Book Review--The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw

This is a book unashamedly and unapologetically in the "DaVinci Code" genre. I love these books but I love them for a couple of specific reasons:

• Education. You get to learn a lot. They're full of cutting-edge science, puzzles, mysteries and journeys through new and different locales.
• Escape. You can let all your cares and woes fly away while you're wrapped up in the exciting adventure and characters.

Sadly, this book was sparse on both counts. There's little to learn that hasn't been seen before. We all know the Vatican has deep, dark (fictional) secrets that it hides from the world. We all know that (fictional) power struggles within the Vatican result in tremendous strife and, often, loss of life. We know that earth-shaking (fictional) secrets are hidden deep within layers of arcana. And we all know that Harvard professors (at least the ones in the more obscure fields like symbology and ancient linguistics) are extraordinarily brilliant and, when faced with danger, they reluctantly become heroes of the first water.

So, we already know most of what The Atlantis Code has to offer. At least I already knew all this. But I'm jaded--I've read dozens of books in this genre. There was little new here. But was The Atlantis Code a good escape? Sadly, no. It was hard to get lost in (and these books should be easy to get lost in). The plot twists were predictable--or, at best, predictably unpredictable--and most of the characters were one-dimensional. If you are just starting out in your journey in this genre this might be an interesting book. For just about everyone else, though, leave it on the shelf. There are a lot more interesting escapist thriller reads available.

The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw ISBN 978-0-7653-1531-1 Published 2009 by Trident Media Group, LLC