Atlantis Paperback – June 28, 2012

I was very much surprised how much I truly enjoyed reading this sci-fi action thriller! I am hooked on Atlantis and I will be reading ALL of the books in this series. I already have the 2nd book in this series, ATLANTIS: BERMUDA TRIANGLE on my Kindle, and the 4th book is available via Amazon Prime Lending Library.As my title says, this book has it all: Secret locations around the world, monsters, soldiers and sailors trapped in time, powerful unknown alien forces, hi-tech, special ops, action, thrills, the end of the world as we know it(thanks REM), great characters and a plot busy enough to keep you going. This book exceeded my expectations and that is why I am giving it 5 stars instead of 4. I was expecting middle of the road action and thrills but Bob Mayer delivered top notch action. This is the 3rd book by Mayers that I have and and they all have been excellent.Update: 18 April 2012, I just downloaded the 3rd book in this series for free: ATLANTIS: DEVIL'S SEA. I plan on reading the 2nd book any day now.

Just after the end of WWII, a Marine aviator named Foreman narrowly avoids being lost in the Bermuda Triangle with the infamous Flight 19. Decades later, Foreman, now with the CIA, sends a group of Army Green Berets into a remote part of Cambodia to retrieve equipment from a crashed spy plane. Only one member of that team, Eric Dane, came back.Years later, Dane is once again recruited to return to that area of Cambodia to rescue the crew of a down aircraft. Dane, after all, is the only person known to have returned from that part of the country. This time, Dane knows what to expect. Like the Bermuda Triangle, this portion of Cambodian is a triangle of mysterious fog where people and aircraft disappear, a land of strange and deadly monsters the likes of which no one can imagine. What Dane learns on this second trip to the area is that it is a threat that once destroyed fabled Atlantis, and now threatens to destroy all life on Earth.Thus the plot of Atlantis, written by best-selling author Bob Mayer (writing under one of his many pen names), unfolds in a series of actions spanning decades, culminating with a taut, action-packed climax that will keep the reader glued to the pages.Yet, while the plot pulls from many different legends and is jammed packed with action, it's not a frivolous book. Mayer's characters are well-drawn—especially Dane and his relationship with his rescue dog, Chelsey. The plot is well thought out and, despite its basis in legend, believable. Mayer, a West Point graduate and retired Green Beret himself, is especially adept at writing action scenes. The story of Dane's first trip into Cambodia is particularly realistic.Atlantis is the first book in Mayer's popular Atlantis series. (By my count, the prolific Mayer has something like nine series, a bunch of stand-alone novels, and even more nonfiction books.) I'm looking forward to reading more of Mayer's craft.

This is excellent science fiction. I have read sci fi since I was a kid. This is very very well written. The characters stay true, and the story line is true to science fiction. It's wonderful. This is only the first in a series, and so I am looking forward to the rest of the series. I am a fan now of Bob Meyer. He is a very very good writer. Sci Fi is enjoyable to anyone of any age, and this book is excellent. AND, if this is a spoiler, please be alert: nothing bad happens to the dog. Thankfully. AND there is no bad language. It's a book that will be timeless and will be read for generations.

Atlantis is a fun read that will leave you wanting more, as long as what you want more of is mythical lost cities, monsters, aliens, psychic powers, time compression, and, oh yes, a lot of gory death. If you were looking for a plot that makes sense, characters with real depth, or thoroughly researched tech, you might want to look elsewhere. You're thrown right into the action from the first page, and the pace never lets up. The substance of the story feels paper-thin, but the plot pulls you along quickly enough that you can dance across the ice without breaking through, as long as you don't pause to look down.It does have a number of flaws:I don't know the first thing about guns, the NSA, the CIA, or military satellites, but I still got the feeling all of those elements were a thin veneer designed not to be examined too closely.The main characters were little more than cardboard cutouts. I wanted to know more about Eric Dane besides the fact that he hears voices and has a dog. I stifled a giant yawn when the gorgeous, brilliant, rich, accomplished female lead was introduced. I don't even remember her name, she was such a caricature. Truly deep characters aren't really necessary for a story as action-driven as this one, but it still wouldn't hurt to add a little humanity.As an avid fantasy and science fiction reader, I can easily accept a story reality with psychic powers, beings from other dimensions, and alien technology that's indistinguishable from magic. I'm OK with all that. But once you've created your parameters, they have to apply to the story world just as rigorously as the laws of physics. So when the final plot resolution occurred, which didn't make sense even with all the psychic powers, monsters, etc, it annoyed me.The author creates a really creepy mood in the mystery zone deep in the trackless Cambodian jungle, but I think he actually could have done more with less. Sometimes the mysterious hint of what *might* be a monster just off-stage is scarier than if you put the monster front and center and have it shred someone right in front of the audience. Then you're just devolving into slasher film, and I didn't get the sense that was really the goal of this story. Once the audience has metaphorical gore splattered all over its face, there's nowhere else you can go to heighten the sense of dread... except a bigger, nastier monster.Finally, the writing, which is fine but nothing to rave about to begin with, is marred by really poor editing. The text is strewn with distracting misspellings and grammar errors. There's absolutely no reason for that when there are unemployed English majors standing at traffic lights holding signs reading, "Will edit for food."With all these gripes, why am I still giving it three stars? Because it's just plain fun, and I devoured it, typos and all!

Alle Jahrzehnte wieder kommen gewisse " Schriftsteller-Kreise"auf die Idee ihren Senf zur Atlantis- Legende dazu zu schreiben!Diesen hier habe ich als er raus kam verpasst. An sich nicht schlecht !Schon spannend ..auch die Charaktere nicht uninteressant. Nur kommtmir diese "Frühzeit der Menschheit"-Geschichte wie eine Idee von Holbe undVan Däniken vor. Nicht mehr komisch...

Great read.

J'ai hésité entre trois étoiles et quatre.Bob Mayer nous sert un thriller haletant où il tente de rassembler une série de fait inexpliqués tournant notamment autour du triangle des Bermudes et de l'Atlantide.L'idée n'est pas mauvaise en soi mais cela tourne un peu trop au scénario de film hollywoodien à gros budget avec les héros qui doivent empêcher les méchants (uniquement connus comme "l'ombre dans ce premier tome - il en reste cinq après celui-ci).Il y a aussi quelques bizarreries dans les réactions des personnages dans certaines situations et c'est cela qui m'a décidé à ne mettre que 3 étoiles.

Absolutely loved this series. One to re-read.

I purchased this first book on a whim and really enjoyed it. I purchased the rest of the set based on this book and was not dissapointed. The set kept me occupied while lying by the pool on holiday.Well worth it, particularly for the price.