Man from Atlantis

Man from Atlantis #1

by Richard Woodley

Vintage TV tie-in paperback

Genres: Science Fiction, Media Tie In, Fantasy, Fiction

204 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1977

Reviews

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

As TV tie-in novels go, This first Man from Atlantis novel is actually pretty good. It covers the story of the first pilot movie. A body is found barely alive on the beach. He is taken to emergency, where the baffled doctors are failing to save him until Dr. Elizabeth Merill arrives and realises that he is more fish than man. She takes him into the ocean and he instantly recovers. She names our John Doe Mark Harris, and computer analysis indicates he may be the last survivor of Atlantis. Having amnesia, he has a lot of questions and remains with Merill's Oceanic research centre. The Navy want to make use of him, and while initially reluctant Mark agrees to investigate a missing sub that has one of Dr. Merill's friends aboard. He discovers a secret underwater sea base worth of a bond Villain, presided over by the insane Schubert who wants to blow up the world.

The writing isn't bad, and this adds in some extra conversations & scientific dialogue which I found deepened my understanding of diving & underwater exploration. It's a little lite on emotion and character, but considering the 'alien' nature of Mark and the fact that he has Amnesia, that didn't bother me too much. For a tie in novel I thought this was a lot better than many other books of its ilk out there.

[Gr1972 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 out of 5

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the UK edition of The Man From Atlantis #1 -The novelization of the first pilot movie. There is no difference in text, this just has a different cover and title - seakill.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just old enough to have watched the Man From Atlantis on TV and read the Marvel Comics tie-in. I've had it for awhile and didn't open it at first in case it spoiled a few childhood memories; fortunately, that wasn't the case. I really enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane with this book.

TV tie-in aside, the writing holds up. The author stayed away from geo-politics and current trends at the time of he wrote it. At the time of the Cold War, the Russians are simply referred to as the Russians, as are other nations. It defies pigeonholing the book into any particular era and it could have been written today with just a few changes in the technological terminology.

If you're a fan of the TV show or just want to read a good undersea adventure novel, pick it up.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Man from Atlantis (otherwise known as Mark Harris, the water-man, the dolphin-man, and/or Bobby Ewing) is the first homo aquatis, the next step up the evolutionary ladder. The future of mankind is not on land, he says, but below the water. "When man learns how to breathe water he will become more than human."

[bluetyson]

isbn,original

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread December 1978.