Il sigillo della nuova Atlantide

Conrad Yeats Adventure #2

by Thomas Greanias

14 dicembre 1799. Poco prima di morire, George Washington affida ai meandri del tempo una profezia cruciale, un segreto che dovrà rimanere tale fino a che i tempi non saranno maturi. Un segreto inestricabilmente legato alla città che doveva chiamarsi Georgetown e che invece si chiama... Washington, oggi. Conrad Yeats ha vissuto avventure straordinarie e rivelato misteri sepolti da millenni. L'ultima cosa che si aspetta è che sia proprio il funerale del padre adottivo a presentare un nuovo e apparentemente inesplicabile enigma. Ed è solo con l'aiuto di Suor Serena Serghetti, la linguista del Vaticano di cui è perdutamente quanto vanamente innamorato, che potrà decifrare il codice iscritto sulla pietra tombale del padre, il primo di una serie di indizi che puntano tutti verso un luogo preciso: Washington. Una città costruita secondo precisi criteri di allineamento astronomico, studiati per rivelare il contenuto di un'antica profezia in una certa data. Yeats dovrà rischiare il tutto per tutto per giungere alla soluzione perché ormai il tempo è mortalmente prossimo alla scadenza. Forze oscure, potenti ed estremamente organizzate attendono questo momento da secoli e non si fermeranno davanti a niente per piegare gli eventi al loro volere, per sciogliere l'ultimo sigillo che porterà al sorgere di una Nuova Atlantide... Chi è il misterioso "Astrologo" della profezia? Chi è l'unica persona che può sperare di sventare in tempo il complotto?

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Adventure, Mystery, Historical Fiction, Action, Suspense

342 pages, Hardcover

First published January 10, 2008

About the author

No. 1 Amazon, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of seven international thrillers, including Raising Atlantis, The Atlantis Prophecy, The Atlantis Revelation, The Promised War, The 34th Degree, The War Cloud and The Chiron Confession.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of many books that have sprung up since the success of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code." I think in this case the author has also read "Angels and Demons" by the same author. He has then taken themes from both books to "create" his own. Thus we have good looking male scholar/adventurer, expert at cracking codes, running around a capital city (in this case Washington D.C rather than Paris or Rome) with an equally good looking and equally intelligent female helper, searching for an equally important bit of "treasure" which could be buried anywhere....but not to worry, there have been plenty of clues left to figure it out by a dying man who wants to keep the secret alive. Throw in a sprinkling of secret societies (Opus wotsit) higher authorities (The Vatican) secret passageways (but in this case they have their own police section patrolling them.....) and various references to Illuminati, The Knights Templar, etc, etc.



In other words, it's not overly original. It also doesn't seem to have very much to do with Atlantis, although I think it follows on from his first book which I perhaps now need to read, since there are a number of references to it (Raising Atlantis.)



For all that, I quite enjoyed it really...

[Mia Boloz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was so intricate and I became engulfed in the plot almost immediately. However, this is the second book in a series but I did not read the first book and I still completely understood the storyline. I loved the action and how conflicted I felt as the reader being scared of Conrad but also rooting for him at the same time. I loved how narrowly he escaped from the police but how he always seemed to get out of it and make a quick getaway. I found it so interesting how easy it came to Conrad to break into the Library of Congress and the US Capitol. I additionally loved the underlying ties to Atlantis and astrology because I love ancient myths like those; especially the story of the Atlanteans. This book was amazing!!!

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has adventure, intrigue, action, suspense, misdirection, information?, emotions and a few twists and turns. Great for the lazy-day read or just for passing time. Written well, time consuming and attention grabbing. It's like Tomb Raider meets National Treasure. (Maybe a little Indiana Jones thrown in too.) Enjoy!

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far I am not thinking too much of this series. A bit of excitement with a lot of potential, however I am feeling let down. The author is all over the place with theories and whatever is convenient to pull the story along at the time. Conrad Yeats who is disgraced as a professional always manages to know someone or have a skill that will pull out every life threatening situation he's in, which is ever other chapter. Then there's Nun Serena who can fly a chopper, kick some butt, knows everything about history, science archeology, religion, politics etc she's out saving the world from evil "Alignment", saving Conrad and is amazingly beautiful and irresistible to men. Yeah that's believable. Not sure how many nun, cruise around with a bodyguard/chauffeur, wearing Armani suits and have private jets at their disposal.

Another disappointment, not expecting too much of the final book.

[Mojca · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of history-based thrillers and I bought this book in the airport in Cancun simply because I liked the blurb. It appeared just the right mix of history and adventure with a pinch of romance thrown in.

I never fall asleep with a book in my hands, but this one worked like magic. The intricate twists and turns of the plot, enemies turning into friends and vice-versa lulled me into the embrace of Morpheus when they should've kept me at the edge of my seat.

The blurb promises a bang that the book just doesn't deliver.

[Carlos Mock · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Atlantis Prophecy (Conrad Yeats Adventure #2) by Thomas Greanias Large Print Edition

"The General had once told him that more than a century ago the hill was called Rome and the Potomac the Tiber, because the property owner, a man called Francis Pope, had a dream that one day a great empire to rival ancient Rome would rise on these banks." p 20

"Science and technology have advanced more rapidly than the ability of politicians and generals to grasp their implications." p 452

"As he suspected all along, the star map mirrored key landmarks on the ground." p 132

This is a stand-alone book. You don't need to read the first of the series to enjoy it.

In a burial ceremony at Arlington Cementer, Conrad Yeats's father is being interred. On his tombstone, Yeats - who happens to be an astro-archaeologist - realizes there is a secret code written on it. It deals with Washington DC being built on a triangle that was in alignment with the stars. The White House was aligned to the star Arcturus in the constellation Boöts, the US Capitol to the star Regulus in the constellation Leo, and The Washington Monument to the star Spica in the constellation Virgo.

The tombstone had an encrypted message that needed to be decoded. Yeats asks 31 y/o nun and linguist, Serena Serghetti, for help. They had an adventure in book one of the series and Yeats still has feelings for her - but she's married to the Church.

Yeats discovers in his father's tombstone the key to a centuries-old warning built into the very design of Washington, D.C. As the major monuments along the National Mall are astronomically aligned and are about to "lock" with the stars at a date foreseen by the Founding Fathers - which happens to be July 4th, 2008 - five days away. Along with Serena, which has secrets of her own, Yeats explores the hidden world beneath the capital in a deadly race to save it. America has a date with destiny, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

Narrated from the third person point of view, this is a well-researched, fast-paced, hard-to-put-down thriller. The characters are real and come out of the page - including the villain, Max Seavers, a 30 y/o head of DARPA - Defense Advance Research Projects Agency, head of a huge biotech conglomerate, and leader of The Alignment whose purpose is to destroy the United States of America.

Unfortunately - Mr. Greanias tends to go on tangents that come out of nowhere and make the plot less realistic each time he adds another theory. There are too many secondary characters that take away from the principal actors.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed it very much and do recommend it.

[Darren Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, beginning to end.

Whereas I gave the previous book in this trilogy 4 stars with caveats, this one has fully earned all four stars. This book was far more entertaining than its predecessor by leaps and bounds. The writing was better, the pacing was WAY better and the overall story was even more so.

That being said, it is not perfect. As you read this book, each page is packed with information and intrigue but if you look back on it after you finish it, you realize just how over the top the whole plot is. The leaps in logic and guesswork based on stars and symbols forms a plot that would be impossible in real life. Anyone who set in motion a plot this convoluted couldn't possibly have expected for it to be followed correctly and solved...but I didn't really care. I recognize that fact and just as quickly discard it because the book was so much fun.

The author also scored points by taking the book in a different direction altogether from the first book. It was not simply a rehash of the first but an entirely new twist on Atlantis. Sort of, anyway. Atlantis has very little to do with this book in the way that I had hoped but I was still happy with the resolution.

This book also sets up a bigger world for the characters to play in as well as setting up a future novel(s). And yes, if you feel like you have already watched this book in movie form, then you are probably referring to Nicolas Cage's National Treasure...and I still don't care. It was just too darn fun.

[Henri Moreaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following on from Raising Atlantis, The Atlantis Prophecy sees Conrad Yeats racing around Washington DC following up leads from the past in an attempt to derail a conspiracy dating back to the formation of the United States and George Washington himself. In a way it reminds me of the Nicholas Cage movie National Treasure, it has a similar level of action and adventure with a similar romp through famous Washington monuments.

In terms of the book itself, the author has certainly refined his writing since the first installment with this entry in the trilogy being of a much better consistency and pace than Raising Atlantis. The ending whilst setting up for a third installment is also not so jagged that you couldn't merely read this book as a stand alone.

I enjoyed it.

[Norma Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally wasn't impressed with the first book I've read by this author. Between Dan Brown and others writing on this type of topic, Mr. Greanias' work was windy with plot twists without preamble--they just all of a sudden happened without smooth transitions. The hero and heroine were stunning, of course, and they managed to just be beyond the bad guys' grasp several times. There was a secret treasure that several were looking for at the same time, which was basically the plot. Greanias IS prolific to say the least. Maybe he sharpened his writing up on subsequent books like Dan Brown did.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here’s what. It’s not the worst read but it’s definitely not great. I swear it was initially pitched at something of a Clive Cussler plot. It’s absolutely not anything remotely close. I didn’t read book one of this series and there’s a great deal of reference to that book. The whole Atlantis concept is all but a couple off lines but has no real basis in this story. There’s not much to character development throughout the book. It starts off decently enough but sort of falls apart along the way. Things just happen to work out for Conrad which makes the story laughable. He stumbles into one solution after another so it doesn’t seem like he’s working for anything. He an almost always gets out of the tough spots which in some cases isn’t plausible. It’s not really adventurous but it’s easy to plow through. I’m not inclined to reach for the next book in the series though.

[Hazel Rainfall · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, Thomas Greanias has succeeded in writing another page turning adventure thriller novel. This installment of the series keeps the reader on the edge of their seat the entire time they are reading. If you love a touch of sci-fi-based-history, barely there (almost non-existent) romance, and lots of action, then this book is for you!
I would suggest this book to anyone above the age of 16.

[Kathy Lies · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I chose this to read, I didn’t realize that it was the second in a series. It kept referring back to things that happened in the first book, but without enough explanation to understand it. The relationship between the main characters is frustrating and not very believable. The book ended with a “get ready for the next book” feeling. I didn’t like it enough to pick up the first one, let alone the last.

[Gossymotto · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting concept, but a little bit corny for me. The characters are a too cliche and the scenes are not descriptive enough for what's going on. I was finding it hard to visualize some of the scenes. Still, it's what I have to read at the moment and it's interesting enough for me to continue with the next story in this trilogy. Maybe the if I had read the first installment this book might have been more appealing to me.

[Juan Pablo Manzur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compré este año hace aproximadamente 10 años en una feria del libro, en la parte de saldos. Postergue la lectura todos estos años. Nobleza obliga: no le tenía nada de fe y me sorprendió para bien. Muy dinámico, aunque muy pretensioso, lo encontré muy parecido al Código Da Vinci. Vale la pena, te atrapa todo el tiempo.

Vi que es una trilogía así que me pondré en campaña para conseguir los otros 2 libros.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read.

Just book red fast good plot. Well, written plot kept the reader thinking with easy to follow the plot. But the plot was a different one than what normal books like this have no real conclusion. No real connection to Atlanta, but a very good book, do you enjoy it?

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the second book in a series but I did not read the first book and I still completely understood the storyline. I loved the action.
This has adventure, intrigue, action, suspense, misdirection, information?, emotions and a few twists and turns. Great for the lazy-day read or just for passing time. Written well, time consuming and attention grabbing.

[Andrés · Rating 1 out of 5]

El libro continua la tónica ya vista con el primero; misterio, enigmas y sociedades secretas inundan las páginas y en momentos llega a convencer y lo disfrutas realmente, pero en otros momentos el libro se hace predecible y no sale de la zona de confort.

[Shweta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good read in the Conrad Yeats series. Picking up four years after the previous book, the writing style of this book is also reminiscent of early Dan Brown. A whirlwind of the book, it spans across a few days and comes to a pretty satisfying ending. Definitely eager to finish the series now.

[Ani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estuve enganchada hasta el final, muy buena idea y bien desarrollado.. pero un final a los apurones. Una de las reseñas decía que el autor" había llegado a hacerle sombra a Dan Brown". En mi opinión.. el estilo es similar.. pero sombra.. ni ahí..

De todas formas, lo recomiendo.

[Bruce Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atlantis lost Atlantis found?

A well told story. A little tough to follow the intricacies, but that’s likely intentional. The lost city of Atlantis has yet to be found. Will it ever?

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 3 out of 5]

was an ok second book, still was not fond of the characters, wish they were a little more interesting

[Amy Phelps · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. I think I expected more out of it. It is the second book in a series and it may have made more sense if I had read the first book. I don’t think I will read anymore of them though

[Aja Allsop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read most of this on holiday,i have about a little way to go and up to know it's been a superb read.

[julie mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel

Normally sequels are never as good as the first but this kept me turning the pages even when I knew I should put the book down and go to bed.

[Nisus · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s so similar to Dan Brown that I’d consider a law suit if I were the latter.

[Bas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ik vond het te langdradig en ingewikkeld.

[Nicolee Canales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro que me mantuvo enganchada desde el primer momento, tiene una trama interesante, enigmas que atrapan al espectador, un libro bastante completo con un final que me dan ganas de seguir leyendo.

[El Reino de Nohada · Rating 2 out of 5]

No me ha gustado.

[Cary Babcock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly devised. Conspiratorial thriller with a lack of originality. Easy read. Bland, flat characters.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good on the second reading. These characters and stories are fun.