Tides of Fire by James Rollins

In the latest riveting thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author, an international research station in the Coral Sea comes under siege during a geological disaster that triggers massive quakes, deadly tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. To stop the world from burning, it's up to Sigma Force to uncover a secret buried at the heart of our planet. The Titan Project--an international research station off the coast of Australia--discovers a thriving zone of life in an otherwise dead sea. The area teems with a strange bioluminescent coral that defies science, yet holds great promise for the future. But the loss of a military submarine in the area triggers a brutal attack and sets in motion a geological disaster that destabilizes an entire region. Massive quakes, volcanic eruptions, and deadly tsunamis herald a greater cataclysm to come--for something is stirring miles under the ocean, a threat hidden for millennia. As seas turn toxic and coastlines burn, can Sigma Force stop what has been let loose--especially as an old adversary returns, hunting them and thwarting their every move? For any hope of success, Commander Gray Pierce must search for a key buried in the past, hidden deep in Aboriginal mythology. But what Sigma could uncover is even more frightening--something that will shake the very foundations of humanity.

I'm definitely giving it a 4.5.

It's always fun diving into a Sigma book and this was no different. At the time when I'm having difficulty reading much and can't find enough time to focus, this was the perfect thrilling read. Even the apocalyptic events happening in the book couldn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it. I also liked how it was resolved towards the end. But the last line promises a very different kind of next book and I have a feeling we're gonna meet a lot of old and new characters. I'm only sorry that I have to wait an year for it.

Sigma. Is. Back. With Kingdom Of Bones, it looked like Rollins was delving too far into the fantastical and leaving behind the more grounded roots of this series. Here... the ties are more to the scifi than the fantastical, including The Abyss, Pacific Rim, Earthcore by Scott Sigler, and even... Mass Effect 3??? Yes, there is one particular scene roughly 2/3 into this tale that while not *quite* word for word with a particular moment in Mass Effect 3, is damn close - and the sentiments and reasons are identical within their worlds. (To be fair, in this particular situation... the wording is always going to be very similar, no matter where you encounter it.)

But more than the scifi zeitgeist connections here, this tale truly gets back to the real roots that make Sigma Force so special. We've got the historic and the scientific, and again, the scientific is at least more closely based on actual science this time around. But we've also got the camaraderie among the team, including having most of the team (minus Painter, Lisa, and newer team member Jason) together the first time we see them and having a bit of a mini-adventure then as the overall tale begins to pick up. Then we've got the Sigma Split, with the team breaking up to go their own separate projects to try to uncover and stop whatever is happening. Each of their specialties get highlighted and tested to degrees not seen in recent Sigma books in a fair amount of time, even Gray's "special brain". More akin to David Wood's Dane Maddock Adventures in this particular point, there are even several callouts to other characters from prior Sigma tales and how those characters are still impacting the world even through the events of this tale.

And that epilogue... It sets up the 2024 entry into this series to be one of the most explosive in quite some time, and you're going to want *that* book in your hands the moment you finish this one.

Very much recommended.