01/31/2022
This melodramatic, series-opening magical school tale from Blake (The Answer You Are Looking for Is Yes) eschews action adventure for more cerebral, emotional beats. It begins as six young medeians, the most magically adept members of the populace, are initiated into the Alexandrian Society, the secretive body that alone has access to the reborn Library of Alexandria and all mystical knowledge therein. Each initiate has a skill set: Libby Rhodes and Nicolás Ferrer de Varona, long-standing rivals from their college days, are both physicists, practitioners of elemental magic; Reina Mori is a naturalist; Parisa Kamali is a powerful telepath while Callum Nova is her equal as an empath; and Tristan Caine has the power to see through illusions. Over the course of one year, they study in the Society’s mansion headquarters, learning more about magic and each other, all while knowing that at the end, they must choose to eliminate one of their number. Little happens for much of the book outside of the shifting social interactions of these privileged and often smug or neurotic characters. It’s not until the final twist that things pick up, a villain is revealed, and the stakes are set for the rest of the series. Die-hard lovers of the dark academia aesthetic will enjoy this, but others likely won’t have the patience. (Mar.)
"The Atlas Six introduces six of the most devious, talented, and flawed characters to ever find themselves in a magical library, and then sets them against one another in a series of stunning betrayals and reversals. As much a delicious contest of wit, will, and passion as it is of magic, this book is half mystery, half puzzle, and wholly a delight." — Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Night
"Lethally smart. Filled with a cast of brilliantly realized characters, each entangled with one another in torturously delicious ways, The Atlas Six will grip you by the throat and refuse to let go. Olivie Blake is a mind-blowing talent. " — Chloe Gong, author of New York Times bestselling These Violent Delights
"Compelling, entertaining, and addictive. The Atlas Six is academic Darwinism: survival of the smartest with a healthy dose of magic." — T.L. Huchu, author of The Library of The Dead
"For die-hard lovers of dark academia.” — Publishers Weekly
" This chilling story of ambition and magic will make you question your own morals as you grow to love (and hate) its fascinating, ruthless cast of characters. I utterly devoured this book." — Amanda Foody, author of All of Us Villains
06/01/2022
Blake's dark fantasy, first self-published in 2020, achieved viral fame through millions of TikTok views and is now available in audio. This book, the first in a planned trilogy, follows six medeians, magicians with powers ranging from telepathy to the ability to manipulate nature, who are selected to join the Alexandrian Society. The Society is a secret body that safeguards the treasures of the Great Library of Alexandria and serves as a stunningly powerful magical think tank. Eight narrators—James Patrick Cronin, Siho Ellsmore, Munirih Grace, Andy Ingalls, Caitlin Kelly, Damian Lynch, David Monteith, and Steve West—give voice to the characters as they learn that only five of their original six members will make it to initiation. The brutal choice of whom to eliminate is theirs to make. The audio version may be challenging for listeners, for while the narrators provide solid performances, their sheer number, combined with different characterizations and interpretations, increases the complexity of the already sprawling story. Additionally, inconsistencies in volume and sound quality may be distracting for some. VERDICT While steadfast fantasy lovers will be eager for the next installation in this series, others may wish that worldbuilding and action better matched the hype.—Sarah Hashimoto
This audiobook includes newly revised and expanded material that is fully realized by a talented ensemble of narrators, including Steve West (Callum Nova), Caitlin Kelly (Libby Rhodes), and David Monteith (Tristan Caine). Six exceptional individuals are recruited by the enigmatic Atlas Blakely to join the Alexandrian Society, an exclusive, powerful organization focused on arcane and esoteric knowledge. Hearing the prospective initiates from alternating points of view as the competition unfolds between the candidates adds layers and nuance to their tenuous alliances. Over the course of a year, the group endures challenges from outside forces and the mysteries within the society itself. Keen characterizations illuminate their choices and relationships. Tantalizing narrative threads at the end will create anticipation for the sequel. J.R.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
This audiobook includes newly revised and expanded material that is fully realized by a talented ensemble of narrators, including Steve West (Callum Nova), Caitlin Kelly (Libby Rhodes), and David Monteith (Tristan Caine). Six exceptional individuals are recruited by the enigmatic Atlas Blakely to join the Alexandrian Society, an exclusive, powerful organization focused on arcane and esoteric knowledge. Hearing the prospective initiates from alternating points of view as the competition unfolds between the candidates adds layers and nuance to their tenuous alliances. Over the course of a year, the group endures challenges from outside forces and the mysteries within the society itself. Keen characterizations illuminate their choices and relationships. Tantalizing narrative threads at the end will create anticipation for the sequel. J.R.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
2022-03-30
Dangerous intrigues and deadly secrets swirl around six ambitious young magicians competing for entry into a secret society.
In a world very much like our own, except that a certain percentage of humanity is born with magical powers, six extraordinarily gifted people in their 20s are invited to train for membership in the Alexandrian Society, which has carefully and somewhat surreptitiously preserved centuries of priceless knowledge since the (apparent) burning of the Library of Alexandria. At the end of one year, five of the six will be initiated into the Society, and the reader won’t be surprised to learn that the sixth person isn’t allowed to quietly return home. As the year advances, the candidates explore the limits of their unique powers and shift their alliances, facing threats and manipulations from both within and outside of their circle. For most of its length, the book appears to be a well-written but not especially revolutionary latecomer to the post–Harry Potter collection of novels featuring a darker and more cynical approach to magical education; these books include Sarah Gailey’s Magic for Liars, Marina and Sergey Dyachenko’s Vita Nostra, and Lev Grossman’s Magicians series. Blake also offers a significant dash of the older subgenre of students joining a mystical cult requiring a sacrifice, as in Elizabeth Hand’s Waking the Moonand Robert Silverberg’s The Book of Skulls. The character-building is intense and intriguing—such an interior deep dive is practically de rigueur for a story of this type, which depends on self-discovery—but the plot doesn’t seem to be going anywhere surprising. Then, the book's climax devastatingly reveals that Blake was holding her cards close to the vest all along, delicately hinting at a wider plot which only opens up fully—or almostfully—at the end, when it shoves the reader off a cliff to wait for the next book.
A well-constructed prelude to what promises to be an interesting series.
