Form: Novel
Year: 1990
Publication history:
- ???? : Cartas de la Atlántida (pb) , Timun Mas (Spain) (in Spanish)
- 1990 : Letters from Atlantis (hc) , Atheneum, 136 pp., 31570-8
- 1992 : Letters from Atlantis (pb) , Warner, 136 pp., ISBN 0-446-36286-7
- 1992 : Briefe aus Atlantis (pb) , Lübbe (Germany), 172 pp., ISBN 3404201930 (in German )
- 1995 : Cartas de la Atlántida (pb) , Sanchez (Spain), ISBN 847722823X
- 1999 : Lettres de l'Atlantide (hc) , J'ai lu (France), 157 pp., ISBN 2277231673, 3167 (in French )
- 2000 : Letters from Atlantis (cs) , Blackstone Audio (UK), ISBN 0786199474
- 2001 : Cronos (tpb) , iBooks, 437 pp., ISBN 0743423909
It is the 21st century, and a man can journey through time in the form of disembodied consciousness. Now Roy Colton is about to leap 20,000 years into the past. His mission: to observe the fabled city-island of Atlantis through the mind of its royal heir, Prince Ram. But Roy is soon worried by Ram's dark dreams. Do they presage the island's legendary destruction? And how can Atlantis be so technologically brilliant during a barbaric ice age? Boldly, Roy seeks the truth, yet nothing can prepare him for the strange secret of Atlantis's past...and future.
A very enjoyable short novel. The prehistoric era is brought to life vividly, and the the details of Atlantis are a good mixture of following legend and departing from it. The revelations about the origins of the Atlantians are not exactly unexpected (especially if you've read Star of Gypsies, for which this could be a prequel of sorts), but nicely done. The characters are well-drawn and intriguing, and if there is not a lot of conflict, there's enough discovery to keep things interesting. This version of time travel (as incorporeal observer) is similar to "The Man Who Floated in Time".
The audio version narrated by Tom Parker is available from Audible.com.