The Lost Code: Book One of the Atlanteans (edition 2012)

Another great read...and another long wait for the sequel. ( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A really original dystopia filled with mystery, Greek mythology and well-rounded cast of characters — but also a very slow plot.

Opening Sentence: The morning after I arrived at Camp Eden, I drowned for the first time.

The Review:

So this book could probably have been a hundred pages shorter. The thing is, without those hundred pages, I’m not sure Emerson could’ve pulled off the summer-camp-on-a-dying-planet aspect off. Humanity is tearing Earth to pieces, making this novel one of the more depressing dystopian futures I’ve read recently. Because The Lost Code is based so firmly on the Atlantean mythos, I’m going to jump over expanding on the plot by saying it’s a summer camp-adventure-mystery. (Once you read it, that will totally make sense…) The plot is unique and interesting, but this is a slow paced novel. Hopefully the sequel will be more action-packed in the first half and we won’t spend so much time wishing the characters would just do something already.

Emerson’s writing style really brings out well rounded characters — they’re one of the main reason I managed to keep reading. Lily, the love interest, is in my opinion the most well-developed of the lot, and much more likable than our narrator. For some reason Emerson never tells us Owen’s age (or maybe he did and I completely missed it, but I don’t think so. I was watching for it.) though he’s classified with the older campers. It’s weird, because Owen’s narrative voice reads a lot more like a middle grade novel than a young adult. He just sounds so young, especially compared to Lily — who sounds the way I expect a YA character to be. While he’s a sympathetic hero, his actions don’t always match with the way Emerson paints him. Owen was raised in a rough environment — even for a dystopia — I expected more maturity from him. A lot of the time, however, his actions are just immature. (Boys will be boys, right?) Hopefully, with the continuation of the series we’ll see Owen grow into himself more.

The writing in this novel is sometimes off-putting. Emerson has a great vocabulary and isn’t afraid to use it. While it helps flesh out characters and set the scene brilliantly, it also pulled me out of the story more than a few times. Teenagers are allowed to have a large vocabulary — but most of them won’t use it in normal conversation. The world-building in The Lost Code was phenomenal. It’s what set up the mystery that kept the first half of the novel from moving at turtle-pace.

I think this book was probably pitched as a Percy Jackson for the YA crowd — with the summer camp and Atlantis that’s what I expected, anyway. It’s not a bad book — the series itself shows considerable promise — but the lag time between the first chapter and actual action in The Lost Code will frustrate people who loved Percy and want a cast of characters willing to take action.

Notable Scene:

“Uh-oh,” Aliah huffed. “Are you talking theories again?”

“Yes, and who cares how?” said Lily.

“I do,” Marco said proudly. “I haven’t had a sip of bug juice yet.”

“Well, the point is,” said Lilly, “Eden needs to experiment on someone. Who better to do their tests on than a bunch of camp kids especially cryos who have no parents to complain to?”

That doesn’t explain me,” I offered.

“It doesn’t explain a lot of things,” said Aliah.

The Atlanteans Series:

1. The Lost Code

FTC Advisory: Katherine Tegen Books provided me with a copy of The Lost Code. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

This dystopian story takes place in a world where it is no longer safe to be outdoors because of danger from the sun due to ozone damage. Owen Parker finds himself the winner of a contest to participate in a summer camp in one of the exclusive domes that have been built for people to live in safely, which recreates the feel of the real world before the earth was damaged. Owen is from the hub, an underground community for those not fortunate enough to live in the domed community of Eden. He pretty much tries to keep to himself and stay inconspicuous. Owen finds himself at the lake for swimming testing. Normally, he wouldn't participate in this strenuous test, but he finds himself quite taken with the instructor, Lilly, who is one of the other girls at the camp. Despite his better judgement he jumps in and does pretty well for a while. The next thing he knows he has cramp, he's sinking to the bottom, and no one notices that he isn't there. As he slowly begins to lose consciousness, he hears a strange voice begin to speak to him telling him that what is oldest will be new and what was lost shall be found. That is the last thing Owen remembers before he drowns.

The next thing he knows he wakes up to Lilly giving him CPR. When Lilly whispers to him not to tell them (meaning the camp leaders) how long he was under the water, he was shocked to find that he had been under more than 10 minutes. From this point on the world as Owen Parker knows it is forever changed. Destined to unlock the code that will help save the world, Owen finds himself no longer a follower, but an emerging leader, under the close observation of the leaders of the camp, and in the beginning of a budding relationship with Lilly. He discovers new friends that have undergone the same changes that he has experienced, and he finds that there are those who would do anything to stop him. Owen must decide whether to give in or stand up for what he knows is right. The future of humanity just might depend on it.

This dystopian story also incorporates some mythology, centered around the lost city of Atlantis, which was interesting and fresh. I liked the main character Owen. I am not sure how old he was, but he seemed to be one of the older campers. Lilly, who I really liked, was a little older that Owen and had a great personality. There are several other characters in the book who also play important roles, one being Leech, who was quite the bully. The story line was interesting, though a little slow-paced in the beginning, but by the end of the book there was quite a bit of action, and the Atlantis mythology comes more into play. The love interest was sweet also. The Lost Code is a book that I think would appeal mainly to the middle grade age group and some older teens, and I would definitely recommend it to that age group. It reminds me somewhat of Percy Jackson, though not as fast paced. With that in mind, if you enjoy dystopian stories and mythology, then The Lost Code is something you or your children might enjoy. ( )

As posted on booknook - YA and Fantasy book reviews

The Lost Code is a book about Owen Parker. He's a pretty normal guy who is far from perfect. He's not overly confident, he doesn't have a muscular build, and he's a little awkward. Owen has been selected to live in EdenWest, which is a dome compound 6 kilometers in diamter that protects its 200,000 inhabitants from the destroyed ozone and dangerous levels of radiation. The story starts off with Owen drowning. But when he's finally rescued, he should be dead according to all logic; he was drowning for 10 minutes. The fact that he's even alive is the first hint that something isn't quite normal...

Soon enough, Owen discovers that his little water trauma caused him to grow gills! He's not quite a merman, but he has the underwater breathing part nailed! He groups up with some similarly gifted friends and together they speculate: is this transformation a result of their time at Eden? Are they being experimented on? Or is this some kind of natural evolution?

I adored this book! It kind of reminds me of Percy Jackson & the Olympians in the way that EdenWest is set up as a camp and that you have a few kids with special abilities. There are games, crafts, counselors, campers -- including some that you'll love to hate. These Eden domes are the only protection people have from the deathly sun and radiation, but some people worry that the integrity of the dome is failing, despite the camp director's claims that "everything is fine." So when Owen suddenly grows gills after his near-death drowning experience, he meets up with some likeminded campers and start to discuss the possibility of a conspiracy. Is Eden really what they say it is? Or is something darker taking place?

Owen is a really awesome protagonist. It was refreshing to read from a male character's point of view. It also made the brewing romance great to read about. You know how girls obsess over guys, overanalyze everything, and wonder if they're doing or saying the right thing? We get a small glimpse into the male version of that! I also love how normal he is and how talking to girls doesn't come naturally for him.

The Lost Code is a really unique story, full of conspiracy, deception, and an incredibly intriguing world. It's the kind of book that makes you think. Since it's all about environmental issues, I couldn't help but constantly wondering, "Will our world be like this some day?" It's a really fascinating thing to think about. It's interesting to hear the story unfold, learn what happened as the ozone started getting destroyed, and see how people try to combat the issue and find "save havens" in the Eden compounds. Then, next to all that, Kevin Emerson brings in some Atlanean lore! How cool!

This book is kind of slow moving. The first part is largely spent introducing us to the camp and letting us get a sense of what goes on. We quickly figure out who the camp bully is (Leech) and you'll really love hating him. You'll be screaming at Owen to punch Leech in the face or do other violent things. We also learn a lot about the state of the environment, the technology behind the compound, and so on. I can understand how it might be too slow for some pople. Emerson feeds us bits and pieces to keep us intrigued, but it might not be enough for you if you like a constant fast-paced story. But I was so intrigued by the history and all the information about Eden that it didn't bother me too much. I was never bored with this story!

One thing that did bother me was the way that Owen referred to his body or his brain or whatever. He described it as if he had technicians constantly monitoring his body and working his motor skills, etc. These "technicians" had a bit of a personality and even some dialogue. This first shows up in chapter one and my first reaction was that it was different, but interesting. But then, I thought it was a one time thing. It's constant throughout the whole story and just became weird and annoying. It reminded me of Ana's "Inner Goddess" in Fifty Shades of Grey. Here's how the book describes them:

=============
A feeling began to ache in my chest, a certainty: Owen, it's time to breathe. The order was matter-of-fact, like there were little technicians inside my body, wearing yellow jumpsuits and monitoring all of my functions on glowing screens. That was how I always felt, like others were in charge of me, like I was just along for the ride.

The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson, page 4
=============

I just found the usage to be a bit silly and distracting. It didn't fit in well.

My second gripe contains a spoiler so I'll have to be vague. I'll just say that I drew some assumptions with the whole Atlantean, `Owen growing gills' thing and got really excited about it. Then it turned out quite different and it was a little disappointing for me.

Despite those two issues, this book is definitely worth reading. The dystopian environmental aspects are AWESOME and so fascinating to read about. Towards the end it also feels a lot like an epic adventure story. I'm really looking forward to the second book and can't wait to learn more about the Atlantis lore! ( )

This story starts with a bang. We first see our main character Owen when he is drowning while taking part in a swimming test at Camp Eden inside the EdenWest biodome. Owen is new at camp. He usually lives with his father near what was Yellowstone. The Earth is in great danger. The ozone level is rising, the polar ice is melting. Humanity has been reduced by 60%. Survivors have moved north of the 60th parallel or live in assorted domes that have been built near ancient marvels. But what is the Eden Corporation trying to do? Why did they build their domes where they did? What are they doing to the kids at the camps? Once Owen is rescued he finds that he has developed gills. And he is not alone. Several other campers also have them. The kids are keeping this a secret from the people who run the camp.

I found this a hard story to get into for a couple of reasons. First of all, the first section was a slow read because of the large amount of information that was given about the ecological situation and the political situation. Also, I got bogged down in the bullying that was going on in the camp. Second, I found Owen so self-effacing and self-deprecating that I could not get a good read on him. I didn't find him engaging. It takes more than half the book for him to decide to stop letting everyone push him around and keep him around. I like characters who are active rather than passive and, so, found Owen very frustrating.

The second half of the story was much more action packed as Owen and Lilly have to find a way to elude Paul and the guards.This section was filled with excitement and adventures. The kids make discoveries both modern and ancient.

Readers who want to read another dystopia may well enjoy this one. The ending begs for the second book in the trilogy as the big problems are still awaiting a solution and our characters are still in a great deal of danger. ( )