Triton - by Dan Rix

 

Triton is another “grey area” book. It’s marketed as a Young Adult book, but it’s not something I’d feel comfortable recommending to young adults because of some of the language used and some of the scenario’s that the characters get into.

The book follows the story of a group of teenagers on a cruise through the abduction of the adults and they have to grow up fast when they find themselves in sole control of a huge cruise liner.

I found the book to be okay. The plot flowed smoothly enough and I liked the reference to Costa Concordia… though I can’t help but feel that it’s still a little too close to the tragedy for such references. I didn’t much care for the graphic details of the abuse suffered by one of the characters – especially since there’s hardly a mention of the mental abuse suffered by anyone who has been through this type of abuse.

One thing I’m always saying is “Research your conditions”. If your character has a scar s/he doesn’t want others to see, there’s no way would they be wearing a bikini for all the tea in China. In general, while the story is good, I can’t help but feel that very little (if any) time has been spent on research prior to the book’s release – which is a shame because a little research would make a good book better.

I liked the survival instinct of the characters though, when up against things, they seemed to develop old heads on young shoulders – although they were a little foolish at times which made their ages seem a little more believable.