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When the Sky Fell In Search of Atlantis
Did Atlantis really exsist? If so,where was it,and what happened to it? Inspired by the theory that at various stages in prehistory the earths crust shifted dramatically,causing violent earthquakes,tidal waves,devastating climatic changes,the authors examine the clues as to the location of Atlantis entrusted to Plato by Egyptian priests,the extraordinary similarities between myths from around the world,and ancient and amazingly accurate maps of South America and ice free Antarctica that date long before the first European explorers ever reached those shores.They conclude that a civilisation of highly intelligent seafarers did exists some twelve thousand years ago,but was destroy ed,by a geological disaster,leaving only a few survivors to safeguard its relicsand legends for posterity.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
June 11, 2018
The subject of the lost continent of Atlantis has always fascinated me.
The author posits that by researching ancient maps that Atlantis is now the ice covered continent of Antarctica.
The author posits that by researching ancient maps that Atlantis is now the ice covered continent of Antarctica.
June 20, 2009
Do you know what the Ice Age, Stonehenge, the temple of Machu Picchu, the Sphinx, and Plato have in common? Neither did I. All of them offer up clues to the existence of the lost city of Atlantis, and all are carefully dissected and analyzed by the Flem-Aths in this new book on that very topic.
To begin with, I wasn't even aware that the jury was still out on Atlantis; I thought the votes had been tabulated and a resounding "Uh-uh" was recorded. But apparently, scholarly debate continues to this very day. One of the scholars at the forefront of the debate was Charles Hapgood, whose work was supported by Albert Einstein in his day, and was continued by the Flem-Aths. Hapgood was a professor of anthropology who dabbled in geology and ancient cartography--and that's some dabbling! He theorized that around 12,000 years ago the earth underwent a sudden and violent upheaval which caused earthquakes, eruptions of volcanoes, and massive, world-wide flooding. The cause and/or result of this upheaval was a significant planetary crust displacement which shifted the entire outer layer of the earth's crust, causing certain land masses which were in polar locales to move to more temperate areas, such as Canada, and certain ones which were in temperate areas to move to a polar locale, such as Antarctica.
This theory explains many things which modern science can not--the ice age; the sudden, violent change of climate in certain parts of the world; the preservation of animals such as mastodons, which suggests they were caught in a rush of water and exposed to a rapid drop in temperature, because of the lack of decomposition; and such anomalies as why the Sphinx appears to have suffered water erosion. But it is also a theory which has been largely ignored by modern science.
The fact that this is a book that is entirely unscientific is not at issue. This is a case where the authors have set out for evidence to support a certain conclusion, rather than letting facts and observations lead them to a conclusion. The Flem-Aths are not scientists, you see; they are a husband and wife team of librarians. Their specialty is in the collection, cataloguing, and arrangement of documents and facts. What they have done is what librarians have always been famous for: they have united under one "roof" works of palaeoanthropology, geology, cartography, mythology, physics, history (oral and written), geography, and "Atlantology". But in the case of this book, they have gone one step further and made connections between all these works that the individual scientists couldn't and wouldn't make.
And let me assure you that their research was tireless and beyond thorough. The result is this fascinating book which brings the "legend" of the lost city of Atlantis into the realm of possibility. Their conclusion, based on all the sources they have presented, is that the ruins of Atlantis lie under several thousand tons of ice in Antarctica, and that the survivors which fled the island in all directions were pivotal figures in the development of all modern civilizations. And how is that related to Stonehenge? You'll have to read the book, of course.
To begin with, I wasn't even aware that the jury was still out on Atlantis; I thought the votes had been tabulated and a resounding "Uh-uh" was recorded. But apparently, scholarly debate continues to this very day. One of the scholars at the forefront of the debate was Charles Hapgood, whose work was supported by Albert Einstein in his day, and was continued by the Flem-Aths. Hapgood was a professor of anthropology who dabbled in geology and ancient cartography--and that's some dabbling! He theorized that around 12,000 years ago the earth underwent a sudden and violent upheaval which caused earthquakes, eruptions of volcanoes, and massive, world-wide flooding. The cause and/or result of this upheaval was a significant planetary crust displacement which shifted the entire outer layer of the earth's crust, causing certain land masses which were in polar locales to move to more temperate areas, such as Canada, and certain ones which were in temperate areas to move to a polar locale, such as Antarctica.
This theory explains many things which modern science can not--the ice age; the sudden, violent change of climate in certain parts of the world; the preservation of animals such as mastodons, which suggests they were caught in a rush of water and exposed to a rapid drop in temperature, because of the lack of decomposition; and such anomalies as why the Sphinx appears to have suffered water erosion. But it is also a theory which has been largely ignored by modern science.
The fact that this is a book that is entirely unscientific is not at issue. This is a case where the authors have set out for evidence to support a certain conclusion, rather than letting facts and observations lead them to a conclusion. The Flem-Aths are not scientists, you see; they are a husband and wife team of librarians. Their specialty is in the collection, cataloguing, and arrangement of documents and facts. What they have done is what librarians have always been famous for: they have united under one "roof" works of palaeoanthropology, geology, cartography, mythology, physics, history (oral and written), geography, and "Atlantology". But in the case of this book, they have gone one step further and made connections between all these works that the individual scientists couldn't and wouldn't make.
And let me assure you that their research was tireless and beyond thorough. The result is this fascinating book which brings the "legend" of the lost city of Atlantis into the realm of possibility. Their conclusion, based on all the sources they have presented, is that the ruins of Atlantis lie under several thousand tons of ice in Antarctica, and that the survivors which fled the island in all directions were pivotal figures in the development of all modern civilizations. And how is that related to Stonehenge? You'll have to read the book, of course.
November 29, 2013
This book is not one to be read quickly and promptly forgotten.. Instead.. this is truly an investment in yourself.. and the world around you. The author introduces you to some concepts that were fully endorsed and logical to Albert Einstein.. but, due to the academia wall that goes up against anything "different" was not fully explored as it should have been. If you're a young scientist.. and want to broaden your mind.. make sure that you have a copy of this book on your shelves.. to digest AFTER you've completed your doctorate.. THEN.. you can decide yourself... The book resurrects a theory first proposed in 1954 by Charles Hapgood (and endorsed by Albert Einstein)
December 13, 2021
Awesome!
I just absolutley love reading about this subject.
So many possibilities, and so much history.
I just absolutley love reading about this subject.
So many possibilities, and so much history.
December 10, 2009
I always try to keep an open mind about scientific "discoveries" but the ideas and research behind this book fascinated me. I was especially interested that the authors referred to work by Einstein that appeared to corroborate their theories.
January 22, 2011
I read this book and posed the question about his thoughts on my website about 1997.
Not long after my comment that this was a book that should be read, I received an email from
Mr. Flem-Ath. I will say it again this was another one of those great discussion books.
Not long after my comment that this was a book that should be read, I received an email from
Mr. Flem-Ath. I will say it again this was another one of those great discussion books.
January 23, 2023
I want to do a PhD on Antarctica
Read
September 20, 2013The key to a good crackpot book (and I'm using "good" here in the sense that allows a Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme to be good) is that the author's crackpot theory has to be inherently entertaining, or the author has to so diligently or enthusiastically support his theory that he makes it intriguing. When the Sky Fell fails on both counts. The theory -- that 11,000 years ago the civilization of Atlantis thrived on the then-temperate peninsula of Antarctica, until a sudden displacement of the Earth's crust knocked the whole damn continent to the south pole and iced it over -- is geological, and geology is never inherently entertaining. Nor is the author's support for it the least bit intriguing, being in the standard crackpot format of unrelated assumption piled upon unrelated assumption, puffed out with plenty of page-filling, poorly drawn maps.
I will, however, give this book credit for achieving something that I haven't experienced since I was a middle-schooloer gorging on Stephen King stories. After reading it before bed one night, I turned off the light, with the creepy dust jacket photo and utterly terrifying name of Rand Flem-Ath turning over in my head. I briefly lain in the dark filled with fear that he and his wife Rose Flem-Ath were lurking behind my back just out in the hallway, poised to leap from the black and abduct me into some sort of moon cult.
Anyway, that didn't happen, so fuck this book.
I will, however, give this book credit for achieving something that I haven't experienced since I was a middle-schooloer gorging on Stephen King stories. After reading it before bed one night, I turned off the light, with the creepy dust jacket photo and utterly terrifying name of Rand Flem-Ath turning over in my head. I briefly lain in the dark filled with fear that he and his wife Rose Flem-Ath were lurking behind my back just out in the hallway, poised to leap from the black and abduct me into some sort of moon cult.
Anyway, that didn't happen, so fuck this book.
May 12, 2024
To be fair, I’ve been hooked since fingerprints of the gods by Graham Hancock, but wowza, this book had some stunning revelations I’d not seen put together, I’m 100% a believer, and can’t believe science isn't all over this like a rash…. Someone give this book to Elon Musk it needs someone with deep pockets to go find it. My thanks to James Rollins who mentioned this book as reference to his fictional work, so glad he did, been trying to get a copy of hapgoods original for some time, but this was great. I want to know more now how crust shift could happen, this isn’t covered here…granted very unlikely to occur in the near future, but I want to know the why it happened, now I’m convinced it did.
October 20, 2023
Oh. This was a fun one.
My hobby is weird archaeology and this checks all the boxes (except the ancient alien one, I don’t do ancient aliens)
This is my favorite weird theory about Atlantis… so bonus points for that. And no one can confirm that Antarctica didn’t have a civilization at some point in time….because, ice caps, frigid temperatures and isolated locations.
Authors Rand and Rose Flem-Ath dive into ancient legends, linguistic and cultural history and mythology knitting together a theory of bizarre fun. And he keeps the readers entertained and engaged.
Yes, it’s odd science. But science is supposed to ask questions and scientists are supposed to find answers.
Is it plausible?
Again… no one’s looked for an ancient civilization in Antarctica.
Does it get bonus points for fun?
Yes. This is well written and full of interesting information. It’s one of the few books I’ve read that looks at the stories of ancient peoples and suggests that they point back to a collective memory and digs into that concept as a key for finding Atlantis. I do love tracking stories and listening to the folklore and oral history traditions of cultures is vital for understanding them. (It’s the ancient version of quoting movie lines.)
Does it raise interesting questions that need to be addressed?
Absolutely.
Is this a serious history?
If you want that go somewhere else. But it’s Atlantis, so finding a serious history on the topic is challenging. Dr. Michael Heiser gave it a good treatment in his FringePop321 YouTube series, and that’s my best resource on a topic of scholarly Atlantis.
My hobby is weird archaeology and this checks all the boxes (except the ancient alien one, I don’t do ancient aliens)
This is my favorite weird theory about Atlantis… so bonus points for that. And no one can confirm that Antarctica didn’t have a civilization at some point in time….because, ice caps, frigid temperatures and isolated locations.
Authors Rand and Rose Flem-Ath dive into ancient legends, linguistic and cultural history and mythology knitting together a theory of bizarre fun. And he keeps the readers entertained and engaged.
Yes, it’s odd science. But science is supposed to ask questions and scientists are supposed to find answers.
Is it plausible?
Again… no one’s looked for an ancient civilization in Antarctica.
Does it get bonus points for fun?
Yes. This is well written and full of interesting information. It’s one of the few books I’ve read that looks at the stories of ancient peoples and suggests that they point back to a collective memory and digs into that concept as a key for finding Atlantis. I do love tracking stories and listening to the folklore and oral history traditions of cultures is vital for understanding them. (It’s the ancient version of quoting movie lines.)
Does it raise interesting questions that need to be addressed?
Absolutely.
Is this a serious history?
If you want that go somewhere else. But it’s Atlantis, so finding a serious history on the topic is challenging. Dr. Michael Heiser gave it a good treatment in his FringePop321 YouTube series, and that’s my best resource on a topic of scholarly Atlantis.
April 22, 2024
The more I read about the subject the more I'm convinced that human civilization as we know it is descended from a far more ancient, advanced civilization that some people call Atlantis. The book is well-researched and brought to light for me some fascinating facts about our world and its archaeological, anthropological, geological, mythological, climatic, etc. histories.
I understand that earth-crust displacement theory has been largely debunked (even though Einstein was a supporter), but you have to read this book with the understanding that it was written 30 years ago, and so I can see that the authors did an excellent job of following the evidence where it led them at the time.
In 2024 we know that there was without question a major cataclysm around 12,000 years ago, but that it was more likely a series of impacts from comet debris, not a shifting of the earth's crust, that would have wiped out an advanced civilization, not to mention all the wolly mammoths in Siberia.
Either way I'm impressed with what they did here, and the book is a great addition the body of work seeking answers about humanity's lost past.
I understand that earth-crust displacement theory has been largely debunked (even though Einstein was a supporter), but you have to read this book with the understanding that it was written 30 years ago, and so I can see that the authors did an excellent job of following the evidence where it led them at the time.
In 2024 we know that there was without question a major cataclysm around 12,000 years ago, but that it was more likely a series of impacts from comet debris, not a shifting of the earth's crust, that would have wiped out an advanced civilization, not to mention all the wolly mammoths in Siberia.
Either way I'm impressed with what they did here, and the book is a great addition the body of work seeking answers about humanity's lost past.
June 8, 2024
Excellent presentation of facts about ancient civilizations
This book is a very easy read and powerfully presents the case for a drastic revision of thinking on what caused the ice ages. It explains and how the catastrophic shifting of the earth’s crust is the most logical explanation for how fossils of trees are found in Antarctica and beds of seashells on high mountains. It points to evidence that an advanced civilization once occupied Antarctica 10,000 years BCE when it was located in a temperate climate and the very real possibility that ruins of a great city lie beneath the two mile thick ice now covering that continent. Atlantis of “mythology” may be that city.
This book is a very easy read and powerfully presents the case for a drastic revision of thinking on what caused the ice ages. It explains and how the catastrophic shifting of the earth’s crust is the most logical explanation for how fossils of trees are found in Antarctica and beds of seashells on high mountains. It points to evidence that an advanced civilization once occupied Antarctica 10,000 years BCE when it was located in a temperate climate and the very real possibility that ruins of a great city lie beneath the two mile thick ice now covering that continent. Atlantis of “mythology” may be that city.
March 29, 2023
In a recipe of food for thought, the Flem-Aths add Charles Hapgood’s theories of earth-crust displacement to the search for Atlantis, creating the hypothesis that the iced-over continent of Antarctica is the lost ancient civilization. Their holistic approach utilizes multiple disciplines, so don’t expect this to be a purely scientific discussion. Click below for full review--including problems with the theory.
https://thatladywhoreadsalot.wordpres...
https://thatladywhoreadsalot.wordpres...
December 13, 2024
Great Read
The theories presented are well supported. Well we need now is a person of exploration with the wealth and connections to begin the proper and respectful exploration into lesser Antarctica and prove the theory. The presented arguments are well informed and i continue to find the possibilities presented intriguing and think they well eventually be proven, hopefully with the next few decades.
The theories presented are well supported. Well we need now is a person of exploration with the wealth and connections to begin the proper and respectful exploration into lesser Antarctica and prove the theory. The presented arguments are well informed and i continue to find the possibilities presented intriguing and think they well eventually be proven, hopefully with the next few decades.
January 28, 2021
An incredibly well-made argument for challenging history as we know it. The exploration of finding the most popular, mythical ancient civilization through cartography, agriculture, mythical and archaeological patterns throughout the world. This is an excellent book for anyone looking to find an easy way back to history while being well-cited. Bravo. I now want to go to Antarctica.
August 3, 2018
Thought provoking. Exciting book.
September 19, 2020
Worth reading. Finally a theses that makes sense and has enough scientific support to make it worth while further exploration.
February 4, 2022
Great book with historical, mythical, and scientific proof the Earth's crust has shifted many times.
August 22, 2023
Five stars ten times over.. Hat tip to Rose and Rand, thank you for writing it and the work it took... My goodness, this is so tremendous that I am reading it a second time.
June 21, 2025
I grabbed this book because it was a standalone. Interesting read, kept me engaged, and had me feeling the feels.
Overall. Probably more like a 3.75 than a 3, but not quite a 4.
Overall. Probably more like a 3.75 than a 3, but not quite a 4.
August 3, 2025
Documentato. Dettagliato. Leggendario
September 12, 2020
Some interesting facts, less so with the ideas. They have done half the research... enough to come to some interesting conclusions about some things, and some presumptive conclusions about others. What often happens in these books is that some decent research is done, and some good points made, but then the authors get a bit carried away, the research principles slip, and soon they are making propositions, looking for evidence to support it, and finding some, and going off on one about their new theory. Have they forgotten how to conduct a scientific investigation? (The answer is 'yes'.) you must also look for evidence to refute your claim, and just evidence in general, and then reformulate. Without the checks, it is worthless. Sorry.
I like the information about the starting locations of agriculture, and think that 'might' point towards the conclusions drawn. But i would need a whole heap of evidence more than that presented here for such a conclusion.
I like the information about the starting locations of agriculture, and think that 'might' point towards the conclusions drawn. But i would need a whole heap of evidence more than that presented here for such a conclusion.
June 17, 2020
Very compelling. It thoroughly held my attention. Rand and Rose really open your mind to an alternative theory on how the world has changed. The evidence was hard to dispute, but I understand that the authors do take some liberties in the name of 'painting a good picture'. Even with that one criticism, I wouldn't be surprised if there ends up being some truth to these words. If you're a fan of Graham Hancock, or are open to alternative theories on climate and geography, then I highly recommend this book.
January 23, 2016
Surprisingly well written in terms of craft, and also laid out quite logically. But, ironically, the hard science here isn't much better than Ignatius Donnelly's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanti...). It's an appealing fantasy, but as a tool for making up your mind, it doesn't break the Quackery barrier.
May 21, 2016
Il libro presenta l'interessante e convincente teoria che situerebbe il continente perduto di Atlantide in Antartide, adducendo come spiegazione varie deduzioni archeologiche, mitologiche, climatiche e storiche. Purtroppo, solo quando la situazione climatica e politica contingente permetterà di effettuare ricerche in loco, si potranno eventualmente trovare le prove di quanto ipotizzato nel libro.
June 22, 2013
Interesting theory that says the city of Atlanits may have been in the Antarctic peninsula 12,000 years ago. They may be right.
November 2, 2025
Atlantis located in Antarctica? Highly original theory backed by some compelling evidence. Map illustrations could be better
September 2, 2017
(found read date in diary)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews