ARC Review: The Lost Code by Kevin Emerson

The Lost Code
Author: Kevin Emerson
Publication: Katherine Tegen Books (May 22, 2012)


Description: What is oldest will be new, what was lost shall be found.


The ozone is ravaged, ocean levels have risen, and the sun is a daily enemy.


But global climate change is not something new in the Earth's history.


No one will know this better than less-than-ordinary Owen Parker, who is about to discover that he is the descendant of a highly advanced ancient race—a race that took their technology too far and almost destroyed the Earth in the process.


Now it is Owen's turn to make right in his world what went wrong thousands of years ago. If Owen can unlock the lost code in his very genes, he may rediscover the forgotten knowledge of his ancestry . . . and that less-than-ordinary can evolve into extraordinary.


Kevin Emerson's thrilling novel is Book One of the Atlanteans series—perilous adventures in a grimly plausible dystopian future, fueled by high-stakes action, budding romance, and a provocative question: What would you do if you had the power to save humanity from its own self-destruction?


My Thoughts: This story starts with a bang. We first see our main character Owen when he is drowning while taking part in a swimming test at Camp Eden inside the EdenWest biodome. Owen is new at camp. He usually lives with his father near what was Yellowstone. The Earth is in great danger. The ozone level is rising, the polar ice is melting. Humanity has been reduced by 60%. Survivors have moved north of the 60th parallel or live in assorted domes that have been built near ancient marvels. But what is the Eden Corporation trying to do? Why did they build their domes where they did? What are they doing to the kids at the camps? Once Owen is rescued he finds that he has developed gills. And he is not alone. Several other campers also have them. The kids are keeping this a secret from the people who run the camp.


I found this a hard story to get into for a couple of reasons. First of all, the first section was a slow read because of the large amount of information that was given about the ecological situation and the political situation. Also, I got bogged down in the bullying that was going on in the camp. Second, I found Owen so self-effacing and self-deprecating that I could not get a good read on him. I didn't find him engaging. It takes more than half the book for him to decide to stop letting everyone push him around and keep him around. I like characters who are active rather than passive and, so, found Owen very frustrating.


The second half of the story was much more action packed as Owen and Lilly have to find a way to elude Paul and the guards.This section was filled with excitement and adventures. The kids make discoveries both modern and ancient.


Readers who want to read another dystopia or who are fans of ancient legends may well enjoy this one. The ending begs for the second book in the trilogy as the big problems are still awaiting a solution and our characters are still in a great deal of danger. 


Favorite Quote:

Sit tight, he'd said. Right. Sit back and wait for the next thing to happen. For the next drowning, strange vision, veiled comment, for the next attempted abduction, for the next death. All of these things that kept happening to me, with no explanation for why. And, really, wasn't it my fault, too? I'd been ignoring the dark questions of what was going on her, about my gills, all of it, focusing instead on nights with Lilly, on finally belonging to something. But I couldn't avoid it anymore, not after this.

I received this ARC through the Amazon Vine program. You can buy your copy here.