Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Tor (2022), Edition: Main Market, 384 pages
Description
The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation. Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person's inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality-an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications. When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society's archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will. Most of them.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
This book was originally self-published by the author, but after it became a "BookTok" sensation Tor acquired the rights to it. Wikipedia says it was revised after Tor ganed control but I would have thought Tor could have done more to tighten it up. I wasn't really impressed.
The plot is pretty
I really thought there could have been a lot less filler between the original scenes and the end. I won't be delving into the sequel.
The plot is pretty
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simple. Every ten years,the Alexandrian Society invites six young magic practitioners to audition for a place in the society. At the end of a year, five of them will be invited to stay on. They have to spend that year in a large home in London taking lessons and exploring the society's vast archives. Of course, the various personalities clash and there are numerous attempts to one up the others. But, since we are talking about young hormonal people, there are also a number of liaisons of a sexual nature. One of the six, who is a telepath, learns that at the end of the year the person who is passed over is to be killed by the others. Not a way to build good interpersonal relationships. I won't disclose how it ends but since there is a sequel you can probably guess that there is no definitive conclusion.I really thought there could have been a lot less filler between the original scenes and the end. I won't be delving into the sequel.
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LibraryThing member majkia
Well, it sounded like something I'd like, but after 60percent of the book, I really don't care enough to finish. No characters I like, and it's mostly psychological manipulation between them that's the focus rather than the magic and the interesting idea of the magical society.
LibraryThing member Shrike58
I find the disparity of reaction to this book fascinating, as the people who dislike it really, really seem to dislike it. As for myself, my expectations were met, as I was expecting a lot of skullduggery and intrigue and Blake delivered on it. Now, having detonated one hell of a double-cross in
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the climax, you can either see this as an admirable act of audacity, or a highly aggravating bait-and-switch. I'm in the first category, but, I can see people who made their way through the claustrophobic and fractious environment of the story feeling like they were robbed. I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy, but Blake has set a very high bar for herself. Show Less
LibraryThing member Verkruissen
The Atlas Six is definitely one of my new favorite books of the year so far. It's the story of six candidates chosen to complete for five spots at the mythical Library of Alexandria, not destroyed as rumored, simply relocated itself in a hidden destination because The Society deemed the information
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to valuable for non-magical humans. Those with magic are known as medians and magic is a known element in this world. This book is a good adult version for those who enjoyed the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling or The Magician series by Lev Grossman. There are definitely some adult themes in the book but nothing very graphic in my opinion. I would say definitely YA/ New Adult to Adults who enjoy fantasy. The world building was interesting and the magic system was quite unique and the characters had an interesting dynamic through the relationships that developed. It definitely left on a huge cliffhanger so I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series! Show Less
LibraryThing member BethYacoub
Oh noooooooo... this cannot be happening... how did I get to the end so quickly???
This review will be named "Ode To A Book That Devoured My Attention... One That Snuck up and beat me about the head with a club named Time Suck (in a good way) and riffled through my pockets spilling bits of Pessimism
Well, let me tell you... this (audio)book was soooo good!! I had a listening binge marathon and found myself in love love absofreakinglutely in LOVE!! It was a bit twisty.... it was also a bit Flirty and all sorts of Devious. With grandiose intellectual (big galaxy brained) ponderings and dastardly (behind the curtain), unforeseen (even by the uber powerful telepath- Parisa) machinations. The theoretical physics they were dreaming up and experimenting with were extremely interesting things to chew on, especially during the (boring/sadly realistic) time I was away from this audiobook. I thought about it a la Dr. Suess style quite often throught the day:
I thought about it in my car, I thought about it near and far. I thought about it in the rain, I thought about its apropos name. I thought about it yes I did, and a begrudginly farewell I bid.
Okay okay, that'll be enough of THAT hot mental mess. Anywho...
How did it all happen you might (not) ask? Well I'm glad you (might not have) asked. There I was... driving around doing chores... riding along, immersed in this story and then BAM... out of nowhere comes the chapter titled "End". I was so shocked I pulled over and checked the Audible chapter section for confirmation that that chapter does indeed do what its name suggests. AND sure enough, these were my very last moments amongst this cast, within this amazing world and I sobbed (inwardly). Those last few chapters were both enlightening and (mostly) frustrating. Instead of wrapping things up with vital plot answers... you know, neatly and satisfyingly... it doled out a paultry amount of resolutions and then proceeded to add a ton more questions to the queue. Is this fair? Emphatically, NO! Did I catch on to the biggest reveals early on? That's also a big NO BUT, I did (happily) get swallowed up whole and taken on a wild ride, then spit out (unceremoniously) on my rather numb butt (from sitting too long listening to this here audiobook that is headed straight for my Favorites list) and left by the curb to nurse my battered and traumatized soul.... a bit dramatic but true.
Okay okay... end fangirl rant
Overall:
This book had some AWESOME orators... ahem, I'm looking at you Steve West!! The range of these 8 narrators really made the story POP! I'm not going to lie... I almost threw a very uncharacteristic mental temper tantrum when I got to the chapter named "End". I drove along living in both the real (analog) world and inside this book's HD world which is populated with dynamic characters that were full and rich and fleshed out beautifully... characters that were morally grey (just like I like them)... cracked and nearly broken in a variety of ways. Each of the character's innate powers were alluring, engaging and fascinating! They meshed well with the others (for the most part), were as complex as my last organic chemistry class and layered like a peak seasoned onion (it works in my head, just go with it).
If you're on the fence about delving into this one, I can say with 100% honesty that this (audio)book is well worth the price of admission as well as all the time you'll be spending cradling/listening to it lovingly. It's an undeniably enjoyable Time Suck. My two cents? Go forth... go forth and enjoy this read.
The End!
~ Enjoy
This review will be named "Ode To A Book That Devoured My Attention... One That Snuck up and beat me about the head with a club named Time Suck (in a good way) and riffled through my pockets spilling bits of Pessimism
Show More
and Criticism." Too long? Okay, I agree, I'll trim it down to its bare bones. How about this " Ode To A Cleverly Crafted Book I Now Love"? Sounds good to me!Well, let me tell you... this (audio)book was soooo good!! I had a listening binge marathon and found myself in love love absofreakinglutely in LOVE!! It was a bit twisty.... it was also a bit Flirty and all sorts of Devious. With grandiose intellectual (big galaxy brained) ponderings and dastardly (behind the curtain), unforeseen (even by the uber powerful telepath- Parisa) machinations. The theoretical physics they were dreaming up and experimenting with were extremely interesting things to chew on, especially during the (boring/sadly realistic) time I was away from this audiobook. I thought about it a la Dr. Suess style quite often throught the day:
I thought about it in my car, I thought about it near and far. I thought about it in the rain, I thought about its apropos name. I thought about it yes I did, and a begrudginly farewell I bid.
Okay okay, that'll be enough of THAT hot mental mess. Anywho...
How did it all happen you might (not) ask? Well I'm glad you (might not have) asked. There I was... driving around doing chores... riding along, immersed in this story and then BAM... out of nowhere comes the chapter titled "End". I was so shocked I pulled over and checked the Audible chapter section for confirmation that that chapter does indeed do what its name suggests. AND sure enough, these were my very last moments amongst this cast, within this amazing world and I sobbed (inwardly). Those last few chapters were both enlightening and (mostly) frustrating. Instead of wrapping things up with vital plot answers... you know, neatly and satisfyingly... it doled out a paultry amount of resolutions and then proceeded to add a ton more questions to the queue. Is this fair? Emphatically, NO! Did I catch on to the biggest reveals early on? That's also a big NO BUT, I did (happily) get swallowed up whole and taken on a wild ride, then spit out (unceremoniously) on my rather numb butt (from sitting too long listening to this here audiobook that is headed straight for my Favorites list) and left by the curb to nurse my battered and traumatized soul.... a bit dramatic but true.
Okay okay... end fangirl rant
Overall:
This book had some AWESOME orators... ahem, I'm looking at you Steve West!! The range of these 8 narrators really made the story POP! I'm not going to lie... I almost threw a very uncharacteristic mental temper tantrum when I got to the chapter named "End". I drove along living in both the real (analog) world and inside this book's HD world which is populated with dynamic characters that were full and rich and fleshed out beautifully... characters that were morally grey (just like I like them)... cracked and nearly broken in a variety of ways. Each of the character's innate powers were alluring, engaging and fascinating! They meshed well with the others (for the most part), were as complex as my last organic chemistry class and layered like a peak seasoned onion (it works in my head, just go with it).
If you're on the fence about delving into this one, I can say with 100% honesty that this (audio)book is well worth the price of admission as well as all the time you'll be spending cradling/listening to it lovingly. It's an undeniably enjoyable Time Suck. My two cents? Go forth... go forth and enjoy this read.
The End!
~ Enjoy
Show Less
LibraryThing member CelticLibrarian
A dark fantasy that reads like YA and contains some similarity to themes of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games books.
This was definitely not a book that I normally would choose and probably one that I should have skipped entirely. I was enticed by the hype and ended up being totally disappointed in
The premise -- six magicians are chosen to attend the Alexandrian Society indoctrination with the ultimate prize of being asked to join this super secret collective and have access to all the lost and ancient knowledge. The characters are introduced and narrate their own chapters as their magical specialties are explained as they try to prove their worth to each other and to the Society. There is a catch, however. Out of the 6 invited, only 5 will be initiated members.
Very slow pace, a lot of repetition, and ultimately somewhat boring -- this was not my cup of tea. I did not like any of the characters and the whole concept of their purpose was only vaguely explained. I have no intention of reading further books in this series because I simply do not care about any of them nor their future conspiracies or manipulations. There is no sense of menace or foreboding even in the magic or the atmosphere of the mansion where they live and study. I was a trial to read through to the end and I am glad to be done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. Sorry, it was not for me and I can see from other reviews that I am an outlier on this one.
This was definitely not a book that I normally would choose and probably one that I should have skipped entirely. I was enticed by the hype and ended up being totally disappointed in
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the story. It was surely an overreach of quasi philosophy and the concept of magic -- of course being misused by power hungry masterminds playing at being God. Another miss was that this ARC contained none of the promised illustrations.The premise -- six magicians are chosen to attend the Alexandrian Society indoctrination with the ultimate prize of being asked to join this super secret collective and have access to all the lost and ancient knowledge. The characters are introduced and narrate their own chapters as their magical specialties are explained as they try to prove their worth to each other and to the Society. There is a catch, however. Out of the 6 invited, only 5 will be initiated members.
Very slow pace, a lot of repetition, and ultimately somewhat boring -- this was not my cup of tea. I did not like any of the characters and the whole concept of their purpose was only vaguely explained. I have no intention of reading further books in this series because I simply do not care about any of them nor their future conspiracies or manipulations. There is no sense of menace or foreboding even in the magic or the atmosphere of the mansion where they live and study. I was a trial to read through to the end and I am glad to be done.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. Sorry, it was not for me and I can see from other reviews that I am an outlier on this one.
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LibraryThing member jovemako
this turned out to be a better story than I thought, and I already liked the story idea. I found myself actually mad at the ending because it took such a twist in the last 50 pages in a good way. I'm only mad at it because now I have to wait for the next book to hit the market. (yes, I've already
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pre-ordered it) It was a really enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake is one of those books you need to sit and let marinate. The more you do, the more you appreciate what Ms. Blake achieves. It can be a little disconcerting initially, especially when Ms. Blake spends more time developing her characters than building her world, but trust
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me. The characters and their connections, the mystery, and the big reveal are worth any initial confusion. The Atlas Six is one of those books that will haunt me for the rest of the year, and I’m aching to read the sequel! Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
I struggled with this book. I liked the basic premise, with six highly capable practitioners of magic vying to gain entry to a select fellowship, but found the individual characters, and the writing style, exceptionally annoying.
I also readily acknowledge that as a jaded civil servant nearing the
It is rather disappointing that I should bring up my century for 2022 with one of the books I have enjoyed least so far this the year.
I also readily acknowledge that as a jaded civil servant nearing the
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age of sixty, I am probably a long way outside the expected circle of readership, although my far younger niece also found the tone and style irritating.It is rather disappointing that I should bring up my century for 2022 with one of the books I have enjoyed least so far this the year.
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LibraryThing member shelleyraec
In Olivie Blake’s fantasy series debut, The Atlas Six, six extraordinarily gifted magic wielders are invited to compete for initiation into the exclusive Alexandrian Society, whose members care for the legendary Library of Alexandria. Under the supervision of Society Caretaker, Atlas Blakely, the
The story primarily unfolds from the alternating perspectives of the ‘Six’ who accept the invitation, each for their own reasons. I think Blake ably established the characters personalities and ambitions. They vary in background, temperament and ability, however they are all competitive and determined to be the best. Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona, both capable of telekinetic manipulation on a molecular level, have been rivals for years; Tristan Caine can see through illusions to the fabric of the universe; Parisa Kamali can read minds, and Callum Nova wields disturbing powers of influence; while Reina Mori is a naturalist with the power of life and death. Conflict is inevitable, of course, which is heightened when Atlas reveals a deadly twist.
There’s a lot I like about the premise of Atlas Six, but the execution of the story is flawed in places. The magic system is interesting but there are gaps I felt needed explanation. In terms of action and pacing, I felt the story was a little uneven. The first third necessarily introduces the characters, to the reader and each other, and establishes the basic structure of Blake’s fantasy world. Unfortunately it doesn’t feel like much happens in the middle third of the novel, even though a large chunk of time passes. The last third, which leads to a not unexpected cliffhanger, offers some surprising twists and increasing tension but there are also elements/events for which necessary groundwork has not been laid.
I did enjoy Atlas Six, though it didn’t live up to the hype for me. I’m hoping The Atlas Paradox will realise the potential this one didn’t.
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candidates must spend a year housed in the library together where they are expected study to hone their abilities, however only five of the recruits will be offered membership, assuring them a future of wealth, power, and prestige, while the sixth will be eliminated.The story primarily unfolds from the alternating perspectives of the ‘Six’ who accept the invitation, each for their own reasons. I think Blake ably established the characters personalities and ambitions. They vary in background, temperament and ability, however they are all competitive and determined to be the best. Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona, both capable of telekinetic manipulation on a molecular level, have been rivals for years; Tristan Caine can see through illusions to the fabric of the universe; Parisa Kamali can read minds, and Callum Nova wields disturbing powers of influence; while Reina Mori is a naturalist with the power of life and death. Conflict is inevitable, of course, which is heightened when Atlas reveals a deadly twist.
There’s a lot I like about the premise of Atlas Six, but the execution of the story is flawed in places. The magic system is interesting but there are gaps I felt needed explanation. In terms of action and pacing, I felt the story was a little uneven. The first third necessarily introduces the characters, to the reader and each other, and establishes the basic structure of Blake’s fantasy world. Unfortunately it doesn’t feel like much happens in the middle third of the novel, even though a large chunk of time passes. The last third, which leads to a not unexpected cliffhanger, offers some surprising twists and increasing tension but there are also elements/events for which necessary groundwork has not been laid.
I did enjoy Atlas Six, though it didn’t live up to the hype for me. I’m hoping The Atlas Paradox will realise the potential this one didn’t.
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LibraryThing member aadyer
Could have been good. Couldn’t engage with it. The characters and the development was interesting.
LibraryThing member Gena678
I really enjoyed this book, this concept of magic, and the characters which were almost all anti-heroes. At times their motives were unclear, but enough hints were given that I am looking forward to the next book because I think many things will be explained in there. The writing was mature and
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lively and the plot really worked for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyMorgan
Every decade the top 6 mages are selected to collaborate and protect the Library of Alexandria, while simultaneously competing against each other for the 5 available spots as part of the Alexandrian Society.
The Atlas Six is an adult fiction founded in magic and dark academia. I was skeptical of
In honor of "The Atlas Paradox" release, I did reread "The Atlas Six." This time as an audio book that was done full cast. I enjoyed it just as much the second time.
The Atlas Six is an adult fiction founded in magic and dark academia. I was skeptical of
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the 6 perspectives but Olivie Blake does a phenomenal job maintaining perspective changes and chapter organization. I typically read young adult novels and I feel it hindered my enjoyment of the novel slightly. At times, it was hard for me to distinguish between past and present. After a “warm up” I was able to enjoy the book much more.In honor of "The Atlas Paradox" release, I did reread "The Atlas Six." This time as an audio book that was done full cast. I enjoyed it just as much the second time.
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LibraryThing member Danielle.Desrochers
I liked this, but it kept losing my interest. I feel like there were too many characters to keep straight, and I didn’t really care about any of them except one.
I will, however be reading book 2 because I need to know what happened!
I will, however be reading book 2 because I need to know what happened!
LibraryThing member tuusannuuska
3,5 stars but let's be generous and round up.
The ending promises more interesting things for the sequel, but this was mostly just about intro to the world and the characters, and setting the stage for the actual plot.
For all that actually happened in this one, the book was overly long winded. The
The book was very easy to read though, and reminded me that I actually do enjoy urban fantasy and should probably read it more often.
The ending promises more interesting things for the sequel, but this was mostly just about intro to the world and the characters, and setting the stage for the actual plot.
For all that actually happened in this one, the book was overly long winded. The
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characters were pretty unlikeable all around, with maybe the exception of Gideon.The book was very easy to read though, and reminded me that I actually do enjoy urban fantasy and should probably read it more often.
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LibraryThing member sedodge
I want to start by saying that I do enjoy this book - see the 4 start rating for proof. I feel it necessary to restate that since I feel that this review may go over as well as a lead balloon. The Atlas Six needs work. But lets start with what I liked - the plot. The plot is unique from anything
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else I have ever seen before. The idea that the Library of Alexandria isn't lost is something that I think all book lovers can get behind. It's a real standout and the whole plot keeps you thinking and on the edge of your seat for the entirety of the book. The book falls squarely in the cross section of dark academia and magic with a touch of mystery thrown in which is right up my alley. I love the characters and the potential for plot twists and the potential for interplay between characters is unparalleled. Which brings us right to the doorstep of what I didn't like. I feel like there is SO much missed potential in this book. I was on the edge of my seat, absolutely devouring this book trying to get to the point when everything clicked into place and started making sense - but that never quite happened. In order to preserve the feeling of mystery that shrouds the Alexandrian Society many questions are left unanswered, and the magic that the characters possess is explained so abstractly that there is actually little explanation at all. Even having finished the books, I still struggle to understand the difference between the magic that some of the characters have. Along that same vein, it feels like the characters were given no room to exist outside of progressing the plot. For a group of only six people that live together for an entire year, there are a scant few instances where you can see them interacting, building relationships, or evening just having general character development. It is frequently referenced how "deeply inextricable" these characters are from each other, but we never quite find out why that is, or how that could even be possible given how little they interact within the society walls. As I said at the start - I did thoroughly enjoy this book. And if this becomes a series, I would certainly read the next one, with the profound hope that things start to make a bit more sense. But it is in need of an editor and a bit more elaboration to make it a truly great read. Show Less
LibraryThing member CurrerBell
A very trite "dark academia" supernatural that I'm glad I got on Kindle so it won't clutter a bookcase. I won't be reading the rest of this trilogy.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020-01-30
ISBN
1529095239 / 9781529095234
Local notes
Opening the doors to a world of magic, ancient wisdom and secret societies, this fantasy follows six uniquely talented young magicians as they are invited to an initiation that will change their lives forever.
Waterstones exclusive with yellow sparkles stencilled on black page edges.
Waterstones exclusive with yellow sparkles stencilled on black page edges.