ITHYANNA: LAST DAUGHTER OF ATLANTIS

In Cook’s fantasy novel, the last Atlantean is kidnapped and enslaved by an alien race intent on destroying humanity.

The Great Flood has ended, and Earth is now in an ice age. While reluctantly listening to God’s commands, Ithyanna Ekkleono (“the only apparent survivor of the Flood who did not take refuge in Noah’s Ark”) finds herself traversing the cold land that will eventually become North America to the future site of Roswell, New Mexico. Ithyanna has barely arrived when a strange craft lands and three gray aliens emerge, using their psychic weapons to take control of Ithyanna’s mind and body. Thus begins Ithyanna’s enslavement by the horrid creatures. She manages to kill two, but the Prefect, the strongest of the three, remains alive and keeps Ithyanna in captivity. The remaining alien’s plan to destroy humanity begins with sowing the seeds of alcoholism in Noah and his family, leading to the eventual downfall of Sodom (which Ithyanna narrowly escapes). Ithyanna knows God has a plan for her eventual emancipation, but she must endure her captivity while witnessing the kidnappings and enslavement of multiple famous humans throughout time, such as Amelia Earhart, Elvis Presley, and Jimmy Hoffa. The Prefect and his off-world alien cohorts are working for Lucifer himself, and it’s going to take all of Ithyanna’s courage and might—plus help from God—to save humanity and obtain her freedom. This is the second novel in the Ithyanna series; readers are strongly recommended to approach the books in order, since Ithyanna has a complicated past that won’t come across clearly for newcomers. The author includes a list of the characters, which comes in handy, as many of them have long names (even God himself shows up in multiple forms, which could lead to confusion). While the book does come with some trigger warnings, they focus more on references to enslavement and might not fully prepare readers to encounter insensitive terms such as “Oriental-looking” and “colored slave-song.” But for readers who desire a wild, out-there SF saga with a heavy dose of religion, this will fit the bill.

A religion-based SF novel that delivers heady thrills and a fair bit of confusion.