Book Review: The Atlas Six by Olive Blake

Title: The Atlas Six
Author: Olive Blake
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Publication Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 9781250854513

Synopsis:
Each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to earn a place in the Alexandrian Society, the foremost secret society in the world. The chosen will secure a life of power and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. But at what cost?

Each of the six newest recruits has their reasons for accepting the Society’s elusive invitation. Even if it means growing closer than they could have imagined to their most dangerous enemies— or risking unforgivable betrayal from their most trusted allies— they will fight tooth and nail for the right to join the ranks of the Alexandrians. Even if it means they won’t all survive the year.

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What a gripping and unusual story The Atlas Six is. The first in a trilogy, it follows six unusual characters as they are recruited and work towards initiation into the Alexandrian Society. Not all of them will be permitted to join. One of the six must be selected by the others to be eliminated before their initiation can occur. In the Library of Alexandria, knowledge is open to them, though the somewhat sentient library can choose what knowledge to share and withhold. The six initiates spend their time experimenting with their magic, identifying how they can help one another enhance and hone their skills, until the time they must choose who to remove from the running.

Told from multiple perspectives, the reader experiences the library and the Society from a variety of points of view, some knowledgeable and keen, and others naive and over-eager, but all immensely and unbelievably talented. The reader gets to know each character’s biases and prejudices intimately as they experience the first year of the Society, learning how dangerous and volatile each of the initiates is, or has the potential to be. While the characters grow close to one another, so too does the divide between them grow. They are at risk of enemies from all sides—those within their own ranks, and those outside of the Society that wish to expose the Society’s greatest secrets. Nothing and no one can be trusted.

Every chapter of Blake’s first novel is a surprise. She writes with an unpredictability that keeps the reader engaged and guessing at what is to come next. This is a world of knowledge and magic, and with both of these things, a person can only achieve what they have knowledge of, even if there is so much more potential left untapped. The characters, each so vibrant and distinct, are as multifaceted as their magic, making it impossible to determine whether to love or hate them. The reader has an inclination to decide if a characters are inherently good or bad, but as the characters navigate their way through the unknowns of their new world, their greatest strengths and flaws are exposed, bringing them to live in real and tangible ways. It’s impossible to know who to trust, and who might cause the greatest betrayal.

I can’t say enough about this novel, and I’m chomping at the bit to get my hands on the next one. Anyone out there read this series all the way through? Am I in for continued enjoyment? I sure hope so!

Happy reading!