Welcome to Litsy!

A plague is sweeping through Africa from the Congo, making animals hostile and people susceptible to the animal attacks. Acknowledging COVID-19, his scientists race to find the cause and the cure against an evil billionaire who wants to be the savior at any cost, and Mother Nature, who is livid with humanity. This is one of Rollins‘ best—nonstop and well researched. Occasional characters Tucker and Kane are back; I love them as always. ⬇️

We are experiencing a gorgeous day (sunny and 75 degrees), so I‘m outside trying to finish this book, a Christmas present. And it feels so appropriate to read my last book by my favorite author for #readingafrica2022 on the last day of the year. It‘s so good. #DRC @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

The Sigma Force gang is trying to unravel the Prester John mystery (he‘s the descendant of the black magi, one of the three wise men who visited the baby Christ). His story is wrapped up in the deep Christianity of #Ethiopia. Sure enough, even though the current story is set in #DRC, the team uncover a map of 1710 (that I also found on google) showing that Ethiopia at one time encompassed the #DRC. Fascinating stuff. #readingafrica2022

This book has simply swept me up, as Rollins usually does. It is non-stop from the get-go. He wrote a lot of it during the lockdown and I appreciate how he has worked it into the book: “No one was going to risk another plague sweeping the world….75 percent of all emerging diseases in the past century—Ebola, HIV, COVID-19–all passed to the human population from animals…”

Can Sigma Force get in front of next contagion? 😬 #readingafrica2022 #drc

Rollins writes about historical mysteries that impact the present. I love that I started this book on Christmas Day as the historical mystery this go round seems to be about a descendant of one of the Three Wise Men. How perfect is that?

#readingafrica2022 #drc @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

Gutwrenching bio with multiple themes of colonization, Christian evangelism, eugenics, and racism. It tells the story of Ota Benga, a Mbuti (“pygmy“) Congoloese man who was kidnapped by an American thinly veiled as a missionary, brought to the US for show at the 1904 St. Louis World's fair, exhibited with monkeys at the Bronx Zoo for white people's amusement, then released with Black support.

#ReadingAfrica2022 #DRC
#NonFiction2022 #Outcast

I nabbed this one to read for #RepublicofCongo, but turns out it‘s set in #DRC! Oh well. It was entertaining enough that I kept listening, though truthfully I didn‘t pay that much attention to it. It‘s a wildly implausible, back-to-back action, cinematic, gory book. With one token female, natch. This one is like masculine fluff.

I started this audiobook today and I‘m a bit put out. I‘ve already read a book for the #DemocraticRepublicofCongo and by it‘s description I thought this one was the other Congo. But the first thing the narrator states is that this is in the #DRC, not the other Congo! I‘ll listen to it of course. I‘ve read multiple books set in African countries already, but how do I find a book set in the other—apparently less popular Congo? #readingafrica2022

Let‘s see how many new African countries the author can fit into this book because now we are in the #CentralAfricanRepublic #CAR (I just learned Bangui is its capitol). I do feel like this author has tried to cram every thriller trope into this novel (even the Vatican), and pretty much covered nearly as many Saharan and near Saharan countries (plus a few European countries to boot).

#readingAfrica2022 #Libya #Malta #Niger #DRC

This book is just hopping all over Africa. We are now headed for the #DemocraticRepublicofCongo #DRC. #readingAfrica2022 #Libya #Malta #Niger (I‘m omitting Chad because so little happened there in the book—just a brief stopover to catch a helicopter.) @Librarybelle @BarbaraBB

And yes there‘s a typo in the above quote. The book is in serious need of an editor and proofreader.