The Demon Crown: A Sigma Force Novel

Written by James Rollins

Narrated by Christian Baskous

A construction project beneath the National Mall reveals a dark secret dating back to the Civil War, something buried by a cabal of scientists, led by Alexander Graham Bell, who helped found the Smithsonian Institution. It is a cache of bones, preserved in amber, protecting a wonder like no other, the very secret of life after death. But such a prize is guarded by a horror out of the ancient past, a horror that still lives in the marrow of those bones-and is now free again. From a crystalline lab atop Mount Fuji to an island off of Hawaii teeming with what’s been called the “dark matter of life,” Sigma Force must solve a mystery going back eons, to when life first took root on this planet. But the menace is spreading, changing, growing, adapting, outwitting every attempt to stop it. It means to retake a world it once ruled. For Sigma Force to stop it, Commander Grayson Pierce will have to do the unthinkable: team up with Sigma’s greatest enemy-the newly resurrected Guild--even it if means sacrificing one of their own.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Dec 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9780062694324

James Rollins

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the “top crowd pleasers” (New York Times) and one of the “hottest summer reads” (People magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight. He lives in the Sierra Nevada.

Reviews for The Demon Crown

[chuck brady · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Story too drawn out and predictable lost interest about half way needed more historical background

[Jason Bezozo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story. Enjoyed the narrator as well. Another great Sigma Force save the world book.

[fhudnell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought that this book was a lot of fun even though I am not a fan of the Sigma Force members or of endless fight scenes. This book had historical figures, buried secrets, ecological threats, scientific experiments, and big, immortal, killer wasps. I enjoyed it.

[bookanonjeff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tom Clancy Meets Jeremy Robinson Meets Brett Battles In An Epic Race To Save The World. Yet again, Rollins manages to blend different things from science and history in ways that seemingly only he can, though this time he did indeed have shades of the other authors named above. You've got the Debt of Honor ties to Tom Clancy with similar villains. You've got the Island 731 ties to Jeremy Robinson via using the real-world Unit 731 of the Imperial Japanese Army for some of the backstory. And you've got the PROJECT EDEN ties to Brett Battles' epic series via the ultimate endgames of the bad guys.

And yet Rollins manages to make this story completely his own, with only fans of the other three authors being able to see the connections probably at all. The follow up from The Seventh Plague in the opening scene with Sigma characters is great, and really drives home the very humanity that makes this series so truly compelling. But then the action picks up dramatically, and because of the nature of the threat... never really dies down. Once again the team is split with various people going various places, so people who don't like following multiple trains on a given story may not like that bit - though at least here, we basically follow the two halves of the Sigma team the bad guys (a bit). One interesting feature here is that Rollins actually bakes the life span of the featured creature into the narrative here, having one chapter devoted to each stage of its development - from that stage's perspective. And yes, there are some utterly horrific scenes here as well, as virtually anything based on Unit 731 must include.

Overall an excellent tale and strong followup to The Seventh Plague, and sets in motion events which are sure to pay off down the line as well. Very much recommended.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Books by James Rollins are not only incredibly enjoyable to read but are also loaded with interesting history, facts and science. I really like how at the end of the book he explains what parts of the book are rooted in fact and what is fiction. This book was another wild ride with the Sigma Force team.
Wasps from the dinosaur period let loose to reek havoc on Hawaii, and later the rest of the world.

[azroadrunner88 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I read to page 200. It got too weird and I didn't go farther.

[niaomiya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. James Rollins does NOT disappoint. This 13th in the Sigma Force series is just as full of thrills and science and history and action and heart as the previous 12 in the series. Un-put-downable!

In "The Demon Crown" Sigma Force finds itself pitted against a seemingly indestructible biological creature, a deadly insect with ancient origins. With its power harnessed by a human enemy bent on dominating the world, the insect becomes a potential threat to the entire globe. Their search for a way to combat both the insect and the humans who unleashed it takes Kat, Monk, Gray, Seichan, and Kowalski on a hunt around the world, delving into historical archives, combing through research done by Alexander Graham Bell and James Smithson, the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institute. Joined by expert scientists and researchers, the Sigma Force team races against time to save the world -- as well as one of their own.

I can't wait for book #14!

[dbhart42 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Six word review: Prehistoric parasitic wasps released for revenge!
Rating: 7/10

This is a typical Sigma Force novel. It is fast paced, globe spanning and involves the edges of science and history. Certainly parasites are a terrifying idea, as anyone who has watched "Monsters Inside Me" has been disturbed by. The idea of weaponizing them is equally frightening. The motive involved, a Japanese world war II era Guild (kage) member wants revenge for his lover's death during the war and to recreate the Japanese Empire, is not completely original, certainly not if you watch anime or read certain other thrillers, but the Guild connection is new and it worked.

It was a fun read. It is not my absolute favorite of the Sigma Force novels, but it was a solid entry in the series.