The Atlantis Plague by A. G. Riddle is the second book in The Origin Mystery series and continues the story of Dr. Kate Warner and David Vale. Kate is now in Marbella, Spain with Martin and is working on either improving the current treatment for the Atlantis Plague or finding a potential cure for it. However, this is not exactly an easy thing to do when the plague seems to be affecting people on a genetic level though she is determined to do so anyway. The world in general has turned into a bit of a chaotic madhouse though as the Immari Corporation is determined to seize this opportunity to essentially take over the world. When they invade Marbella, Kate and Martin have to quickly find a way to take their research and escape the invading force. While this is going on, David and Dorian are both still in Antarctica in the facility there and Dorian is determined to be the only one who escapes alive. He is only able to do so because he realizes that he has somehow acquired the memories of one of the Atlanteans, General Ares. Believing David dead, he finally leaves to rejoin the Immari in their conquest, not realizing that David actually resurrects in the Gibraltar facility.
Much like the first book this is almost like you are reading a conspiracy theory on steroids or something, only I think this one falls closer to the doomsday side of things than the whole aliens are planning to invade Earth. I guess depending on how you look at it the story could be both of those though. This book was just as fast paced as the first one and will keep you on the edge of your seat, so to speak, throughout as you constantly wonder how exactly Kate and David will make it through everything. Because of that the book ended up being an extremely fast read despite being longer than the first book. One of the things that I found intriguing though is the expanded backstory and hints of history for the actual Atlanteans that were sprinkled throughout the story. It really makes me curious about where it is going to go next. At the same time there is more being revealed about the characters as well. Not necessarily more backstory but more about them in terms of personality and personal values though. We get to see what they are really willing to do or not do when pushed to it. Something that I found disheartening was how fast exactly their earth unraveled in the face of something like the Atlantis Plague. Most people prefer to think that our society will persevere and survive something like that but perhaps not. Definitely a good read and one that I found enjoyable if somewhat disconcerting. It gets four out of five stars from me.
This is an adult science-fiction thriller, I guess that would be the best way to describe it anyway. It would probably hold the most appeal for readers who tend to prefer science-fiction but it may also hold some appeal for readers who enjoy thrillers. I highly doubt that it will hold a lot of appeal for readers who don’t enjoy either of those. There are decent levels of violence and numerous references to adult content sprinkled throughout the text though nothing overly graphic for the second one. The book may be aimed at adults and could be read by older teens but I would caution younger teens to be careful before considering it. I would still say that it is worth the read though so if you want to try it go right ahead. If you do, I hope you will consider sharing your thoughts in the comments.