The Atlantis Gene: A Thriller (The Origin Mystery, Book 1) Kindle Edition

I typically don't read end of days books but this one was definitely interesting Written in 2013 it was about plagues killing millions of humans. This plague was orchestrated by a Chinese Science company. Sound familiar? In 2020 it was called COVID. Several other monster diseases have appeared since this book was written- Ebola, Avian flu even a resurgence of measles.The story here is entertaining thu sometimes keeping track of the characters is confusing. A good read as fiction, especially in light of today's facts.

I would actually give this book three and a half stars, since there are a few issues that need to be addressed.First, the good stuff, though.I found myself unable to really put the book down once it got to the meat of the story. In fact, I spent several nights up reading until I fell asleep with the book in my hand. If there's one thing the author can do, it's lead though through a tale. I don't like the description 'page-turner,' because that's what all books are, if you think about it. But I definitely found myself getting through it faster than some of the more drab books I've read. Once I figured out who the main characters were, I was really enamored with them.But I do have a couple issues. It's easier to talk about the bad than the good. Rest assured that despite what I say next, I very much recommend this book. The following is a critique for the author.Spoilers will follow:My first issue is that the main characters were not introduced solidly early enough in the story. Kate might have been a main character, but she's also surrounded by other people who equally could have had focus. Then, there's Josh, who I began to care about because he got so much detail in his description. I really thought David was a secondary character only meant to further the plot - imagine my surprise when Josh was unceremoniously killed, and David grew in stature, plot-wise. This is very confusing and might makes for some discontent among readers.If you look at authors like Crichton and Rowling (just as two popular examples) you'll see that you immediately know who your main characters are. This is important because it shows your readers who to follow most closely. If David and Kate were main characters, it should have been addressed much earlier.Other characters were introduced too late in the book to seem like they should have had any great importance. Suddenly, Kate gets a journal and finds her father... Who ended up writing the journal. If the journal was an important plot point, it should have been introduced in the first section of the book in some way, so that it foreshadowed the location of its author. There are other issues with timing and the like. And really, not every book has to be written to a formula, but in general, use the first 1/4 of your book to set things up, used the second to lead to the climax, use the third for the climax, and use the fourth as resolution.Another thing I noticed was that you repeated the same scientific information a lot. Mostly, this centered around the other hominids that were wiped out, and that the Toba Volcano nearly destroyed humans. I can recall three specific times this was repeated, and it's unnecessary. I think I would recommend that if one character runs into another, and they want to explain something, you can find another way to do it without spelling it out each time. Here's a lazy example off the top of my head:"As she explained to David earlier, Kate summarized her knowledge of the early humanoids to _______."Done. Easily and neatly, without repeating it for readers who already know the story.Lastly, this was the biggest disappointment for me: You never revealed the Atlanteans.And this normally wouldn't be a problem if they hadn't appeared at all in the book, but your characters saw them, and you very purposely left out their physical description. You are careful to describe everything else your character sees, except the mysterious race that's central to your story. Several times, it's mentioned that they are there in the tubes, surrounded by a mist. Once, Konrad even says something to his son about them, that's both waved off and lost when Konrad is killed. Giving your readers a tiny glimpse into their appearance would have done wonders for the story. Again, because your characters saw the Atlanteans, they should have provided a meta description of them.I will be purchasing the next book, though. Can't wait to read more!

Not sure where this book is going. The editing is spot on. However, the gaps in the story, for the sake of “tension” I’m sure, left more than enough room for some inevitable questions and no forthcoming answers. In other words, conflict and confusion but not the good kind. Although I’ve invested some time in reading this first book I’m going to have to do some serious thinking before continuing. I’ve read better thriller/scifi. Also, for the authors benefit although 12 yrs too late, your romance talent sucks. And I read this book to preface reading some more current literary wonders; they may have to stay on my List, forever.

Mr. Riddle has done it again. The characters are absolutely 3-dimensional, the depth of their stories make them as familiar as Mom's house.Oh, and there's a lot of action too! I'm so looking forward to the next book.

Plato Might Have Been RightBy Bob GelmsThe Atlantis Gene by A. G. Riddle started out as a throw away, a book I’d intended to read for grins but not necessarily review here at 365ink. Very quickly it turned into the 900-pound gorilla in my living room. I was about 50 pages into it when I started to get the feeling that this wasn’t a throw away anymore. This book was very well written and contained some interesting ideas. I did a little research and, low and behold, what did I find? The Atlantis Gene is the first book in A.G. Riddle's bestselling Origin Mystery trilogy, which has sold over one million copies, is being translated into eighteen languages, and is in development to be a major motion picture! Yes, well, I just found my next review.Judging by the title, you can assume it has something or other to do with the lost city of Atlantis. You would be correct. Most of the information that has come down to us from antiquity regarding Atlantis is contained in the writings of Plato: it is on an island just west of the Pillars of Hercules, circular in design, populated by beautiful people who were way ahead of their time with regard to scientific advances, literature and drama. The whole island was sunk under a massive tidal wave. Turns out Atlantis stands a pretty good chance of having actually existed. The proof for that statement is contained in the book.It seems about 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens almost went extinct. There were other hominids in existence during that time and judging from the fossil record there might have been four or five all together including Neanderthals, Homo sapiens and one or two other species with very small populations. You’ll discover how Homo sapiens survived when the others did not.The origin of human life on earth has been a topic of interest since time immemorial. Our evolution from hunter gatherers relying totally on instinct to those who could logically think about and solve a problem, design, make and use tools, and manage to keep the forces of nature reasonably at bay might have happened on purpose and not just with the cumbersome and time-consuming efforts of evolution. Enter the Atlantis Gene. Where did it come from? Is it still embedded in our DNA? Can we use it for other things?Dr. Kate Warner and David Vale are thrown together to find out if these things are real. Along the way they discover an ancient, clandestine organization, the Immari Corporation, which has been keeping some of these secrets from getting out to mainstream science for thousands of years. The Immari Corporation thinks they have found a way to juice-up evolution so humanity, at least a very small portion of humanity, a select few, will be able to take another great leap forward just like Homo sapiens did after coming close to extinction. It is verifiable that the human population dropped to between 1,000 individuals and 10,000 mating pairs after the Toba volcanic event 70,000 years ago. We, all of us on Earth, are related to that population of Homo sapiens.Kate and David encounter the Immari Corporation, Nazis, ancient conspiracies, worldwide genetic experiments, and many nasty people who keep trying to kill them. Everything is not as it seems. There is a whole lot going on in this book. The Atlantis Gene has big ideas and the plot and complex characters to pull it all off. The writing is top notch for a techno/thriller and moves very rapidly along. It never gets bogged down.If you are looking for a thriller with some bold ideas about the origin of humanity, the origin of religion and how evolution might have worked, The Atlantis Gene by A. G. Riddle should be right up your DNA.