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A young queen is torn between her heart's desire and the fate of her kingdom in this "first-rate" fantasy from a New York Times-bestselling author (Library Journal). On his deathbed, the four-hundred-year-old emperor of Atlantis has reason to worry. Signar, the savage ruler of a powerful outlying state, is scheming to seize control of the empire, and not even its advanced technology can save it. But something else can . . . From the frozen north country of Althrustri, Signar will halt his invasion if he can take the emperor's daughter, the beautiful Empress Salustra, as his bride. Such a marriage contradicts the deepest feelings of Salustra's heart, the secret wisdom of her lineage, and her sacred trust as Atlantis's queen. But the emperor has a plan: Salustra will seduce Signar and then sentence him to death. In spite of every effort to harden her heart, Salustra soon finds herself falling in love with the lustful barbarian. Her loyalties gravely divided, the empress must make a decision that will change the course of history. Written by author Taylor Caldwell when she was a young girl and revised and published decades later, The Romance of Atlantis transforms the legend of a lost kingdom into an "extraordinary" tale of passion and intrigue (TheColumbus Dispatch). … (meer)
I first read this book in the mid 1970's, and it remained a favorite of mine for many years. However, it's been at least 15-20 years since the last time I read it, and it has not stood the test of time.
The world is a very different place in 2017 than it was in the 70's, and the environmental, political, social, and philosophical issues of Caldwell's Atlantis which seemed to distant and 'dramatic' are now all too familiar. Descriptions of the wealthy, corrupt Atlantean senate, ministers of science and energy who are more focused on personal prestige than advancing knowledge or meeting a crisis, and a populace which is outwardly passionately religious but not particularly virtuous hit too close to home.
Salustra, the Empress of Atlantis, was once one of my favorite heroines. Now I don't find her good company. Her cynicism, sense of superiority, and emotional isolation frustrate me. Her desire to institute a program of eugenics and her dismissal of other women are painful to read.
I had remembered "the good parts version" of the story (to crib from William Goldman's The Princess Bride): the conflict between Atlantis and its neighbor Althrustri, and the personal relationship between Salustra and Signar, the Emperor of Althrustri, the political manuvering. I had forgotten how much of the book was taken up with philosophical ruminations coupled with scorn for philosophy. It also suffers from old school casual sexism, with Salustra praised for being masculine, scorning women, and characterizing every other female character as a harridan, a fool, or a frigid virgin.
There were also multiple textual errors, with the especially annoying repeating mistake of having Signar's name misspelled as "Signal." Apparently someone was relying too much on spellcheck and less on actual editing.
If I didn't have a history with this book I would never have finished reading it. It was painful. I want to go back and re-write the story to bring back the glamorous, romantic, powerful tale I loved as an adolescent, but with a more mature sensibility.
This book was written when the author was 12 years old. Because of mature themes, adults assumed the work was plagerized and refused publication. The book recounts the final days of Atlantis being full of intrigue, solar power and advanced technology, royal intrigue, moral decay, and warring nations. I found it engaging..... ( )
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. --Hebrews 11:16
Opdracht
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
For the feathered Caesar, whose own forebears were quite prominent in Taylor Caldwell's Atlantis.
Eerste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
The Emperor was two hundred years old, and even with the rejuvenation chamber few lived more than two hundred years in Atlantis.
Citaten
Laatste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
For this we have been brought from the other side of the flood.
A young queen is torn between her heart's desire and the fate of her kingdom in this "first-rate" fantasy from a New York Times-bestselling author (Library Journal). On his deathbed, the four-hundred-year-old emperor of Atlantis has reason to worry. Signar, the savage ruler of a powerful outlying state, is scheming to seize control of the empire, and not even its advanced technology can save it. But something else can . . . From the frozen north country of Althrustri, Signar will halt his invasion if he can take the emperor's daughter, the beautiful Empress Salustra, as his bride. Such a marriage contradicts the deepest feelings of Salustra's heart, the secret wisdom of her lineage, and her sacred trust as Atlantis's queen. But the emperor has a plan: Salustra will seduce Signar and then sentence him to death. In spite of every effort to harden her heart, Salustra soon finds herself falling in love with the lustful barbarian. Her loyalties gravely divided, the empress must make a decision that will change the course of history. Written by author Taylor Caldwell when she was a young girl and revised and published decades later, The Romance of Atlantis transforms the legend of a lost kingdom into an "extraordinary" tale of passion and intrigue (TheColumbus Dispatch).
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Google Books — Bezig met laden...
(3.46)
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5
The world is a very different place in 2017 than it was in the 70's, and the environmental, political, social, and philosophical issues of Caldwell's Atlantis which seemed to distant and 'dramatic' are now all too familiar. Descriptions of the wealthy, corrupt Atlantean senate, ministers of science and energy who are more focused on personal prestige than advancing knowledge or meeting a crisis, and a populace which is outwardly passionately religious but not particularly virtuous hit too close to home.
Salustra, the Empress of Atlantis, was once one of my favorite heroines. Now I don't find her good company. Her cynicism, sense of superiority, and emotional isolation frustrate me. Her desire to institute a program of eugenics and her dismissal of other women are painful to read.
I had remembered "the good parts version" of the story (to crib from William Goldman's The Princess Bride): the conflict between Atlantis and its neighbor Althrustri, and the personal relationship between Salustra and Signar, the Emperor of Althrustri, the political manuvering. I had forgotten how much of the book was taken up with philosophical ruminations coupled with scorn for philosophy. It also suffers from old school casual sexism, with Salustra praised for being masculine, scorning women, and characterizing every other female character as a harridan, a fool, or a frigid virgin.
There were also multiple textual errors, with the especially annoying repeating mistake of having Signar's name misspelled as "Signal." Apparently someone was relying too much on spellcheck and less on actual editing.
If I didn't have a history with this book I would never have finished reading it. It was painful. I want to go back and re-write the story to bring back the glamorous, romantic, powerful tale I loved as an adolescent, but with a more mature sensibility.
(