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Marvel Berkley/Byron Preiss Productions Prose Novels
Fantastic Four: To Free Atlantis
Targeted by the evil Dr. Doom, who plots the destruction of Atlantis, Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner is rescued from certain death by the Fantastic Four, an act that sets off a deadly struggle at the ocean's depths. Original.
310 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1995
156 people want to read
About the author
Nancy A. Collins
337 books672 followersNancy A. Collins (born 10 September 1959) is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has also written for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs. Leatherface, Predator: Hell Come A Walkin and her own one-shot Dhampire: Stillborn.
Collins was born in McGehee, Arkansas, United States. She lived in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 1980s; after time in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia she settled in Wilmington, North Carolina in the late 2000s.
Collins has written twenty novels since 1989, many of which refer to and directly include races of creatures the author calls Pretenders, monsters from myth and legend passing as human to better hunt their prey.
Collins has also written a number of highly acclaimed Southern Gothic short stories and novellas, most of which are set in Seven Devils, Arkansas, a highly fictionalized version of her hometown.
Most recently, she has focused her attention onto the Golgotham urban fantasy series,published by Penguin. Golgotham is the 'supernatural' ghetto of New York City, where creatures from myth and folklore--including witches,shapeshifters,leprechauns and centaurs--live and work in uneasy alliance with mankind.
Collins was born in McGehee, Arkansas, United States. She lived in New Orleans, Louisiana in the 1980s; after time in New York City and Atlanta, Georgia she settled in Wilmington, North Carolina in the late 2000s.
Collins has written twenty novels since 1989, many of which refer to and directly include races of creatures the author calls Pretenders, monsters from myth and legend passing as human to better hunt their prey.
Collins has also written a number of highly acclaimed Southern Gothic short stories and novellas, most of which are set in Seven Devils, Arkansas, a highly fictionalized version of her hometown.
Most recently, she has focused her attention onto the Golgotham urban fantasy series,published by Penguin. Golgotham is the 'supernatural' ghetto of New York City, where creatures from myth and folklore--including witches,shapeshifters,leprechauns and centaurs--live and work in uneasy alliance with mankind.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 9, 2017
Not so Fantastic but still fair to read it!
This is an original prose novel, based on the Fantastic Four comic book title and its related characters
GAME OF THRONES...UNDER THE SEA!
Namor is the supreme ruler of Atlantis and therefore he is king over the oceans, and you can bet that his ego is as big as his domains...
...so he never thought that a coup against his throne could be ever successful...
...and much less done by one of his own royal blood.
While this is a prose novel advertised as a Fantastic Four novel and you can bet that indeed the Marvel's First Family appear on the pages of this book...
...it's really Namor, the main character and also, the history of Atlantis is major topic to be developed here.
So, if you're looking for a novel about Namor, well, this is indeed a good choice.
Oh, and since the Fantastic Four are involved in this political game over Atlantis' throne...
...you can bet that an old enemy will be around to mess with the struggle at hand.
This is an original prose novel, based on the Fantastic Four comic book title and its related characters
GAME OF THRONES...UNDER THE SEA!
Namor is the supreme ruler of Atlantis and therefore he is king over the oceans, and you can bet that his ego is as big as his domains...
...so he never thought that a coup against his throne could be ever successful...
...and much less done by one of his own royal blood.
While this is a prose novel advertised as a Fantastic Four novel and you can bet that indeed the Marvel's First Family appear on the pages of this book...
...it's really Namor, the main character and also, the history of Atlantis is major topic to be developed here.
So, if you're looking for a novel about Namor, well, this is indeed a good choice.
Oh, and since the Fantastic Four are involved in this political game over Atlantis' throne...
...you can bet that an old enemy will be around to mess with the struggle at hand.
September 5, 2020
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is a book from the Marvel universe. In this one, Namor's cousin overthrows Namor. This coup is backed by the arch enemy of The Fantastic Four. Namor and The Fantastic Four help each other out in their attempt to restore order.
I have to agree with other reviewers when they say this isn't a Fantastic Four book. It is a Namor book with The Fantastic Four guest starring. While this might disappoint some readers I actually enjoyed this aspect as I know very little about Namor and I enjoyed getting an insight to him and the kingdom of Atlantis. That being said there is enough Fantastic Four characters and traits to please their fans especially with Doctor Doom being the mastermind behind everything. I am a sucker for him and his narcissistic way. As for the story it is well done that did remind me of reading comic books but in prose form.
We all know this isn't to be taken too seriously. This book does exactly what it meant to do. Give us a contained adventure from this universe and entertain the readers. It does this while maybe introducing the reader to lesser known characters. This was just a fun read throughout.
This is a book from the Marvel universe. In this one, Namor's cousin overthrows Namor. This coup is backed by the arch enemy of The Fantastic Four. Namor and The Fantastic Four help each other out in their attempt to restore order.
I have to agree with other reviewers when they say this isn't a Fantastic Four book. It is a Namor book with The Fantastic Four guest starring. While this might disappoint some readers I actually enjoyed this aspect as I know very little about Namor and I enjoyed getting an insight to him and the kingdom of Atlantis. That being said there is enough Fantastic Four characters and traits to please their fans especially with Doctor Doom being the mastermind behind everything. I am a sucker for him and his narcissistic way. As for the story it is well done that did remind me of reading comic books but in prose form.
We all know this isn't to be taken too seriously. This book does exactly what it meant to do. Give us a contained adventure from this universe and entertain the readers. It does this while maybe introducing the reader to lesser known characters. This was just a fun read throughout.
October 13, 2018
This is a pretty good pre-MCU Marvel novel. There have been so many reboots and ret-cons since this one appeared a couple of decades ago that you just have to forget continuity and enjoy the story. It's much more of a Namor than Fab-4 book, but if you can adapt to the idea that it's not clobberin' time on every page, nor even flame-on time in every chapter, then Doom and fish sticks fill the bill quite well. And did any pair of superheroes ever have such an angst-ridden unrequited affair as Susan and Namor?
September 17, 2024
This is the best kind of prose novel you can find. It resembles the comics and capitalizes on the depth of friendship and loyalty. In the case with Namor, his betrayal from his kingdom turns things around for the brash ruler. And in the most desperate time of need the Fantastic Four come to his aide. It's simply wonderful! I only wish that marvel cinematic universe had time to take this route in the movies. I can only describe this in my imagination as contemporary fantasy with the saga of wonderful characters like Namor and his great chemistry with the FF. Unfortunately I do believe they (Marvel cinematic universe) didn't have a choice. Disney bought out 20th century but by then they were coming to the end of the Avengers' first reign. But anyways , it's still fun to imagine this with the actors and the cast of the FF. (I personally imagined 2004's cast)
Great story with all the amazing superheroes you love. Pick it up and go for a Fantastic ride!
Great story with all the amazing superheroes you love. Pick it up and go for a Fantastic ride!
January 27, 2024
A pretty decent marvel novel
September 20, 2019
Dr Doom plots with a cousin of Prince Namor to cause the death of Namor and take over the throne of Atlantis by giving a special virus to Namor. Namor escapes with little life left and is saved and brought back to health by the Fantastic Four. The FF then help him to try to take back his throne. Excellent characterization of the superheroes and a very good storyline.
September 7, 2015
I remember reading this back when it first came out and enjoying it. Having lost my copy, I purchased a new one recently and decided to re-read it today. It was a fast read; I did not expect to finish it in one day. I felt that it moved at a decent pace. It held my interest throughout the entire reading. On a side-note, it probably should have been entitled 'Sub-Mariner: To Save Atlantis' and in a bubble somewhere 'Guest starring: the Fantastic Four!' [or something like that].
The book is a total of ten chapters [or so]. Each chapter has an illustration at its beginning that has to do with some scenario in the following chapter. Personally, I did not feel the illustrations took away from the story. At the same time, I do not think they necessarily added to the story, either.
The Fantastic Four do not show up until the second chapter. Considering how long the chapters are, however, it is a big of a surprise.
The basic plot is a tale as old as time: A family member wants to depose their relative who is the reigning monarch. The ambitiously treacherous relative enlists the aid of co-conspirators he [or she] really should not be trusting, and the coup commences. The sovereign manages to flee and seeks help. The sought-after help nurses the deposed ruler back to health and helps the monarch regain his throne. In the process, the world is saved. The end.
It is kind of funny, reading stories about beings who live in the water as opposed to on the land [in the air]. The authors attempt to use aquatic terms to describe the actions of the water-dwellers, which is fine. I think the author was quite creative in her descriptions of the Atlanteans and their actions underwater. So we get phrases like 'the swiftness of an orca' or 'the ferocity of a shark' or 'the treachery of a barracuda' or characters flipping around. I enjoyed it, because I felt the author was quite creative in her attempts to describe life and actions underwater. I also found it humorous that characters would walk, run, or swim underwater. I guess it was humorous to me in terms of the 'moment' in which the description occurred. It's like the Atlanteans had one more mode of travel over humans - they could swim from the 'surface' to an upper level of a building whereas on the dry land humans cannot do this [unless they have the ability to fly or defy gravity]. So I felt like it added a 'special element' to the mix.
The story did have a lot of backstory [backhistory ?] to it, where the author explained some of the history behind the characters and why things happened the way they did. The back-history was more for the reader unfamiliar with the history of the FF, Doc Doom, or the Sub-Mariner. I did not think it took away from the story; I felt the author inserted the backstory in such a way it flowed with the overall narrative.
I think the author did a decent job portraying the Fantastic Four as a family. I think a lot of writers tend to forget that these characters are described as Marvel's 'first family' and that they are a family adds to their charm, to their allure. Writers forget this at their peril, and they write sub-standard stories as a result. While this story may not be one of the 'best' Fantastic Four stories out there, it is still one of the better ones in my opinion.
I think I can honestly say I enjoyed this book this time around than I had enjoyed it previously. It was a fun, fast read.
The book is a total of ten chapters [or so]. Each chapter has an illustration at its beginning that has to do with some scenario in the following chapter. Personally, I did not feel the illustrations took away from the story. At the same time, I do not think they necessarily added to the story, either.
The Fantastic Four do not show up until the second chapter. Considering how long the chapters are, however, it is a big of a surprise.
The basic plot is a tale as old as time: A family member wants to depose their relative who is the reigning monarch. The ambitiously treacherous relative enlists the aid of co-conspirators he [or she] really should not be trusting, and the coup commences. The sovereign manages to flee and seeks help. The sought-after help nurses the deposed ruler back to health and helps the monarch regain his throne. In the process, the world is saved. The end.
It is kind of funny, reading stories about beings who live in the water as opposed to on the land [in the air]. The authors attempt to use aquatic terms to describe the actions of the water-dwellers, which is fine. I think the author was quite creative in her descriptions of the Atlanteans and their actions underwater. So we get phrases like 'the swiftness of an orca' or 'the ferocity of a shark' or 'the treachery of a barracuda' or characters flipping around. I enjoyed it, because I felt the author was quite creative in her attempts to describe life and actions underwater. I also found it humorous that characters would walk, run, or swim underwater. I guess it was humorous to me in terms of the 'moment' in which the description occurred. It's like the Atlanteans had one more mode of travel over humans - they could swim from the 'surface' to an upper level of a building whereas on the dry land humans cannot do this [unless they have the ability to fly or defy gravity]. So I felt like it added a 'special element' to the mix.
The story did have a lot of backstory [backhistory ?] to it, where the author explained some of the history behind the characters and why things happened the way they did. The back-history was more for the reader unfamiliar with the history of the FF, Doc Doom, or the Sub-Mariner. I did not think it took away from the story; I felt the author inserted the backstory in such a way it flowed with the overall narrative.
I think the author did a decent job portraying the Fantastic Four as a family. I think a lot of writers tend to forget that these characters are described as Marvel's 'first family' and that they are a family adds to their charm, to their allure. Writers forget this at their peril, and they write sub-standard stories as a result. While this story may not be one of the 'best' Fantastic Four stories out there, it is still one of the better ones in my opinion.
I think I can honestly say I enjoyed this book this time around than I had enjoyed it previously. It was a fun, fast read.
February 15, 2008
Reading novels based on familiar characters (such as those from comic books or television) is like literary candy. It fills the need to read, without making me spend a lot of time getting to know the characters. this works if the author keeps the characters consitent with what we know.
This particular book didn't appeal to me when I read it, and I think that I felt that the characters never seemed quite right. Or perhaps it's that I'm not as familiar with this foursome as I thought I was.
In any case, this particular novel didn't work for me.
This particular book didn't appeal to me when I read it, and I think that I felt that the characters never seemed quite right. Or perhaps it's that I'm not as familiar with this foursome as I thought I was.
In any case, this particular novel didn't work for me.
May 13, 2013
This book should have been called "Submariner: To Free Atlantis with special appearance by The Thing and the rest of the Fantastic Four."
Only 100 pages were actually about the F4 freeing Atlantis and even then there wasn't much about the F4. The majority of the book was about Namor and Atlantis. Ben Grimm was the most prominent of the F4. Most of his time was spent feeling sorry for himself which was pretty boring and already covered in just about every other F4 story.
Only 100 pages were actually about the F4 freeing Atlantis and even then there wasn't much about the F4. The majority of the book was about Namor and Atlantis. Ben Grimm was the most prominent of the F4. Most of his time was spent feeling sorry for himself which was pretty boring and already covered in just about every other F4 story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2009
This book does have some entertainment value, but gets too bogged down in back story to have a satisfying momentum. It is also not about anything that matters, and so is instantly forgettable. Being a novel, it takes much longer to read than an average issue of The Fantastic Four, yet one of the better issues is just as satisfying as this novel.
July 10, 2020
I would imagine that it’s not easy to write a novel about the Sub-Mariner. The guy’s got a big coral chip on his shoulder. By turns he’s strident, odious, and a raging nut job. He’s arguably the first anti-hero in comics, predating his moody progeny by twentysomething years. Author Nancy A. Collins has done a good job recasting an often-insufferable bore into a compelling and sympathetic hero.
November 28, 2012
Not the worst book I've read.
December 30, 2014
1st book I read in english out of my own interest. For that I give it 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews