• Atlantis

  • Jack Howard Series, Book 1
  • By: David Gibbins
  • Narrated by: James Langton
  • Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
  • 3.7 out of 5 stars (142 ratings)

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Atlantis  By  cover art

Atlantis

By: David Gibbins
Narrated by: James Langton
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Publisher's summary

Marine archaeologist Jack Howard has stumbled upon the keys to an ancient puzzle. With a crack team of scientific experts and ex-Special Forces commandos, he is heading for what he believes could be the greatest archaeological find of all time - the site of fabled Atlantis - while a ruthless adversary watches his every move and prepares to strike. But neither Jack nor his adversary could have imagined what awaits them in the murky depths - not only a shocking truth about a lost world but an explosive secret that could have devastating consequences today. Jack is determined to stop the legacy of Atlantis from falling into the wrong hands, whatever the cost. But first he must do battle to prevent a global catastrophe.

©2006 David Gibbins (P)2014 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The historical conspiracy angle gives the book Da Vinci-esque appeal, and the intense visual details of the team's marine discoveries make it naturally cinematic." ---Publishers Weekly

What listeners say about Atlantis

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
  • GH
  • 06-01-15

Solid plausible fiction -- a touch too technical

Atlantis is centered around finding the lost city of Atlantis. There are three big detractions from theplot. First, the first twenty-five percent of the is filled with techo-details -- too many. Instead of enhancing the story, these details distance the listener from the story. If Gibbins wanted realism then he went too far with these details. Second, there at least two major coincidences that weaken the overall plot. One of the coincidences, although playing a major plot role, could have been cut from the novel. Last, the sub-characters, especially Katya, were flat and needed rounding.

The explanation of the posed for the possibilities of the Altlantian civilization are the strong part of this novel. Gibbins put in place a fictional framework that could have happened. The story felt real during its telling. James Langton did and nice job narrating.

If you like historical-thriller fiction, it is worth the read. This is book one of a series. The first novel had enough redeeming value to give the second in the series a try.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

So much hope, so much disappointment

I was excited and eager to listen to Atlantis by David Gibbins hoping to find a new series.

The first few chapters were promising with some plausible theories about the Atlantis story. Then our team of archeologists/navy seals meets the ridiculously well-funded baddie who would make a Bond villain blush. With no build up or suspense, suddenly our heroes have discovered and explored Atlantis. Whenever they are faced with a technical problem they just happen to have a prototype of some science fiction tool onboard that handles it. Deus ex Machina indeed.

From there the book devolves into a narrative form of the Jane’s military almanac. Every weapon, vessel, and tool is tediously described while the dialogue and plot come to a near halt.

Why can’t we just have an adventure novel? Why does every villain have to be a billionaire terrorist at the head of secret global syndicate of infinite resources? Why does every hero have to be a cross between Capitan Kirk and Rambo?

If you are a fan of over-the-top “action” novels like those pumped out by Clive Cussler, then you’ll probably enjoy Atlantis, its cardboard characters, forgettable plot, and ludicrous paramilitary technical babble. If you are looking for believable characters with interesting motivations, well-crafted environments, and exciting and compelling storytelling then give this a pass.

One redeeming feature of the audio book is the excellent voice acting work of James Langton. It’s a shame the text isn’t anywhere near as good as his performance.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not worth the time

What did you like best about Atlantis? What did you like least?

Interesting concept, but dragged out. Reader could not hold my attention. Definitely will not follow up on the series............wish I could return this one.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Not sure what was wrong, but he just wasn't right for this book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring!!

I am only a 3 and a half hours in but oh my this is boring!! I'm moving on to something else. Maybe I'll come back and hope it will actually be interesting.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Mind wondered while listening

Had a hard time paying attention to much extraneous information maybe in book form could be better

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Too much talk

I have studied the ancient Near East for many years, so the stories related by Jack Howard and others were interesting but far too much. It was like being in a lecture hall. The story seems to be mostly an add-on. I listened to the author's epilogue and his explanation of what was fiction and what was not. Regardless, the story is something only visited on occasion in between long episodes of different "experts" lecturing on historical information and "what it all means."

The narrator showed very little change in emotion throughout. I don't know if he was dragged down by the lack of a clear storyline or what. I listened to the entire book because I paid for it, but I could not recommend this to anyone.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Looking for a cure for insomnia?

If so, this is the book for you. It was so boring, I had to stop listening after a couple of hours.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ok

I always had a keen interest in the story of Atlantis even before I can remember. I believe eventually we will find it. This was good.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Very technical!

I have a degree in nursing, and I love history and technology, but! Way over my head!😳

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good story, but the ending brought it down.

I actually really enjoyed the majority of this book. my only real complaint is that the ((SPOILERS)) main baddy Aslan (not the Narnia one) gets killed with near 2 hours left. this leaves the last 2 hours being nothing but historical speculation and discovery, which while kind of interesting would have fit better earlier on with a more climactic death for Aslan later. written the way it was made me lose a lot of interest by the end. James Langston however is just as good as always and I'm giving book two a shot mainly for his narration and a love of this genre of stories.

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