The Sixth Extinction by James Rollins

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After a military research station broadcasts a distress call ending with the order “Kill us… kill us all,” Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma are called upon to investigate. When they arrive at the lab, they discover a blight has destroyed everything within fifty square miles and that the blight is now spreading. An apocalypse is on its way, an event that might lead to the infamous Sixth Extinction. Forced to decipher an ancient threat rising from the distant past, the Sigma team will follow an ancient map rescued from the Library of Alexandria, one that points to Antartica and a prehistoric continent where a new form of life may spell death for an entire world. A true race against time begins, one that could spell the end of humankind if they were to fail…

As usual, James Rollins combines historical mysteries and cutting-edge science and technology to deliver a fast-paced thriller that starts with a bang and never let’s up! I’m a huge fan of Rollins’ work and have devoured every novel in the Sigma Force series and in the Sixth Extinction Rollins’ not disappoint. Once again, the team is forced to race against the clock to fight off the end of the world, taking the reader on a whirlwind adventure full of science and history. As usual, all of these elements are discussed in the end of the book, providing a glimpse into what is real, what is not and what may just be… Despite the fact that this is the 10th novel, it is easy to follow along with the storyline and the characters, though I would definitely suggest that anyone interested in the series start at the beginning with Sandstorm or at least Map of Bones.  While one of my favorite characters was absent from this one, all the other Sigmas are present and Rollins also manages to include a number of winks to some of his non-Sigma novels through some secondary characters. The Sixth Extinction works both as a thriller on its own terms and also as a continuation and evolution of the overall Sigma force series. Definitely a must-read!

I gave The Sixth Extinction 5 stars.