Free E-book: Raising Atlantis by Thomas Greanias

[spaze]

Old post but what a heck. Downloaded this ebook when this post was created but never got to reading until now. I am really enjoying this book and let me tell you, I have only read few books in my whole life. never got excited about reading novels but this book is awesome, can't wait to get a free moment in time to continue reading it

[dickon25]

I've just spotted this thread because of Spaze's post bringing it back to the top again. I downloaded the ebook then went to amazon.co.uk to read the synopsis and reviews. The first review says this:

"I got all the way through this book thinking it was very familiar. Then on turning the last page I found out why. Stel Pavlou had sold his original story to the publishers of this book who have essentially just rewritten his (badly!)

Forget this book and buy the original - Decipher by Stel Pavlou. I've read it three times now and still find it gripping."

How very strange. Are they implying that Stel Pavlou sold his book to Thomas Greanias who then carved it up and re-published under a different title?

[spaze]

I don't care about other book that might have the same plot. How many books are there on Bermuda Triangle or Aliens coming to conquer the planet earth? I see nothing wrong with different visions of multiple authors of a same subject.

[crich70]

I looked it up and Decipher is available for the Kindle. Not free but not too expensive either.
http://www.amazon.com/Decipher-ebook...8669040&sr=1-1

[Mrgauth]

Thought this plot sounded familiar. I read Pavlou's book. I agree. I could not read this again. Decent enough but not worth a second pass.

[spaze]

Wow, if people are really this picky about little details, then I recommend you never go to movies

[koland]

Does that mean I shouldn't read it, having either (a) seen a similar movie or (b) read a similar book decades ago?

Just to muddy the waters, here's another Atlantis on sale for 99 cents:

ATLANTIS, by Greg Donegan, Robert Doherty and Bob Mayer

Book Description
By NY Times Bestselling Author Bob Mayer writing as Robert Doherty (author of the bestselling Area 51 series)

Over 1,000,000 copies sold! Amazon Hot 100 in print. Amazon Top 10 in Thriller.

“Spell-binding! Will keep you on the edge of your seat. Call it techno-thriller, call it science fiction, call it just terrific story-telling.” Terry Brooks, #1 NY Times Bestselling author of the Shannara series and Star Wars Phantom Menace

What if the Shadow that destroyed Atlantis 10,000 years ago, comes back to threaten our present world?

A war beyond time. An enemy beyond space. A thriller beyond your wildest dreams. Three areas on the Earth’s surface defy explanation: the Bermuda Triangle, the Devil’s Sea of Japan, and a small region of Cambodia. Inside these realms, planes have disappeared, ships have vanished, and, in Cambodia, an entire civilization has been lost leaving behind Angkor Wat.

In 1945, Training Flight 19 disappears in the Bermuda Triangle.
In 1963, the USS Thresher, a nuclear submarine, is lost under unusual circumstances, part of a secret government investigation into mysterious gates.
Near the end of of the Vietnam War, Green Beret Eric Dane led a team of operatives deep into Cambodia and encountered a strange fog near the legendary city of Angkor Kol Ker. His entire team disappears, attacked by strange creatures out of the fog. Only Dane survives to return.

Now a plane goes down. In the same area Dane lost his team. He’s called back. To find out who is the darkness behind these gates to our planet. What does this Shadow force want? It is a threat that will take on the world’s greatest military forces and defeat them. A power that will overwhelm our science and technology. A merciless enemy that will lead Dane—and the whole planet—into the final desperate battle for survival.

If you enjoyed LOST, you’ll love this book and be amazed at the similarities in concept (although this book was published before Lost).

[dickon25]

Does that mean I shouldn't read it, having either (a) seen a similar movie or (b) read a similar book decades ago?

No, of course not. I read lots of similar themed books; I choose them because I like the theme!

I haven't yet read Raising Atlantis but the point the amazon reviewer seems to make is that this is the exact same book as 'Decipher', but under a different title and author. I haven't read that either, but if true, that is an entirely different thing to a new book on an existing theme.

[koland]

Originally Posted by dickon25

I haven't yet read Raising Atlantis but the point the amazon reviewer seems to make is that this is the exact same book as 'Decipher', but under a different title and author. I haven't read that either, but if true, that is an entirely different thing to a new book on an existing theme.

If it is "the same" book, there was a lot of editing, since the locations/actions in the descriptions don't line up. In order of publication

ATLANTIS - Greg Donegan/Bob Mayer
Decipher - Stel Pavlou
Raising Atlantis: Thomas Greanias

All have 3 regions of the earth (power of number three -- I think we can go back beyond cuneiform for source of this one). All mention Atlantis in the title (rip-off of many previous, obviously).

ATLANTIS - the Bermuda Triangle, the Devil’s Sea of Japan, and a small region of Cambodia.

Decipher - Antartica, the Amazon River and an underground chamber beneath the Sphinx.

Raising Atlantis - Antarctica, Peru, Rome/Vatican

Last two have a monument created by aliens (can we say 2001, anyone?), first has "an enemy beyond space"

ATLANTIS - man finds artifact older than earth, fights aliens, battles for survival
Decipher - aliens hiding new energy sources on earth, they turn on to form a network (presumably to broadcast to outer space); tries to tie together Atlantis, prophecies of the mayans, the Book of Revelations,
Raising Atlantis - focused on religion/prophecies, looks mostly at catholic/christian from the description

Decipher gets ripped to pieces on dialogue and ridiculous science, in the critical reviews. Raising Atlantis gets the same in the reader reviews. Interestingly enough, on reader compared it to Area 51, written by Bob Mayer (who wrote Atlantis).

As to publication order, one commenter said "RAISING ATLANTIS came out as an e-book before both Cussler's ATLANTIS FOUND, which is another excellent thriller, and Steve Pavlou's DECIPHER, which is not. " Which leaves the question of who was first a little muddier.

Of the three, only Bob Mayer's doesn't have a slew of 1-star reviews (reading which is possibly more entertaining than reading either of the other two). One good thing that came from resurrecting this old thread ... it reminded me that I had Atlantis Found on my TBR list, so maybe I'll read it instead ...

[dickon25]

Koland, you are clearly the resident Atlantis expert and I bow to your greater knowledge!! The Clive Cussler is one I have read and it's a 'ripping good yarn', like all Cussler's books.
Raising Atlantis is next on my TBR list - still working my way through The Evolutionary Void by Peter Hamilton, so Atlantis will be a nice change of scene!

[tech_au]

I finished reading the trilogy of Atlantis ebooks by Thomas Greanias about a year ago and its a pretty good story.
There are plenty of novels about Atlantis. I guess it make a good adventure feature plot

[AprilHare]

Thanks!
The sweepstakes appears to be over however.