sign in| help
Search advanced search
 
Books
Search:
x dismiss this message

Did you know you can edit this page?

Map of Bones
  • Rated 0 stars
Read Map of Bones
Sigma Force: Book 2

Map of Bones (2005) (edit title/settings)

by James Rollins (Author) (edit contributors)

Share this book on:
see page history

Description edit see section history

The bones lead to ancient mysteries and present-day terror . . . To follow them means death.

During a crowded service at a cathedral in Germany, armed intruders in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and destruction. But the killers have not come for gold; they seek a more valuable... read more

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Summary edit see section history

The bestselling master of astonishing adventure James Rollins delivers his most relentlessly exciting page-turner to date -- a gripping and explosive novel of an ancient conspiracy to create a terrifying new world order out of the ashes of modern civilization.

The crime is inhumanly... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

The bestselling master of astonishing adventure James Rollins delivers his most relentlessly exciting page-turner to date -- a gripping and explosive novel of an ancient conspiracy to create a terrifying new world order out of the ashes of modern civilization.

The crime is inhumanly cruel with horrific consequences both unthinkable and inevitable. During a service at a cathedral in Cologne, Germany, a band of armed intruders dressed in monks' robes unleash a nightmare of blood and terror, ruthlessly gunning down worshippers and clergy alike. The killers haven't come for the church's gold and valuable artwork, but for a priceless treasure secreted within: the preserved bones of the Three Magi who once came to pay homage to a newborn savior. As they flee the carnage they have wrought, they carry a prize that could reshape the world.

The Vatican is in turmoil, and Lieutenant Rachel Verona of Rome's carabinieri is assigned to lead the investigation. But no ordinary police organization alone can deal with the bizarre theft and massacre, and SIGMA Force -- an elite covert arm of the U.S. Defense Department -- is called in under the command of Grayson Pierce. New to SIGMA, Pierce assembles a crack team of scientific and Special Forces operatives to unravel the mystery of the stolen bones, and together they set out on a twisting trail through a labyrinth of clues and dark revelations that carry them to the sites of the Seven Wonders of the World -- and to the doorstep of the mystical and terrifying Dragon Court.

An ancient, secret fraternity of alchemists and assassins, the master-adepts of the Dragon Court have plans for the sacred remains that will alter the future of humankind in devastating ways that only the maddest of zealots could desire -- and they will let nothing and no one stand in their way. Suddenly Pierce, Verona, and the SIGMA team are the hunted as well as the hunters, forced to use every skill they possess to survive as they follow the bones to the ultimate confrontation between darkness and light -- in a lost place of history where science and religion will unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time.

A masterful novel that combines the exhilarating mysticism of The Da Vinci Code with the pulse-pounding action of a Tom Clancy thriller, James Rollins's Map of Bones is destined to be a modern classic that will stand among the very best adventure tales ever written.

Characters edit see section history

Show all 29 characters
Popular Covers

Loading covers…

Choose your book’s cover

Quotes edit see section history

  • “Words echoed in Gray's head. Too early...too late. A last message to live in the present. To accept the past and not rush the future.”
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark by Sir Laurence Gardner.
    Highlighted by 67 Kindle customers
  • Elaine Pagels: Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas and The Gnostic Gospels.
    Highlighted by 38 Kindle customers
  • Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate! Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”
    Highlighted by 37 Kindle customers
  • fortes fortuna adiuvat.” “Fortune does indeed favor the brave.”
    Highlighted by 35 Kindle customers
  • “Ars longa, vita brevis,” she whispered, a quote from Hippocrates. One of her favorites. Life is short, art eternal.
    Highlighted by 35 Kindle customers
  • Mithraism predated Christianity yet bore uncanny similarities. Mithra’s birthday was celebrated on December 25. The god’s worship involved baptism and the consumption of a sacred meal of bread and wine. Mithra also had twelve disciples, held Sunday sacred, and described a heaven and a hell. Upon his death, Mithra was also buried in a tomb, only to rise again in three days.
    Highlighted by 33 Kindle customers
  • Magi: the Quest for a Secret Tradition by Adrian Gilbert.
    Highlighted by 32 Kindle customers
  • “Sacrifice is a final gift we mortals can give in life. We should not squander such a generous gift with misery, but with respectful appreciation, even joy for a life fully lived to its end.”
    Highlighted by 18 Kindle customers
  • the wise words of Emperor Augustus. Festina lente. Make haste slowly.
    Highlighted by 16 Kindle customers
  • “The Dragon Court.” Rachel shook her head, not recognizing the name. “They are a medieval alchemical cult created by a schism in the early Church, the same schism that saw the rise of popes and antipopes.”
    Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers
Show all 11 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

The saboteur had arrived.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Epigraph
Prologue

-Day One-
1. Behind The Eight Ball
2. The Eternal City
3. Secrets
4. Dust to Dust

-Day Two-
5. Frantic
6. Doubting Thomas
7. Rolling The Bones
8. Cryptography
9. The Scavi
10. Tomb Raider

-Day Three-
11. Alexandra
12. Riddle of The Sphinx
13. Blood In The Water

-Day Four-
14. Gothic
15. Hunting
16. The Daedalus Maze
17. The Gold Key

Epilogue

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 2 of 8 in Sigma Force. (standard series)

Preceded by Sandstorm, and followed by Black Order.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. James Rollins (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: William Morrow; 1St edition
Country: USA
Publication Date: 7.23.2005
ISBN: 978-0060763879
Page Count: 448

Classification edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Rozabal Line
  • Sandstorm
  • The Judas Strain
  • Subterranean
  • Excavation
  • The Last Oracle
  • Ice Hunt
  • Deep Fathom
  • Amazonia
  • No One Heard Her Scream
  • 14
  • Ulterior Motives
  • Across Time: Mystery of the Great Sphinx

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • Rick Steves' Rome 2010
  • Rick Steves' Rome 2005
  • Rick Steves' Rome 2007 (Rick Steves)

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • Black Order
  • Raising The Past

Books Cited by This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Egyptian Book of the Dead
  • The Principia
  • The Origin of Species
  • Le Mystere des Cathedrales
  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  • Lost Secrets of the Sacred Ark
  • Beyond Belief
  • The Gnostic Gospels
  • Magi
  • When in Rome

We’re hiding the errata, movie connections, books that influenced this book and books that cite this book sections. If you would like to add content to them, you must first make them visible.

© 2006-2012 Shelfari | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy

Close