Unrestricted Access

New and Classic Short Fiction

By: James Rollins

Narrated by: Christian Baskous, Scott Brick, Scott Aiello, Emily Woo Zeller, Natasha Tina Liu, David Sadzin

Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Experience the exciting breadth of #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins's wild imagination and adventurous spirit in this anthology of his short masterworks, including a new full-length novella featuring Captain Tucker Wayne and his military war dog, Kane, as well as nine previously published short stories, gathered together for the first time.

In this breathtaking collection of short fiction, his first ever anthology, James Rollins brings together ten thrilling stories that dig a little deeper into his creative stomping grounds and open vistas into new landscapes and characters.

At the center of Beyond Borders is the never-before-published novella "Sun Dogs." While trekking through the Sonora desert, a gunshot thrusts Tucker and Kane into an adventure that challenges their considerable skills. The discovery of secrets known only to the native tribes of Arizona threatens to unleash an ancient force that could irreparably alter the future. It also forces Tucker to make a terrible choice that will shatter his relationship with his soul-bonded companion Kane. As these partners learn, nothing remains buried forever and old debts must be paid, no matter the cost.

Other stories—each with an introduction by James Rollins—are just as compelling, offering broader insight into this acclaimed master's fictional universes, including:

"The Pit": A young dog is kidnapped and brutalized into becoming the bloody champion of a dog-fighting ring. But can this tortured monster find redemption and a path back to the boy who first raised him with love and compassion?

"Tagger": A pair of teenage street artists must protect San Francisco from a demon who has been seeking revenge for centuries.

"The Devil's Bones": In this jungle adventure—the first joint story from Rollins and Steve Berry—Commander Gray Pierce and Cotton Malone must work together using their unique skills to survive a deadly threat.

The stories "The Midnight Watch," "The Skeleton Key," "Tracker," and "Kowalski's in Love" shine light into some of Sigma Force's secrets. Who were these characters before they were recruited by Sigma? What solo adventures did they experience? How do these short adventures tie into the larger Sigma universe? Rollins offers some clues.

And rounding out this collection are a pair of entertaining stories "Blood Brothers" and "City of Screams" that complement The Order of the Sanguines series.

Filled with adventure, intrigue, history, and speculative science, Beyond Borders demonstrates Rollins's remarkable creative powers and is a must-have collection for his many fans.

©2020 James Rollins (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Glad I made the purchase

I was toying with this because I didn't know if it was just a bunch of lead intro's to books I had read. Maybe, a little, but they stand alone very well, very well. I passed on listening to one story told from a dog's perspective about pit fighting. I have had dogs all my life and they have been my best friends. I cannot imagine doing that o a dog. I can imagine several things to do to people who enjoy this cruelty.

could not put this down

I love all of James Rollins stories. I first read all of his books, now I am listening to them while I crochet. Not only I am finishing my projects faster and going thru all of his books again. Thank you

James Rollins I hard to beat.

Each story was engrossing and totally satisfying James Rollins has nailed the short story.

Great news that Tucker Wayne and Kane will be coming back. I’ve been watching for them...

I enjoyed the variety

One of the things I've liked about this author is his ability to evoke adventure & thrill without succumbing to foul language for the most part. I confess that I skipped a couple of the stories because the language was unnecessary. But it was fun to get extra backstory on some of the Sigma characters.

Interesting Novelas

I really liked the short stories as I had not listed to many like them before. I absolutely love all the characters and the great adventures they find themselves in.

Wow! I couldn’t turn this off. Even between stories

Thank You for compiling all of these stories into one. The way James Rollins explains and links all these tales together is seamless. I feel even more connected and have a deep understanding of the Sigma Forces characters I love after listening to this book. Thoroughly enjoyed the different narrations as well. I can not wait for more Tucker and Kane and Sigma Force adventures.

Tucker & Kane

The book was great enjoyed the older stories and miss Able that novella was great too! It could’ve stood alone or with another novella.

The Pit

I truly MUST write a word or three about how much I was moved by this story! Mr Rollins has amazing constructed a tale displayed from the dogs point of view! I found it to be moving, poignant, and above all extremely accurate! I’m a true dog fan for life and at was at one time a breeder of quality pets. Besides the constant work involved, it was one of the best times of my life. Any lover of canines absolutely detests the so called “dog fight manager/owner”! They’re known to be remorseless dregs of humanity, and frankly, have no place to exist in a positive society. This story evokes all the emotions expected ! Thanks!

A peek in the mind of James Rollins

I truly injoyed to get this bundle of old and new stories that expanded on the world's of James Rollins and an look into straight supernatural stories from Rollins usually writing of science fiction stories.

James Rollins - shorter forms

It's easy to write off a collection of older stories as a simple financial attempt to re-sell older products. This is not the case here. Yes, most of these stories have been made available before, but here they feel like they have more context. Some of the stories were new to me. Tagger could easily become a running series. The Pit was an extremely emotional listen, and, to be honest, somewhat draining, but very satisfying. The SIGMA stories were, as always great fun. The Sanguine series stories, a bit less familiar to me, were still very engaging. The lone new novella, Sun Dogs was very enjoyable and brought the readers, if not the characters, some nice closure on a painful story point.

Can you pick up this book without having read all of the author's previous work? Yes, I think so. Although you will probably enjoy them more if you do read them all.

If you enjoy a good action adventure yarn, (or half dozen), then this book is for you. Recommended!