The novel was released to relative obscurity compared to Portis's True Grit, but came to be widely recommended among a circle of major comedians and entertainers including Michael Schur and Conan O’Brien.
[1] Greg Daniels cited Portis's comedic style as a major inspiration behind The Office and a feature adaptation is reportedly in the works after the rights were acquired by Michael Cera.
They are instead lampooned and dismissed for Jimmerson's outlandish appearance when he arrives in full Gnomon ceremonial wear, while Austin makes both a friend, Cezar Golescu, and an enemy, Pharris White.
The Gnomon Society described by Portis is instead based on an eclectic collection of fringe organizations such as Freemasonry or Scientology, with heavy reference to both mathematical knowledge and religious belief.
Gnomonism experiences a deep ideological schism between the American and British branches, however Jimmerson's beliefs are also contrasted against a rival hyperdiffusionist who dismisses Atlantis as a distant echo of the "true" lost continent of Mu.
Slate writer Brian Boyle cites Escape Velocity: A Charles Portis Miscellany author Jay Jennings in describing Portis's meticulous research, however also notes that the actual content of the Codex Pappus is never made clear to prevent the reader from discerning any actual scientific value in Jimmerson's teachings versus "an idiot’s interpretation of an outdated or poorly translated trigonometry textbook".
Masters of Atlantis released to a relatively lukewarm reception, being largely overshadowed by the successes of True Grit and Norwood; In the New York Times, John Anthony West criticized the depiction of Gnomonism as lacking the imaginative elements of the cults and movements that inspired it[3] while L. J. Davis of the Chicago Tribune made a similarly unfavorable comparison to the fictional "Bokononism" depicted in Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle, additionally criticizing Popper's function in the plot and the seemingly abrupt ending.
[4] The novel later developed a cult following propelled by a number of major American comedians and television personalities, including Michael Schur, Bill Hader, John Cusack, and Conan O’Brien.