Customer Reviews

The Fall of Atlantis

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

I read this book on the recommendation of a neighbor, and while it did not enchant me like The Mists of Avalon, I still loved it. It is in no way light or joy-filled, but its very darkness is what makes The Fall of Atlantis so compelling. Bradley's characters suffer deeply, and the reader suffers along beside them. Even their final triumph is so tinged with sorrow, that it is impossible to say whether this book ends happily or not. The Fall of Atlantis is a novel of depth, of humanity's weaknesses. In reading it, we are shown that light is forever twined with darkness; the one is just a shade of the other.

This book is very important in the Mists of Avalon series, in that it starts everything. This book starts the tale of characters that incarnate through all the other books. The story given here immediately picks up again in the sequal "Ancestors of Avalon."

I found this original story to be very interesting, spiritual, and having the feeling of history--even though it's about a supposedly fictional place. It is clear that this is one of MZB's earlier works, but it is still enchanting.

I wish MZB could have kept her original titles for what she saw as a two part book, because the title "The Fall of Atlantis" is ill suited here. Most of the story doesn't even take place in Atlantis, but in a more ancient land. The part of the tale that does take place in Atlantis leaves the reader wanting more images and descriptions of this mysterious land. Also there is no "Falling" of Atlantis in this book, that doesn't happen until the next book "Ancestors of Avalon." The image on the front of the book is also misleading, as no scene even remotely like this occurs. I found it a bit of a distraction to the story to keep wondering when this scene of destruction and chaos would occur, only finding that it doesn't.

If you are at all interested in "The Mists of Avalon" series, this is a necessary start, just don't expect the destruction suggested by the cover.

I love this book. The Fall of Atlantis is one of MZB's earlier works. The story is not as well-plotted as her later works and there are even some minor mistakes in the book (about who is related and where they come from, etc.) but the heart-breaking character of Deoris brings the book to life. It's worth a read just for her story. The thing I like about MZB's writing is that you get to know her characters' thoughts and self-doubts. You can always relate to them on a real level even though they are set in a fantasy world. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a romantic heart.

I think "The Fall of Atlantis" was a very dramatic, emotional book. The first pages seem very good yet not superb, while at the end, you cannot put this book down. Marion Zimmer Bradley's imagination in this book is captivating. The world she created impressed me because it was so much like fantasy (with all the Magicians, Adepts, and Laws), yet so realistic. Domaris and Deoris are two excellent characters; they captured my attention from the start. The other main characters in the book also impressed me, especially Rajasta, Riveda, and Micon. When I put this book down, I thought: "Another one of Zimmer Bradley's excellent works!"

Having read Marian Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon, I expected the Fall of Atlantis to be just as gripping and well-written. And although this book wasn't a complete disappointment, it cannot compare.

The book is set to be a prequel to the Mists and the basis of the religion of Avalon.

Domaris is a serious young woman who will become a priestess and later a Guardian of the Light in the Ancient Land, a place where people worshipped many deities, but the Great Mother before all. Daughter of a priest herself, Domaris has raised her younger sister Deoris all by herself, since their mother died at Deoris' birth. Her life is basically repetition until a stranger from Atlantis comes to their Temple seeking assistance.

Domaris learns that the stranger, Micon, has been tortured at the hands of a group Black Robes (a sort of magician that dabbles into dark arts), and has gone blind from looking upon one of their faces. Micon knows who one of his torturers is but will not reveal anything, much to the fury of Revieda, the leader of the Grey Robes, whose duty it is to purge his flock of any who abused their powers.

Domaris and Micon grow to love each other but Domaris' happiness is short-lived. After she bears him a son, Micon will die. And as she grows to love Micon more and grow more devoted to him, she drifts further apart from her sister, who rushes into Revieda's arms for comfort.

Their lives are all intertwined and they all have a responsibility in bringing about the fall of Atlantis.

I love this book,I read it over the summer at camp and I couldn't put it down, so I sat and read it in my room for four straight hours. MZB really captures your attention and doesn't let it go throughout the entire novel. I have heard that some people say this is not one of her better works, but I DISAGREE. This book was great and I recommend it to anyone who loves to read or anyone who wants to read a really great story with an interesting plot and believeable characters. I recommend this book to everyone . Read it, you won't be disapointed!!!!!!!

THE FALL OF ATLANTIS begins the 'backstory' of the MISTS OF AVALON trilogy. Two sisters Deoris and Domaris are beginning their training as priestesses, as befits their caste. Their world is shaken by the arrival of Micon, a young priest who had fallen into the hands of the Black Prieshood and tortured. Their lives and those around them are changed by events that will take many lifetimes to resolve.

This book has been compared to other MZB books, particularly the AVALON trilogy. This book, and those that follow are much earlier works by MZB, and are, not surprisingly, not as masterful as her later books, particularly MISTS OF AVALON. That aside THE FALL OF ATLANTIS is still an excellent story. The characters are engaging, the plot well thought out and interesting, the world is consistent and plausible.

This novel in many ways foreshadows the AVALON series. The characters in both trilogies are victims of the actions of their parents, their own decisions impact the lives of their own children. Both are set into societies that are changing and ultimately dying. And both are betrayed at some point from within. Is this as good a book as MISTS OF AVALON? No, but it is as good as THE FOREST HOUSE or LADY OF AVALON and is definitely worth the time for fans of MZB's other works, and also for those who are not fans yet.