3,362 books
—
998 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery, #1)” as Want to Read:
The Atlantis Gene
(The Origin Mystery #1)
by
The greatest mystery of all time...
the history of human origins...
will be revealed.
In Antarctica, researchers discover a mysterious structure, buried in ice.
In a lab in Jakarta, an autism researcher identifies a revolutionary treatment that could change everything.
But these two incredible discoveries aren't what they seem. They will set off a race to unravel the deepest se ...more
the history of human origins...
will be revealed.
In Antarctica, researchers discover a mysterious structure, buried in ice.
In a lab in Jakarta, an autism researcher identifies a revolutionary treatment that could change everything.
But these two incredible discoveries aren't what they seem. They will set off a race to unravel the deepest se ...more
Get A Copy
Paperback, 3.0.1., 464 pages
Published
July 2nd 2015
by Riddle Inc.
(first published March 27th 2013)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery, #1)

A good plot badly written. I don't mean to be harsh but that's how it is. The book felt like reading a movie script instead of a novel. The scenes are too rushed at times, and the scenery abruptly changes, too fast (just like present day TV action series), and so many chapters just makes it more cluttered and confusing. Scenes are not clearly explained in my view, and it was very hard to visualize what was going on.
The story is a typical sci-fi and has nothing to offer out of the box. It is jus ...more
The story is a typical sci-fi and has nothing to offer out of the box. It is jus ...more

Overly Complicated
Lately, I've had pretty good luck with exploring different genres. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. Listening to the audiobook was a confusing endeavor, despite the fact that the narration was actually pretty good. There was just way too much going on with this story.
'The Atlantis Gene' was a very complex Sci-Fi story with a plethora of characters. Every time I thought I had a good grasp of who everyone was, and what their motives were, something new would come ...more
Lately, I've had pretty good luck with exploring different genres. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. Listening to the audiobook was a confusing endeavor, despite the fact that the narration was actually pretty good. There was just way too much going on with this story.
'The Atlantis Gene' was a very complex Sci-Fi story with a plethora of characters. Every time I thought I had a good grasp of who everyone was, and what their motives were, something new would come ...more

I am not one to go back and modify my reviews (out of sight, and all), but I think there is some confusion about this one. I want to start out by stating that I love this book. Amazon Prime is clunky and I feel so lucky that I stumbled on this book, because the book itself is well crafted. I could easily suspend my disbelief for the duration, and the characters were likeable/unlikeable when they were supposed to be.
I love Sci-Fi, which is the general category that I would put this book in, with ...more
I love Sci-Fi, which is the general category that I would put this book in, with ...more

I deserve an award for being able to finish this book. Honestly.
The plot had everything to attract me: genetic experiments, Greek myths and lost cities, evil Nazi conspiracies, even references to my own country. Yet, for the life of me, I cannot figure out how an author could accumulate all these fantastic ideas and deliver such a horrible story.
At numerous times, all I wanted to do was stop reading and delete the book from my kindle, but I kept going, hoping the author would redeem himself and ...more
The plot had everything to attract me: genetic experiments, Greek myths and lost cities, evil Nazi conspiracies, even references to my own country. Yet, for the life of me, I cannot figure out how an author could accumulate all these fantastic ideas and deliver such a horrible story.
At numerous times, all I wanted to do was stop reading and delete the book from my kindle, but I kept going, hoping the author would redeem himself and ...more

This book has a promising *suggestion* of a plot, which is why I gave it two starts. I gave up on it 38% in. It is written like a cheap action movie, not like a book, and feels as if Mr. Riddle never had any beta readers for this story. The author try to throw everything but the kitchen sink at you: Atlantis, aliens, secret brotherhoods and conspiracies, codes, ultimate good and ultimate evil, Nazis, and the list goes on.
It seems Mr. Riddle was inspired by Dan Brown, but even Dan Brown started ...more
It seems Mr. Riddle was inspired by Dan Brown, but even Dan Brown started ...more

I can count on one hand the number of books I willfully put down before finishing, and this is one of them. I honestly tried (and even got through 73%, according to my Kindle), but it just got more painful. The plot is painfully contrived to the point where it seems the author just tosses in mystery and science fiction cliches and hopes they stick (Atlantis and aliens and evil corporations and Nazis and the list goes on), without any effort to weave them into the story.
The writing is cringe-wor ...more
The writing is cringe-wor ...more

The Atlantis Gene drew me in from the start. This book is extremely fast-paced, almost like watching a movie. Great story line and characters. I especially loved the character development of Kate and David. I think the book does a good job of revealing back story without over doing it. A lot of books I read get bogged down in details and I lose interest but not this book.
I caught myself looking up details from the book and found the author's website to have a great fact vs fiction section (atlan ...more
I caught myself looking up details from the book and found the author's website to have a great fact vs fiction section (atlan ...more

This book has everything. Almost literally. Nazis,time travel, Atlantis, a mystical spear that was used to stab Jesus, secret portals that let you walk from Gibralter to Antarctica, space monkeys, miniature nuclear weapons that can be created in days and placed in a 5 year old's backpack, world wide plagues, neanderthals, genetic engineering, gun fights, love stories, crazy plot twists, the Spanish flu, magical potions that cure all wounds and ills, characters with massive Freudian complexes, lo
...more

Brilliant. 489 pages of times when I stayed up until 2 in the morning with my eyes glued to my Kindle screen. 489 pages of when I'd be at work and frantically wanting to fangirl and wondering if anyone could see how excited I was.
That's when you know a novel has captivated you with its story. I stumbled upon the book on Amazon, read the description, and thought, "Hm. A sci-fi novel with its own creation theory that involves Atlantis? This must be good." Every minute I had, every break I gained, ...more
That's when you know a novel has captivated you with its story. I stumbled upon the book on Amazon, read the description, and thought, "Hm. A sci-fi novel with its own creation theory that involves Atlantis? This must be good." Every minute I had, every break I gained, ...more

No, no, no. Don't be misled by four thousand five star reviews on Amazon. Don’t do it. Don't read this book unless...
Unless you thought the Da Vinci Code is a prime example of Great Literature and unless you're a devout follower of the History Channel's Crazy Hair Guy. The Atlantis Gene takes about a hundred plot bits - everything from Indiana Jones-type evil Nazis to 9-11 and Roswell to James Bond spies cross and double crosses, plus the Biblical Flood, Atlantis, eugenics, an Ebola-like flu, an ...more
Unless you thought the Da Vinci Code is a prime example of Great Literature and unless you're a devout follower of the History Channel's Crazy Hair Guy. The Atlantis Gene takes about a hundred plot bits - everything from Indiana Jones-type evil Nazis to 9-11 and Roswell to James Bond spies cross and double crosses, plus the Biblical Flood, Atlantis, eugenics, an Ebola-like flu, an ...more

Full review now up!
All of the ingredients used to make up The Atlantis Gene story worked really well for my tastes. While I do enjoy reading in the thriller genre, it's not one that I visit a lot. A.G. Riddle has convinced me I need to start clearing my calendar a little more often for this genre.
The basis of this story is one that peaked my interest, even before reading the synopsis of the book. The origin of humanity. Where did we come from? How did we evolve to how we are today? These are qu ...more
All of the ingredients used to make up The Atlantis Gene story worked really well for my tastes. While I do enjoy reading in the thriller genre, it's not one that I visit a lot. A.G. Riddle has convinced me I need to start clearing my calendar a little more often for this genre.
The basis of this story is one that peaked my interest, even before reading the synopsis of the book. The origin of humanity. Where did we come from? How did we evolve to how we are today? These are qu ...more

The Atlantis Gene (The Origin Mystery #1) by A.G. Riddle is a very interesting read. I got the audible version from the library. It had so many side stories going and I thought sure it would finally come together at the end but it did to some degree but the rest will be in the next books. I was hoping that more of the story would be in this book about what the secret would be about. I might continue the next books but I was a bit disappoint that this didn't have more. This was very action packed
...more

Aug 13, 2013
Daniel
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
to-not-recommend,
could-not-finish
I will not insult any reader of this DNF review by not disclosing the fact that I simply could not connect with this book and the style in which it was written. Thus, I did not finish it and after only 50 pages decided to put it down. So I will not offer any serious critique other than a rationale as to why I did not connect with it. If you find this annoying, i agree with you, yet as my least favorite saying goes: it is what it is (totally lame, because we all know it is what it is until its no
...more

DNF... I found the constant wandering of the plot difficult to follow which throws off the momentum. Characters are standard issue rather than unique. Just isn't the kind of book I prefer.
...more

The first word that came to mind after finishing this novel was "Ambitious".
Perhaps a bit too amibitious. There were many sub-plots requiring a set of characters or at least name changes for the characters. There were interesting people (the boy in the monastery) who were brought in, seemed pleasant, and then forgotten. Then there was the main trunk of the story line....or was it? And we see all these tubes with Atlanteans, but we fail to have any description of what they look like.
So....while I ...more
Perhaps a bit too amibitious. There were many sub-plots requiring a set of characters or at least name changes for the characters. There were interesting people (the boy in the monastery) who were brought in, seemed pleasant, and then forgotten. Then there was the main trunk of the story line....or was it? And we see all these tubes with Atlanteans, but we fail to have any description of what they look like.
So....while I ...more

The Origin Mystery trilogy is four stars or near to it. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I read all three books before writing the reviews, and I gave the first book in the series, The Atlantis Gene four stars. There is something for everyone in this trilogy. Imagine Robin Cook, Frederick Forsyth, Michael Crichton and Ursula K. Le Guin getting together to spin a yarn.
The trilogy has its flaws, so I'd qualify the recommendation by stating it's for readers of the science fiction and ...more
The trilogy has its flaws, so I'd qualify the recommendation by stating it's for readers of the science fiction and ...more

Man! An amazing book I couldn't put down (and at 488 pages that's a long thrill ride).
A little bit sci-fi, a little bit mystery, suspense, thriller, and even historical fiction - it's all here and not only kept me on the edge of my seat but kept me guessing where it was going.
This story has some of the most ruthless villains (or are they?) and the author is ruthless in his own way too, not afraid to kill off one character after another just as you get to know them.
Don't really understand some of ...more
A little bit sci-fi, a little bit mystery, suspense, thriller, and even historical fiction - it's all here and not only kept me on the edge of my seat but kept me guessing where it was going.
This story has some of the most ruthless villains (or are they?) and the author is ruthless in his own way too, not afraid to kill off one character after another just as you get to know them.
Don't really understand some of ...more

Author A.G. Riddle inaugural novel starts out pretty fast. Make that somewhat insanely fast. He throws things at the reader in rapid succession. But stick with it and pay attention. Comprehension will dawn. The characters begin to make sense and A.G. revisits everything. Every little plot twist gets attention. All the elements he packs into the beginning of the mystery will make sense. The grand scheme begins to make a little too much sense, making me wonder if there isn't some kind of Immari or
...more

Definitely not the level of techno-thriller as say a Lincoln Child, James Rollins, or Michael Crichton but okay for what it is. The book was interesting enough to keep me reading but ultimately failed to satisfy me as a book by one of the others who I mentioned. I think it was due to the fact that the chapters we're so short and the action seemed to jump around from one storyline to the next much too quickly. I never got a chance to become invested in any of the characters or what was going on w
...more

The Origin Mystery trilogy is four stars or near to it. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. I read all three books before writing the reviews, and I gave the first book in the series, The Atlantis Gene four stars. There is something for everyone in this trilogy. Imagine Robin Cook, Frederick Forsyth, Michael Crichton and Ursula K. Le Guin getting together to spin a yarn.
The trilogy has its flaws, so I'd qualify the recommendation by stating it's for readers of the science fiction and ...more
The trilogy has its flaws, so I'd qualify the recommendation by stating it's for readers of the science fiction and ...more

I borrowed this book for free using the Kindle Lending Library. While I gave this book 1 star, I think this author has potential. The overall concept was ok, but the work just felt unpolished. The sci-fi aspects were well explained, and the plot was fast paced, but the dialogue was cringe worthy. I think in an effort to explain the science but keep the pace moving the author sacrificed character development. My main problem with the book is I couldn't care less what happened to any of the people
...more

BRILLIANTLY addictive thriller. Can't wait for the follow ups and a full review will follow when I get to catching up over the next few days.
...more

Really simple, plot incomprehensible
Really simple, plot incomprehensible
Thankfully I didnt pay a cent for this, but I did waste my monthlly Amazon Prime freebie loaner book for the month on it. This book is poorly done on every level. period. It's poorly written, it stereotypes Indonesians, Chinese...it jumps around from page to page with no rhyme or reason. I made it to 25 percent, but knew after a couple chapters that I was wasting my time.
I have no earthly idea how so many have given 5 stars ...more
Really simple, plot incomprehensible
Thankfully I didnt pay a cent for this, but I did waste my monthlly Amazon Prime freebie loaner book for the month on it. This book is poorly done on every level. period. It's poorly written, it stereotypes Indonesians, Chinese...it jumps around from page to page with no rhyme or reason. I made it to 25 percent, but knew after a couple chapters that I was wasting my time.
I have no earthly idea how so many have given 5 stars ...more

Note: this is the same review I wrote on the Amazon site. This book is not yet available through Audible, but the author has a contract with them for the first two books in the series.
I am almost always working on three to five books at a time. I found this debut novel a major page turner, and was unable to read another book while I was immersed in this one. I almost never read a self-published novel. I'm a slow reader, and just don't have time to do a lot of experimental reading. However, in w ...more
I am almost always working on three to five books at a time. I found this debut novel a major page turner, and was unable to read another book while I was immersed in this one. I almost never read a self-published novel. I'm a slow reader, and just don't have time to do a lot of experimental reading. However, in w ...more

I always hate to criticize an indie author's first published work. I know some of what it's like to put yourself out there for the public to notice and critique, and it's not an easy thing to do. So, first, kudos to the author for finishing and publishing.
The concept behind this story is intriguing. While I think he's going off a bad idea of the Atlantis myth, he at least goes all in with it. And the science behind things, to my non-studied brain, seemed plausible and I didn't find myself rollin ...more
The concept behind this story is intriguing. While I think he's going off a bad idea of the Atlantis myth, he at least goes all in with it. And the science behind things, to my non-studied brain, seemed plausible and I didn't find myself rollin ...more

Really, 4.5/5.0 stars I think. Action, adventure, history, science, sci-fi... it's all here, and a good storyline I connected with. I've had my eye on this for a while as I thought it sounded intriguing the first time I read the synopsis. I listened to the audiobook, which was very good, but I think I'll try to read the next two. With so much going on, it's easier for me to internalize it when I read instead of listen. Worth the read if you like action-adventure.
...more

If the legend of Atlantis fascinates you, if you’re interested in the possible origins of the human species, and if you love a good thriller, the Atlantis Gene is the book for you. Throw in some historical oddities and two warring factions fighting for the future of the human race and you get a potboiler that is extremely entertaining and hard to put down.
As an independent novelist myself, I know how hard it is to get noticed. The Atlantis Gene should be noticed and appreciated for the deftness ...more
As an independent novelist myself, I know how hard it is to get noticed. The Atlantis Gene should be noticed and appreciated for the deftness ...more

This was a debut novel for this author, and boy, could I tell. Talk about overloading your book with topics! This book included such diverse subjects as several religions, evolution and Darwinism, autism, and then tried to combine genres of books as well such as mystery with almost James Bond type action, as well as turning this into a piece of science fiction. It was kind of as if the author was trying to set this up for a movie...but I don't see that coming, simply because this was way too bus
...more

A.G. Riddle seamlessly combined several genres, including historical fiction, mystery, science fiction, and romance in THE ATLANTIS GENE.
The novel began intriguingly with a dig in Antarctica and a kidnapping in Indonesia then moves around the world from Southeast Asia to China to Europe and back to Asia and Antarctica. The plot revolves around geneticist Kate Warner and counter-terrorism specialist David Vale, who are in a race against time to take down a global syndicate hell bent on killing t ...more
The novel began intriguingly with a dig in Antarctica and a kidnapping in Indonesia then moves around the world from Southeast Asia to China to Europe and back to Asia and Antarctica. The plot revolves around geneticist Kate Warner and counter-terrorism specialist David Vale, who are in a race against time to take down a global syndicate hell bent on killing t ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tampa Nerd Night ...: The Atlantis Gene – March 2019 | 1 | 4 | May 04, 2020 06:15PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Science Fiction - Scientist, Antarctica, a submarine [s] | 7 | 40 | Sep 27, 2015 08:58PM | |
SciFi and Fantasy...: So many stories are stretched out into a series nowadays. What happened to the standalone? | 57 | 209 | May 20, 2015 07:23PM | |
Goodreads Authors...: Have You Read the Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle? | 1 | 26 | Mar 24, 2015 08:02AM |
A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting internet companies before retiring to pursue his true passion: writing fiction.
His debut novel, The Atlantis Gene, is the first book in The Origin Mystery, the trilogy that has sold a million copies in the US, is being translated into 19 languages, and is in development at CBS Films to be a major motion picture. The trilogy will be in bookstores (in hardcover a ...more
His debut novel, The Atlantis Gene, is the first book in The Origin Mystery, the trilogy that has sold a million copies in the US, is being translated into 19 languages, and is in development at CBS Films to be a major motion picture. The trilogy will be in bookstores (in hardcover a ...more
Other books in the series
The Origin Mystery
(3 books)
News & Interviews
Looking for a fictional meet-cute in the new year? We've got some steamy novels for you to snuggle up with, including Casey McQuiston's...
39 likes · 7 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Here’s a tip. The good guys ask you to get in the truck. The bad guys put a black bag over your head and throw you in the truck. I’m asking.”
—
31 likes
“We attack whatever is different, anything we don’t understand, anything that might change our world, our environment, reduce our chances of survival. Racism, class warfare, sexism, east versus west, north and south, capitalism and communism, democracy and dictatorships, Islam and Christianity, Israel and Palestine, they’re all different faces of the same war: the war for a homogeneous human race, an end to our differences.”
—
13 likes
More quotes…