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NewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorJamesRollinscombineshistoricalmystery
andscientificexplorationinthisthrillingadventuretaleinwhichSigmaForce
muststopanancientplaguefromdecimatingthemodernworld
THESEVENTHPLAGUE
IfthebiblicalplaguesofEgypttrulyhappened—could
theyhappenagain—onaglobalscale?
“BestsellerRollins’sepic12thSigmaForcefeatures
exoticlocales,heroicquests,quixoticvillains,action
galore,andenoughscienceandscientificcuriosities
totitillateevencasualreaders....Rollins’scharacters
areaslargeashislandscapeinthisvastandvastly
entertainingthrillersaga.”—PublishersWeekly,
starredreview
“Theintensityneverletsupforasecondasthe
narrativeunfurls.Whenitcomestotheblendingof
action,adventure,history,andscience,thereisno
otherauthorwhodoesitbetterthanRollins.”—
Booklist,starredreview
ONSALEDECEMBER13,2016
Asaglobalcrisisgrows,SigmaForcewillconfrontathreatbornofthe
ancientpastandmaderealbythelatestscience—adangerthatwill
unleashacascadingseriesofplagues,culminatinginascourgethat
couldkillalloftheworld’schildren...decimatingmankindforever.
THESEVENTHPLAGUE(WilliamMorrowhardcover,ISBN9780062381682,$27.99,onsaleDecember13,
2016)thenewestblockbusterthrillerfromNewYorkTimesandUSATodaybestsellingauthorJamesRollins,
findstheleaderofaBritisharcheologicalexpedition,ProfessorHaroldMcCabe,stumblingoutofthesandsof
theSudanesedesert,franticanddelirious,twoyearsaftervanishingwithhisresearchteam.Hediesbeforehe
canexplainwhathappenedtohim.Themysterydeepenswhenanautopsyuncoversabizarrecorruption:
someonehadbeguntomummifytheprofessor’sbody—whilehewasstillalive.
HisstrangeremainsarereturnedtoLondonforfurtherstudy,whenalarmingnewsarrivesfromEgypt.The
medicalteamwhohadperformedtheman’sautopsyhasfallenillwithanunknowndisease,onethatisquickly
spreadingthroughoutCairo.Fearingtheworst,acolleagueoftheprofessorreachesouttoalongtimefriend:
PainterCrowe,thedirectorofSigmaForce.Thecallisurgent,forProfessorMcCabehadvanishedintothe
desertwhilesearchingforproofofthetenplaguesofMoses.Asthepandemicgrows,adisturbingquestion
arises.
Arethoseplaguesstartingagain?
BeforeDirectorCrowecaninvestigate,amysteriousgroupofassassinsleavesbehindafierywakeof
destructionanddeath,erasingallevidence.Withtheprofessor’sbodyincinerated,hishomefirebombed,Sigma
Forcemustturntothearchaeologist’sonlydaughter,JaneMcCabe,forhelp.Whilesiftingthroughwhat’sleftof
herfather’swork,shediscoversapuzzlingconnection,tyingthecurrentthreattoashockinghistorical
mystery,oneinvolvingthetravelsofMarkTwain,thegeniusofNikolaTesla,andtheadventuresoffamous
explorer,HenryMorganStanley.
Tounravelasecretgoingbackmillennia,DirectorCroweandCommanderGraysonPiercewillbethrustto
oppositesidesoftheglobe.Onewillsearchforthetruth,travelingfromtheplague-riddenstreetsofCairotoa
vastancienttombburiedundertheburningsandsoftheSudan;theotherwillstruggletostopamadgenius
lockedwithinaremoteArcticengineeringcomplex,riskingthelivesofallthoseheholdsdear.
THESEVENTHPLAGUEisacomplexandcompellingnovelthatintertwinessimultaneousstorylinesthat
convergethroughaseriesofcryptichieroglyphics,arcanebiblicalphilosophies,acuttingedgepowersource
hiddeninaclandestineresearchlabintheArticandadesperatesearchthroughthedesertsofAfricaforthe
originsoftheplaguesofEgypt.THESEVENTHPLAGUEisanelectrifyingthrillridefromamasterofthegenre
atthepinnacleofhiscareer.
AuthorBio:JAMESROLLINSistheNewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorofinternationalthrillers,translatedinto
morethanfortylanguages.HisSigmaserieshasbeenlaudedasoneofthe“topcrowdpleasers”(NewYorkTimes)
andoneofthe“hottestsummerreads”(PeopleMagazine).Ineachnovel,acclaimedforitsoriginality,Rollinsunveils
unseenworlds,scientificbreakthroughs,andhistoricalsecrets--andhedoesitallatbreakneckspeedandwith
stunninginsight.
TALKINGPOINTSFORTHESEVENTHPLAGUE:
•
COULDAVIRUSCAUSEONEOFTHEBIBLICALPLAGUES:TheZikavirusoriginatedinamonkeyin
Uganda,yetit’sgrownintoatragicdiseasespreadingaroundtheworld,causingcripplinganddeadly
birthdefects.Yet,we’restrugglingtoaddressitasithitsUSshores.Theorganisminmynovelisinthe
samefamilyofvidrusesandcausesbirthdefectsanddeath,butonlyinmalechildren,verymuchlike
Moses’stenthplague—thedeathsofthefirstbornsons.Sothisnovelservesasacautionarytaleabout
Zikaandaboutourinabilitytofacesuchcrises.
•
ELECTRIC-EATINGBACTERIA:Theyareveryreal.They’veonlyrecentlybeenidentified,butovera
dozendifferentspecimenshavebeenfound.Thesearemicrobesthatfeeddirectlyonelectricity,
suckingelectronsoutoftheenvironmentandusingthemasanenergysource.They’resouniquethata
slewoflabsareexploringpracticalapplicationsforthem—fromgrowingthemintolivingbiocablesthat
couldconductelectricitytousingthemtopowernano-machinescapableofallsortsofindustrialuses,
includingcleaninguptheenvironment.
•
TRUMPANDTESLAANDASECRETENERGYSOURCE:Teslawasavisionarygenius,andlaterinlife
inTheNewYorkTimes,hemadetheboldclaimthathehaddiscoveredanew,andnever-before-seen
energysource,onethatwouldchangetheworld.Butheneverrevealedhissecret,sowhenhedied,the
U.S.governmentclearedoutallofhispapersandresearchjournals,includingnotebookthatTeslahad
warnedhisnephewtosecureuponhisdeath.AllofTesla’sconfiscatedworkwasreviewedbythe
NationalDefenseResearchCommittee,agroupledatthetimebyJohnG.Trump,theuncleofacertain
NewYorkrealestatemagnate.Eventually,pressuredbyTesla’snephew,thosepaperswerereturnedto
hisfamily,butnotallofthem.Oneconspicuouspiecewasmissing—thatnotebook.InTHESEVENTH
PLAGUE,it’sfound.
ALSOAVAILABLE:
CRASHANDBURN(WilliamMorrowImpulse,e-book,originalshortstory,ISBN
13:9780062676757,$3.99,onsale11/15/2016)
From#1NewYorkTimesbestsellingauthorJamesRollinscomesashocking
shortstory,whereachancemishapleadstothediscoveryofaweaponlikeno
otherin...CrashandBurn.
Onatransatlanticflight,thetwoblacksheepofSigmaForce—Seichanand
Kowalski—mustsetasidetheirmutualdislikeasamysteriousfieryforceknocks
theiraircraftoutofthesky.Thisunlikelyduomustuseeveryskill,weapon,and
bitofingenuitytosurviveanightonaremotevolcanicisland,wheretheironly
refugeisthehaunted,bat-plaguedgroundsofaseeminglydesertedresort.But
somethinghorrificawaitsthetwo,somethingbornofthelatestsciencebut
rootedinourbasesthumaninstincts.Tosurvivetheywillneedtolearntowork
together—buteventhen,itmaybetoolate.
IncludedwiththisshortstoryisasneakpeekatTheSeventhPlague,whichraisesthequestion:Ifthe
biblicalplaguesofEgypttrulyhappened,couldtheyhappenagain?Thefrighteninganswer:Yes
JAMESROLLINSwillappearinthefollowingvenuestopromote
THESEVENTHPLAGUE
Pleasecheckhttp://jamesrollins.com/appearances/foradditionalappearances
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Monday,December12,2016@7:00PMPST
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ADozenQuestionsaboutTHESEVENTHPLAGUEbyJamesRollins
(1) CanyoutellusalittleaboutTheSeventhPlague,yourlatestSigmathriller?What’sitabout?
Thestorystartswhenanarchaeologist—whovanishedalongwithasurveyteamintotheEgyptiandesert
twoyearsprior—comesstumblingbackoutanddiesinasmallvillage.Butwhat’sstrangeisthathisbodyis
alreadypartlymummified,asifsomeonehadforcedhimtoundergothepainfulandgruesomeritualwhile
hewasstillalive.Unfortunatelywhenhecamestumblingoutofthedesert,hewasn’talone.Hewas
carryingaplagueorganism,onethattracesbacktoMoses’stenplaguesfromtheBible.Asthisdisease
spreadsandthreatenstotriggertheothernineBiblicalplagues,SigmaForceiscalledintosearchforaway
tostopit.FromtherethestoryblowsupintoaglobaladventurespanningfromAfricaallthewayuptothe
ArcticCircle.It’soneofSigma’sbiggestadventuresyet.
(2) Isitactuallypossibleforpeopletomummifythemselveswhilestillalive?
Shockinglyitis.Sokushinbutsu—orBuddhasintheflesh—canbefoundinJapan,wherethepractitioners
underwentgreatandexcruciatinglengthstopreservetheirtissuesafterdeath.Thisinvolvesfasting,
consumingspecialbarkandteas,andswallowingstones—thenasdeathnears,theyentombthemselves
whilestillalive.You’llalsofindsimilarpracticesinChinaandIndia.
(3) BacktothosetenplaguesfromtheBible…couldtheyreallyhappenagain?
ThisnoveldealswithanalternatetimelinefortheeventsfeaturedintheBookofExodus—thestoryof
Moses,theplagues,andtheflightoftheIsraelitesfromEgypt.Itprovesthatthesewerehistoricalevents,
notmeremythsorlegends.It’saviewwellresearchedbyEgyptologistandarchaeologistDavidRohl.
Likewise,theplaguesthemselveshavearationalandscientificexplanationthatnotonlyshowstheycould
havehappened—butthattheycouldindeedhappenagain.
(4) Speakingofthoseplagues,youalsotiethisbooktothecurrentcrisisinvolvingthespreadofthe
Zikavirus.WhatdoesZikahavetodowithyourstory?
TheZikavirusoriginatedinamonkeyinUganda,yetit’sgrownintoatragicdiseasespreadingaroundthe
worldandnowintotheUnitedStates,causingcripplinganddeadlybirthdefects.Yet,asyoucanseefrom
themedia,we’restrugglingtoaddressitasithitsourshores.Theorganisminmynovelisinthesame
familyofvirusesandcausesbirthdefectsanddeath,butonlyinmalechildren,verymuchlikeMoses’s
tenthplague—thedeathsofthefirstbornsons.SothisnovelservesasacautionarytaleaboutZikaand
aboutourinabilitytofacesuchcrises.
(5) Yournovelalsofeatures“electricbacteria.”Thosecan’tpossiblybereal,canthey?
Theyareveryreal.They’veonlyrecentlybeenidentified,butoveradozendifferentspecimenshavebeen
found.Thesearemicrobesthatfeeddirectlyonelectricity,suckingelectronsoutoftheenvironmentand
usingthemasanenergysource.They’resouniquethataslewoflabsareexploringpracticalapplications
forthem—fromgrowingthemintolivingbiocablesthatcouldconductelectricitytousingthemtopower
nano-machinescapableofallsortsofindustrialuses,includingcleaninguptheenvironment.
(6) Duringthisadventure,youalsoraiseconcernsaboutclimatechange.Howdoesthatplayoutin
yourbook?
WhileIdon’tintendmynoveltobeadiatribeaboutclimatechange,it’shardtodenythattheArcticis
gettingwarmer,theicecapsaregettingsmaller,andit’sopeninguptheentirenorthtoexploration.Cruise
shipsarealreadyplyingtheNorthwestPassage,atrekonceconsideredtoohazardoustoevencontemplate
andledtothedeathsofcountlessexplorers.Evenmoreconcerning,thewholeregionhasbecomeapolitical
hotbedbecausetheextensivemeltingisallowingeasieraccesstotheArctic’srichresources.Russia,
Denmark,andCanadaarefightingtodivvyuptheterritoryfoundundertheArcticIcecap,withlotsof
buttingheads,andRussiansubmarinesarealreadypatrollingundertheice,tryingtostakeaclaim.It’sa
powderkegwaitingtoexplode.
(7) Youalsolookatauniquewayofcombatingclimatechange,somethingcalledgeo-engineering.
What’sthat?
Thesearemassiveprojects,basicallyHailMarypassestosavetheplanet.Mostclimatescientistsbelievewe
arenear,at,orpastthetippingpointtodoanything.Solookingbeyondjustloweringcarbonemissions,
researchersarecontemplatingprojectsmuchlarger:likeenclosingtheearthinasolarshield,orflooding
DeathValley,orevenwrappingGreenlandinablanket.Theonlyproblem—beyondthefeasibilityof
fundingoraccomplishingthem—isthedangerofunintendedconsequences,disastersthatnoonecould
predictbecausethenumberofvariablesissohugewhentalkingaboutaglobal-wideengineeringproject.
So,ofcourse,Iwantedtoexplorewhatmighthappenifsomeoneactuallyattemptedoneoftheseprojects.
(8) TheprojectfeaturedinyourbookistiedtosomethingactuallyupintheArcticalready.
Itdoes.IttiestoanAirForceinstallationcalledHAARP,whichisanelaborateantennaarrayshooting
energyuptotheearth’sionosphere,theelectricallychargedlayerofouratmosphere.Theinstallationhas
beenthefocusformanyconspiracytheories,believingitmightbeaweather-controldeviceorusedtoread
minds.Therewereevenconcernsthatismightsettheskyonfire.Soinmystory,Ibuiltalarger,scarier
versionupinCanada—andmakethosefearscometrue.
(9) Asusual,youalsofoldsomeintriguinghistoryintoyournovel,likefeaturingMarkTwainandhis
friendshipswithotherhistoricalfigures,liketheinventorNicolaTesla.
I’vealwaysfounditfascinatingthatsomanybigger-than-lifehistoricalfiguresnotonlykneweachother,
butwereinvolvedineachother’slives.LikehowMarkTwainandNikolaTeslaweregreatbuddies.Twain
evenspenttimeinTesla’slab,helpingwithexperiments,andI’msurebeingageneralnuisance.Iloveone
anecdote.TwainwantedtotestTesla’s“earthquakemachine”tohelpwithhisconstipation.Twainstepped
ontotheinventor’slargeoscillatingdeviceandhadtopromptlyandhurriedlyexcusehimselftothe
restroom.It’ssuchafunrelationshipthatIwantedtogivethatpair—awriterandaninventor—agreat
adventureoftheirown.Andthat’swhathappensinthisnovel.
(10) BesidesMarkTwain,youevenhaveDonaldTrump’suncleconnectedtoTesla’sstory.Wasthat
true?
Yes,andittiesintoagreatmysterysurroundingNikolaTesla.Teslawasavisionarygenius,andlaterinlife
inTheNewYorkTimes,hemadetheboldclaimthathehaddiscoveredanew,andnever-before-seenenergy
source,onethatwouldchangetheworld.Butheneverrevealedhissecret,sowhenhedied,theU.S.
governmentclearedoutallofhispapersandresearchjournals,includingnotebookthatTeslahadwarned
hisnephewtosecureuponhisdeath.AllofTesla’sconfiscatedworkwasreviewedbytheNationalDefense
ResearchCommittee,agroupledatthetimebyJohnG.Trump,theuncleofacertainNewYorkrealestate
magnate.Eventually,pressuredbyTesla’snephew,thosepaperswerereturnedtohisfamily,butnotallof
them.Oneconspicuouspiecewasmissing—thatnotebook.Inmybook,it’sfound.
(11) Yourstoriesareknownforfeaturinganimalsinprominentroles.IsthatthecasewithTheSeventh
Plague?
Asaveterinarian,Ilovetofoldanimalsintomystory,andthisbookisnoexception.Ifeatureayounglion
cubnamedRoho,buttheemphasisisontheingenuityofelephants.Elephantshavethelargestbrainsof
anylandmammal.Infact,theyevenhavethesamenumberofneuronsandsynapsesintheircerebral
cortexesaswedo.Andtheyputallthatbrainpowertogooduse.Theyusetools,areexcellentproblem
solvers,showaltruisticbehavior,evenselfawareness.Theyaregreatpainters,withacanvasdonebya
PicassoelephantnamedRubyatthePhoenixZoosellingfor$25,000.Theyarealsotremendousmimics,
abletoimitateotheranimals’vocalizations,evensurprisinglythesoundofhumanspeech.SoIwantedto
featurethesegreatbigbeastsinmybook,tohighlighttheirmajestyandintelligence.
(12) Finally,asIunderstandit,thisbookisalsoverypersonalforyou.Wouldyoucaretogointoit?
Idedicatedthisbooktomymotherandfather,whobothrecentlypassedawayfromcomplications
secondarytoAlzheimer's.Infact,mydadpassedawaywhileIwaswritingthisbook.Inmyseries,themain
character—CommanderGrayPierce—hasbeendealingwithsimilarchallengesofagingparents,including
afatherwhoseAlzheimer’shasbeensteadilyworseningthroughouttheseries.Inthisbook,allofthat
comestoahead,asGraytriestobalancehisprofessionalandpersonallives.It’ssomethingweallstruggle
withinvaryingregards,soIthinkGray’sstruggle—andhisshockingdecisionattheendofthenovel—is
somethingthatwillresonatewithreaderslongaftertheyclosethebook.