ATLANTIS

About the Book

The legendary island kingdom of Atlantis germinated in the minds of anonymous Egyptian priests. Then, if we are to believe the writings of Greek scholars, the concept was passed to Solon, a Greek poet of renown, about 600 B.C.. The writings of Solon preserved the idea and found fertile soil in the mind of Socrates, a Greek philosopher, about 420 B.C.. Socrates passed the story to one of his students, Plato, about 380 B.C.. Plato, in turn, documented the myth in two of his dialogues: Timaeus Critias. Allegedly destroyed by a cataclysm about 10,000 B.C., Atlantis disappeared from the face of the earth. It had been sought by explorers, adventurers, Anthropologists, and Archeologists for centuries. No valid location of the island has ever been found, no artifacts have been found, no valid scientific data have been confirmed. To the scientists of the world, Atlantis is a myth. At least this is what Archeologist Harvey Milhouse III, Phd. believed.., until an apparently very Greek fisherman, who wasn’t a Greek, handed him a Greek-style amphora, which also wasn’t Greek, in the harbor of Caracas, Venezuela. When Harvey couldn’t decipher even one of the markings on the artifact, he was intellectually traumatized and called for the counsel of a distinguished associate, Dr. Heinrich Koch, Phd., a professor at the University of Chicago. Dr. Koch is near overwhelmed by the amphora and immediately declares the artifact might indeed be a relic of the culture of Atlantis. Harvey is the son of a super wealthy man, and he immediately organizes an expedition to seek the source of the amphora in the Guiana Highlands of Venezuela. After a harrowing trek up the Caroni River, the two scientists confront a rebellious Indian guide and force him to lead them to the ‘forbidden valley’. Here, in a near-prehistoric setting where unearthly phenomena abounds, the two scientists discover a ghastly secret and are swept into a battle that challenges their lives and sanity. What appears to be an easy victory for the forces of evil is suddenly challenged by the badger- like courage of Harvey...and Harvey doesn’t take any prisoners!

About the Author

Simon Coe (A.K.A. James Shamblen) holds an advanced degree from West Coast University. Like many authors who were “depression babies”, his career has followed an eclectic path: a Merchant seaman in World War II, soldier, policeman, cook, baker, insurance agent, draftsman, Oriental carpet broker, diamond cutter and Engineer. He has worked on projects sponsored by D.O.D., NASA, USAF and Middle Eastern governments. His novels are drawn from the cultural lore of Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Currently, he lives in Southern California.