Serial Box publishes excellent serialized stories. I really enjoyed the Born to the Blade series, and when given the chance to read an upcoming serial partially written by my friend and editor, Dan Koboldt, I was ecstatic. I’m a fan of Dan’s Gateway to Alissia series. Now, Dan partnered with Sylvia Spruck Wrigley and Mindy McGinnis to create adventure fiction set in the Bermuda Triangle. This episodic story reminded me of Lost but faster paced and interested in solving the mysteries it sets up. The Triangle features a group of experts stranded on a mysterious island in search of a high-tech Naval ship. It’s fun, fast-paced, worth the read.
Disclaimer: Serial Box provided me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
TL;DR
The Triangle by Dan Koboldt, Sylvia Spruck Wrigley, and Mindy McGinnis is fun adventure fiction set in the Caribbean. It’s got mysteries, intrigue, and a hermit. Recommended.
From the Publisher
Since two massive hurricanes hit the Bermuda Triangle region, ships and planes have disappeared, leaving behind a trail of haunting radio transmissions. A covert task force investigates, but finds themselves caught in a third hurricane and shipwrecked on an uncharted island. They discover something shocking there—and not just that they aren’t alone on the island. Can they survive long enough to escape the Triangle and tell the world?
Story
The mystery of the Bermuda Triangle persists despite all kinds of traffic that pass through that area. But mysteries provide fertile ground for writers, and the Bermuda Triangle is extremely fertile ground. In The Triangle, a retired Naval admiral, David Segarra, gathers a group of experts to search for a “state-of-the-art amphibious assault vessel” that’s gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle. Tessa Dumont, a National Traffic Safety Board crash inspector, Michael Hammond, a grieving data retrieval expert, and Alastair McBride, a conspiracy theorist and expert on the Bermuda Triangle disappearances, join Segarra in the Caribbean to look for this missing Naval ship. Along the way, Inspector Marie St. Clair tags along with the expedition right before the group get lost in a storm and fog.
During the storm, their boat runs aground on a mysterious island. While trying to survive, the group encounters a young girl who’s plane crashed five years prior; yet, she doesn’t seem to have aged a day and talks about the moon people in the water. The island hosts a hermit who fires a rifle at anyone who approaches his hut. A yacht with honeymooners is beached on one side of the island. Mysteries abound on this island, and the tides reveal secrets. Can they solve the mysteries while finding food, water, and shelter? Oh, and can they get off the mysterious island?
The Triangle
I enjoyed The Triangle. In fact, I would have liked to spend more time with these characters. The story is told over the course of ten episodes, but each blend together to form a complete novel. The tension, pacing, and character development are all consistent for each episode written by a different author.
The conceit behind Serial Box’s method of publishing is that each story has multiple seasons, i.e. sequels. The Triangle season one ends with a complete story with potential for much more. If there’s a season two, I’m on board.
Serial Telling
In order to experience the serial nature of The Triangle, I read each episode separately. Well, almost. Upon finishing episode 9, I couldn’t wait to finish the season finale; so, I read straight through. I read an episode per day, and it was a different experience. Usually, I read through until I fall asleep or until something interrupts me. Setting down the story made reflect on whether each episode stood on its own while advancing the story, and each did. The Triangle reminded me of Lost, and each of The Triangle’s episodes felt like an episode of a drama show. The episodes had a beginning, middle, and end while advancing the overall story.
Criticisms
Conclusion
Dan Koboldt, Mindy McGinnis, and Sylvia Spruck Wrigley’s The Triangle from Serial Box is a fun adventure serial in the vein of James Rollins and Lost. I loved season one and am looking forward to more adventures. Recommended.