Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

The myths and legends of the fantastic legendary lost city of Atlantis have fascinated classical history enthusiasts for centuries. Stories tell of an advanced city in the Bronze age, one that mysteriously disappeared. Whilst some have argued that the stories were mere myths, others have studied the possibilities since Plato first wrote of this lost city that once mined gold and silver. As recently as January 2017, researchers, including the National Geographic Society, have taken these stories very seriously, mapping a possible location of this lost city.

So why not a story set before the disaster that was cited as destroying Atlantis literally overnight? A story set amongst the people who lived their lives in this wondrous city, who governed wisely, who believed in the gods; people with rulers and priests and priestesses. Carol Roberts weaves a spellbinding tale, Atlantis, around two primary characters, important people in this grand city. Alanthea is a priestess of the temple, a woman with mystical powers and visions that attract her to another Atlantean, Andromeda, a woman once falsely accused who mysteriously disappeared. Arakon is a young man of unknown origins who has his own visions and powers that draw him to Alanthea. The two circle around each other and the circular layout of Atlantis, trying to find the path towards which these visions are directing them. And, when all is revealed, and the warnings are most dire, the inevitable happens.

This is a story with many characters and sub-plots that allow the reader to fully experience a world before Atlantis became a lost city. The mystery around the visions and the crystals and the drastic weather patterns complete their circle as the fate of a community seems to revolve out of control. As the reader settles in to familiarize themselves with the people, the place, the beliefs and so much more, the climax brings it to a cataclysmic finale. A story, a fable really, that is very well told.