Atlantis Fire — Gary Braver

Six American divers - a college professor, soldiers-of-fortune, an unfulfilled woman, a driven Jesuit archaeologist - search the crystalline, menacing waters of the Greek Isles of Santorini for a fabled lost city. They find it. Yet the lend of their search is the beginning of an extraordinary adventure, for the treasures of Atlantis are sought by governments and cutthroats alike, threatened by volcanic eruptions and guarded by a monumental icon that has defied the touch of all but one man for a thousand years before Plato's time.


This superbly crafted novel, set amid the mystery and majesty of the Aegean, combines high tension and suspense with a terrifying realism, climaxing in an unforgettable undersea battle between two armies in wetsuits deep in the exhaust vents of a submerged volcano. 


Praise for Atlantis Fire:

'. . . [A] fast, colorful suspense-adventure. The story races to a literally explosive climax that is better than [Peter] Benchley [Jaws, The Deep] at his best. . . Atlantis Fire blew me away. This is a fine thriller, seasoned with wit and sensibility.' -- Stephen King


'A splendid novel. The best novel I've read in five years.' --Robert B. Parker


'A lively and dramatic story of underwater exploration, of the stunning discovery of what may be the lost city of Atlantis, and its golden treasure. . . . full of chilling surprises.' --Publishers Weekly


'[Goshgarian/Braver] keeps everything moving. . . an entertainment full of eminently filmable aquatic action and scenic locales.' --Kirkus Reviews


'Move over, Peter Benchley. This subaquatic thriller has a new frogman in residence. . . This adventure story about searching for sunken treasure sprang from experience. While he was scuba diving in the Mediterranean, [Goshgarian's/Braver's] boat was boarded by Spanish officials who informed him he lacked proper credentials. This niggle was prompted by a local racketeer profiting from underwater archaeology and kicking back to custom officials. Upon that personal framework Goshgarian [Braver] placed the legends of Atlantis, went to the Greek island of Santorini. . . With a shift of locale to Greece, the addition of scoundrels, saboteurs and scholars, a drowned island, an earthquake, the icon of a bull, flying bullets and spear guns, he had a tale destined for high noon, a beach, midsummer.' --The Boston Globe 


'Archaeological diving sequences are very well done - the author has actually participated in such expeditions. . . The climax, a free-for-all fight in underwater caves . . . is as exciting as any reader would want.' --Library Journal


'. . . the underwater searches and fights are vivid with authentic detail. It's the sort of stuff which should tempt the producers of money-making films like Jaws and The Deep to try again.' --The Boston Herald