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Surrounded on all sides by sand and dunes and hunted by prehistoric beasts, Jake must decide what he and his friends Marika, Pindor, and Bach'uuk, and his sister, Kady, should do next. Then the young Princess Nefertiti launches an attack!
After a bloody skirmish, Jake convinces Nefertiti to join their fight against the evil Skull King, Kalverum Rex. For Jake has something the Skull King wants, a prize that will give its owner awesome power—including control of the fearsome Howling Sphinx. And if the Skull King takes over the Howling Sphinx, then all is lost.
Filled with unexpected danger, challenging puzzles, and nonstop action, this sequel to Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow is a first-rate, fast-paced thrill ride!
An adventure series mashup built on Indiana Jones-like tropes picks up steam with this second volume.
Three monthshave passedsince eighth-grader Jake Ransom and his older sister Kady returned from the ancient land of Calypsos on Pangaea, where they saved the inhabitants—Neanderthals and lost Roman legionaries and ancient Maya—from the evil magister Kalverum Rex. Neither teen knows any more about thelocation of their archaeologist parents, missing three years now, but both are sure that their parents are lost somewhere in time. After an attack on their home, the siblings visitan Egyptian exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History only to be attacked again by the blood magic of Kalverum as he seeks the Key to Time. They are thrown into the desert kingdom of Deshret, cut off from the rest of Pangaea by a flesh-tearing windstorm. The bracelets given them by the elders of Calypsos also draw in their friends from their last adventure, and the five find themselves once again battling theSkull King and his minions while trying to find traces of their parents. Rollins' second Jake Ransom adventure is tighter, more magical and more thrilling than the series opener.
Likely to win Jake more fans, this will have adventure seekers of both genders clamoring for volume three (likely to deal with Norse lore, given the dropped hints).(Adventure. 9-12)
James Rollins is the New York Times bestseller of thrillers translated into forty languages. His Sigma series has been lauded as one of the "top crowd pleasers" (New York Times) and one of the "hottest summer reads" (People Magazine). Acclaimed for his originality, Rollins unveils unseen worlds, scientific breakthroughs, and historical secrets—and he does it all at breakneck speed.
Rebecca Cantrell's Hannah Vogel mystery novels have won the Bruce Alexander and Macavity awards and been nominated for the Barry and Romantic Times Reviewers Choice awards; her critically-acclaimed novel, iDrakula, was nominated for the APPY award and listed on Booklist's Top 10 Horror Fiction for Youth. She and her husband and son just left Hawaii's sunny shores for adventures in Berlin.
Author biography courtesy of HarperCollins.
"I often get asked if I still practice veterinary medicine. While I don't practice full-time, I still do volunteer. I work with a group that traps stray cats, brings them to the shelter, where I spend a day spaying and neutering them. It's basically eight hours of removing genitalia. It's a hobby."
"I am a TV junkie. I have two Tivos and they are constantly full."
"My first job was to flip pizzas. I once got a pie spinning that was ten feet across. I had to spin it on my back to keep it going. Yet, I still love pizza."
"Two hobbies I love -- caving and scuba diving -- are also essential research for my novels. Case in point:
I've always been an avid cave explorer, from the vast systems in Missouri to the lava tubes of Hawaii to the tighter squeezes of the California foothills. But one of my most frightening episodes also allowed me to better describe claustrophobia in my novels. While climbing out of the fairly technical wild cavern, involving lots of rope work, I managed to jam myself midway up a narrow vertical chute. Hung up on my ascending gear midway up the chute, I found myself unable to move up or down. My chest was squeezed between two walls, my left knee turned the wrong way. I could not maneuver, and there was not enough room to get a rescue climber to me. I was trapped. I remember the team leader, leaning down from above, shining his helmet lamp at me. ‘You either find a way to un-jam yourself, or you stay there forever.'
So over the course of a long hour -- wriggling, sweating, cursing, and clawing -- I managed to creep a millimeter at a time out of the jam. After this event, I had a better understanding for panic and the determination born of pure desperation, essential ingredients for to writing thrilling fiction.
But spelunking through caves was not my only ‘research' lesson. Two decades ago, I also took up scuba diving and went on dive trips all around the world: Monterey Bay, Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia. I particularly remember one trip to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. I was informed by the dive master to beware of the many hazards found in the region. ‘On land, Australia has seven of the ten deadliest snakes. The seas are worse. Box jellyfish can kill in minutes. Local sea snakes are some of the most toxic. But worst of all is the stone fish. It looks like a stone, but its spines are loaded with paralytic poison. So be careful what you touch.'
And down we all went, buddied up in pairs, enthusiastic and excited. I dropped toward the reef and adjust my buoyancy until I'm floating just above the reef. All around spread amazing sights: giant clams, a flurry of colored fish, an astounding variety of coral. But I miscalculated my buoyancy, my weight shifted, and I planted a hand into the sand to stabilize my tumble, careful of the razor-sharp coral. Inches from my thumb, a jagged rock suddenly sprouted fins and swam away. I met the gaze of my buddy diver. His wide eyes firmed up the identification. The deadly stone fish. And I had almost slapped my hand on its back. As the fish scurried away, I understood at that exact moment how little Nature cared about the life of a scuba-diving novelist. Down here, Nature ruled. We were only visitors.
This mix of respect and terror is brought to life in my latest novel, The Judas Strain."
sukoshi926
Posted November 20, 2011
I've already read the book twice and can hardly wait for the next installment to come out. An excellent, excellent read. You won't be disappointed.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 12, 2011
I am a grandmother and I love the Jake Ransom books. james Rollins has never written a bad book. Jake is on a par with Indiana Jones adventures. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 27, 2012
One of my favorite books, and I simply can`t wait for the thiid book in the series!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 16, 2011
This is book 2 of a series, but can work very well as a stand alone. This starts with a bang. Really, it does. A car running into a building bang. Fast paced and interesting. A fun ride of a book. The hero is very loyal and believable in his actions, while the villain is wonderfully mysterious and threatening. The groundwork is laid for future adventures with Jake and Kady Ransom as they try to save a world, escape from torture and slavery, defeat the bad guys and find their parents. Definitely a book I will recommend to some friends.
I received this book to do a review, and really enjoyed the trip. Look forward to meeting up with Jake and friends at a later time.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 28, 2013
Yes i would spend twenty if i had to. It is the 2nd best book ever. The furst best is jake ransom and the skull kings shadow (the first book in series).
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Posted March 18, 2013
Can yo tell me if i should spend $6.99? Yes or no title YO LILLY
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Posted November 7, 2012
This book is given to us by the same man who wrote Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull so that might help give you some clues as to what type of story he writes. Jake Ransom is extremely similar to a young Indiana Jones and the story follows a similar archetype to the movie cited above. As with the first book I had difficulty digesting so many clashing descriptions and tended to feel a bit left behind with the story. This is something that will probably bother older readers much more then younger ones, but If you can just go with it you'll find the action plentiful and rewarding... Read full review at theofficebooksblogspot
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Posted May 1, 2012
On this page are all bedrooms for you to use. -Jake
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 9, 2012
It was really good with lots of detail. You should read this book it is so awsome.
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Posted December 25, 2011
I love Jake Ransom
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.5260516
Posted October 17, 2011
This is a really great book, can't WAIT for #3!!!!!!!
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Posted August 11, 2011
This book is so good it competes with percy jakeson series
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.My 7-year-old and I enjoyed the first Jake Ransom book and sowere looking forward to James Rollins' follow up. The books are very similar...the plot line continues in "Howling Sphinx" from where "Skull King's Shadow" left off more or less.
The book is full of fantasy, dinosaurs and magic...plenty to ignite the imagination of young boys. I did, however, find the story a bit meandering and hard to follow in places and felt that I had to summarize and recap certain events for my son so he understood thoroughly.
This book hits on so many positives for the young male reader that the convoluted plot lines are easily overcome. I'd definitely recommend this for 4th-6th graders, with 2nd and 3rd graders being read to by a parent.
I received "Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx" as part of the Goodreads First Reads program.
Anonymous
Posted May 19, 2012
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Posted February 21, 2012
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Posted December 24, 2011
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Posted May 2, 2011
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Posted August 16, 2012
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Posted July 3, 2011
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Posted July 14, 2011
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Overview
Surrounded on all sides by sand and dunes and hunted by prehistoric beasts, Jake must decide what he and his friends Marika, Pindor, and Bach'uuk, and his sister, Kady, should do next. Then the young Princess Nefertiti launches an attack!
After a bloody skirmish, Jake convinces Nefertiti to join their fight against the evil Skull King, Kalverum Rex. For Jake has something the Skull King wants, a prize that will give its owner awesome power—including control of the fearsome ...