I first read this book in the mid 1970's, and it remained a favorite of mine for many years. However, it's been at least 15-20 years since the last time I read it, and it has not stood the test of time.

The world is a very different place in 2017 than it was in the 70's, and the environmental, political, social, and philosophical issues of Caldwell's Atlantis which seemed to distant and 'dramatic' are now all too familiar. Descriptions of the wealthy, corrupt Atlantean senate, ministers of science and energy who are more focused on personal prestige than advancing knowledge or meeting a crisis, and a populace which is outwardly passionately religious but not particularly virtuous hit too close to home.

Salustra, the Empress of Atlantis, was once one of my favorite heroines. Now I don't find her good company. Her cynicism, sense of superiority, and emotional isolation frustrate me. Her desire to institute a program of eugenics and her dismissal of other women are painful to read.

I had remembered "the good parts version" of the story (to crib from William Goldman's The Princess Bride): the conflict between Atlantis and its neighbor Althrustri, and the personal relationship between Salustra and Signar, the Emperor of Althrustri, the political manuvering. I had forgotten how much of the book was taken up with philosophical ruminations coupled with scorn for philosophy. It also suffers from old school casual sexism, with Salustra praised for being masculine, scorning women, and characterizing every other female character as a harridan, a fool, or a frigid virgin.

There were also multiple textual errors, with the especially annoying repeating mistake of having Signar's name misspelled as "Signal." Apparently someone was relying too much on spellcheck and less on actual editing.

If I didn't have a history with this book I would never have finished reading it. It was painful. I want to go back and re-write the story to bring back the glamorous, romantic, powerful tale I loved as an adolescent, but with a more mature sensibility.

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This book was written when the author was 12 years old. Because of mature themes, adults assumed the work was plagerized and refused publication. The book recounts the final days of Atlantis being full of intrigue, solar power and advanced technology, royal intrigue, moral decay, and warring nations. I found it engaging..... ( )

http://joriesreads.wordpress.com/2010/05/16/taylor-caldwells-the-romance-of-atla... ( )