Atlan

Atlan #2

by Jane Gaskell

St. Martin's Press, 1977. American hardcover with dustjacket, reprint. Depending on how you count, this is either the 2nd 3rd book in a series (the first was republished as two separate novels after the initial appearance). So we'll call this Book 3 in the 5-book "Atlan / Cija" cycle. Set in prehistoric South America and in the mythical world of Atlantis. The books in the series "The Serpent (1963); "The Dragon" (1963); "Atlan" (1965); "The City" (1966); and "Some Summer Lands" (1977).

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Literature, Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Science Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Gaskell was born Jane Gaskell Denvil on 7 July 1941, in Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, England (previously in the county of Lancashire). She is the great grandniece of the Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. Her first novel, Strange Evil, was written when she was 14-years-old (published two years later, in 1957). In 1963 Gaskell married truck driver Gerald Lynch; and in 1965 their daughter, Lucy Emma, was born. (Their marriage ended in divorce in 1968.)

In 1970 she received the Somerset Maugham Award for her novel A Sweet, Sweet Summer.

China Miéville lists Strange Evil as one of the top 10 examples of weird fiction.

Wikipedia®

Reviews

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I have a problem. I am ALSO in love with Emperor Zerd.

[Richard Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keeps you reading. Extravagant, bizarre style.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take Edgar Rice Burrough's Tarzan, H. Rider Haggard's Lost Civilizations and John Norman's Gor and as your heroine princess raised to believe she's divine and men are extinct and you have the world of the Atlan Saga. Atlan, the second in the trilogy (or third, given Serpent is sometimes split into two works), continues the perils of Princess Cija, who falls into the clutches of Sedili, the first wife of her lover Zerd, a man-serpent general. Cija does grow on you, which given these are supposed to be her diaries is important, and this is my favorite of the books narrated by her. (Her much smarter daughter Seka takes over in Some Summer Lands.) Sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit I've read these, let alone these are favorites that have been on my bookshelves since my teens, but there you are. Addictive like crack. Or just crack pot.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

And at long last Cija's travels have brought her to Atlan (separately from, but simultaneously with, the ravaging armies and General Zerd) and ... complications ensue, not least from the fact that Atlan proper has a bit of a mystical or occult tinge to it, and does not take well to foreign would-be conquerors on its soil.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second in a trilogy. I picked all three up at once from the used book store on a whim. I read the first part some time ago, and wasn't all that excited by it, but I can't seem to stop part way, so I finally started this one. It's either much better than the first part, or I was just in a foul mood or something when I read the other one. At any rate, I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than the first. Still a little uneven and jumpy in spots, but I'm not dreading the last part like I was this one.

[Christina Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book I believe was entertaining. It is the second installment of the atlan series. This books goes deep within the country atlan and its mythical creatures it also gives chia children and she is more of an adult than a clueless child. She is still hit with hardships and it’s sad to read that the poor girl never gets a break. I enjoy reading this book and now I am on to the next one.

[Garick Cooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both Gaskell's enormous talent and her annoying bad habits are on full display here, which makes for a sloppy, kitchen-sink narrative. A disciplined editor could have molded this into something special, but why bother? Atlan appears to have been written in haste to follow up the success of The Serpent. Disappointing, but probably still worth a read for its considerable good points.

[Lynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, at this point I'm not sure I care about the main character anymore. I'm far more interested in her children. I hope their stories come out more in the next book.

[Pollymoore3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cija's complicated love life produces two children... And her amazing, horrible, beautiful adventures continue.