The Devil Colony by James Rollins
William Morrow
496 pages
The Devil Colony brings back Sigma Force, James Rollins’s cadre of government superspies, all ex-special forces trained in a scientific discipline then given guns and sent out to battle the bad guys. And in Sigma’s world, there are no shortage of evildoers. The Sigma thrillers are modern pulp writing at its finest (Rollins has confessed to being a fan of the Doc Savage novels) and I’m happy to report that the latest novel in the series maintains that tradition.
From the novel’s 18th Century prologue in Kentucky to it’s fiery climax in a well-known state park, The Devil Colony is the most American of the Sigma adventures.
When an archeological site is disturbed in the Rocky Mountains, an uproar is ignited, both literally and figuratively. In a cavern filled with mummified bodies that appear to be Caucasian Indians, a cache of gold plates is discovered, each inscribed with mysterious writing. The cavern also holds a mystery substance, which may turn out to be the most destructive element on earth.
Sigma director Painter Crowe is called in to investigate, thanks to a very personal connection to the events in the Rockies. Crowe takes the stage early and holds on to it, playing the lead role normally assigned to Sigma Operative Gray Pierce. Rollins lets the reader get to know Crowe more than in earlier books, as he explores Crowe’s Native American background in depth. Plus, we get to see Crowe as a man of action, a nice change of pace.
Fans of Commander Peirce shouldn’t fret. He and his best friend Monk (nice name for a pulp hero, eh?) see their fair share of conflict and flying lead. In addition, both characters go through dramatic changes in their personal lives. It’s a decent bit of character development that elevates the Sigma books above some of the other pulp thrillers out there.
Rollins always combines real history with real science. In The Devil Colony, it’s the founding of this nation that propels the narrative, particularly the secrets of the founding fathers. The scientific MacGuffin is nanotechnology, unregulated and unchecked, and far older than I would have dreamed possible.
Sigma’s arch nemesis The Guild is back, and in this installment we learn a little more about how far the evil organization’s tendrils extend, culminating in a revelation that will have fans waiting impatiently for the next book in the series.
As always, Rollins supplies an appendix outlining what concepts are real and what were created for the book. And, as always, I’m dumbfounded to discover that certain things that I was certain had been made up by the author are actually true.
Ultimately, though, a thriller lives or dies based upon how well the author delivers the, well, thrills. Rollins once again proves his page-turning prowess. With more cliffhangers than a Saturday morning serial, The Devil Colony is served up to the reader as an electrifying mash-up of Die Hard and The History Channel, in a story that would fit right in among the Indiana Jones and National Treasure series.
Highly recommended to all fans of adventure fiction.
Two new chapters of my pulp adventure novel have gone up this week. You can check them out at Pulp Nocturne.
I'll be doing a panel at the Dogwood Writing Conference, Saturday April 30, titled "Writing Outside the Genre Box". It starts at 9:00 A.M. and the conference is at Greenbo Lake State Resort Park.
It's a gorgeous location, and here's one thing I know for sure at my panel: it's at 9:00 A.M.
I'll provide more details as they are given to me.
UPDATE:
The talk has a new title: "Thrills, Chills, Collaborations and Podcasts" and it's set to run for 45 minutes. I hope there's coffee.
Oh, and I will have books to sell.
For those keeping score at home, I submitted the long (and long overdue) story yesterday. That's one more 2010 obligation out of the way. I'll be sure to let you know when it will be in print. Of course, the editor could always reject it, but I think it's pretty good, and regardless of what happens with it now, I'm happy I finished it.
Today, I also crossed another late assignment off my list, this one a book review.
And I put up a new chapter of Donovan Pike and the City of the Gods over at Pulp Nocturne.
That clears the schedule for a couple of days. Dave Wilbanks sent the Dead Earth 3 manuscript to me last night, so I'll be focusing on it for the next two days. Then I'll do the edits on the first Dead Sheriff prose book, which should be published in the spring. Evileye Books gave me a great editor for the series, and he provided the best notes I've ever received on a project. I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and digging into it.
So far Operation Catch-Up is going well. Don't confuse it with Operation Ketchup, something I plan to combine with Operation Tater Tot later this weekend.
So how was your week?
The latest chapter of my pulp adventure novel is up now at Pulp Nocturne. You can read it or listen to the podcast.
My contributor copies of the Green Hornet Chronicles arrived today. It's a beautiful book, and I'm honored to be among these stellar writers, including James Reasoner, my friend Ron Fortier and one of my heroes, Harlan Ellison.
You can order the book here.
I've finally produced a new installment of Donovan Pike and The City of the Gods, my pulp adventure novel. Chapter 10 just went live at Pulp Nocturne. You can read it or listen to it or both, if you're so inclined.
I know I've made earlier pledges that Donovan was back on a weekly basis, and I've failed to keep to the schedule. So I'm not going to do that this time.
But...
Since my recent health issues have cleared up, I seem to have a more energy than the past several months. I plan to keep working on Donovan Pike and The City of the Gods until it's finished, then collect it between covers.
As always, thanks for your support.
Chapter 9 of my pulp adventure serial Donovan Pike and the City of the Gods is now up at Pulp Nocturne.
For those who prefer to listen to the podcast version of the serial, there will be a delay, hopefully brief, while a technical glitch is being corrected. The podcast is recorded and edited and waiting for you to hear it. I'll let you know when it's up.
UPDATE:
The podcast is now loaded and ready to go.
My pulp adventure serial Donovan Pike and the City of the Gods has returned. Chapter 8 is up now at Pulp Nocturne. You can read it, or listen to the podcast. Or both.
I think I have my life ordered enough to resume weekly posting. There's a lot of story left, and I hope Pike used his time off to catch up on his rest. He's going to need it.
The Captain Midnight Chronicles is out this week from our friends at Moonstone Books, and it includes a story from yours truly. The good captain was a radio, comic book, movie serial and TV star back in the day. Get the wiki on him here.
I wrote my story so long ago that I’m pretty sure Cap was still on the radio. It’s good to finally see it in print.
You can order it here, and this is what Moonstone says about it:
Born in the blazing crucible of war, but sworn to fight for peace, the mysterious obsidian aviator known only by the codename Captain Midnight… flies again!
An ace pilot, super secret agent, and astounding scientific genius, the heroic Captain Midnight ruled the radio airwaves and starred in comic books, film serials and a classic television series.
Now, when we need him most, he has returned, along with his legendary Secret Squadron– to battle spies, saboteurs and the mercenary armies of the evil warmonger Ivan Shark and his delectably deadly daughter, Fury. Join the Captain and his elite air warriors in eleven all-new stories by some of the greatest adventure writers in the world, as they battle evil and fight for freedom all over the world!
Featuring New York Times bestselling aviation novelist John J. Nance, the Captain Midnight Chronicles boasts a squadron of talented contributors, including Stephen Mertz, Robert T. Jeschonek, Mark Justice, Chuck Dixon, Robert Greenberger, Trina Robbins, Tim Lasiuta, Win Scott Eckert, Howard Hopkins and Christopher Mills. The volume also includes illustrations by Vatche Mavlian and a dramatic cover painting by Richard Clark. 
The prose version and podcast of the latest chapter are up now at Pulp Nocturne.
It just went live, prose and podcast. Check it out here.
The latest installment of my pulp adventure serial is live. Read it or listen to it over at Pulp Nocturne.
Chapter 3 was delayed a bit because of illness, but it's up now, along with the podcast. Find it all at Pulp Nocturne.
Chapter 2 of my pulp adventure serial is live. To read it or listen to the podcast, go to Pulp Nocturne.
I have a short story in the Captain Midnight Chronicles prose anthology, coming in late spring from Moonstone Books.
Captain Midnight was a high-flying aviator and adventurer, blazing through the 1930s, 40s and 50s in comics, movie serials, TV and radio. Now Moonstone has revived the character, setting his adventures in an alternate reality where Word War II didn't happen.
I had a lot of fun writing my entry, and the line-up of other writers is strong. Here's Moonstone's official announcement:
Born in the blazing crucible of war, but sworn to fight for peace, the mysterious obsidian aviator known only by the codename Captain Midnight flies again! An ace pilot, super secret agent, and astounding scientific genius, the heroic Captain Midnight ruled the radio airwaves and starred in comic books, film serials, and a classic television series. Now, when we need him most, he has returned, along with his legendary Secret Squadron, to battle spies, saboteurs, and the mercenary armies of the evil warmonger Ivan Shark and his delectably deadly daughter, Fury. Featuring New York Times bestselling aviation novelist John J. Nance, the Captain Midnight Chronicles boasts a squadron of talented contributors, including Stephen Mertz, Robert T. Jeschonek, Mark Justice, Chuck Dixon, Robert Greenberger, Trina Robbins, Tim Lasiuta, Win Scott Eckert, Howard Hopkins, and Christopher Mills.
I'm serializing a new pulp adventure novel at my Pulp Nocturne blog. Donovan Pike and the City of the Gods is a two-fisted action tale in the tradition of Doc Savage and Indiana Jones.
My goal is to add a new chapter every week, though I think we all know there will be weeks where my work schedule and other writing will make that impossible. But I'm pretty sure I won't miss too many weeks.
I will also podcast each chapter of the novel for those who prefer audiobooks.
You can read and hear it at Pulp Nocturne.
