Atlantropa: A Novel of Epic Proportions

Connor Thompson: I've been a long time fan of Cody's videos, and it was great to see how he translates such vast concepts as how history shifts to such a personal story as that of Ansel and Ulric. While it is a bit of a slow burn at first, the latter half of the book really shines. I saw how it was panning out and had an idea of the conclusion, but the end really was surprising. I expected the world and uncovering of history to be the primary focus, but the history is more to accent the characters. While it's not what I expected, I'm not at all disappointed. It's less about the history of the world, but more about the people who live in this world, of which you only see a small sliver of. That's the only flaw I can see, and it's less a flaw and more a gripe. I wish we could have seen more of it. Yet, as far as the book is concerned, we see enough to make the story work, and the story is well worth reading. I hope to see more in the future.

United States on Aug 15, 2022

Andrei: Clearly a best foot put forward, this is, in my opinion, a very strong debut as writer, especially tackling such a non-conventional approach to future dystopia. A tightly-packed, intimate story, it takes its time during the first few chapters, but the obvious sense of an impending crescendo does not disappoint in the end. I could very easily see a 10 book series stemming from this exercise in soft world-building. A gem not-quite-in-the-rough, with very palpable atmosphere throughout. Highly recommend.

France on Apr 07, 2022

Ángel MorenoÁngel Moreno: Like almost - if not everyone - I come here because of his channel regarding alternate history. And because of that, I thought this was going to be an interesting trip of worldbuilding, I wasn't concerned much regarding characters. Well, Cody made a great story for being his first novel. Excellent worldbuilding, great artwork, and such an unknown topic pre-World War II that it's a nice change of pace from the average topics used in historical and alternate history genres. However, there's one thing that bothered me and it was mainly the focus on the brothers, but putting the rest of the cast in the background. Outside of that, it's a great first story and I can't wait when Cory publishes another novel (if he does, and I hope he does).

Regarding the state, it arrived in a decent state. Nothing outside of the ordinary. Would highly recommend as an introduction to alternate history or just a change of pace when writing about the Nazis.

Mexico on Sep 22, 2021

Giacomo Jay Wise-Martin: Brilliant concept.

I'm a fan of Cody through the alternate history channel. I highly enjoy his content.

I do enjoy the Atlantropa Articles.

However, I do feel certain sections could have done with additional proof reading to avoid certain grammatical and literary errors.

Regardless, I highly enjoyed this book. Recognizing it as the first effort it is, I very much enjoy the world building and setting Cody immerses us into. With further practice, he has the potential to write a true bestseller.

The Atlantropa Articles are not it but they are a very good first step.

I will continue to watch his channel and hope his next entry will deliver the same brilliant world building and attention to detail he normally delivers joined together with a longer and far better narrative on his characters and plot.

As it is, mind, the Atlantropa Articles is still a fun read for a summer afternoon as you sip your drink , glad your not in the Kiln.

All the best to Cody in his future endeavours!

Sieg Heil??!?

United Kingdom on Jul 13, 2019

Phillip Slater: Like many here, I discovered this book through being a subscriber of the author's YouTube channel. I remember when Cody first mentioned the Atlantropa Project in one of his videos, and how the concept fascinated him. When he announced that his thoughts about it had motivated him to write a book set in this alternate world, I was interested in what he would do with the concept.

Spoilers ahead (though I'll try to keep it vague). Overall, I thought the results were pretty good for his first book. The mystery the Manafort brothers find themselves questioning over the origins of their people and their nation's philosophy was what interested me the most. It reminded me of when someone discovers the contradictions of their faith or of the history they were taught as children in real life. The denial, the cognitive dissonance, the desperation to find any excuse that would rationalize the discovery away, even the emotional weight such new knowledge can put on a person. Living through such realizations myself, it was a strange experience to be put in the shoes of a literal Nazi, and sympathize with the feelings he was going through.

The story and characters also remind me of a...

United States on Nov 16, 2018

Sean Barrett: I know I'm biased when giving this review due to how much I enjoy Codys YouTube channel, but in saying that I can still appreciate the atlantropa articles at face value.
It's a great first attempt in writing for the author, I was kept interested throughout the book, but I found there was a lack development for minor characters, but makes up for it with the relationship of the two brothers.

To sum it up, Cody Franklin has a bright future ahead of him, when he learns from his few errors. The book was my first introduction into the world of alternate history novels , and thankfully it was a pleasurable one.

United Kingdom on Nov 08, 2018

darkmage0707077: Alright, let me get the bad out of the way real quick: this book needs another editorial draft. There were several grammatical and formatting mistakes, especially in the
early pages (<-like that, for example), that caused me a few hitches now and again. Also, the lack of "tabbing" of the paragraphs feels different compared to countless other novels, and not necessarily in a good way.

Please keep that in mind when I say that I picked up this book as soon as it arrived and couldn't put it down again until I'd read it cover to cover.

The fact that this book is based off of a little-known historical tale is fascinating in and of itself. Yes, the Atlantropa Aritcles were a real thing, cooked up by a crazy architect exactly as described in this book, and the idea was so ludicrous that even Hitler and Co thought he was nuts.

Cody, though, takes this idea and absolutely RUNS with it: all throughout the book are little fascinating tidbits, glimpses and pieces of a world beyond the snapshot we see that leave me salivating for more. What of the lands to the south? What of across the Atlantic? What about Asia? These and many more questions flashed through my mind...

United States on Nov 03, 2018

Jubbles: Having enjoyed the Alternate History Hubvideos I looked forward to and enjoyed reading this book.

The only thing I would say to the author is:

- try to use the metric system, you refer to things in imperial terms in one line then metric in the next.
- try to avoid using American English spellings and words
- It didn't make much sense to me that these very large land crawlers would have naval style artillery on them with a range of 1km or less several hundred/thousands of years in the future when since the 20th century missiles have been the main ship killer
- is RADAR not a thing now? that would have detected a ship rather rapidly

All in all an enjoyable read, the next book needs to be longer.

United Kingdom on Oct 17, 2018