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Lost World #1
They Found Atlantis
It is 1943, World War II, and secret agent Gregory Sallust is parachuted into Nazi Germany. In the company of an ex-Bolshevik General named Stefan Kuporovitch, the two of them join forces with the widow of a German diplomat who is in contact with Allied Intelligence. It is through her that Gregory becomes unwillingly involved with a Black Magician and when, 16 months later, they meet again, each decides to use occult forces in an attempt to destroy Hitler once and for all.... Dennis Yates Wheatley (1897—1977) was an English author whose prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's bestselling writers from the 1930s through the 1960s. His Gregory Sallust series was one of the main inspirations for Ian Fleming's James Bond stories. Born in South London, he was the eldest of three children of an upper-middle-class family, the owners of Wheatley & Son of Mayfair, a wine business. He admitted to little aptitude for schooling, and was expelled from Dulwich College. Soon after his expulsion Wheatley became a British Merchant Navy officer cadet on the training ship HMS Worcester . During the Second World War, Wheatley was a member of the London Controlling Section, which secretly coordinated strategic military deception and cover plans. His literary talents gained him employment with planning staffs for the War Office. He wrote numerous papers for the War Office, including suggestions for dealing with a German invasion of Britain. Dennis Wheatley died on 11th November 1977. During his life he wrote over 70 books and sold over 50 million copies.
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First published January 1, 1936
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About the author
Dennis Wheatley
385 books248 followersDennis Yates Wheatley (8 January 1897 – 10 November 1977) [Born: Dennis Yeats Wheatley] was an English author. His prolific output of stylish thrillers and occult novels made him one of the world's best-selling authors in the 1950s and 1960s.
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
His first book, Three Inquisitive People, was not immediately published; but his first published novel, The Forbidden Territory, was an immediate success when published in 1933, being reprinted seven times in seven weeks.
He wrote adventure stories, with many books in a series of linked works. His plots covered the French Revolution (Roger Brook Series), Satanism (Duc de Richleau), World War II (Gregory Sallust) and espionage (Julian Day).
In the thirties, he conceived a series of whodunit mysteries, presented as case files, with testimonies, letters, pieces of evidence such as hairs or pills. The reader had to go through the evidence to solve the mystery before unsealing the last pages of the file, which gave the answer. Four of these 'Crime Dossiers' were published: Murder Off Miami, Who Killed Robert Prentice, The Malinsay Massacre, and Herewith The Clues.
In the 1960s his publishers were selling a million copies of his books per year. A small number of his books were made into films by Hammer, of which the best known is The Devil Rides Out (book 1934, film 1968). His writing is very descriptive and in many works he manages to introduce his characters into real events while meeting real people. For example, in the Roger Brook series the main character involves himself with Napoleon, and Joséphine whilst being a spy for the Prime Minister William Pitt. Similarly, in the Gregory Sallust series, Sallust shares an evening meal with Hermann Göring.
He also wrote non-fiction works, including accounts of the Russian Revolution and King Charles II, and his autobiography. He was considered an authority on the supernatural, satanism, the practice of exorcism, and black magic, to all of which he was hostile. During his study of the paranormal, though, he joined the Ghost Club.
From 1974 through 1977 he edited a series of 45 paperback reprints for the British publisher Sphere under the heading "The Dennis Wheatley Library of the Occult", selecting the titles and writing short introductions for each book. This series included both occult-themed novels by the likes of Bram Stoker and Aleister Crowley and non-fiction works on magic, occultism, and divination by authors such as the Theosophist H. P. Blavatsky, the historian Maurice Magre, the magician Isaac Bonewits, and the palm-reader Cheiro.
Two weeks before his death in November 1977, Wheatley received conditional absolution from his old friend Cyril ‘Bobby’ Eastaugh, the Bishop of Peterborough.
His estate library was sold in a catalogue sale by Basil Blackwell's in the 1970s, indicating a thoroughly well-read individual with wide-ranging interests particularly in historical fiction and Europe. His influence has declined, partly due to difficulties in reprinting his works owing to copyright problems.
Fifty-two of Wheatley's novels were published posthumously in a set by Heron Books UK. More recently, in April 2008 Dennis Wheatley's literary estate was acquired by media company Chorion.
He invented a number of board games including Invasion.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 3, 2021
A surprisingly good adventure story. I'd never read much Wheatley, as I'm not a horror fan, but I thought I'd try this one for my late father.
It begins poorly but soon becomes more interesting as various plot developments unfold. It's much better than I expected with more twists to than I expected. The episode with "Kate" could easily have been the climax of a lesser adventure. There's even reasonable character development of several characters.
There are some really questionable moments though, such as mass slaughter, which don't sit quite right with sympathetic lead characters.
Nevertheless, there is a lot about ancient mythology and deep sea diving, which are fairly comprehensive and provide a good refresher and you'll probably learn from.
The author's opinions are however too evident, which lets it down a bit. From the assumption of the natural superiority of the upper class, to the more relatable dislike of crooners. I think it's fair to say Wheatley really, really hated crooners.
Excellent in parts, good generally but tedious in some passages.
It begins poorly but soon becomes more interesting as various plot developments unfold. It's much better than I expected with more twists to than I expected. The episode with "Kate" could easily have been the climax of a lesser adventure. There's even reasonable character development of several characters.
There are some really questionable moments though, such as mass slaughter, which don't sit quite right with sympathetic lead characters.
Nevertheless, there is a lot about ancient mythology and deep sea diving, which are fairly comprehensive and provide a good refresher and you'll probably learn from.
The author's opinions are however too evident, which lets it down a bit. From the assumption of the natural superiority of the upper class, to the more relatable dislike of crooners. I think it's fair to say Wheatley really, really hated crooners.
Excellent in parts, good generally but tedious in some passages.
January 5, 2022
I loved this book, but have to caveat my review with a warning that it is a tad dated. I loved all the good characters and distinctly disliked the baddies. Wheatley is, I think, better known for his books involving Satanism and black magic but this is a gorgeous adventure romp, involving heiresses, princes, learned counts and gruff men of the sea, as well as some seriously nasty villains and some extremely advanced and cultured Atlanteans, the title gave that away so I do not consider it a spoiler. There are a few monsters and Wheatley's grimmer side is in evidence as well as his somewhat low opinion of the majority of the human race I think. All in all, if you fancy a bit of escapism that is well written for its day, a really good read.
October 24, 2021
Undersea adventure.
I have been a fan of Dennis Wheatley for many years, but never read this book. Not too dated to enjoy the fantastic adventure and characterisation. Laborious early on but fully deserving five stars by the end.There
I have been a fan of Dennis Wheatley for many years, but never read this book. Not too dated to enjoy the fantastic adventure and characterisation. Laborious early on but fully deserving five stars by the end.There
August 4, 2023
You can't even call this a fantasy book but I will call it a very mature fantasy story.
It is quite adult in every sense. And the writing is exceptional. I just put it down and the last 20 pages had me sweating and aching to find out what will happen. So much tension at the end. A German doctor obtains a submersible craft capable of being lowered to a depth near 1km underwater. Although that depth has not been tested yet.
The tale of Atlantis and his deep knowledge of the myth convinces a group of people including a very wealthy heiress and her sister who are sought after by three eager men, to follow him on a voyage to The Azores in search of a fabled ancient city called Atlantis.
Things are going well but very slow as no sign of the place can be found but all who travel below are stunned by the beauty and mystery of the sea. They encounter strange deep sea fish, sharks swim by the small view screen, a large squid and on the way back up something stranger than all swims past the viewing window. It was man shaped but quite horrible to look at.
They fail to witness that particular species of underwater creature again but were glad to have seen it. This is handled in such a mature way which I appreciated reading.
That night one of the crew wakes up to find men pointing guns at him and forcing him out of his cabin to meet a man who wants to speak to the heiress on board.
Suddenly the book takes a new turn as they run into these criminals who threaten their lives and are told they have only one week to finish their search before they are to be left stranded on a rocky island.
A bit of action takes place and the travellers end up stranded on the sea bed with no chance of escape or return to the surface.
They are suddenly blown away with a strange tide and end up crash landing in a cavern still under the deep sea where they fight to survive again the horrible creatures they saw while in complete darkness.
Mysterious rock formations show them they have found the sunken city which first took them there. And tired and hungry they manage to find their way along paths which after time reveal a small dull light in the distance. They approach only to see a garden of sorts, lust green and beautiful plants and flowers and then suddenly a man appears on the other side of this out of reach garden in the sea. And he speaks to them.
A great tale which kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way. Wonderfuly fleshed out characters I cared about. The writers brings them to life vividly. I love it. It makes me want to find out more about what's hidden under the sea.
It is quite adult in every sense. And the writing is exceptional. I just put it down and the last 20 pages had me sweating and aching to find out what will happen. So much tension at the end. A German doctor obtains a submersible craft capable of being lowered to a depth near 1km underwater. Although that depth has not been tested yet.
The tale of Atlantis and his deep knowledge of the myth convinces a group of people including a very wealthy heiress and her sister who are sought after by three eager men, to follow him on a voyage to The Azores in search of a fabled ancient city called Atlantis.
Things are going well but very slow as no sign of the place can be found but all who travel below are stunned by the beauty and mystery of the sea. They encounter strange deep sea fish, sharks swim by the small view screen, a large squid and on the way back up something stranger than all swims past the viewing window. It was man shaped but quite horrible to look at.
They fail to witness that particular species of underwater creature again but were glad to have seen it. This is handled in such a mature way which I appreciated reading.
That night one of the crew wakes up to find men pointing guns at him and forcing him out of his cabin to meet a man who wants to speak to the heiress on board.
Suddenly the book takes a new turn as they run into these criminals who threaten their lives and are told they have only one week to finish their search before they are to be left stranded on a rocky island.
A bit of action takes place and the travellers end up stranded on the sea bed with no chance of escape or return to the surface.
They are suddenly blown away with a strange tide and end up crash landing in a cavern still under the deep sea where they fight to survive again the horrible creatures they saw while in complete darkness.
Mysterious rock formations show them they have found the sunken city which first took them there. And tired and hungry they manage to find their way along paths which after time reveal a small dull light in the distance. They approach only to see a garden of sorts, lust green and beautiful plants and flowers and then suddenly a man appears on the other side of this out of reach garden in the sea. And he speaks to them.
A great tale which kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way. Wonderfuly fleshed out characters I cared about. The writers brings them to life vividly. I love it. It makes me want to find out more about what's hidden under the sea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 11, 2025
I am a great Dennis Wheatley fan and have now read and have copies of most of his books. I am really enjoying this book, it is a really good ripping yarn and it has characters that have not appeared in his previous novels. The Good Read plot is the not right. Their plot review, I think relates to They Used Dark Forces, so could be misleading if there are Sallust fans out there who are expecting this book to be about him and WWII. The subject of the book is different to his usual novels, but is none the less intriguing. I love the descriptions of the undersea creatures the protagonists encounter as well as the parallel story of intrigue. I have been a bit dubious of buying Wheatley's books which are not in the usual mainstream of his storylines, however, this will encourage me to buy some of the others, I have recently bought The Fabulous Valley and Mayhem in Greece which I am looking forward to reading. Some reviews have said that the style is a bit dated, but, in my opinion this is one of the charms of his writing. I found that through his books I have learnt a lot about both World Wars and even French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars and I have enjoyed the descriptions of the different countries that these stories take place. His descriptive powers are amazing. In my opinion, the stories are paramount and reading books which were written when people's attitudes and values were different should not detract from a master story teller. I find that many modern novels do not have the depth that I am looking for. I haven't yet finished the Atlantis book so will update my review when I have finished it.
January 13, 2023
The plots of many Atlantis novels of the first half of the 20th and late 19th centuries tend to blur in my mind, as they are all so similar. Usually, there is a driven but heckled scientist who arranges an expedition to find said lost world, under or above the ocean – in thid case under. Along tags a rough-hewn hero, a foreign companion, often Russian or Scandinavian (in this case both) and a villainous saboteur. The party may or may not include a damsel – this time it does. Often there is a shipwreck – or as here; a diving bell accident, and our party discover a lost Ancient Greece-style civilisation with a wise and noble ruler who has a beautiful, virginal daughter and who falls in love with one in the party. But there is also a jealous villain, who may or may not be an adviser to the king. Often the heroes become embroiled in a domestic conflict, which may or may not conclude in the destruction of Atlantis.
I read "They Found Atlantis" a couple of years back, and to be honest, can't quite remember which of all these elements were or were not included in the book. I remember I found it derivative but quite entertaining and fairly well-written despite cardboard characters and a terribly bad romance angle.
Prolific British author and conservstive Dennis Wheatley is best known for his occult thrillers, including "The Devil Rides Out", famously filmed by Hammer in 1968. Wheatly shaped much of the 20th century's perceptions of occultism and satanism. But he also dabbled in SF, with one near-future novel, some mad scientist themes and three Lost World novels. Wheatley was one of the world's best-selling authors from the 30s to the 60s. "They Found Atlantis" is a fun romp but not essential SF reading.
I read "They Found Atlantis" a couple of years back, and to be honest, can't quite remember which of all these elements were or were not included in the book. I remember I found it derivative but quite entertaining and fairly well-written despite cardboard characters and a terribly bad romance angle.
Prolific British author and conservstive Dennis Wheatley is best known for his occult thrillers, including "The Devil Rides Out", famously filmed by Hammer in 1968. Wheatly shaped much of the 20th century's perceptions of occultism and satanism. But he also dabbled in SF, with one near-future novel, some mad scientist themes and three Lost World novels. Wheatley was one of the world's best-selling authors from the 30s to the 60s. "They Found Atlantis" is a fun romp but not essential SF reading.
August 27, 2018
I didn't really know what to expect from this not having heard of Dennios Wheatley before but this was brilliantly written and thoroughly enjoyable, even despite the fact that it was a little out of date on the science front. This has two cocmbined storylines, the first is the quest for Atlantis using the newly designed and untested deep sea submersible and the second is the dasterdly plan to steal the Camilla's fortune using a fake death and a newly revised will. This is a beautifully old fashioned story with the typical liberal use of dialogue and characters to drive the story on rather than all out action, a skill that is lacking in modern writing and is one that I personally still rather enjoy. My copy of this book may be falling apart but I am still going to be reading this again.
Read
September 15, 2025Having now read a few Wheatley books, I was fairly prepared to find lots of Britishisms and typical Euro-chauvanism, but this is a pleasingly odd genre novel-- half crime/adventure on the high seas, half lost-world stuff. There's 3-4 painful bits of pseudo-science in the beginning to justify the Atlantis bit, delivered with such steady determination that you can almost hear the Duc de Richelieu's backfilling of required exposition... but the characters here are fun and light and there are some interesting twists up to the end. This is probably more for Wheatley enthusiasts (?!?) and curiosity seekers more than a must-have, but might be a fun diversion for those looking for Lost World type inspiration.
May 1, 2020
This is pretty weak, bordering on rubbish. Having said that I did finish it, so it must have had 'something'.
It's an odd beast though. In particular the mishmash of the search for Atlantis and a pretty much unrelated kidnapping/fraud is very jarring. It did read a bit as if the author had two separate ideas for novels realised they were both too thin to stand alone and rammed them together.
The writing is poor, the characters, not great, and the situations quite unrealistic. Atlantis itself is a bit better, and the novel gets going a bit once the kidnapping plot is disposed of and the adventurers actually find the underwater civilisation, but the end is very predictable.
It's an odd beast though. In particular the mishmash of the search for Atlantis and a pretty much unrelated kidnapping/fraud is very jarring. It did read a bit as if the author had two separate ideas for novels realised they were both too thin to stand alone and rammed them together.
The writing is poor, the characters, not great, and the situations quite unrealistic. Atlantis itself is a bit better, and the novel gets going a bit once the kidnapping plot is disposed of and the adventurers actually find the underwater civilisation, but the end is very predictable.
March 14, 2024
can’t be put down
What a wonderful weaving of fact and fantasy. I have eaten dinner with a lady who says she has contact with Atlantean in Egypt perhaps the author did too. The idea of different planes of heaven repeated more fully in Wheatley’s other books
What a wonderful weaving of fact and fantasy. I have eaten dinner with a lady who says she has contact with Atlantean in Egypt perhaps the author did too. The idea of different planes of heaven repeated more fully in Wheatley’s other books
December 11, 2018
I re read this book every so often. It’s is a great romance and a marvellous adventure. It’s a bit slow going in a few spots but 100% worth the read.
May 27, 2019
Ive finished reading a sensational book. I was able to procure an almost new hard cover edition. When a book is this exciting of a read and it is hard cover, that is the tops.
They Found Atlantis is an adroit (extremely well crafted) piece of fiction based as are many novels on experiences and scientific discoveries.
Dennis Wheatey crafts a fictional story of consummate perfection around the earliest attempts to dive on an area of the Atlantic Ocean near Madiera, called the Azores.
It’s early 1930, and the expedition has a faint chance of success, considering the age of ATLANTIS at 11,000 years yet gone; but the intrepid explorers are subject to a sinister plot embedded in the plan unbeknownst to them at the start.
The pay off is gold, greater than the Aztecs provided Cortez, but the real booty is the heiress, Camilla’s fortune she is likely to lose as a fated victim of a deep-sea diving experiment gone wrong.
Now that I've finished They Found Atlantis, I'm going to tell you that if you read this book or even half (not likely you would stop there) you will be astounded how interesting and moving is this story told in a time when going to the bottom of the ocean was hardly believable. That is exactly where the party of seven intrepid adventurers get to and then they get trapped there. Oh is this story amazing. What they find there and what is there response to being trapped undersea is the last half of this remarkable well told tale by Dennis Wheatley. Careful though you might miss a transition in the story from the submersible to the kingdom paradise they discover, and if you do you will be puzzled how they are alive so long under the sea. Bon Voyage!
They Found Atlantis is an adroit (extremely well crafted) piece of fiction based as are many novels on experiences and scientific discoveries.
Dennis Wheatey crafts a fictional story of consummate perfection around the earliest attempts to dive on an area of the Atlantic Ocean near Madiera, called the Azores.
It’s early 1930, and the expedition has a faint chance of success, considering the age of ATLANTIS at 11,000 years yet gone; but the intrepid explorers are subject to a sinister plot embedded in the plan unbeknownst to them at the start.
The pay off is gold, greater than the Aztecs provided Cortez, but the real booty is the heiress, Camilla’s fortune she is likely to lose as a fated victim of a deep-sea diving experiment gone wrong.
Now that I've finished They Found Atlantis, I'm going to tell you that if you read this book or even half (not likely you would stop there) you will be astounded how interesting and moving is this story told in a time when going to the bottom of the ocean was hardly believable. That is exactly where the party of seven intrepid adventurers get to and then they get trapped there. Oh is this story amazing. What they find there and what is there response to being trapped undersea is the last half of this remarkable well told tale by Dennis Wheatley. Careful though you might miss a transition in the story from the submersible to the kingdom paradise they discover, and if you do you will be puzzled how they are alive so long under the sea. Bon Voyage!
April 17, 2013
Weeeeelll... I struggled with this one a bit. But then I found the way to read it and it wasn't quite so bad. I had to admit that certain sections were completely dull and boring, story lines story utterly redundant, etc. So eventually I just skipped/skimmed paragraphs, while steel keeping track of what's going on, until it got to a more interesting part, then focused for a couple of pages, then skipped a few paragraphs, and so on... It was... not bad. Just okay. Not altogether worthless. Just not exactly a book I would recommend. When they landed in Atlantis, it got a bit more interesting, but after a while also a bit boring. A bad piece of fiction. Some sections could keep me awake and interested, but mostly, it wasn't very good.
December 7, 2010
Yes the characterisations and dialogue are old-fashioned, (what else would you expect from a book of this age and, for that matter, of Dennis Wheatley in general) but there's no denying the pacing and cliff-hangers that keep you reading this fun adventure story. Also impressive was the obvious research Wheatley had done into the various theories of the time concerning Atlantis. I really found those passages interesting.
As long as you are able to make allowances for when it was written, this is a great story and a really good read. One of Wheatley's best in my opinion (even though I generally prefer his black magic stories).
As long as you are able to make allowances for when it was written, this is a great story and a really good read. One of Wheatley's best in my opinion (even though I generally prefer his black magic stories).
February 28, 2015
Novela de aventuras que especula sobre la búsqueda de la Atlántida, sobre la teoría de su ubicación en medio del oceano Atlántico, cerca de las Islas Azores. Resulta muy entretenida e impregnada de ese carácter pulp de la época (años 30). Los personajes resultan arquetípicos pero no dejan de tener todos su interés. En definitiva, un descubrimiento muy interesante de un escritor que si bien gozó de gran fama en su época, y hasta los 60-70 con las adaptaciones de algunas de sun novelas por la Hammer, ahora resulta un tanto olvidado.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2014
The story is neat, the pseudo-history is fun, and as with seemingly most fantasy books it devolves into weird religious stuff by the end. The last third of the book gets a little weird, but it's a fast read, and it is fascinating to see what the imaginations of writers were coming up with 80 years ago. Also, some of the language is hilarious--like an even older and British version of the Hardy Boys.
Want to read
August 9, 2015Wrong cover shown for this edition. Here's the correct one.
February 21, 2016
With the conclusion to this book I have now read the entire collection of Dennis Wheatley published by Heron books. To have finished with this adventure story was absolutely devine.
How I wish a Hollywood producer would pick this one up and turn it into a film.
Loved it!
How I wish a Hollywood producer would pick this one up and turn it into a film.
Loved it!
July 8, 2013
Good till they do not find atlantis, afterwards it is too much fiction to imagine :)
Read
January 9, 2015One of many books from this book club and this author. Not sure when I finished this, but guessing 1973
November 22, 2015
My mother had this exquisite set of red faux-leather bound Dennis Wheatley books.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews