I admit, I am getting a little tired of apocalyptic, end-times books, even the ones that aren’t blatantly based upon falsely interpreted Scripture. Raising Atlantis is about one such apocalyptic end-time, but it does arrive at the end of the world with a much different angle, and that alone makes it an enjoyable, if not earth-shattering, read.

First-time novelist Thomas Greanias takes us deep beneath the ice layers of Antarctica, where a mysterious monument awaits discovery. This monument contains secrets of an ancient civilization and prophecies of the end times soon to befall modern society. It’s up to archaeologist Dr. Conrad Yeats and nun-turned-environmentalists Serena Serghetti to decipher the code of the strange discovery, and turn back the doomsday clock before evil forces get hold of it.

The action level is intense as the body count rises in the icy Antarctic, where a massive earthquake first exposes the secret beneath the ice that could change the course of history (or end it, for that matter). Conrad Yeats is a man filled with angst and longing for answers about his past, especially concerning his hard-ass father, who he soon discovers is also involved with the discovery beneath the ice. Serena is a former flame of sorts, and of course she and Conrad dance around their attraction, building sexual tension as the action itself escalates. Seems she is on a mission from the Pope and isn’t too keen on working with Conrad, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and the two of them are thrown into a roller-coaster ride of danger, intrigue and awe-inspiring mystery involving a journey to the beginning of time itself.

Although the relationships are a bit dry, and the chemistry between the leads not quite convincing, the action and scope of the novel makes up for any lack of likeability of the hero and heroine. The ending is a bit of a letdown, perhaps because we never really truly buy into the premise that Conrad is as important to human history as the author would like us to believe.

But if you like good thrillers that take place in unusual locales, peppered with nifty references to myth and archaeology and ancient civilizations, and if you love the Clive Cussler-style action-packed stories that make no bones about coming up short on character, Raising Atlantis will most likely get a rise out of you. It’s a fun journey to take, and a great page-turner for readers who just want to be told a darned good tale.