The Atlantis Gene

The Origin Mystery, Book 1

By: A.G. Riddle

Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies

Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

The greatest mystery of all time...the history of human origins...will be revealed.

Seventy thousand years ago, the human race almost went extinct. We survived, but no one knows how.

Until now.

The countdown to the next stage of human evolution is about to begin, and humanity might not survive this time.

The Immari are good at keeping secrets. For 2,000 years, they've hidden the truth about human evolution. They've also searched for an ancient enemy - a threat that could wipe out the human race. Now the search is over.

Off the coast of Antarctica, a research vessel discovers a mysterious structure buried deep in an iceberg. It has been there for thousands of years, and something is guarding it. As the Immari rush to execute their plan, a brilliant geneticist makes a discovery that could change everything.

Dr. Kate Warner moved to Jakarta, Indonesia to escape her past. She hasn't recovered from what happened to her, but she has made an incredible breakthrough: a cure for autism. Or so she thinks. What she has found is far more dangerous - for her and the entire human race. Her work could be the key to the next stage of human evolution. In the hands of the Immari, it would mean the end of humanity as we know it.

Agent David Vale has spent 10 years trying to stop the Immari. Now he's out of time. His informant is dead. His organization has been infiltrated. His enemy is hunting him. But when David receives a coded message related to the Immari attack, he risks everything to save the one person that can help him solve it: Dr. Kate Warner.

Together, Kate and David must race to unravel a global conspiracy and learn the truth about the Atlantis Gene...and human origins. Their journey takes them to the far corners of the globe and into the secrets of their pasts. The Immari are close on their heels and will stop at nothing to obtain Kate's research and force the next stage of human evolution - even if it means killing 99.9% of the world's population. David and Kate can stop them...if they can trust each other. And stay alive.

©2013 A.G. Riddle (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Fascinating Take on Great Leap Foward

I liked the book a lot but not 5 stars... maybe 4.5 stars. The writing and the narration were excellent... 5 Stars. Held my interest throughout. Those two aspects of my experience with the audible version of the book will carry me into book 2 even though some concepts seem to overstretch my ability to suspend reality.

However the story line did have some very interesting ideas about man's evolutionary Great Leap Forward. And the Atlantean connection was quite clever and intriguing.

The beginning of the book was excellent. The Clock Tower conspiracy had me on the edge of my seat.

Finally the author created characters that you definitely cared about. Another reason to proceed into book 2.

Love and Hate

Loved the story. Hated the constant Chapter changing..over 150 chapters ..some appeared to 2 sentences long....ridiculous. Did not care for the narrator at all.....Just didn't sell the story line. Unfortunately...they have continued on with this narrator for book 2 and 3....I will not be continuing that journey...no matter how good the storyline is. I love Audible and the idea behind audible...but I can tell you from my perspective...the narrator makes or breaks the book for me....

Thrilling!

If you could sum up The Atlantis Gene in three words, what would they be?

A must read!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Atlantis Gene?

The part the bell played throughout the story.

What about Stephen Bel Davies’s performance did you like?

The only way I can describe his performance is smooth... He did great!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The mystery of our occulted history.

Any additional comments?

There's a lot of truth in this work of fiction.

A big ol' mishmash of everything

This book was trying really hard to be all things to all people. The author threw in Nazis, aliens/monsters/boogeymen from the past, secret families, evil scientists, idealistic scientists, superbugs, historical fiction, science fiction, action/adventure/mystery/romance. Sounds great, except none of it was really all that compelling. The bad guys were cartoonishly evil, the characters rather one-note, and the coincidences too abundant. Maybe if the author had cut out half of his plot elements and focused on telling a better, more nuanced version of his story, this book could have really been something.

Fascinating story

I don't know much about Riddle as an author. I did enjoy the story, but I found myself rewriting it in places as I listened. That's fine. if I was writing it someone else would do the same, no doubt. The narrator was pretty good. His reading didn't flow as well as some. I do look forward to the rest of the series. Overall, a good story.

global conspiracy

global conspiracy theories abound. nice pacing and delivery. really like this author. stories are interesting and well researched

Decent Story, Good Narration, Worth listening to

If you could sum up The Atlantis Gene in three words, what would they be?

innovative, engaging, lengthy

What other book might you compare The Atlantis Gene to and why?

The first half reminded me of Orson Scott Card, or even Steven King. Character development and scene descriptions were expansive and engaging. The author clearly took his time here. The second half reminded me of those cheep "Star Wars Universe" novelettes. Quick, easy, all action, little substance.

Did Stephen Bel Davies do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Davies is a good narrator. Character differentiation is very good, but I cringe at his German accent (sounds like an Irishman trying to mimic a Czech accent). Excellent pace and continuity. I suspect this isn't Davies' best work, but it's good enough for me to seek him out.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I hated the scene when Kate was plummeting down the ice shaft. Especially after she "landed". Riddle's descriptions were such that I couldn't follow why she was digging, or how she landed, or for that matter why she was cold. He was clearly trying to get to "the action" and spent little time here. Would have been better to leave it on the floor.

Any additional comments?

This book is good enough, I'm buying it's sequel. Assuming that isn't a total disaster, I'm looking forward to Riddle's next work.

great plot.

good read. it does have some slow spots but it picks up nicely near the end.

Exciting

Maybe not what you want to readright now during the cobit 19 pandemic but different enough you should be able to cope.

Excellent!

I chose the audio book over reading this novel due to time constraints, but what a journey these characters took! This is definitely one of the best laid out books I've enjoyed lately. I had to really focus to keep sequences and characters straight. Just when you thought you knew what came next, the author would spin off in a totally new direction and pull you right back in to the story. I can't wait for the next novel.