Product Description

What if you discovered that the Greek Gods of myth were real, imprisoned for thousands of years on the lost continent of Atlantis and only you could release them from their underwater prison? What if the journey would take you to the Greek Isles, Egypt, the rain forests of Mexico, and eventually Atlantis itself? What if the long the way you made unbelievable scientific discoveries, battled pirates and zombies, and finally discovered the amazingly powerful, god-like beings did exist and the Earth's very existence depended on your freeing them? What if you found out that if you free them, you may be dooming the entire human race? This is the plight of Dan Ryan, a recent widower who while in the depths of great despair of the loss of his wife and child, is set on this very adventure by a peculiar character who claims to be the Greek God Hermes. Follow Dan and his friends as the adventure of a lifetime begins the first of this new fantasy trilogy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #968563 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-30
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

IBList.com, Adrian Lambert, June 2006
The novel reads like the Da Vinci Code but with a fantasy twist!

Fantasy Novel Review, 2006
The author done the homework and come up with a novel full of exotic places, musty-dusty finds and the Gods.

Baryon Speculative Fiction Review, 2005
De la Torre has presented a well-written, fast moving adventure that fits into the Clive Cussler/Dan Brown mode.

Customer Reviews

A nice read
I was recommended this book by another lover of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" but this is nothing like that one. The common theme is ancient gods, but that's where the similarities ends.

This novella moves way faster and closes all sub-plots and spinn offs quick. A bit too fast sometimes, leaving me with a "u-hu? Was that it?".
It's more like a Percy Jackson for grown-ups or a Clive Custler or Dan Brown without all the "stop and analyzing" parts. Not sure if it's good all the time, there could have been some more deepening of the storyline. Like why the gods ended up being so hostile for instance. (A far cry from Gaiman's conceited but jovial Wednesday)

But over all I like it, and I'm looking forward to the sequel, hoping it to answer some of the questions left in the first book

Ancient Rising
Dan Ryan is an acclaimed writer of an apocalyptic series of books. His wife and daughter are his life but writing is his air. Once immersed in his writing all else is soon forgotten. While completing his latest novel, Dan once again was lost in his work when tragically his wife and daughter were killed in an accident. Too late, Dan realized what his family meant to him and became hopelessly lost in grief.

At the lowest depths of his grief, a bizarre series of events began. A strange man claiming to be the Messenger of the Gods, Hermes, insisted that Dan was the key to Atlantis. This man claimed that not only would the writer help find Atlantis but also bring the lost continent back to the surface.

Ancient Rising has a good deal of action, intrigue, and ample twists and turns melded into the story of Dan Ryan coming to grips with his new existence. Finding the lost continent of Atlantis and bringing it to the surface is an extraordinary task but what happens next. I look forward to finding out in the next two books of this trilogy.

A fair read with a new Twist on the Atlantis story
This is the first in a a series or may be a trilogy about Atlantis' discovery. The Gods are alive and well living in Atlantis, but need a human( the descent of Hercules, no less) to save them. Enter one of the Gods to provide "guidance". The ensuing tale is light hearted and moves rather quickly ( read the book in a few hours, but then I read alot) I am not sure if I will pursue this series, not enough substance for my taste. Give a whirl and see what you think.