Masters of Atlantis

I needed a simple read after Gravity’s Rainbow. After scanning my shelves, I settled on Masters of Atlantis. The shift was jarring. If Gravity’s Rainbow is an acid trip, Masters of Atlantis is a white-walled, windowless room. It lacked depth and color, and I couldn’t get into it. That said, it was an easy read; I finished it in three days.

Masters of Atlantis traces the development of the Gnomon Society, a secretive New Age pseudo-religious group. Lamar Jimmerson inherits a prized text called the Codex Pappus, which is said to contain the secrets of Atlantis. He eventually interests another bloke, Sydney Hen, in the book’s teachings. Jimmerson goes on to develop the society in the US, while Hen develops it in England. The two find themselves at odds, competing for status. A few other characters, like the astute but untrustworthy Austin Popper, mix things up a bit. It’s all very simple and easy to read. But it didn’t feel like a good use of my time.

I was more interested to learn that comedian David Cross has a tattoo of the book’s cover on his arm. Conan O’Brien has said it’s one of the few laugh-out-loud books he’s ever read, and Greg Daniels cited it as an inspiration for the humor in The Office. Clearly, they saw something in the book that I did not.