The Seventh Plague by
James Rollins blends scientific intrigue with a small dose
of historical mystery. Unlike his other books this one has
more of an emphasis on the science, both physical and biological.
However, readers of Rollins’ books always learn from
interesting facts within a gripping story and this novel is
no different.
This novel as well as the other books always has scenes between
Commander Grayson Pierce and his father who has Alzheimer’s’
disease. Rollins believes he was influenced “by my father’s
death during the course of writing this book. No author writes
within a vacuum. This is reflected in the storyline, which
started with the first book and the subsequent decline of
his father. My own dad was my biggest promoter, and my loudest
cheerleader.”
The novel begins with an archeological dig in Egypt going
very awry. Archeologist Harold McCabe is found stumbling out
of the sands, but dies before he can tell his story. The mystery
deepens when his body appears to have been mummified before
his death. During the autopsy it becomes apparent that within
is a deadly pathogen that threatens to cause a pandemic, with
the virus spreading throughout the globe. It is airborne and
highly contagious with a mortality rate similar to Ebola and
somehow connected to the plagues listed in the book of Exodus.
Turning to McCabe’s daughter Jen a connection is further
discovered tying the current threat to Mark Twain and Nikola
Tesla.
The theory proposed in the book attributes an environmental
change that turned the Nile red. The book speaks of the “algae
blooms, bacteria growth, even heavy contaminations.”
Rollins noted, “I wanted to write a story about the
book of Exodus that will try to prove the events depicted
about Moses were factual. The scientific explanation for the
plagues was due to a major climatic period of change within
Mother Nature. This is a modern version of the cascade of
events where I made the connection that it mimicked the ancient
plagues.”
Furthermore, Rollins explained why he included two famous
historical figures. “I am a big Mark Twain fan. I like
the fact he and Nikola Tesla were friends. Twain hung around
his lab and did experiments with him. At the end of his life
Tesla claimed of having a shocking discovery, a new energy
source. The possibility became the ‘germ’ for
this book. He had research surrounding energy and new electrical
sources. He actually invented an alternating current, which
is what we pretty much use in every single US household, the
electrical infrastructure.”
Through Sigma Force’s investigation a mysterious group
of assassins is found that attempts to erase all evidence
through destruction and death. Seichan is pitted against the
Russian assassin Valya Mikhailov who can match her skill for
skill while Commander Grayson tries to keep the scientists
safe. On the other side of the globe Director Painter Crowe
struggles to stop a mad genius locked within a remote Arctic
engineering complex.
Rollins “put in the sub-plot of how someone with a
massive geo-engineering program could have things go terribly
wrong if he succeeded. Global warming is happening, but my
goal for this book is to show how geo-engineering is ignoring
the change to the carbon in the atmosphere. Instead, they
are going for the Hail Mary pass that includes wrapping a
big blanket around Greenland.”
His next book project will have “Seichen and Vayla butting
heads where Seichen represents the non-dark side and Vayla
stayed in the shadows. There will be a resolution to their
battle. This next Sigma book will bring back as a major character,
Maria, the human mother of the gorilla Baako. It will involve
a mystery surrounding the end of World War II. This one will
be more historical. I am also writing by myself a Tucker and
Kane book where Kane will get a girlfriend, a search and rescue
dog. There is also talk, coming out in the summer, of a compilation
of short stories in an anthology with a new novella added.”
The Seventh Plague blends action, adventure, with
a lot of science. It has an interesting premise based upon
the reality of the plagues imposed by Moses on the Egyptians
as well as informing readers about the Twain/Tesla relationship.
Previous reviews for this series:
Sandstorm
#1
Map
of Bones #2
Black
Order, #3
The
Judas Strain, #4
The
Last Oracle, #5
The
Doomsday Key, #6
The
Devil Colony , #7
Bloodline, #8 [review
1] [review
2]
The
Eye of God #9
The
Sixth Extinction #10
Seventh
Plague #11
The
Demon Crown #12
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