The Fall of Atlantis [Mass Market Paperback]

Marion Zimmer Bradley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1987

Powers of light and darkness vie for supremacy in a world of ancient splendor. A wounded Atlantean prince washed up on a foreign shore becomes the focal point in an epic battle between good and evil when the full extent of his powers becomes known. At one corner are the Priests of the White Robe, guardians of powerful natural forces which could threaten the world if misused; on the other side are the Black Robes, priests who seek to master these forces for their own benefit. Caught in the middle are the sisters Deoris and Domaris, whose lives are drawn into a web of powerful sorcery conjured by the priests -- the same sorcery which will cause THE FALL OF ATLANTIS.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Baen (February 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671656155
• ISBN-13: 978-0671656157
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marion Eleanor Zimmer was born in Albany, NY, on June 3, 1930, and married Robert Alden Bradley in 1949. Mrs. Bradley received her B.A. in 1964 from Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, then did graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1965-67.
She was a science fiction/fantasy fan from her middle teens. She had written as long as she could remember, but wrote only for school magazines and fanzines until 1952, when she sold her first professional short story to VORTEX SCIENCE FICTION. She wrote everything from science fiction to Gothics, but is probably best known for her Darkover novels and for her Arthurian novel, THE MISTS OF AVALON.
In addition to her novels, Mrs. Bradley edited magazines, amateur and professional, including Marion Zimmer Bradley's FANTASY Magazine, which she started in 1988. She also edited an annual anthology called SWORD AND SORCERESS, which is still published annually under the title MARION ZIMMER BRADLEY'S SWORD AND SORCERESS.
She died in Berkeley, California on September 25, 1999, four days after suffering a major heart attack.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what you might expect., November 4, 2002

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Fall of Atlantis (Mass Market Paperback)

This is not really what we have come to expect from a fantasy novel. It is much more a historical romance which takes place in a fantasy setting. The story is about two sisters who are raised to power with very different temperments and ultimately different destinies. One falls in love with a dying priest of the light. The other gets involved with a priest who leads the darker mysteries. They both have their own long road to walk and their own struggles with their constrained society.

MZB displays, as usual, her adept touch with female characters. Deoris and Domaris are real, Deoris heart-breakingly real. The world she places around them is detailed and compelling, as are the politics and dynamics of power portrayed in the book.

Unfortunately, _The Fall of Atlantis_ lacks the well-balanced plots that make the Darkover novels so wonderful. It really is not much more than a well-written historical romance and lacks the mystery and wonder that characterize the really great fantasies that Bradley has written.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not one of her best, but IMPORTANT to read nonetheless, October 8, 2004

By 

Ohiobookgal - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fall of Atlantis (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of MZB's earliest novels, and you can tell she wrote it early in her career, because the quality of the writing is not up to par with her later books (e.g., the MISTS trilogy). However, this book is ESSENTIAL reading for someone who wants to get the most out of the MISTS OF AVALON series of books----so much of what is contained in those books, especially THE FOREST HOUSE and LADY OF AVALON, relates directly to the plot of THE FALL OF ATLANTIS. So, pick it up now that it's back in print, and enjoy!

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another great work from a true master, January 27, 2003

By 

Crystal C. Loh (London, ON Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fall of Atlantis (Mass Market Paperback)

I have owned the Fall of Atlantis for a long time now and everytime I pick it up Bradley never fails to draw me once more into the intricate depth of the story that lays down the heritage of her exquisite Avalon novels. The heartache and pain that the characters in her book go through (from Domaris to Deoris, from Micon to Demira), constantly has your emotions at a boil.

Bradley has a gifted ability to weave intrigue and magic into the complex web of her stories and the Fall of Atlantis is a clear expression of her talent. Every detail concerning the Atlanteans is so perfectly thought out that the reader is easily immersed in this strange, spell-bound realm and its tragic destruction.

The women again figure prominently in this story and through their loves and losses, their actions and consequences, we see again their femininity is laced with a strength and determination that inarguably turns them into the heroines of an epic saga. Despite the dark overtone of the plot, the Fall of Atlantis is a enthralling, enduring story that captivates from the first page to the last.