The Lost Code By Kevin Emerson

In the year 2086, Camp Eden promises summer “the way things used to be,” back before the oceans rose, the sun became a daily enemy, and modern civilization sank into chaos. Located inside the EdenWest BioDome, the camp is an oasis of pine trees, cool water, and rustic charm.


But all at Camp Eden is not what it seems.


No one will know this better than 15-year-old Owen Parker. A strange underwater vision, even stranger wounds on Owen’s neck, and a cryptic warning from the enchanting lifeguard Lilly hint at a mystery that will take Owen deep beneath Lake Eden and even deeper into the past. What he discovers could give him the chance to save the tattered planet. But first, Owen will have to escape Camp Eden alive.


 
In a desolate world ravaged by the sun, the future is bleak for fifteen year old Owen Parker, until he secures a spot at the Eden Dome. During his first day at camp, Owen drowns, underwater for eleven minutes and far longer than anyone could possibly hold their breath. Except, Owen is dragged into shore, very much alive. Plunging down through the murky depths, Owen recalls the pale blue pulsing light, a haunting female voice to find her, in the temple beneath the Aquinara. With the parting wisdom, this is just the beginning.

Lilly is a lifeguard and Councillor in training at Eden, having found Owen at the bottom of the dome lake. As she warns him not to tell anyone about the close call, clearly she knows more than she's willing to admit. Maria the camp physician cleats Owen of any physical harm, apart from the delicate wounds he obtained across his neck as it's suspected he tangled with the lake ecosystem. The wounds are incredibly itchy, almost pulsing in waves. Owen never wanted to attend the camp, but finds himself a resident for the summer, only to please his father. Back home in the underground lair, Owen lives with his father, his mother had left when before Owen had turned ten. The world is in ruins, sea levels had risen and wiped out billions. In a cruel survival of the fittest, the wealthy were cryogenically frozen in time, and reanimated after the domes, known as Eden, were completed. Camp Eden, previously referred to as Camp Aasgard, is overseen by a director who now after Owen's accident, is treating the seemingly unscathed boy as if he were a prized possession.

The dome is assumed to be a replica of the way the world once was, the simulated sunshine, the storm clouds and to the animals and bugs found buzzing through the air. But when Owen discovers that a butterfly fluttering past is actually tracking his movements with a camera, he realises that the campers are being watched... But why? Rumor has it that the domes are failing, the brutal solar rays are destroying the structure, but camp director Paul shrugs off the innuendo. As camp life continues, Owen's wounds are healing remarkably fast. The itchiness and heat radiating from his bandages are almost too much to bare. Strangely, the only relief Owen can find is the thought of being submerged in the lake, the exact location in which he drowned... And he isn't the only one.

A group known as The Nomads who follow Heliad 7, and sun worshiping cult that is supposedly modeled on ancient religion, and they want in... While Owen is considering opting out. The dome was constructed on what was once the lost city of Atlantis, and Owen has finally come home.

The Lost Code has so much potential, in what is a unique fantasy, mythology, post apocalyptic, young adult science fiction with a touch of romance. The volatile world that the Earth had become was intriguing, and that the only true to life experience you can have, is it join one of the domed communities. The simulated weather, the surveillance and reproduced predisaster settings urged me to continue reading, despite the main character Owen. Owen felt as though he was more of a socially awkward, naive ten year old boy, rather than fifteen. The author seemed to have created a character that was a little too young and simplistic. I enjoyed the first half, parts felt beyond ridiculous and I have no idea what the Technicians were, Owen's inner voice I'm assuming... Or perhaps not. Are there actual little people inside his body? At one point, there seem to be several Technicians having a debated conversation, which made me wonder if Owen had an underlying mental illness. With so much going on within the story, with nothing actually happening, I wouldn't be surprised.

Once the mythology aspect was explored, that's when I lost interest. Where the first half was a simplistic storyline, the world is dying, a camp for children, boy meets girl, token bully and a dictator in camp director Paul. Then it morphs into a story about mythological skulls, flashbacks and DNA testing, underground tunnels to a lost underwater world and a blue pulsing Siren. There were too many ideas thrown together and I just felt as though it didn't work. I think it'll appeal to young teen readers, but sadly it just wasn't for me.

Goodreads
The Lost Code
(The Atlanteans: Book One)
Written By Kevin Emerson
Published 22 / 05 / 2012
448 Pages

2 comments

  1. It seems like this book isn't getting so much high ratings. I would probably skip this book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Dre.
      I think the plot is just a little too busy, but it's funny, I've read the second book is the complete opposite and blows book one out of the water. I might be worth enduring book one just to see how the author has managed to turn it around.

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