The Atlantis Gene: A Thriller (the Origin Mystery, Book 1)

un libro d'avventura che non ha nulla da invidiare a quelli scritti da dan brown o altri autori dello stesso genere

Expensive, but a good read

Plato Might Have Been RightBy Bob Gelms The Atlantis Gene by A. G. Riddle started out as a throw away, a book I’d intended to read for grins but not necessarily review here at 365ink. Very quickly it turned into the 900-pound gorilla in my living room. I was about 50 pages into it when I started to get the feeling that this wasn’t a throw away anymore. This book was very well written and contained some interesting ideas. I did a little research and, low and behold, what did I find? The Atlantis Gene is the first book in A.G. Riddle's bestselling Origin Mystery trilogy, which has sold over one million copies, is being translated into eighteen languages, and is in development to be a major motion picture! Yes, well, I just found my next review. Judging by the title, you can assume it has something or other to do with the lost city of Atlantis. You would be correct. Most of the information that has come down to us from antiquity regarding Atlantis is contained in the writings of Plato: it is on an island just west of the Pillars of Hercules, circular in design, populated by beautiful people who were way ahead of their time with regard to scientific advances, literature and drama. The whole island was sunk under a massive tidal wave. Turns out Atlantis stands a pretty good chance of having actually existed. The proof for that statement is contained in the book. It seems about 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens almost went extinct. There were other hominids in existence during that time and judging from the fossil record there might have been four or five all together including Neanderthals, Homo sapiens and one or two other species with very small populations. You’ll discover how Homo sapiens survived when the others did not. The origin of human life on earth has been a topic of interest since time immemorial. Our evolution from hunter gatherers relying totally on instinct to those who could logically think about and solve a problem, design, make and use tools, and manage to keep the forces of nature reasonably at bay might have happened on purpose and not just with the cumbersome and time-consuming efforts of evolution. Enter the Atlantis Gene. Where did it come from? Is it still embedded in our DNA? Can we use it for other things? Dr. Kate Warner and David Vale are thrown together to find out if these things are real. Along the way they discover an ancient, clandestine organization, the Immari Corporation, which has been keeping some of these secrets from getting out to mainstream science for thousands of years. The Immari Corporation thinks they have found a way to juice-up evolution so humanity, at least a very small portion of humanity, a select few, will be able to take another great leap forward just like Homo sapiens did after coming close to extinction. It is verifiable that the human population dropped to between 1,000 individuals and 10,000 mating pairs after the Toba volcanic event 70,000 years ago. We, all of us on Earth, are related to that population of Homo sapiens. Kate and David encounter the Immari Corporation, Nazis, ancient conspiracies, worldwide genetic experiments, and many nasty people who keep trying to kill them. Everything is not as it seems. There is a whole lot going on in this book. The Atlantis Gene has big ideas and the plot and complex characters to pull it all off. The writing is top notch for a techno/thriller and moves very rapidly along. It never gets bogged down.If you are looking for a thriller with some bold ideas about the origin of humanity, the origin of religion and how evolution might have worked, The Atlantis Gene by A. G. Riddle should be right up your DNA.

Came in a timely manner and in excellent condition

4.5 out of 5Where do I even start? This is the type of story that is face-paced, complex, and frighteningly prophetic in light of recent world events. I don't want to give too much away because the twists and turns this story takes are really great. The synopsis is just the tip of the iceberg, literally. It is a fresh take on the story of Atlantis with so much more.What I liked:The pacing was perfect for this type of story. I found myself popping through the chapters at a good pace, and I was able to understand the technobabble that came with it. The world-building was exceptional taking early 2oth century artifacts and creating a believable narrative. The characters were well-developed, and I was rooting for Dr. Kate Warner and David Vale throughout. It kept me guessing all the way to the end.What I didn't like:There were a couple of things that didn't track scientifically, which is the danger of writing something based on present-day knowledge. In this case, it was anthropology and autism as we knew it in 2013. New discoveries are being made in both of these areas which makes it slightly off. But in other ways, such as the spread of disinformation, and the treatment of a global pandemic was frighteningly accurate. Regardless, it didn't take away from the story, and I was able to suspend my disbelief quite well.Overall:I think this is definitely a well-written book that deserves to have a place on your shelf. It is one of my favorites and I will be adding the sequel to my TBR list.