City of Gold

City of Gold (2013) is the second novel in Daniel Blackaby’s Lost City Chronicles trilogy, a series aimed at middle grade readers. The series traces the adventures of a pair of teenagers who accidentally discover the Under-Earth, a place where the lost mythical cities of Atlantis and El Dorado are locked in an ancient and seemingly endless conflict. City of Gold begins where the first novel ended, with the kidnapping of one of the protagonists by the devious and malicious king of El Dorado, who hopes to use her to turn the looming battle to his advantage.

In the first novel, teens Cody Clements and his best friend, Jade, were run of the mill teenagers until a fateful visit to Cody’s favorite secondhand bookstore changed their lives forever. Stumbling in after the shop’s normal hours, Cody found the owner dying. With his last breath, the owner revealed himself to be the Bookkeeper—the guardian of a powerful relic—who was now passing his title and its attendant power onto Cody, for lack of a better option. Cody found the mystical book he was now supposed to protect, but this discovery unlocked a bloodthirsty monster called The Hunter, which chased Cody and Jade into the Underworld, where they learned that Atlantis and El Dorado, two cities always thought to have been a legend, are actually real—and at war. Cody eventually learns that twelve brothers founded the two cities after splitting into two groups. Ishmael and six others created Atlantis around the worship of the Orb—a mystical artifact endowed with the power of creation. Four other brothers, however, also wanted to use the Orb, but for their own gain. Their leader named himself the Golden King and built El Dorado to celebrate the wealth and riches the Orb could generate. At the end of the novel, El Dorado’s forces get past the defenses of Atlantis and abduct Jade.

City of Gold opens as Cody repeatedly and unsuccessfully tries to escape from the Atlantis palace to find Jade. The dashing Captain Dace blocks his efforts, eventually convincing him that a solo mission is suicide. Cody is frustrated that despite weeks having elapsed since Jade’s disappearance, the Queen of Atlantis, the Princes and Princesses that serve as her advisers, and the rest of the council have done nothing but debate endlessly without coming to any conclusions. Angered by this lack of action, Cody is also riven by the guilt he feels at not having stopped Jade’s kidnapping. Jade is the only constant presence in his life—and without his best friend, he feels adrift and unmoored.



The council cannot come to a decision because Atlantis is under the influence of several powerful organizations that don’t always see eye to eye. Each of the princes and princesses has his or her own agenda—some selfish, some more oriented to the public good. Then there is the monkish brotherhood headed by Stalkton, a creepy but wise man who has been Cody’s mentor in learning his Bookkeeper powers. Stalkton is the head of the religion practiced in Atlantis, the worship of the Orb. Since the heightening of tensions, the religion has become mandatory, with all Atlanteans expected to publicly pray several times each day. Finally, there is the mysterious group known as CROSS, whose machinations are convoluted and whose allegiance is unknown.

With the help of Princess Eva, who possesses magical abilities, Cody finds a long-forgotten channel through which the two cities can communicate with each other. Reaching out over it, he speaks directly with the Golden King, who gives him seven days to rescue his beloved Jade—if he fails, she will die. As Cody plans to leave, he receives a mysterious message from CROSS to find “the thirteenth” in the northern caves.

With the help of a motley crew, Cody sets out to free Jade. Among others, accompanying him are Captain Dace, the kingdom’s best swordsman; the teenage monk Xerx, the last of Stalkton’s order and a vicious rival to Cody; Tiana, a beautiful fighter whose sexual allure confuses Cody because he feels he must choose between her and Jade.



Upon setting out, the team is immediately attacked by The Hunter. Barely escaping with their lives, they make to a distant Atlantean outpost where a brief respite is interrupted by assassins who slaughter the regiment stationed there until Cody and company eke out a narrow victory. Braving the desert conditions, more vicious El Dorado attacks, and other dangers, Cody and his friends eventually make it to El Dorado and free Jade. There, they learn that the forces defending the city are golden golems—metal automatons that feel no pain and thus make powerful adversaries.

While in the city, Cody, Jade, and the others decide to take out the Golden King before a full-scale war is unleashed. Their efforts are thwarted, however, by an unexpected but understandable betrayal by sometime ally Randilin, a former El Dorado spy whose attempts to work with Atlantis are undermined by the Golden King’s manipulative treachery.

In a confrontation with the Golden King, Cody learns that the golems and The Hunter are the creations of the Golden King. He has been trying to use the power of the Orb to create life, in imitation of the original creator, but so far, his attempts have been unsuccessful because the beings he makes lack souls. However, the Golden King has a new plan—to kill people to graft their souls onto the bodies of the golems, hopefully creating perfect beings.



Just in time, Cody and Jade escape to the real world—to the house of Jade’s estranged father, Arthur Shimmers. Jade’s real name is Mari Shimmers, and her father is thrilled to be reunited with her. But what neither she nor Cody realizes is that Mr. Shimmers is the head of CROSS.