Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/659479
R obin Maxwell's 10th novel purports to unveil the untold origins of our world's fi rst technologically advanced society. In Atlantos, the gods of Plato's fabled continent are actually extraterrestrials from "Planet X" who mate with the aboriginal people of Erthe, genetically altering human evolution for their own purposes, and create an army of drone slaves to mine precious metals on Mars. According to the author, well-known for her nine deeply researched historical novels of the 15th and 16th centuries, Atlantos and its upcoming sequel, Children Of Ra, are not simply fantasies based on myth. Maxwell describes them as historical novels as well, or more precisely, "pre-historical novels" set 12,000 years in the past. Not just compelling stories, they also bring a warning about the future fate of our planet. Maxwell's characters and storylines are anchored not only in the writings of Plato, but also the cutting-edge research of today's best and brightest scientists, explorers and scholars in the fi elds of pre-history, archeology, paleoanthropology, astronomy, physics, genetics, catastrophic geology and ufology. She's taken all her favorite "mysteries of the universe"—civilizations lost to the Great Flood; unexplained missing links in human evolution; evidence of ancient extraterrestrial visitation on Earth and Mars—and set them against the havoc technology is currently wreaking on the natural world, weaving the whole into a sprawling, character- driven epic family saga. The rival brothers Poseidon and Athens Ra from the dying planet Terres are not so much gods as they are men with advanced technologies. As they deal with violence, love, lust and greed, they learn from the aboriginal primitives of Erthe what it means to be human. This is a book I couldn't put down! (Pipes Canyon Press) —Victoria Gevoian Atlantos The Early Erthe Chronicles, Book I BOOKS art & soul T he evocative opening scene of Danny Glover as an organ- ic farmer being hounded by corporate America hooked me in the fi rst few minutes of Consumed. Gorgeously lit and acted, it launches a whole series of disturbing questions. Endorsed by Erin Brockovich, Consumed is the fi rst narrative fi lm to take on the subject of GMOs. Although I'm all-too-famil- iar with the stories of farmers and other unsuspecting individu- als and families whose lives have been disrupted or destroyed by Monsanto, this political thriller about a working-class single mom and her son's unexplained illness kept me on the edge of my seat. Zoe Lister-Jones, who co-produced and co-wrote with her husband/partner Daryl Wein, does a wonderful job as mom So- phie Kessler, determined to discover the cause of the disease consuming her son. As if harassment and subterfuge weren't enough for one woman to contend with, Sophie is three-years sober and has a challenging family history. Her almost love interest Eddie Taylor (Taylor Kinney) is a con- vincing ex-cop who gets caught up in her struggle to fi nd out the truth from Clonestra, a thinly disguised Monsanto. Victor Garber is suitably slimy as CEO Dan Conway, who ultimately has his come-to-Jesus moment. Danny Glover as the heart- breakingly harassed farmer Hal Westbrook evokes farm- ers such as Percy Schmeis- er who have been unfairly targeted by Monsanto. The battle to label GMOs in food has been waging for years and the end is not in sight. Last month what is known as the DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right to Know), H.R. 1599, which would have blocked states from requiring GMO labels, was de- feated in the Senate, so while we don't yet have laws requiring labeling, as is the case in more than 60 countries, at least the path is open. Consumed has enough entertainment value to be a main- stream success, and if I'm any kind of test case, it will be effec- tive. I always look for the organic label when I shop, but yester- day afternoon at the market, after watching this fi lm, I gleefully ran up my grocery bill like a woman on a mission to support the entire organic industry. (Mar Vista Entertainment) —Abigail Lewis —Available on Digital HD and On Demand platforms Directed by Daryl Wein Consumed FILM By Robin Maxwell 34 wholelifetimes.com