A hugely popular self-published dark academic debut fantasy with an established cult following that reads like The Secret History meets The Umbrella Academy, or Ninth House but with magic.
THE ATLAS SIX: Book 1 in a trilogy
by Olivie Blake
Tor/SMP, March 2022
In a dangerous post-grad world of magic, a society of chosen magicians study the secrets of the lost library of Alexandria whose books can unlock a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams. Each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians in the world are selected to compete for initiation. This year, the competition is fiercer than ever before.
A mind reader whose powers of seduction are unmatched. The son of a crime kingpen who can see the secrets of the universe. Two Americans whose powers to change elemental matter are unequivocally tied despite their hatred for one another. A bastard daughter who holds the power of life within her. And an insanely rich pretty boy whose charisma is so unmatched he could bring about the end of the world just by asking. Six of the best magicians enter a gauntlet for the opportunity of a lifetime. Only five will walk out.
Magic, romance, action, and intrigue all come together in a story of six characters that unfolds from rotating points of view. The ever-hungry fans of dark academia novels (The Magicians, The Ninth House, A Lesson in Vengenance) will devour this gripping and original take on the post-grad study experience, and fans of new magics, awesome queer characters, and diverse voices will all find something to love as well.
Alexene Farol Follmuth, also known under the pen name Olivie Blake, is a lover and writer of stories, many of which involve the fantastic, the paranormal, or the supernatural, but not always. More often, her works revolve around the collective experience, what it means to be human (or not), and the endlessly interesting complexities of life and love. Alexene tripped and fell into writing after abandoning her long-premeditated track for Optimum Life Achievement while attending law school, and now focuses primarily on the craft and occasional headache of creating fiction. Alexene lives and works in Los Angeles, where she is generally tolerated by her rescue pit bull. She can be loosely defined as the sort of person who picked up sparring as a means to improve writing fight scenes.
High school senior Riley Ozment is desperate to change her reality after making a fool of herself on social media. She needs to do something drastic to repair her social standing—like trying out for a Survivor-style reality TV show. Suddenly, Riley’s dropped onto a deserted tropical island with nineteen other teens competing for a million dollars and a rumored treasure lost on the island. But that treasure has a history: a local curse says that seven people need to die before the treasure can be found. And six hunters have already lost their lives in the search. Now the question is: who will be the seventh? With a cast of vivid characters who will stop at nothing to win the show, a cursed island setting, and a priceless treasure waiting to be discovered, THE GIRL WHO KNEW TOO MUCH pitches readers right into a scheming web of lies, love, and betrayal.
Last summer, Alice Ogilvie’s basketball-star boyfriend Steve dumped her. Then she disappeared for five days. She’s not talking, so where she went and what happened to her is the biggest mystery in Castle Cove. Or it was, at least. But now, another one of Steve’s girlfriends has vanished: Brooke Donovan, Alice’s ex–best friend. And it doesn’t look like Brooke will be coming back. . .
Seventeen-year-old Esme Pearl has a babysitters club. She knows it’s kinda lame, but what else is she supposed to do? Get a job? Gross. Besides, Esme likes babysitting, and she’s good at it. And lately Esme needs all the cash she can get, because it seems like destruction follows her wherever she goes. Let’s just say she owes some people a new tree. Enter Cassandra Heaven. She’s Instagram-model hot, dresses like she found her clothes in a dumpster, and has a rebellious streak as gnarly as the cafeteria cooking. So why is Cassandra willing to do anything, even take on a potty-training two-year-old, to join Esme’s babysitters club? The answer lies in a mysterious note Cassandra’s mother left her: « Find the babysitters. Love, Mom. » Turns out, Esme and Cassandra have more in common than they think, and they’re about to discover what being a babysitter really means: a heroic lineage of superpowers, magic rituals, and saving the innocent from seriously terrifying evil. And all before the parents get home.
Dr. Villapando told me to get a good attorney. He wasn’t serious. But I am. I’m going to sue my parents.