Indonesian Imagery
A large part of this novel, notably the beginning, takes place in Indonesia. In order to accurately depict this foreign location, the author uses imagery to convey the sense of Indonesian landscape, architecture, and culture. When Dr. Warner goes to the villages to find autistic children, the huts and houses of the villagers are described, as well as their culture and the general atmosphere of the place. This imagery gives the prose an exotic, foreign feel, as the author likely intended.
Secret Society Imagery
The Immari are the major antagonists in this novel, and they are a secret, powerful society in the vein of the Illuminati. They work behind the scenes to discover how to activate the Atlantis gene in humans and kill everyone who stands in their way, including the Atlantean civilization and most of the human population. There is a lot of secrecy surrounding this organization, as well as that of the Clocktower, and the clandestine operations and anonymity of members contribute to the imagery of secrecy.
Evolution Imagery
The steps of human evolution are an important theme of this novel, and the imagery used supports this fact. The premise that aliens spliced consciousness into humans and sparked the evolutionary process is a recurring motif, and the Immari's code of ethics is a Darwinian "survival of the fittest" crude system. The DNA and genetic potential of further human evolution into an Atlantean super-race is the primary issue in the novel.
Alien Civilization Imagery
The presence of aliens in human history becomes more and more pronounced as the novel progresses, and the corresponding imagery does as well. Aliens are said to have created human consciousness by splicing genes, and resident alien qualities are latent in the human brain and body. By activating a particular gene (called the "Atlantis gene"), humans can realize their superhuman potential and transcend beyond humanity in the manner of the alien civilization that came before them.
