The Devil's Triangle [Paperback]

Mark Robson is a one-man publishing phenomenon: a former RAF pilot who wrote and self-published his first fantasy series whilst on active service. Unlike many self-published novelists, however, Robson sold sufficient numbers of his first series - largely due to his irrepressible enthusiasm and boundless energy at book signings - that he got picked up by a mainstream publisher. To date, Mark has published eleven books across three series, all of them young adult fantasy titles.

`The Devil's Triangle' is the first in a new series, and is a major departure from his previous books, being a young adult science fiction story. It is set in contemporary America and explores the legend of the Bermuda Triangle, also known historically as the Devil's Triangle.

The story starts as fourteen-year old twins Sam and Niamh, accompanied by their father Matt and by Sam's best friend Callum, fly from Britain to Florida for their summer holiday. Callum quickly finds out that the others spend every summer in Florida, and have done ever since Sam's mother mysteriously disappeared there nine years earlier. Though the twins have got over the loss of their mum, presuming her dead, their father hasn't. Matt is obsessed with the idea that his wife became a victim of the Bermuda Triangle, and spends each summer searching the sea off Florida for her.

When Sam gets frustrated at his father's obsession, and the fact that they are left to hang around their holiday home every day, unable to go anywhere in Matt's absence, he decides to teach his dad a lesson. So he takes their motorboat out without permission for a spot of deep sea fishing. He persuades Callum to go with him, despite Niamh's warnings about the risks.

Of course, history repeats itself, and whilst they are enjoying the fishing, Sam and Callum suddenly find themselves transported away from the coastline of modern day Florida to somewhere very different. When they get back to land, it's not the Florida they left. They are confronted with technologically advanced lizardmen who are apparently descended from dinosaurs. The few humans they meet have all been fellow victims of the Devil's Triangle, and insist that there's no way to get home. While science geek Callum tries to work out whether they really are stuck there, Sam finds out that his mother is alive and well. Now his only interest is in finding her.

Meanwhile, back in Florida, Niamh raises the alarm when Sam and Callum don't return from fishing. However, to her horror, the Florida Police then arrest her father for Sam and Callum's suspected murder, leaving Niamh trying to locate them on her own, armed only with the strange mental link she shares with her twin brother, which convinces her that he is still alive.

As the book progresses, we are left breathlessly waiting for the answer to three key questions: Will Sam find his mother? Will Callum work out a way to get back home? And will Niamh find a way to locate the boys and prove that her father is not a murderer?

`The Devil's Triangle' is a fast-paced action adventure story that will keep you turning the pages. It provides an interesting science fictional twist on the legend of the Bermuda Triangle. Mark has created a fascinating parallel Earth, inhabited by intelligent creatures who are simultaneously more advanced than humans - having, for example, been using nuclear power for eight hundred years - and much more primitive, hunting like wild animals.

While I really enjoyed Sam and Callum's storyline on the parallel Earth, I was less convinced by Niamh's back at home. For a young woman whose entire life is falling apart - her twin brother missing, her father wrongly arrested for his son's murder - she seems to spend an awful lot of her time flirting with the first boy she comes across. And, ultimately, although she has a mysterious mental link with her missing twin brother, she seems to have no idea how to use it to help her find him. Though, to be fair, this is perhaps not that surprising, given that he has been transported to a parallel world, a fact she is totally unaware of.

Minor criticisms apart, `The Devil's Triangle' is an exciting story that breaks new ground for Mark Robson. His first foray into young adult science fiction is great fun and will hopefully bring him a raft of new readers to sit alongside the fans of his previous fantasy adventures.

4½ Out of 5
Sam and Niamh's mother disappeared when they were kids. No one knows where or how she vanished, but Matt, the twins' father thinks it has something to do with the Bermuda Triangle. Every year the family return to the place she disappeared from, thanks to Matt's obsession with finding his wife.
Only, this year Sam is bored and sick of his father's empty promises and obsession. So with his best mate, Callum, Sam `borrows' his father's boat. What started out as a great laugh soon turned into chaos and a strange world of monsters and mystery. They have become the pray of the Devil's Triangle - can they escape or will they remain stuck there forever?
I started to read this the moment it landed on my doormat. I mean, c'mon! Sci-fi twist on the Bermuda Triangle! Which happens to be one of THE coolest natural mysteries, way up there with Stonehenge, Lock Ness and Justin Beiber... And blimey was it good. I was just sucked in and couldn't stop reading. I officially NEED to read Book 2 (thank God I have it already!) and I'm seriously thinking of getting another Robson series. So... awesome book, in shorter words.
I loved Sam Cutler: the outspoken, athletic and confident twin. He had a good sense of humour and was brilliantly cheeky. While he was a trouble maker, he was also clever and logical, and such a brilliant survivor. Driven, friendly and supportive, he was a natural leader and so good at keeping him and Callum alive.
Niamh Cutler was brilliant: cheerful and teasing, she seemed to be the calm and mature twin. She was quick witted and level headed, but also snarky and feisty! She was brave and determined, but I couldn't help being shocked that she was flirting while her brother was missing! Then again, teenager girls always do think of guys at just the wrong time, don't they? And Tony was rather hot!
Sam and Niamh's twin bond was amazingly described and really clever. Niamh got images of what Sam was going through and his emotions. Sam could sense her strong emotions. But Niamh couldn't use it to find Sam. The magnetic thingy in the Triangle was scrambling Niamh's feelings... hence not being able to sense him.
Callum, Sam's best friend, was awesome! He had a great sense of humour and was really snarky, along with being a curious, clever geek! While he was sensible and logical, he was always up for Sam's jokes. What I really liked about his was his ability to keep up the humour in the most difficult places: he really made me laugh!
Matt Cutler, was obsessed with the Bermuda Triangle, and never gave up on finding his wife. Which is rather romantic, if you ask me. While he could be moody at times he was great with boats and planes, relaxed and powerful under pressure.
All the various characters were awesome, and I loved that all the minor ones felt so real and padded out. Carrie was one I adored - she was so sweet and cheerful and helpful. And Carrie's brother Tony was just yummy! Moira Mitchell was one of my favourites, even though she was a super minor character. Her sense of humour and wonderful drawl were brilliant and funny.
The writing was brilliant. I loved the teen-ness in the kids' voices, and how American the Florida folk sounded. But more importantly: the action! It was non-stop and wrapped in mystery - my favourite kind! And I could see everything as I read - especially the world. And I loved the plot! Some bits were obvious (thanks to the blurb or common, maybe hopeful, sense) but everything Robson made up was unforeseeable! I was hooked, desperate to know more about the world, if the boys would be able to get home, if... And, man, did I not see this one particular twist coming. Just an overall awesome book packed with adventure and mystery. Yay!
I loved the world! A sulphur-smelling sea, a crocodile-sea-lion-whale-looks-like-its-about-to-eat-me thing, communist dinosaurs, advanced technology... Yeah, welcome to the Devil's Triangle, people! Unlike anything I'd ever read about before, I completely feel in love with the world. And Nipper, one of the raptors. (Is that strange?) But I loved the parallel to us: global warming and how much you're willing to put at stake for technology and power - bearing in mind the method is killing the planet and endangering the inhabitants. Mark's imagination was just amazing! I would never have been able to think up even the most basic bit of his world - and my imagination is worryingly vivid. Just... wow! A wow world, for a wow book by a wow author... More please?!

I always have a lot of fun with Mark Robsons work, whether its following an Imperial Assassin or riding on the back of dragons, you never know what you're going to get with each title apart from solid writing and a great adventure, everything else is up in the air awaiting the mental devouring of those lucky enough to pick up a copy of his book.

Here in this title Mark turns his hand at the Bermuda Triangle as Conan Doyle's Lost World meets futuristic Lizard Men with their own environmental apocalypse. Add to this a group of human rebels (ala Planet of the Apes) with a story told from the point of view of our twin heroes (Sam in the alternate world, Niamh in our own trying to find a way to get her brother and mother back) and you know that its building up for an epic series.

All in a great, if at times slightly confusing start but one that shows so much potential and options that we really can't wait to get our hands on the next title. Great stuff.