Atlantis

I'm pretty sure I've reviewed this before, but it's worth mentioning again, and I did reread it. I love this book! It's the first book I read in what I would call the 'archaeological thriller' genre, and it's probably why I love that genre. Whether or not anyone else agrees that genre exists is another matter, but still. It has a brilliant historical plot underlying the main narrative, an underlying current of discovery just verging on occurring. The underwater scenes inside the citadel of Atlantis are vivid and stunning, as is the description of the mountain top sanctuary. The historical backdrop is believable and interesting, and the technical detail is there without being too obtrusive and all consuming. There are fun gadgets which enable things to work, but they're within the realms of plausibility too. But what makes the quest for the lost city of Atlantis all the more exciting is the fact that modern day artefact thieves are interested in the site too. And as it lies underwater, outside the jurisdiction of any nation in particular, the archaeological team are on their own. David Gibbins creates tension remarkably well. A showdown in a nuclear submarine, explosions, dramatic escapes... They turn Atlantis from a wildly speculative bit of random fiction into a brilliant 'archaeological thriller', laden with excitement both in discovery and in the attempts to protect that discovery and fight against corruption and to save friends. A brilliant book, I'd highly recommend it.