The Last Oracle - Softcover

Rollins, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062022377 ISBN 13: 9780062022370

Publisher: Harper, 2010

Synopsis

In Washington, D.C., a homeless man takes an assassin's bullet and dies in Commander Gray Pierce's arms. A bloody coin clutched in the dead man's hand--an ancient relic that can be traced back to the Greek Oracle of Delphi--is the key to a conspiracy that dates back to the Cold War and threatens the very foundation of humanity. For what if it were possible to bioengineer the next great prophet--a new Buddha, Muhammad, or even Jesus? Would this Second Coming be a boon . . . or would it initiate a chain reaction that would result in the extinction of humankind?

Vital seconds are ticking rapidly away as Pierce races across the globe in search of answers, one step ahead of ruthless killers determined to reclaim the priceless artifact. Suddenly the future of all things is balanced on the brink between heaven and hell--and salvation or destruction rests in the hands of remarkable children.

About this title

About the Author

James 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 his two golden retrievers, Echo and Duncan. 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.

From the Back Cover

PRAISE FOR THE JUDAS STRAIN

"Cannibals, man eating squid, a bacteria that may wipe out humanity-Rollins's high octane spectacle has it all." -- People

""James Rollins is a master of international action and intrigue...[The Judas Strain] is as thrilling as any blockbuster summer action film...Heart pumping action...guaranteed to sweep away readers." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

"A fast paced meld of intrigue, medical thriller, and historical mystery that owns echoes of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain...Rollins invests The Judas Strain with his characteristic command of detail, along with a creeping dread. The world won't have to wait for gradual environmental calamity. It is about to be visited upon us in a matter of days. And he makes it all seem all too plausible." -- Post and Courier (Charleston)

"Rollins Effortlessly Blends Science and superstition in grand tradition of Clive Cussler and David Morrel to make The Judas Strain the best pure action thriller in recent memory." -- Providence Journal

"You won't want to put this adventure thrill ride down...There's a code to crack, a disease to cure, a villain to outsmart, words of an angel to translate. And, just to to make going to sleep out of the question, the fate of every man, woman, and child on Earth hangs in the balance." -- Knoxville News Sentinel

"Rollins does his job: thrills promised, then delivered." -- Tampa Tribune

From the Inside Flap

What if you could bioengineer the next great world prophet: scientifically produce the next Buddha, the next Muhammad, or the next Jesus? Would it markt the Second Coming or initiate a chain reaction with disastrous consequences?

A master of 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 bloddy coin found clutched in the dead man's hand, a ancient relic that can be traced back to the Greek Oracle of Delphi. As ruthless hunters search for the stolen artefact, Gray Pierce discovers that the cold is the key to unlocking a plot that dates back to the Cold Ward and threatens the very foundation of humanity.

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, 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.

Halfway around the world, a man wakes up in the hospital bed with no memory of who he is, knowing 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 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.

But one question remains: Will the past be enough to save the future?

Edition details

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062022377
• ISBN 13: 9780062022370
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback