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The Lure of Atlantis: Strange Tales from the Sunken Continent
'All about us on the stairs was some of the most exquisite statuary I have ever seen... save for a few pieces carved in the form of some hideous beast, the like of which I have never seen on earth...'
The sunken continent of Atlantis has dwelt in the collective imagination of writers and artists for centuries; a bejewelled paradox bubbling with themes of irrecoverable loss and quixotic faith in its rediscovery. This new anthology collects stories from the vast, yet seldom recognised, vault of Atlantean fiction from the Golden Age of Weird Tales magazine, presented in four core sections, perfect for diving into:
- Atlantis Rediscovered – in which the ruins of ancient Atlantis are found again.
- Atlantis Revisited – tales of Deep Time, in which the descendants of Atlanteans re-live the experiences of ancestors.
- Atlantis Resurrected – in which Atlantis never sunk at all but remains at large in the world.
- Atlantis Reimagined – in which the continent is fertile ground for experiments in Weird Fantasy and beyond.
The sunken continent of Atlantis has dwelt in the collective imagination of writers and artists for centuries; a bejewelled paradox bubbling with themes of irrecoverable loss and quixotic faith in its rediscovery. This new anthology collects stories from the vast, yet seldom recognised, vault of Atlantean fiction from the Golden Age of Weird Tales magazine, presented in four core sections, perfect for diving into:
- Atlantis Rediscovered – in which the ruins of ancient Atlantis are found again.
- Atlantis Revisited – tales of Deep Time, in which the descendants of Atlanteans re-live the experiences of ancestors.
- Atlantis Resurrected – in which Atlantis never sunk at all but remains at large in the world.
- Atlantis Reimagined – in which the continent is fertile ground for experiments in Weird Fantasy and beyond.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 17, 2024
Another in the Tales of the Weird series from the British Library. The theme is Atlantis and this is by far the weakest collection in the series. Plato has a lot to answer for! Unfortunately here the dividing line between weird and silly is rather frequently crossed.
There are ten short stories in this one: well nine and an extract from Verne’s twenty thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It’s split into four sections: Atlantis Rediscovered, Atlantis Revisited, Atlantis Resurrected and Atlantis Reimagined.
Apart from the Verne there are stories from H P Lovecraft, Donald Wandrei, Henry Kuttner, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Howard, Edmond Hamilton, Frances Bragg Middleton, Joel Martin Nichols Jr and finally Will Smith and R J Robbins.
Again the standard is variable. The Lovecraft contains some very unpleasant anti-German tropes. There are a couple which recall past lives. Nothing really stood out. A couple reminded me of Dungeons and Dragons. Not as engaging as previous books in the series.
There are ten short stories in this one: well nine and an extract from Verne’s twenty thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It’s split into four sections: Atlantis Rediscovered, Atlantis Revisited, Atlantis Resurrected and Atlantis Reimagined.
Apart from the Verne there are stories from H P Lovecraft, Donald Wandrei, Henry Kuttner, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Howard, Edmond Hamilton, Frances Bragg Middleton, Joel Martin Nichols Jr and finally Will Smith and R J Robbins.
Again the standard is variable. The Lovecraft contains some very unpleasant anti-German tropes. There are a couple which recall past lives. Nothing really stood out. A couple reminded me of Dungeons and Dragons. Not as engaging as previous books in the series.
January 27, 2024
2.5☆
Well, this was one of my less favourite entries in the series. I read it for completionist purposes'; however, Michael Wheatley's excellent introduction managed to get me truly excited for the theme since it promised a creative approach to selecting the stories. But, unfortunately, the stories themselves did not quite deliver.
It maybe that this time around I kept notes while reading but this ended up feeling like one of the entires with, um, more outdated views. It really prompted me to consider how much of an ample ground a legendary lost civilisation like Atlantis is for some pretty white-supremacy leaning views, even when they may be presented more subtly.
Then, a lot of the short stories also seemed to have very uncomfortable views towards women, too. And let's not forget the surprising amount of main characters features that were German soldiers from WWI. As I said, perhaps the theme itself unfortunately really lends itself to these kind of topics, and the books do come with a preface that outdated attitudes may be present. But this time I feel like it really got in the way of my enjoyment of the stories.
Most interesting entries: "Under the N-Ray" by WIll SMith & R. J. Robbins, "The Lives of Alred Kramer" by Frances Braggy Middleton, "Child of Atlantis" by Edmond Hamilton.
Well, this was one of my less favourite entries in the series. I read it for completionist purposes'; however, Michael Wheatley's excellent introduction managed to get me truly excited for the theme since it promised a creative approach to selecting the stories. But, unfortunately, the stories themselves did not quite deliver.
It maybe that this time around I kept notes while reading but this ended up feeling like one of the entires with, um, more outdated views. It really prompted me to consider how much of an ample ground a legendary lost civilisation like Atlantis is for some pretty white-supremacy leaning views, even when they may be presented more subtly.
Then, a lot of the short stories also seemed to have very uncomfortable views towards women, too. And let's not forget the surprising amount of main characters features that were German soldiers from WWI. As I said, perhaps the theme itself unfortunately really lends itself to these kind of topics, and the books do come with a preface that outdated attitudes may be present. But this time I feel like it really got in the way of my enjoyment of the stories.
Most interesting entries: "Under the N-Ray" by WIll SMith & R. J. Robbins, "The Lives of Alred Kramer" by Frances Braggy Middleton, "Child of Atlantis" by Edmond Hamilton.
January 8, 2025
Not a fan of some stories
Others were charming
That's what I usually find with British library books. Some stand outs, some duds
Others were charming
That's what I usually find with British library books. Some stand outs, some duds
October 18, 2023
Interesting little collection of stories loosely centered around the Atlantis theme. Definitely scratches the itch for the weird - some of the stories are mysterious, some are horrifying...and the final one basically reads like a D&D adventure! Not all of them are equally enjoyable (not sure I'm a fan of Lovecraft after this) but overall, it's an excellent way of sampling different styles of stories around this alluring theme of Atlantis.
Also, read this at leisure whilst in covid isolation/recovery, found it relaxing to be able to just read a story or perhaps just half every evening when tired and not quite up to a full on novel, definitely would like to explore more of the "Tales of the weird" series.
Also, read this at leisure whilst in covid isolation/recovery, found it relaxing to be able to just read a story or perhaps just half every evening when tired and not quite up to a full on novel, definitely would like to explore more of the "Tales of the weird" series.
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March 20, 2026I need to read 20,000 leagues under the sea. Also, this was my very first taste of Lovecraft and it was genuinely chilling - definitely one of the standouts from this collection.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews