The newly released archaeology thriller The Atlantis Code, anonymously penned by Charles Brokaw who is a pseudonym for some famous author, academic, scholar, was a tremendous disappointment. I’ve always been entranced with the Atlantis myth and usually enjoy all the various twists that authors of this genre are able to concoct around this ever-fascinating lost world. Unfortunately, Atlantis Code didn’t offer up anything out of the ordinary.
The premise of this suspense novel revolves around a world renowned archaeologist and linguist named Thomas Lourds. While excavating in Egypt for the lost library of Alexandria, he is shown a mysterious ceramic bell with inscriptions in an ancient language he has never seen before. Unable to find any documentation, he contacts an associate in Russia, who has also found an ancient ceramic musical instrument, a cymbal with the same elusive markings. When the Russian scientist turns up dead with the cymbal stolen, and when Lourds himself is attacked and his bell gone as well, all hell breaks loose as he slowly learns these two musical instruments, along with three others, are the key to the archaeological find of all time, the location of Atlantis.
Other key players that tag along with Lourds on his hunt for answers are a beautiful Russian police woman who is the sister of the Russian scientist seeking revenge, and a pair of young television journalists seeking the story of a life-time. The police woman has the personality of a pit-bull, both journalists are naïve, immature and clueless. I felt throughout the entire book that this motley crew added nothing to the story and felt they often were annoying with their bickering and immaturity. The Russian policewoman offers some humorous entertainment but on the whole, I couldn’t find anything really redeeming in any of the characters. Lourds himself is quite the Robert Langdon rip off. He is so close to Dan Brown’s character that they could be twins. The jacket blurb touted that Lourds’ character was “Indiana Jones without the whip” but I’m sorry to say that I found Lourds so far from Indiana it wasn’t funny. He is lifeless, naïve, boring, and impetuous to the point one thinks that for a professor he is just not too bright. Lourds is a womanizer, a bit of a wimp, self absorbed, and a character devoid of a likeable personality.
The writing style of the author is talented, his command of the language reveals he has written other books of some kind. However, the plot is very mediocre, nothing new, and lacked innovation. There are hundreds of these archaeology thrillers being penned now and I felt the Atlantis Code was severely formulaic and predictable, ending with an anti-climactic finale. As most of these stories go; archaeologist finds relic that is a key to a lost artifact of myth, bad guys and the Vatican both want this item and will kill to get it, archaeologist is tracked and hunted, many chase scenes abound, puzzles and codes to decipher, wonders are found, etc.etc. The Atlantis Code follows this formula outline to the max and offers no surprises, deviation or creativity. If you are reader who is new to this genre, then for sure you will enjoy this action ride. But, if you have read many others in this theme of art/history/religion/artifact hunting thrillers, my guess is you will feel as I do, that this is just average and mildly entertaining.
The ending too was a tremendous let down. The author’s presentation of what Atlantis was, and his religious attachment to it was odd. In addition, without giving you details that would be considered a spoiler, the meaning of what is found is not 100% revealed to us at the story’s end which just added to my not so positive experience and opinion.
For those of you who love this genre, and crave a creative new twist that shows ingenuity and talent, I strongly suggest reading Terence Lee’s Time Camera. Better than The Da Vinci Code and offers a story you will not forget. It’s a cut above all the rest at a time when these archaeology novels are being written by the hundreds each year. I just can’t say that about The Atlantis Code.