I've been reading James Rollins since I picked up The Devil Colony at Target. I have been looking forward to reading each of his Sigma novels with anticipation before buying it. I have been reading each in the order they were written after reading The doomsday Key, The Devil Colony and Bloodline last summer his latest, The Judas Strain, is a slam dunk. I loved everything about it from start to finish.I enjoyed the premise from the first page, which is ALWAYS a good sign in my book. The voyage of Marco Polo from Asia back to Italy was beset by some kind of major tragedy which nearly wiped out all those who participated on the journey...a voyage which Marco never spoke about to seemingly anyone, even at his deathbed...or DID he? Yet another fantastic What If scenario begins as we jump to the modern day world where what seems to be a particularly nasty plague is infecting, and then altering the very DNA of those inflicted. It seems to be originating from the ocean, and after a very short time, scientists from Sigma Force kidnapped by the infamous Guild are working side-by-side attempting to stop what could very well be a planet-wide catastrophe. As always, those in the Guild may or may NOT be what they seem, and all the while we factor in the Vatican and surprisingly the possibility of an actual language of the Angels being translated which somehow seems to be all connected. But to what end? Never fear...Mr. Rollins has control, and he takes us on another thrilling roller-coaster ride that never fails to entertain as well as inform -- which always seem to be the best kind of books to read (IMHO).Probably my favorite aspect of Rollins' thrillers is their integration of science into the story. After all, his team of protagonists, the Sigma Force, is part of a government agency that recruits former special forces operatives and educates them to the Ph.D. level in scientific disciplines. They've got both the military training and the scientific knowledge to investigate technological and scientific phenomenon around the world on behalf of the US government. Not a bad starting premise.The plots of Rollins' novels tend to be complex, multi-stranded affairs that are difficult to summarize. In Judas Strain, as has been noted by other readers, there is an urgency brought on by a possible pandemic outbreak of bacterial infections. That, in and of itself, is not the most original plot. But in a Rollins novel, it's never that simple. Did you know that only 10 percent of the cells that make up your body are human, and the other 90 percent are alien--bacteria, parasites, etc? It's true, absolutely true. Did you know that the difference between a commonplace, harmless bacteria and a potential killer disease is just the tiniest alteration to its genetic code? What would happen if something altered all the zillions of harmless bacteria we have contact with daily and suddenly they turned on us in the most horrific way imaginable? And I do mean the most horrific way imaginable, because James Rollins is a bit of a sicko, and nothing seems to be off limits for him. What he puts his poor "patient zero" through is--yuck--awful!But I dont want to spoil anymore details about the plot to you so you should go buy this book you will not be disapointed For those familiar with the novels by Rollins, this is one of those No Brainer decisions: you simply MUST get this book, it really IS awesome...however, for those who may be new to these books, by all means, buy, read and then run to go purchase the complete works by Mr. Rollins. IF you have the chance, while you do not have to, buy and read his books in the order they were released. ( I highly recomind it ) Entertainment written by a real master... Now, my reading of the NEXT Sigma Force novel begins...See you soon