Atlantis

Rating:
Summary: A Laughably Bad Book
Review: There's not much more to be said. The writing is laughably poor and painfully cliched. The plot is incoherent, the premise interesting but poorly researched and executed. A shining example of generic, uninspired fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: A good scary book.
Review: A good scary book, the kind you just can't find. Somewhat hard to follow at first, but stick with it, it is well worth the effort! He get progessively better and the story deepens as evident with his next 2 books in the series. So much so that I pre-ordered the third book before it was published!

Rating:
Summary: A bad example of the genre for a thinking person...
Review: Usually these authors of aliens-among-us books at least try to stick with some established history or use real existing mysteries about our history to build up their plot. Donegan did not even really do that and this seriously detracted from the book for me. It appears that in many cases he did not even do his research or, if he did, decided he was just going to chuck the research and do what he wanted.

Some examples: There is no "Long Tiem" in Laos - not now, nor was there ever. There was also never a location or city in Cambodia called "Angkor Kol Ker" nor is there any legend of this supposed city. Also, Angkor Wat is not part of Angkor Thom (also known as Thommanon) as the author continually states. Also, the author gets even his basic dates wrong for the temples that do actually exist. Khmer architecture reached its height with the construction of Angkor Wat by Suryavarman II (occurring between 1113 and 1150 CE) and Angkor Thom by Jayavarman VII (occurring between 1181 and 1218 CE). Donegan says Angkor Thom was founded in 800 CE, although later in the book he says 802 CE. Either way: completely false. Also, the Khmer Empire is not listed by Chinese sources in the fifth century CE as the author states (at least not definitively). The Khmers (Cambodians) came on the scene in the sixth century CE. There is also no theory (even legendary) about the Khmers coming from the America's in the third millenium BCE as the author states. Finally, Donegan makes it sound as if the Khmer Empire "mysteriously disappeared" in 800 CE. This, too, is patently false. Cambodia, around the 1350s, was repeatedly invaded by Thailand. In 1434 the Thai captured Angkor and dispersed the popluation, while transferring the capital to Phnom Penh. This was pretty much the end of the established Khmer Empire. No mystery there. In fact, if anything it was in about 801 CE that the Khmer Empire began rising to a new power under Jayavarman II after about a century of internal division.

He also seems to get a little confused about the difference between the "Bermuda Triangle" and the "Devil's Sea." At the very beginning he describes the famous Flight 19 disappearing into the Triangle. But one of the protagonists says that the Japanese know the area as the "Devil's Sea." Later he treats the Devil's Sea as a separate area entirely. (This is common on paranormal sites on the Web as well. Some treat the locations as the same, and call it the "Devil's Triangle", and others treat them as different locations.) Granted, this could have just been a misprint.

Another example: the famous Flight 19 over the "Bermuda Triangle" is being led by a man named Lieutenant Presson in the book. In actuality, the flight was led by Lieutenant Charles Taylor, a man reported as having a "slight hangover" that day. (Also the Martin Mariner plane sent to look for them did not actually disappear as the author recounts. This plane, as reported by many eyewitnesses, blew up about thirty seconds after takeoff. This was not the first time this happened to the Mariner's due to the fact that they had faulty gas tanks and valves.)

All of this made it hard to enjoy the book when I knew even the basics were so completely wrong, even if this was done in the name of creative license. Also, the Special Ops officer with the psychic-like abilities was a little too much for me. (He routinely acted as a sort of Deus-ex-machina.) The military-style writing was only half-accomplished for me and just did not work with the more fantastical elements of the book (like seven-headed serpents). Even with all that, I have to say that if you like alien encounter stories and their alleged involvement in mankind's past you will probably like this one. (Most people heavily involved in alien encounter stories are not too big on research anyway, I have found, so that the discrepancies I mentioned will probably not be minded or even noticed.) When I stopped looking at the numerous inaccuracies and just read the book for what it was, it was somewhat enjoyable and kept you reading until the end. It was even enough to make me want to read the sequel.

What really turns me off the author, however, is a quote on the book jacket. The author is Greg Donegan, who also writes under the name Robert Doherty. On the cover of the book I have there is a quote from Robert Doherty: "You'll wonder if it could be real." Thus the man is basically plugging his own book, but acting like another author is quoting how good his work is! Thus, because of this sanguine dishonesty (even if at a publisher's behest), and because of the obviously unresearched (or poorly researched) nature of the book, I had to leave this with two stars.

Rating:
Summary: "Very cool military/paranormal adventure"
Review: Donegan did a great job tying together some of Earth's biggest mysteries into a cool sci-fi story. History buff that I am, I really liked how he worked Flight 19 and the USS Scorpion disappearance into the book. Pretty good action scenes. Did a great job handling the survey crew on the downed plane in Cambodia. Ariana Michelet came off as a take charge woman focused on getting her crew out alive despite the strange goings on around them. Former Green Beret Dane seemed pretty stone cold, but given what he'd been through with his earlier journey into the mysterious Angkor Kol Ker section of Cambodia, it was understandable and worked well in the story. And what a secret this guy has! Also, the Shadow was a unique race of alien invaders. Very imaginative.

Rating:
Summary: excellent action-driven plot. A non-stop read
Review: The summary hooks you on the spot, and each page of the book reels you further in. A great action thriller that combines history, myth, sci-fi, and war. The story does contain some drawbacks, which include development and coherence of some characters, and an ending that could have been stronger. Nevertheless, I give it five stars because the author accomplishes a critical task: The action doesn't stop. The novel constantly and clearly stimulates your imagination. The exposition doesn't get in your way. Although I would agree that the book could use another 100 pages of so to fill it out, there is enough to make this a very exciting read. I look forward to reading the sequels, and getting some more answers!

Rating:
Summary: Atlantis great suspense, action, sci -fi, thriller!
Review: Greg Donegan writes about a man who has had a lot of military experience, and has been under the watchful eye of the government. Lost in the jungles of Cambodia with other special soldiers, he is the only one not taken by the ugly hand of the myth...or is it? This book left you on the edge with many different characters, and areas to explore. getting to know the new technologies the book brings out, and letting you in on a little known conspiracy theory that has given Greg Donegan the name best seller. Let your imagination run wild in this bone chiller. You will literally be falling out of your seat with the suspense. A warning to all nail biters: you may want to break the habit before you put yourself at serious nail biting risk! I'm sure you've heard the phrase "page turner" well if you haven't guessed what I'm going to say, it is a real page turner that will leave your hands tired of the constant exercise. This story also has a great plot that will leave you guessing what happened will you find out about fate of everyone in this book? Or will you be mising out. READ THIS BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: I read this in less than a day
Review: This has definitely been one of the creepiest and tense novels that I have read in some time. I stayed up late reading it and then woke up early to finish it. The book has an intense feel to it that keeps you on the edge all the way through to the end. I particularly enjoyed the idea of not knowing the complete story and slowly trying to piece it together. A definite read.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Enjoyable
Review: This book is completely awesome, I was fascinated at how Mr. Donegan was able to weave such an awesome story by combining science fiction with history. The history he elaborates on pertaining to the Khmer empire was excellent. This is a must for science fiction readers who are also fascinated with ancient civilizations.

Rating:
Summary: A pageturner!
Review: I read the sequel first, but whoever thinks this a disadvantage is wrong. Unlike other authors (or editors!) Greg Donegan presents us with a round story that is fully completed and does not necessarily need a sequel. But both books are very good. This one is a trifle better even than the "Bermuda Triangle". What I think very good is that the author does not make the same mistake as many modern SF authors: he does not indulge in painfully long descriptions of technical devices that do not exist, but writes a story for the story's sake. And it is a story full of suspense with characters that are credible and alive. In this book the fantasy elements are missing that give such a decisive character to the second book. But here the characters and a well constructed plot take over and make this novel a unique experience. I am waiting for number three now and I am certain that it will be as good as the first two.

Rating:
Summary: Another Outstanding Sci-Fi Action Series from Area 51 Author
Review: Bob Mayer (AKA Robert Doherty AKA Greg Donegan AKA Joe Dalton AKA Bob McGuire) is truly one of the more masterful newcomers to the sci-fi genre in many, many years. Intermingling sci-fi with edgy military techo-thriller action, Mayer weaves some of the most enjoyable and imaginative fiction I've ever read with each novel. I look forward to every book he writes and have yet to be disappointed. The Area 51 series has been one of the most exciting I've ever read and just when I thought it couldn't get any better, along came the Atlantis series, which is equally as good, if not better.

With the Atlantis series, Mayer weaves a story of how the deadly elements of what was once thought to be ancient mythology collide with our modern militarized world, bringing to bear a frighteningly realistic, gruesome battle for world domination. A centuries-old war being fought between interdimensional foes has resurfaced in three of the Earth's most mysterious regions. A ship missing since WWII and a covert group of soldiers missing since the Vietnam War, both of which vanished in such regions, suddenly re-emerge from them as though not a day has passed. Only one man has been successful at returning from any of these mystical regions alive and after learning what really happened to Atlantis, he may be the only man who can save the world from a similar fate at the hands of the most deadly evil that has ever threatened it.

The Atlantis series is truly some of the most inspired and imaginative fiction in recent history and masterfully mixes the sci-fi genre with modern age fiction, providing enough action to keep fans of even Tom Clancy glued. Mayer has truly authored some of the best page-turners in recent history.

If you are intriqued by the Atlantis series, be sure not to miss his Area 51 series (under the Doherty pen name) and his military thrillers such as The Omega Missile, (Dalton pen name), The Gate (McGuire pen name) and Psychic Warrior (Doherty pen name). All are well worth picking up and will keep you enthralled from start to finish!