Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Lesbian
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon
About The Book
A handful of heroes; an impending cataclysm. Can Ariel and her friends save the world as they know it?
Communicating with plants and animals has become a rare gift, one Ariel cherishes. She loves her farm and her family, especially her three-hundred-year-old oma. As she grapples to preserve her connection with the spirit world, she realizes something is dreadfully wrong.
Lysandra, a gifted healer, lives in the most splendid city in the world, overflowing with culture and prosperity. Despite her meaningful career, she misses the love of her youth whom she left behind. Now something is causing more illnesses and deaths at increasingly younger ages than typical for Atlantans.
When both Ariel and Lysandra are called to the Ring of Stones for a meeting of scholars, masters, and gifted individuals, they reunite for the first time in thirty years. Pushing personal feelings aside, they must focus on discovering what’s wrong with their world and help fix it. Making a startling discovery, Ariel brings an ominous report to the council. Can the sharpest minds and most compassionate hearts of Atlantis create a plan to save their civilization, or is it doomed to be obliterated from the face of the earth forever?
Captivating storyteller Edale Lane brings you an epic historical fantasy warmed with a second-chance sapphic romance. Atlantis, Land of Dreams, will transport you to a world of wonder and imagination, where myths of the past come to life and inspire a brighter vision for our future. Get ready to embark on an unforgettable journey of discovery and marvel at the beauty and magic of this legendary place that has captured the hearts and minds of generations.
The Review
The Atlanteans have always had special gifts: magical powers and cultural creativeness in music, art and beauty. They had the ability to heal themselves of sickness, and they hardly aged. Students had aptitude in clairvoyance, healing, air-speaking, channeling, telepathy, astral projection, levitation and precognition. They practiced Ruh Mutaharika meditation exercises for the mind and spiritual connection. They lived peacefully and enjoyed life, but then something went seriously wrong.
In a small corner of Elyrna, Ariel lives on an expansive farm with four houses. Her household consisted of Philomena, her mother; Ariel’s daughter Sheera; and her three-hundred year old great-great-great grandmother, Oma Naunet. The other three houses are occupied by her brother Aram and his wife and children; their Uncle and his wife; and immigrants who help to work the huge farm.
Ariel has the ability to talk to nature – plants and animals. After all, the Creator wanted all to share the land and to get along. She has a special companion in Ratiki the raccoon. She also has a son, Mal’akhi, a city guard living in Evamont. Her lover left her – even though they both had hopes of staying together, time and poor decisions kept them apart. As time went on, Ariel had married, her husband went on a spiritual journey, and then never returned, presumed dead.
Lysandra left her home of Evamont at a young age. Her desire to be a healer was strong, and it was an honor to be able to attend the Wisdom School. Four years of study, and she became a Practitioner/Physician and dealt with only the more difficult healings as most Atlanteans could heal themselves. Her life was good and always busy, but she yearned to reconnect with her lost love. She carried the guilt for never returning home, and never sought another. Time was not in her favor either, as she had heard that Ariel had married and had children.
Lysandra gets an unexpected visit by Quetzal, her hundred-year-old former professor from the Wisdom School. Quetzal has noticed a slow deterioration of abilities amongst Atlanteans. At the sacred mountain, Quetzal met with Thoth, the chief librarian of Atala and keeper of the Emerald Tablets. Thoth told him of a powerful meditation, and the Archangel Uriel spoke to him and provided him with information of a meeting and a parchment with nine names. They are all to gather at the time of the full moon at the Ring of Stones.
Thoth, Quetzal, Mandisa, Eriu, Noah, Ptah, Ziusudra, Ariel and Lysandra introduce themselves and explain where they were from and what their gifts are. Lysandra supplies a mixture of dried herbs, crushed mushrooms, and peyote, and gives each person a clay incense jar, and sends them on a spiritual journey, after which they all relay what they experienced. Thoth assigneds each one a specific journey, and they plan to assemble again on the plain at the Winter Solstice.
Ariel will be traveling for months, from one end of Atlantis to the other, conversing with nature and animals. Lysandra is disappointed, as she will be stuck in Atala, compiling records that Thoth requested. So she asks Ariel to come see her there.
Thoth has a plan, and the nine agree to try to do the impossible. Can they save Atlantis? And can Ariel and Lysandra repair a love that was damaged?
Atlantis, Land of Dreams is an amazing, epic story – suspenseful, scandalous, emotional and romantic, filled with heroes and heroines, corruption and evil. It’s a reminder of how precious nature, the land and sea, and its creatures are.
It’s clear that Lane put a lot of time into researching this book. I highly suggest reading these sections: the Foreword, the map of Atlantis, the Laws and Rules, Author Notes, and Sources. The Index is especially interesting, with calendar measurements, symbols, and Gods and Angels and terms.
I highly recommend Atlantis, Land of Dreams, a magnificent novel of adventure, a great journey to save a very special place and the people who live there. I love Lane’s “Lessons In Murder” series, but Atlantis, Land of Dreams was a major surprise for me. I was thoroughly entertained with this amazing page-turner.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.