Title: The Lost Code (The Atlanteans #1)
Author: Kevin Emerson
Release date: May 21, 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen
Pages: 435
Source: Publisher
WHAT IS OLDEST WILL BE NEW, WHAT IS LOST SHALL BE FOUND.
The ozone is ravaged, ocean levels have risen, and the sun is a daily enemy. But global climate change is not something new in the Earth’s history.
No one will know this better than less-than-ordinary Owen Parker, who is about to discover that he is the descendant of a highly advanced ancient race—a race that took their technology too far and almost destroyed the Earth in the process.
Now it is Owen’s turn to make right in his world what went wrong thousands of years ago. If Owen can unlock the lost code in his very genes, he may rediscover the forgotten knowledge of his ancestry…and that less-than-ordinary can evolve into extraordinary.
The Lost Code is so not your typical dystopian. With a unique world all it’s own, Atlantean mythology, and characters that stick with you, this book stands out among the rest.
The world of The Lost Code is a very realistic dystopian world. It takes place after something called The Rise that has made the climate almost unlivable. There are Eden domes that protect from most of the elements but not everyone can live in the domes. Outside the domes people live underground to escape the radiation. However other sicknesses still abound even underground. Inside the domes people aren’t completely protected but they have longer life expectancies. However everyone inside the domes are under the rule of Eden Corp and they aren’t up to anything good.
Owen is an outsider but he was selected to receive a scholarship to Eden Camp. He’s one of the few kids not used to the ever watchful eyes of Eden Corp. He’s a watchful guy who can tell when something isn’t right. He’s protective of his new friends, awkward around his new maybe-girlfriend, and loyal to a fault. He’s a very easy character to like and want to read about. His friends, Lilly, Evan, Aliah, and Marco are also pretty great (most of the time.) Lilly is confident, strong, and brave but she has a girly side. Evan clearly has some feelings for Lilly so he’s not always nice to Owen but he pulls through when they need him. Aliah and Marco are an adorable couple but they don’t play a huge role in this book. Hopefully there will be more of them in the sequel.
The villain is pretty easy to spot from the beginning. He really wasn’t all that scary of a guy until you get to the end. Then you see just how far he’s willing to go for the cause and he’s terrifying. He should be a pretty awesome rival in the sequel since he’s willing to do pretty much anything to find Atlantis.
And now onto the good part: Atlantis! There isn’t a ton of Atlantean mythology in The Lost Code but what there is is awesome. Kevin Emerson’s take on what might have happened to Atlantis is unique and interesting. There are a ton of books featuring mythology lately but so far no other Atlantis stories. It’s so refreshing to read something new.
As for the pacing it does start off a little slow but it wasn’t slow enough to make me want to stop reading. In fact I read probably the first 200 pages in one sitting. It was super fascinating and while it wasn’t full of action it was interesting enough to hook me. And the last 100 pages were pulse-pounding!
Overall, The Lost Code is a strong start to The Atlanteans series. Kevin Emerson is an author to watch for!
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The Lost Code (The Atlanteans #1)
I’m so happy to hear that you really liked this one!! I’m definitely going to be picking it up now. I’ve never read an Atlantean mythology book before, so now I’m definitely looking forward to read this book. The characters all also sound really likable, which is important to me in a book! Lovely review, Katie. <3 I look forward to picking this one up now!
-Aneeqah @ My Not So Real Life
I’m glad to hear this one is amazing! I’ve heard good and bad things about this one, so I really don’t know if I should read it or not. But I do like that it isn’t the typical dystopian. THAT may just get me to pick this one up.
great review!
I tried reading The Lost Code but found the first 200 pages too tedious and slow. By the time I reached the end, I was too bored to be fully enraptured by the really exciting 100 pages. It was obvious that these 100 pages were full of action packed and epic, but I just couldn’t handle it.
I agree though, the Atlantis mythology was awesome.
I’m so glad that you loved this book! I’ve read some kind of negative reviews about this book, which disappointed me because I was SO looking forward to reading it. There is hope! I have a copy on my shelf waiting to be read 🙂 Can’t wait! It’s so cool to find an Atlantis book.
I’m glad that you liked it so much! I’ve been reading a lot of negative reviews and those made me sad, because I really looked forward to this one. Atlantis is fascinating, so perhaps.. I’ll give it a try thanks to you!
Want to know something funny that I figured out with books? Some of my favorite books have started off pretty slow in the beginning, but once they picked up I couldn’t put them down. And those last few pages were full of action that made your heart pound. This book seems like one of those books.
Prior to stumbling upon this review, I have never even heard of this book before. I’m so mad that I haven’t. I personally feel like I’d adore it and it now has a spot on my TBR list. I immediately thought of the movie Atlantis while I was reading your review. The whole advanced technology that could have destroyed the world type thing… If you haven’t seen that cartoon movie, I highly suggest you check it out!
I’m so excited I found this book. I am definitely going to order it soon!
I love the sound of Owen! He seems like an authentic teen guy, and I like that he’s a good guy but also is awkward and unsure.
The world seems totally different from the ones usually in these kinds of books. It’s awesome it focused on what happens after climate change changes the world.
Lovely review 🙂