When the Sky Fell : In Search of Atlantis

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Summary: Published reviews of When the Sky Fell
Review: "With the help of 31 maps that span the centuries, this scholarly but readable text posits a geographical catastrophe about 9600 B.C. that may explain mysteries from the frozen mastodons of Siberia to the apparent water erosion of the Sphinx." Toronto Sun (26 February 1995)

"...even the most skeptical reader will admit after reading this book it is difficult to deny the existence of a lost continent, Atlantis, buried under the Antarctic ice...condense[s] centuries of Atlantis fact and myth into a landmark work of scholarship." Ottawa Citizen (9 April 1995)

"The Flem-Aths' contribution to Atlantis research is their rediscovery and interpretation to the 1665 Athanasius Kircher map of Atlantis, brought from Egypt by the Romans, which identifies Atlantis as being the present-day continent of Antarctica. The Flem-Aths point out that the map, which corresponds in remarkable detail to the present-day Antarctica, was published almost three centuries before scientists knew the true ice-free shape of the frozen continent. ...The book is a lively and topical Atlantis update, blending science, mythology, and ancient history to shed fresh light on this most enduring of mysteries." Vancouver Sun (22 April 1995)

"... a convincing case for Atlantis... the Flem-Aths examine other mysteries such as mass extinctions in certain areas of the world, perfectly preserved mammoths discovered in the Siberian ice, the true age of the Sphinx and remarkably accurate maps of the Americas and ice-free Antarctica that date from long before European explorers ever reached those shores. ...It is a compelling argument..." Birmingham Post (5 August 1995)

"Written in a scholarly but easy to understand manner, if offers a simple hypothesis. Antarctica is Atlantis... This is more than just science. It is an entire history lesson dating to the dawn of man's ability to remember events." Ocala Star-Banner (10 December 1995)

"How is it, Hapgood asked, that during much of the last ice age a large part of North America was under mile-thick glaciers, but a third of Antarctica was not? Hapgood suggested that perhaps the continents were then in different places relative to the poles - that the earth's crust had shifted over the molten layers beneath it. But if Antarctica was once further north and partly ice-free, was it also inhabitable? The Flem-Aths add up the clues and come to a startling conclusion: Antarctica was Atlantis!" Quest (Winter 1995)

"Canadian librarians Rand and Rose Flem-Ath have assembled a daring and extremely convincing argument that the location of the lost civilisation of Atlantis is the Antarctic continent. ...Combining mythology with a wealth of scientific and historical information, the Flem-Aths' research will shake a few foundations." Nexus (January 1996)

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Summary: Very Intriguing Book Regarding Atlantis and Antarctica
Review: Excellent book exploring the possibility of land mass movement and Antarctica being Atlantis.

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Summary: I believe Atlantis has been found
Review: I believe that Flem-Ath has presented a convincing argument and has shown adequate proof for the possible location for the Lost City of Atlantis. He has shown how Plato's account fits perfectly and the author does not try to twist Plato's words as other authors have done to prove their theories. And you do have to take into consideration the ancients maps like the ones in Hapgoods book Maps of Ancient Sea Kings which show Atlantis. I have read other Atlantis stories and none fits like this one is presented. I have recommended it to my friends who have found Flem-Ath theories very believable over others like the theory of Santorini(near Crete). Santorini has too many holes as author Robert Sullivan admits to in his book Atlantis rising but still tries to prove it's Santorini. In Sullivan's book Plato's words are twisted to have Santorini fit. I truley believe Antarctica to be an excellent possibility. To Rose and Rand Flem-Ath excellent book! Now the question is when is the expedition for the excuvation going to take place. Remember Troy was once a myth due to the determination and research of the believers it was found and became a reality. Atlantis may be a myth today but to the beleivers it has already been found it's just a matter of time before tomorrow comes when it becomes a reality. We await for tomorrow to come.

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Summary: GOOD READ
Review: I enjoyed reading this book and I think it's a plausible theory. It has a great introduction by Colin Wilson and is well illustrated with maps. I just found their speculations on the Aymara language a bit silly, since it is merely a member of the Andean family and ultimately part of the Amerind macro-family, and certainly not an "artificially constructed" language. If they are correct as to the location of Atlantis, another mystery would be the absence of ruins, monuments or any evidence of early human habitation in Tierra del Fuego, southern Chile and Patagonia as these areas would have been temperate and very near to the fabled city. Those reservations aside, it's still a book that makes one think and a valuable addition to the growing corpus of literature on the earth's unknown past.

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Summary: Pretty bland.
Review: I had higher hopes for this work. You can do better with Charles Hapgood's book, Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings.

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Summary: Fantasic book about of Atlantis
Review: I have always believed in Atlantis and I have always thought Atlantis is located in the Atlantic Ocean. After reading this book Atlantis might be located in Antartica.

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Summary: Probably the worst book ever written on Atlantis
Review: I have only read about twenty books on Atlantis so I can't definitively say this is absolutely the worst Atlantis book ever written, but it's certainly the worst I've read. It gets one star only because I can't give it zero stars. An unbelievably bad book, deficient in logic, analysis.....facts. The primary tool the authors use for advancing their arguments is the rhetorical question. When they have absolutely no evidence to support a theory, they simply say "is it possible etc, etc, etc?". This type of open ended questioning is no substitute for intelligent analysis. Or at least it shouldn't be. The authors also engage in pointless and embarrasing fictional reconstructions that simply have no basis in logic or fact. If you want to read an intelligently anayzed, exhaustively researched book on Atlantis based on real scientific theories, find a copy of "The Secret of Atlantis" by Otto Muck. One good thing has come out of the Flem-Ath book, however-it has spawned some hilarious reviews.

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Summary: Scientists and scholars should deal with the evidence...
Review: I received an e-mail from Rand and Rose Flem-Ath informing me that they had written a book about the search for Atlantis and wondering why we didn't have it in The Radical Academy Bookstore. They pointed out that Graham Hancock, whose books we do feature, based some of his work on their book, "When the Sky Fell: In Search of Atlantis."

Truth to tell, I was unfamiliar with the Flem Ath's book. So I ordered a copy (from Amazon, of course) and two days later sat down in the morning to begin reading it. Well, that day's usual work was shot! I could not put the book down and finished it in late afternoon. What a book! Not very long, but definitely interesting.

I realize that many scientists and historians will take them to task, claiming the book is unscientific and unhistorical, just another "pop" book on a topic already settled. I should think they would know better, of course. As the saying goes: "Deal with the evidence, stupid!"

The Flem-Aths do a heck of a job with the evidence. Rather than merely dismissing the book out of hand, I would like to see the scientists and the historians "deal with the evidence." I am not saying that what the Flem-Aths propose is the final say on the subject. But they have done a compelling job of presenting the evidence for their case. And that's what the professionals should deal with.

The Flem-Aths claim to have uncovered the real cause of the ice ages. They analyze the identical myths told among primitive peoples who could have had no contact with one another. They deal with the fascinating issue of the Piri Re'is map, a map that seems to show the continent of Antartica in its original state before the modern world even "discovered" that land of ice. The authors also deal with some other mysteries that have intrigued us, such as how to explain the simultaneous rise of agriculture around the world and the strange history of the Sphinx in Egypt.

I highly recommend this book. (And it's not very expensive, either.) Jonathan Dolhenty, Ph.D., Executive Director, The Center for Applied Philosophy

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Summary: AN INTERESTING READ
Review: I've done on lot of reading on the topic of Atlantis and this book is a great addition to the many out there. I like the idea that Atlantis could have been in that mysterious continent, Antarctica, but the book falls short of proving it. I wonder if the Palmer Peninsula could have been warm enough to support the conditions described by Plato, with fruit trees and fertile plains? There's also the problem that Plato said Atlantis was "beyond the pillars of Hercules" which would suggest in the Atlantic Ocean; Plato also said Atlantis sunk into the sea. But there could have been many more islands around Antarctica and some of them could have sunk.

There is independent evidence for a "mother culture" outside of what Plato said. Plato was getting information that had been handed down for hundreds of years, so he could have been wrong about some of it. Aside from the location of Atlantis, the Flem-Aths deal with the possible cyclical nature of earth disasters, as suggested by the work of Charles Hapgood, and this danger to civilization is worth investigation. What if humankind can never advance beyond a certain level because earth is subjected to catastrophic changes on a regular basis? And what if ancient cultures understood this (as suggested by Graham Hancock)?

For an overview of the Atlantis question, I recommend reading Plato, the works of Charles Hapgood, and the classic Donnelly book, Atlantis: The Antediluvian World (an oldie but goodie, still in print after more than 100 years!).... But When the Sky Fell is worth a look, since no else one has proven a location for Atlantis and the fascinating theory of Rand and Rose Flem-Ath could be true!

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Summary: A must-read book for Atlantis fans!
Review: If you've ever wondered if Atlantis truly existed, but have been turned off by books suggesting alien intervention, nuclear destruction and self-inflicted destruction due to crystal power, then this is the book to read. This is a no-nonsense, scientific account of how Atlantis could have existed, perished and been forgotten. I couldn't put it down until I read it cover to cover. One of the best books on the subject available!