Decipher (novel)
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| Decipher | |
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| Author | Stel Pavlou |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Religion, Thriller, Mystery novel, Speculative Fiction, Novel |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster (UK) & St. Martin's Press (US) |
| Publication date | 2001 (UK) & 2002 (US) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 624 p. (UK hardback edition) & 400 p. (US hardback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7432-0857-9 (UK hardback edition), ISBN 0-312-28075-0 (US hardback edition) & ISBN 0-7434-0384-3 (UK paperback edition), ISBN 0-312-99643-8 (US paperback edition) |
Decipher is a speculative fiction novel by Stel Pavlou, published in 2001 in England by Simon and Schuster and 2002 in the United States by St. Martin's Press. It is published in many languages with some significant title changes. The Italian and Russian editions have the title Il codice di Atlantide (The Atlantis Code), while the German edition is called Code Zero. The novel is about a fictional linguist, Richard Scott, and an assembled team of specialists who are in a race against time to crack a code found on ancient monuments around the world before an impending cataclysm predicted in mythology can strike. The story centers on the ancient city of Atlantis and features other mythical sites such as the Hall of Records.
Decipher was longlisted in the UK for the W.H. Smith Best New Talent Award 2002.
[edit] Plot summary
Mankind had 12,000 years to crack the code. We have one week left. In a frozen Antarctic wasteland, in the depths of the Amazon River, in a chamber beneath the ruins of the Sphinx, something has surfaced: a cluster of crystalline artifacts composed of an energy source unknown to modern science and inscribed with ancient hieroglyphs. Between them a strange signal courses through the oceans, emanating from a source that has stunned mankind. The lost city of Atlantis has been found buried two miles beneath the ice in Antarctica. Now, two of the world's most powerful armies stand on the brink of war to gain control of the most powerful force known to modern man. But a group of scientists struggling to decode the message of the primeval network fears that it is already too late. Solar flares ignite the surface of the earth, and a worldwide cataclysm of biblical proportions begins. Now as Atlantis rises, so do its secrets - along with a terrifying prophecy that is coming true.
[edit] Characters (In no particular order)
Main
- Richard Scott - Linguistic Anthropologist
- Jon Hackett - Physicist
- Ralph Matheson - Engineer
- Sarah Kelsey - Geologist
- Bob Pearce - Remote Viewer
- Admiral Dower - Chief of US Space Command
- November Dryden - Graduate Student
- Jack Bulger - Troubleshooter
- Rip Thorne - CEO Rola Corp.
MINOR
- Carver - Mercenary
- Clemmens - Engineer
[edit] Critical Reaction
- "Spellbinding." Kirkus Reviews (starred)
- "A rocketing adventure… Stel Pavlou’s debut novel bursts with marvels of scientific chitchat and towers above most recent science fiction.” The Philadelphia Inquirer
- “Few debuts are as ambitious as Decipher. Exhilaratingly imaginative.” Sunday Times (UK)
- “It will satisfy anyone… Written by someone who knows what they’re talking about.” Mail on Sunday (UK)
- “A wide-screen special-effects Technicolor blast, perfect for a Hollywood blockbuster.” The Times (UK)
- “Deep Smart and well researched.” SFX
- “A fascinating blend of science, mythology, language and much more.” The Independent (UK)
- "If Michael Crichton isn't nervous, he should be. Not only has Stel Pavlou written a scientific thriller as tautly plotted a roller-coaster ride as anything Crichton's ever written, but he's done so using intelligent characters, and a clever, synergistic premise. The weaving of scientific detail with imagination is superb and unparalleled." Zentertainment.com
