To save the world and our future, Sigma Force must embark on a
dangerous odyssey into an ancient past whose horrors are all too present
in this page-turning thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling
author James Rollins that combines cutting-edge science, historical
mystery, mythology, and pulse-pounding action.
For eons, the city of Troy--whose legendary fall was detailed in Homer's
Iliad--was believed to be myth, until archaeologists in the nineteenth
century uncovered its ancient walls buried beneath the sands. If Troy
was real, how much of Homer's twin tales of gods and monsters, curses
and miracles--The Iliad and The Odyssey--could also be true and
awaiting discovery?
In the frozen tundra of Greenland, a group of modern-day researchers
stumble on a shocking find: a medieval ship buried a half-mile below the
ice. The ship's hold contains a collection of even older
artifacts--tools of war--dating back to the Bronze Age. Inside the
captain's cabin is a magnificent treasure that is as priceless as it is
miraculous: a clockwork gold map imbedded with an intricate silver
astrolabe. The mechanism was crafted by a group of Muslim inventors--the
Banū Mūsā brothers--considered by many to be the Da Vincis of the Arab
world--brilliant scientists who inspired Leonardo's own work.
Once activated, the moving map traces the path of Odysseus's famous ship
as it sailed away from Troy. But the route detours as the map opens to
reveal a fiery river leading to a hidden realm underneath the
Mediterranean Sea. It is the subterranean world of Tartarus, the Greek
name for Hell. In mythology, Tartarus was where the wicked were punished
and the monstrous Titans of old, imprisoned.
When word of Tartarus spreads--and of the cache of miraculous weapons
said to be hidden there--tensions explode in this volatile region where
Turks battle Kurds, terrorists wage war, and civilians suffer untold
horrors. The phantasmagoric horrors found in Homer's tales are all too
real--and could be unleashed upon the world. Whoever possesses them can
use their awesome power to control the future of humanity.
Now, Sigma Force must go where humans fear to tread. To prevent a tyrant
from igniting a global war, they must cross the very gates of Hell.
