Review by Ed Homa Archaeologist Nina Wilde is sure that she has found the location of Atlantis, but no one else believes her or will back an expedition for her to find Atlantis. That is, until billionaire Kristian Frost and his daughter Kari finance the exploration. Ex-SAS Eddie Chase comes along to join the fun, acting as bodyguard, and the action begins.
There have been many lost explorers of Atlantis; Nina's own parents lost their lives in search of the lost continent. Nina and Eddie's search take them on a chase around the world, with a secret and powerful organization on their heels that will stop at nothing to keep Nina from succeeding.
How many times have we seen a novel about Atlantis? There are dozens of thrillers on the market dealing with Atlantis in one way or another. Who needs one more book on the subject? I would think that Atlantis in the title would turn away as many readers and publishers as it attracts, but first time author Andy McDermott hits a home run!
The book has been called "epic", and coming in at 514 pages, epic is a good way to describe it. With its travels around the globe and its length it is epic but when the end of the book came I wasn't ready for it to be over. I found the characters to be believable and very likeable.
Two of my favorite writers are James Rollins and Matthew Reilly. The Hunt for Atlantis was somewhere between those two writers. It didn't have as much science and history as Rollins and it didn't have as much all-out action as Reilly, it fit somewhere in the middle. When I read an action/adventure thriller like this, action and adventure take precedence over character development, as in a Hollywood action movie, but McDermott has done a decent job with his characters. Let's not fool ourselves, though; roller coaster action is what is expected from this book, and roller coaster action is what is in the forefront and is delivered.
The Hunt for Atlantis was published in England in 2007 and was quickly followed by three more novel featuring Nina and Eddie. The fifth novel, The Cult of Osiris will be published in England in 2010. The Hunt for Atlantis was finally published in the US on September 29 and the second novel in the series, The Tomb of Hercules will be published here in the US on October 27 of this year. I don't know how the publishing world works and how decisions and deals are made on how and when books are published but run, do not walk to the bookstore to pick up The Hunt for Atlantis by Andy McDermott!
The Hunt for Atlantis, The Tomb of Hercules, The Secret of Excalibur, The Covenant of Genesis, and the Cult of Osiris (2010) are the books in the series by Andy McDermott. The first two are scheduled to be released in the US and if after reading them you can't wait until the others re released here in North America you can find them online at Amazon UK.