dramatic moment a KLM passenger plane makes a VERY wobbly landing as it battles high winds during Storm DesmondA cruise to the Garden of Eden: Shallow bays, sandy shores and paradise on Earth - a small-boat voyage around the SeychellesHotel guests reveal their most bizarre and disturbing experiences from finding a CAT in the mattress to naked men in the hallwayThe real life Dr. Dolittle: Plucky traveller takes hilarious selfies with exotic animals (and reveals how you can do the same)Making mincemeat of it all: A hunt for Italy's take on this cake classic - amid the hilltops and meandering roads of lovely LunigianaFancy buying your own luxury hotel? The five-star Claridges Hotel in Lutyens' New Delhi is up for sale (but it could cost you £152m)Oops! Postal worker crashes van into plane's wing on tarmac at Spain's busiest airportIt came out of nowhere! Bus carrying flight attendants crashes into rival airline's plane after driver fell asleep at the wheelThe ultimate Australian road trip: Adventurer quits his job to travel the country in his red truck picking up thousands of Instagram fans (and a girlfriend) along the wayThe abandoned airports and airfields that are being transformed and reinvented as

I got hooked on thrillers about 11 years ago when I read James Rollins’ Map of Bones and I have been a fan ever since. So I have been waiting in anticipation since last summer when I found out that The Bone Labyrinth would be released just in time for the holidays. Unfortunately, I did a disservice to myself by reading A.G. Riddle’s Origin Mystery series before reading The Bone Labyrinth as there a lot of similarities between Riddle’s series and Rollins’ The Bone Labyrinth. Both Rollins’ and Riddle’s novels deal with Homo sapiens’ evolutionary “Great Leap Forward” which occurred about 80,000 years ago and was a time period in which a rapid advancement in human behavior and tool production occurred. There are a number of theories on why this occurred including the possibilities in changes to the human genome. Both Rollins and Riddle have their own more imaginative theory on the “Great Leap Forward” which included the lost mythical island of Atlantis. Because of the similarities between Riddle’s and Rollins’ writings, my anticipation that had been built up before reading the The Bone Labyrinth was totally deflated because I got stuck making comparisons between the two writings.There were, however, some very positive occurrences in The Bone Labyrinth that made this a worthy addition to the Sigma Force series. Much of The Bone Labyrinth centered on the character Joe Kowalski. Kowalski was introduced in the fourth book of the Sigma Force series, The Judas Strain, as an expertise in munitions. He is the brawns of Sigma Force and is somewhat out of place with the brainier cast of the Sigma Force collective. It seems that Rollins added Kowalski to be the comic relief and his role has always between secondary. Not so in The Bone Labyrinth, as the readers find out that there is a lot more to Joe Kowalski than being a hardened warrior.I would say that the The Bone Labyrinth is the most educational of all the Sigma Force novels, with interesting tidbits of science and history. Rollins writes a very interesting afterword that I highly suggest reading as it explains a lot on what inspired Rollins to write The Bone Labyrinth. What I really found interesting was the uncanny coincidences about the moon and the number 37. It has to really make you wonder, even for a scientist like me.The Bone Labyrinth has all the thrills and fun that you would expect from James Rollins, and the new as well as the seasoned Sigma Force fan will not be disappointed.