Devil's Sea (Atlantis)
It may seem unlikely that a combination thriller/fantasy/pro-ecological/historical romance would have any resonance, much less coherence, but that is exactly what readers will find in the third installment of Donegan's Atlantis series (Atlantis: Bermuda Triangle). Ex-Green Beret Eric Dane joins forces with sexy scientist Ariana Michelet to uncover the mystery of the Shadows, sinister unseen creatures from another dimension. What makes this episode unique is that Donegan actually describes the Shadow creaturesAwho regrettably resemble the aliens described in countless UFO booksAwhile offering a series of flashbacks to ancient Rome where the brooding gladiator Falco aids a courageous Kaia in her fight against the alien menace that caused the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. All this leads to a showdown between the Shadows and the combined forces of Eric and Ariana, who must prevent the Shadows from blowing up the Pacific Rim, and Falco and Kaia, who team up inside a cloud along with Amelia Earhart. While this may seem outrageous, Donegan weaves these historical and pseudoscientific elements into a coherent whole that satisfies both as a bold page-turner and an enjoyable frolic in the pulp adventure tradition. (Feb. 6) Forecast: Donegan (aka Joe Dalton, Bob McGuire, Robert Doherty) combines his military experience with his love of SF in a series that, fortunately for newcomers, can be read as stand-alone books. Although Donegan is better known for his Area 51 SF thrillers (written as Doherty), this series is steadily building a cult following via word of mouth.Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.