Crucible Read online

  It seems no good deed truly goes unpunished. The critique group that I joined many ages ago—well before I was ever published and still a full-time practicing veterinarian—has stood steadfastly throughout my career, offering great editorial advice, from plot discussions to character analysis, and yes, catching the many mistakes that pepper my first drafts. And this novel is no exception. So first and foremost, let me thank that close-knit bevy of critical first readers: Dave Meek, Chris Crowe, Lee Garrett, Matt Bishop, Jane O’Riva, Matt Orr, Leonard Little, Judy Prey, Caroline Williams, Tod Todd, Frank Barrera, and Amy Rogers. And as always, a special thanks to Steve Prey for the great maps . . . and to David Sylvian for making me look good across the digital universe (and beyond) . . . and to Cherei McCarter for the many significant historical and scientific tidbits found within these pages. And of course, a big note of appreciation and thanks to everyone at HarperCollins for always having my back, especially Liate Stehlik, Lynn Grady, Danielle Bartlett, Kaitlin Harri, Josh Marwell, Richard Aquan, and Ana Maria Allessi. And I cannot forgo giving a special shout-out to Brian Grogan, who has been at my side at HarperCollins since the beginning of my career and who actually gave this book its title (Crucible). Last, of course, a special acknowledgment to the people instrumental to all levels of production: my esteemed editor who has also been with me since my first book, Lyssa Keusch, and her industrious colleague Priyanka Krishnan; and for all their hard work, my agents, Russ Galen and Danny Baror (along with his daughter Heather Baror). And as always, I must stress that any and all errors of fact or detail in this book, of which hopefully there are not too many, fall squarely on my own shoulders.

  About the Author

  JAMES ROLLINS is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers that have been translated into more than forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the “top crowd-pleasers” (New York Times) and hailed among the “hottest summer reads” (People magazine). In each novel, acclaimed for its originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed and with stunning insight. He lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

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  Also by James Rollins

  The Demon Crown

  The Seventh Plague

  The Bone Labyrinth

  The 6th Extinction

  The Eye of God

  Bloodline

  The Devil Colony

  Altar of Eden

  The Doomsday Key

  The Last Oracle

  The Judas Strain

  Black Order

  Map of Bones

  Sandstorm

  Ice Hunt

  Amazonia

  Deep Fathom

  Excavation

  Subterranean

  BY JAMES ROLLINS AND REBECCA CANTRELL

  Blood Gospel

  Innocent Blood

  Blood Infernal

  BY JAMES ROLLINS AND GRANT BLACKWOOD

  The Kill Switch

  War Hawk

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  CRUCIBLE. Copyright © 2019 by James Czajkowski. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  Cover design and illustration by Tony Mauro

  Cover images: © Dreamstime

  FIRST EDITION

  Digital Edition JANUARY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-238180-4

  Version 12152018

  Print ISBN: 978-0-06-238178-1 (hardcover)

  ISBN 978-0-06-287191-6 (international edition)

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