The Hunt for Atlantis by Andy McDermott
What would adventure writers ever do if Spielberg hadn’t come up with Indiana Jones? How many authors in the genre have been forced to move away from the cold war battles popular in the late 20th century to either fighting terrorism or finding lost treasure? Matthew Reilly is certainly a member of the archaeology club, and now so is Andy McDermott.
Atlantis…mythological city destroyed hundreds of years before ancient Greeks wrote about it. But it never really went away. Everyone knows the story about this ancient city built on an island that disappeared forever. The Stargate team believe that the ancient race inhabiting this city built a space ship and now they can be found in another galaxy. McDermott puts forward a case that the ancients knew their city was about to be destroyed and so they built two duplicate cities, one in the east and one in the west. Unfortunately the cities died out as the Atlantians mingled with the native populations in these places.
But today a wealthy multi-billionaire is looking for the descendents of the ancient race, and for the cities the ancestors built. Money is no object. Nina Wilde is an archaeologist specialising in Atlantis mythology and she thinks she knows where the city is. But what university is going to give her a research grant? And then there is the Brotherhood… a medieval order sworn to protect the secret of Atlantis.
OK, so the plot is not original. For a first novel, it is probably a good idea to stick to a proven storyline. But the action is all there. Reading this is a lot like seeing a Die Hard movie for the first time. Just when you draw breath, another helicopter arrives. Explosives rule. Helicopters never manage to stay in the air and boats never keep floating. And then just when you think it is all over, the good guys turn bad.
I was reading until far too late last night, or should I say this morning. McDermott has also set up a plausible scenario for a whole series of Nina Wilde/Eddie Chase adventures. According to his website The Tomb of Hercules will be available in May. What do you say Buzz Editor? When do I get my copy?
