Book Review: The 6th Extinction by James Rollins (SIgma Force #11)

Throughout the history of life on earth, there are 5 known extinction events, including the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. Currently, we are facing the Holocene extinction, A.K.A the 6^th extinction. This term describes the extinction event of both plants and animals, induced by the human activities since around 10,000 BCE. While it is very difficult to estimate how many species are becoming extinct every day, but WWF estimated that today, between 0.01% to 0.1% of all species are becoming extinct every year, at a rate of approximately 1000 to 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate. In other words, if there are 100 million species on earth today, then at least 10,000 species will become extinct next year.

That is not a small number.

Anyway, recently I read an interesting book called The 6^th Extinction. This is a thriller novel written by James Rollins, and it is also the 11^th book in Sigma Force series. The theme in The 6^th Extinction is based on the Holocene extinction. I am a long time fan of James Rollins. His Sigma Force novels initiated me into the genre of thriller. James Rollins is a master of his art, he excels at blending historical facts and cutting edge scientific discoveries, into stories packed with explosive actions. The best way to describe James Rollins' works, is to say it is a mixture between Isaac Asimov, Ian Fleming, and Dan Brown. So if this description interests you, then make sure you check out Sigma Force novels.

Without any further delay, I will start my review for The 6^th Extinction. Let me begin with a synopsis for the book.

Synopsis:

In 1832, HMS Beagle traveled to Tierra del Fuego. On board the ship, was a young naturalist called Charles Darwin, performing a survey that would eventually lead to the publication of The Origin of Species. The book's publication, would become a turning point in history, forever transforming the way we look at ourselves and the world.

Along the journey, HMS Beagle en route an ancient cavern, with contents so disturbing that the crew decided it would be better to erase the existence of the cavern from the human memory. However, Charles Darwin made a secret map to record the location of the cavern, and buried it in his personal journal.

Almost two centuries later, a fiery explosion rocked a military research station in the remote region of northern California. After the explosion, authorities received a distress call containing a cryptic message: “Kill us all”. At the same time, a blight spawned on the land, killing all vegetation and animals within a 50 miles radius from the site. The blight began to spread at an astonishing rate, obliterating all living creatures post contact. A crisis has begun.

Sigma Force, a division of the US DARPA program, was called to resolve the crisis. Under the leadership of Sigma's director Painter Crowe, and commander Gray Pierce, Sigma Force divided into two teams to investigate the threads that may unmask the secret identity of the blight. This time, Sigma's ability is pushed to the limit, as they race against the clock, finding a way to stop the mysterious blight before it engulfs the entire world.

What I think about this book:

The style in The 6^th Extinction differs slightly in comparison to previous books in Sigma Force series. The major difference, is the story in The 6^th Extinction has lesser historical elements than previous installments in the series. Instead, The 6^th Extinction has a high focus on science, and it reads almost as a science fiction thriller. This is not saying The 6^th Extinction is a bad book. The body of the story in this book is fictitious, but James Rollins did extensive research for his book. Through an entertaining story, this book offers its readers a glimpse into cutting edge scientific discoveries. For example, this book mentioned new techniques for genome editing, such as CRISPR-Cas9, MAGE and CAGE. I didn't know about these technologies before, and this book prompted me to do extra reading on these subjects. Through this book, I became aware of a new dimension of reality, surging from the waves of advancement in biological sciences.

The 6^th Extinction runs at a very fast pace. James Rollins lives up to his reputation as New York Times Best-selling author, where he crafted a book that is a page-turner. The adventure in this book is illustrious, the story intrigued its readers with a web of tension. Meanwhile, explosive actions dived between episodes of drama and suspense, spicing up the flavor of thrill. The main theme of the book also provided food for thoughts, it prompts its reader to explore the interface between morality, survival and science.

Having said this, I should also mention, the narratives in The 6^th Extinction frequently used scientific jargon and terms. As a result, those who do not possess a background in biological science may need to (frequently) check on external references to decipher the narratives. I suspect for some, such an exercise may prove to be a chore. On the positive side, doing all these research can increase one's personal knowledge about the latest development in biological sciences. For me, The 6^th Extinction proves itself to be both entertaining and rewarding.

In my opinion, The 6^th Extinction shows James Rollins is still one of the best practitioners in the thriller genre. This book is a solid addition to Sigma Force series. I recently discovered, that James Rollins has another Sigma Force novel scheduled for release in June this year, titled The Bone Labyrinth. I await for this book's release in eager anticipation.