The Atlas Paradox

The world of the Atlas trilogy is similar to the 2020s in our reality—global society faces the same challenges and has many of the same problems. The main difference is that magic is a reality in this world. In the Atlas books, people with magical ability who haven’t attended university are called witches, while those that have are called medeians. However, in accordance with its similarity to our world, magic hasn’t been used to solve the world’s problems. Instead, it has been commodified and sold only to those who can afford it, in effect widening socioeconomic disparities and continuing the status quo.

In the world of the trilogy, six medeians are chosen every 10 years for induction into the Alexandrian Society, a secret group that exists to protect and use the powerful and dangerous contents of the Library of Alexandria. During their time at the Society’s house, which also houses the library, the initiates study their personal powers and contribute new texts to the archives. However, at the end of the first year, one of the six is “eliminated” (killed) by the other five. The Atlas trilogy focuses on one such class: Callum, Tristan, Parisa, Reina, Nico, and Libby—six powerful young medeians with their own specialties.

The Atlas Six, the first book of the trilogy, follows their first year, during which they form alliances, loves, and rivalries and slowly accept that in order to continue their training, they must choose one of themselves to be killed. In addition, other forces are at work: Atlas Blakely, the Society’s Caretaker, is manipulating the situation to pursue his own agenda, working with his old fellow initiate, Ezra Fowler, who has been posing as Libby’s boyfriend for the past few years.

Five of the initiates decide to kill Callum, and they designate Tristan to do the job, as he’s close friends with Callum and can easily gain access. When facing down Callum, however, Tristan discovers that he can’t do it—but not before Callum discovers the plan. Soon after this, they discover that Libby appears to have been killed, but Tristan, using his powers, can tell that what appears to be Libby’s murdered body is actually an animation. What’s clear, however, is that she has disappeared. Not even the Alexandrian Society, with the depth of its powers and connections, can find her. The second book, The Atlas Paradox (which is the focus of this guide) picks up the story of what happens to the initiates in the year after Libby disappears.

The Atlas trilogy (The Atlas Six, The Atlas Paradox, and The Atlas Complex) is a fantasy series but is also considered to represent a genre known as “dark academia.” Dark academia is a term that represents both a subculture and a fiction genre, The 1992 bestseller, The Secret History, by Donna Tartt (The Little Friend, The Goldfinch) is often seen as the fundamental text. The genre and culture center on an environment of high academic pursuits, classical literature, and the arts. In terms of fiction, dark academia genre novels often take place at a university, boarding school, or other highbrow academic setting. They frequently have gothic elements, such as a dark, moody tone, and combine other genres such as mystery, fantasy, and science fiction.