Sandstorm: A Sigma Force Novel (Sigma Force Novels Book 1)

After reading The Domsday Key, The devil colony and Bloodline last summer I wanted to know how all of this started so I decided to go back to the beginning and brought this book for my Kindle. I must say that James Rollins takes his story telling skills to a new level in Sandstorm. Sandstorm like all of his previous works is a fast paced, action packed adventure that takes the reader to fabulous locations around the world while keeping the action moving throughout.In this book Painter Crowe is a Field agent for Sigma who while working on another assignment is ordered to report to back to Sigma headquarters where he is showed the British Museum video and handed a chunk of meteoric iron that came from the Iron Camel explosion. They assign him to learn what caused the explosion with the clues leading to Ubar. Also during this time Lady Kara Kensington, whose family founded the devastated gallery and its curator Safia al-Maaz find clues that lead to Ubar, a city buried beneath the Arabian Desert. They hire renowned explorer Omaha Dunn to escort them to this legendary ancient city.And this is just the beginning Rollin`s in this book pays tribute to Indiana Jones by imamanging him working togeter with a top secrect government agency with its best agent working alongside him as a sidekick.Imagine Indiana Jones, (his name is Omaha Dunn here), taking-on 'the perfect storm' in the great Rub al-Khali, or Empty Quarter, in central Arabia. In this desert place, beneath the burning sun, hurricane force winds blow up quickly. One can drown in an ocean of sand and remain interred forever. Add to this mix, the obsession to find a great fabled city, and a civilization lost thousands of years ago, now buried beneath the shifting dunes. Ubar, a rich and fabulous trading center of ancient Arabia, ruled by the Queen of Sheba, once rose out of the desert and then mysteriously vanished back into the sands. References to Ubar in the Koran, the Arabian Nights, and countless Bedouin tales told around desert campfires have captivated the imaginations of explorers and archaeologists. But all searches have been fruitless and the city remained lost. The storm, the search for Ubar and for a source of energy strong enough to fuel the entire earth. However as these four people and others head to Ubar, Others follow ruthlessly with the intent to control and use this energy for dark purposes no matter the cost.This book contains various subplots, no less exciting than the primary adventure, a terrific cast of characters, fascinating historical and scientific information, a love triangle and enough action, suspense and thrills to keep you reading long into the night.This is one of the most addictive novels I have read in some time. Once I began, I just couldn't put it down. I highly recommind this book for those interested in the Sigma series or are just looking for a new book to read.

I don't know why it took me so long to get into Sandstorm. I've been reading the book on and off for two months or so. Unusual for me - especially with a James Rollins' novel. The book has all the elements of a best seller: engaging characters, a unique storyline, exotic settings, adventure, romance, female characters equal in strength to their male counterparts. The author jumps right to the action (as is Rollins' style) with a "lightning storm" inside a wing of the British Museum and the gruesome death of a security guard. Dr. Safia al-Maaz, curator of the Kensington Gallery, is brought in to assess damage to the museum's wing and help solve the mystery. A quandary that not only invites danger but begs it, taking her on a perilous journey through the Arabian desert and reluctantly into the arms of an old love, Omaha Dunn. Here Safia discovers a tribe of wraithlike women, familial ties she never knew existed, and a mystical underground city. For me, the story's pace seemed to drag until about halfway through, then I couldn't read fast enough. There are a lot of characters to keep up with. Some strong, some not so. Names are confusing. Kara and Coral, good; Cassandra, not so good. In the end, the book left me wanting more and in absolute awe of Rollins' ability to draw the reader into his scenes. He paints striking visuals with his words which allowed me to see the beautiful underground city so clearly. I would indeed recommend Sandstorm to any reader who loves the Mummy and Indiana Jones series of movies. To those readers who simply love a good adventure and subtle romance.

This book was amazing.It kept me interested right from the start.Reading book #2 now, I'm sure I will be just as engaged with the plot as I was with Sandstorm

I've never read this author before but the synopsis sounded intriguing enough for me to give Sandstorm a try, the first of the Sigma force novels. Sigma Force is a unique team within DARPA, sent out to handle the toughest and most dangerous of situations.This book is a mix of action, military thriller, and Indiana Jones style adventure and is a lot of fun. Main character Painter Crowe is an intriguing team leader and seems a solid guy to build a series around. I much prefer him to the other main male character, Omaha Dunn who I found both obnoxious and irritating.The only issue I had with this book is it just gets a little too silly towards the end, especially regarding the Rahim women and their magical powers. I don't want to spoil anything, but the whole concept was bizarre and felt totally out of place in a book like this.Still, it's a fun ride and I'll be checking out Book 2 to see where things go from here!

Pure escapism, with special forces firefights, almost believable science fiction and tense and a highly readable storyline ( if a little far-fetched at times). Absorbing read !

Livro excelente! Envolvente do início ao fim, misturando ficção com realidade. A descritividade do autor prende a atenção de maneira incrível.A diagramação do livro no Kindle deixa um pouco a desejar, na minha opinião, em relação às mudanças de foco de cada capítulo, mas nada que comprometesse!

Packing was perfect. Regarding the book.. It's always fun to read James Rollins books. It piques ones interest from the very first line and it gets exciting as we keep on reading and finally ends on a high note. The same goes for the Sandstorm as well.

Great read , enjoyed the action , and learned some things about the subject and area of the world I did not know. Would suggest this book for anyone who enjoys action novels.

A really amazing tale based nicely in some science, simply an amazing read, could not reccomend this book more, enjoy.