Black Order

Black Order is the third Sigma Force novel from James Rollins, published in 2006. The premise is one of the more historically grounded in the wider series, weaving together German era research with contemporary biological investigation in ways that give the novel both the thriller pacing the series is known for and the historical weight that Rollins's best work delivers. The central plot involves the discovery of a hidden German research facility in the German countryside that had been abandoned in 1945 and forgotten until the present day reveals that someone has been continuing the work in secret across the intervening decades. The German research, which involves what Rollins calls the bell, draws on actual rumors and documented research into late Third Reich physics experiments that have been the subject of considerable speculation in the intervening decades. The contemporary investigation involves Sigma Force, with Painter Crowe coordinating from headquarters and the field team handling the active leads as the case develops across Germany, South Africa, the Himalayas, and the United States. Rollins handles the science and history in characteristic style. The German era research material is grounded in actual documentary evidence about the German wartime science programs, with the speculation reaching beyond what historians can confirm but staying close to the kinds of rumors that have circulated about the period. The contemporary biological investigation involves real research on quantum biology and on the strange properties of certain biological systems that the German research had been investigating. The action sequences move at the pace Sigma Force readers expect. What distinguishes Black Order from some of the other Sigma Force novels is the historical weight. The German era research material is not just decorative atmosphere. The novel takes seriously the fact that the German wartime science programs had been pursuing genuine and dangerous lines of investigation, and the contemporary continuation of that work in the novel functions as a meditation on what would have happened if some of those programs had been allowed to continue rather than being interrupted by the German defeat. The wider Sigma Force universe continues to develop in this third entry. The recurring antagonist organization called the Guild plays a significant role, and the team dynamics among the regular cast become more clearly established as Rollins continues to build out the series. For longtime Sigma Force fans, Black Order is one of the foundational early entries that established the series formula. For new readers, this is a strong third novel to read after Sandstorm and Map of Bones.