A war is coming, a battle that will stretch from the prehistoric forests of the ancient past to the cutting-edge research labs of today, all to reveal a true mystery buried deep within our DNA, a mystery that will leave readers changed forever . . . In this groundbreaking masterpiece of ingenuity and intrigue that spans 50,000 years in human history, New York Times bestselling author James Rollins takes us to mankind's next great leap. But will it mark a new chapter in our development . . . or our extinction? In the remote mountains of Croatia, an archaeologist makes a strange discovery: a subterranean Catholic chapel, hidden for centuries, holds the bones of a Neanderthal woman. In the same cavern system, elaborate primitive paintings tell the story of an immense battle between tribes of Neanderthals and monstrous shadowy figures. Who is this mysterious enemy depicted in these ancient drawings and what do the paintings mean? Before any answers could be made, the investigative team is attacked, while at the same time, a bloody assault is made upon a primate research center outside of Atlanta. How are these events connected? Who is behind these attacks? The search for the truth will take Commander Gray Pierce of Sigma Force 50,000 years into the past. As he and Sigma trace the evolution of human intelligence to its true source, they will be plunged into a cataclysmic battle for the future of humanity that stretches across the globe . . . and beyond. With the fate of our future at stake, Sigma embarks on its most harrowing odyssey ever--a breathtaking quest that will take them from ancient tunnels in Ecuador that span the breadth of South America to a millennia-old necropolis holding the bones of our ancestors. Along the way, revelations involving the lost continent of Atlantis will reveal true mysteries tied to mankind's first steps on the moon. In the end, Gray Pierce and his team will face to their greatest threat: an ancient evil, resurrected by modern genetic science, strong enough to bring about the end of man's dominance on this planet.


一場大戰即將展開，戰場將從遠古的史前森林綿延至今日最先進的實驗室，最終竟發現了潛藏在人體基因內的秘密，這個發現將會徹底改變讀者的想法。本書出自《紐約時報》暢銷作家詹姆士．羅斯林，時空橫跨了五萬年人類史，內容極具突破性，且充滿巧思與創見，帶我們一窺人類演化的下一個「大躍進」。然而，這會是人類發展的嶄新篇章，還是人類文明的滅亡？在克羅埃西亞的偏遠山區，一名考古學家有了令人費解的發現：一座埋藏在地下好幾世紀的天主教堂，裡頭還有尼安德塔人女性的骸骨。這個洞穴系統中有精心繪製的原始壁畫，描述尼安德塔人與隱晦的巨大敵人之間的大戰。古畫中的神祕敵人是誰？這些畫又有著什麼含意？負責的調查小組尚未得到任何答案便受到襲擊，就在此時，亞特蘭大城外的一間靈長類研究中心也發生了血腥攻擊事件。這些事件之間有什麼關聯？誰又是背後的主使者？為了找尋真相，西格瑪中隊的指揮官葛雷．皮爾斯追溯至五萬年前的史前時代。正當他與西格瑪中隊查考人類智能演化的源頭時，他們將為了全人類的未來，陷入一場擴及全球的慘烈戰鬥。西格瑪中隊手握人類未來的命運，踏上了極為險惡的探索旅程。而在這趟驚人的旅程中，他們來到了位於厄瓜多貫穿南美洲的的古代隧道，也來到了幾千年前埋葬人類遠祖遺骨的古墓。一路上，西格瑪中隊種種與失落的亞特蘭提斯相關的線索，將揭開人類初上月球的真正秘密。最後，葛雷．皮爾斯與西格瑪中隊面臨到的最大威脅，就是現代遺傳科學所喚醒的古代邪惡力量，而這股力量足以顛覆人類在地球的主導地位。