Triskellion

Triskellion #1

by Will Peterson

Rachel and Adam are sent to stay with their grandmother, following their parents' divorce. But the quiet English village is a sinister, unsettling place. Is there a dark heart beating beneath the thatched roofs of Triskellion?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction, Horror

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Will Peterson is a shared pseudonym of Mark Billingham, award-winning author of the bestselling Tom Thorne crime novels, and Peter Cocks, a popular children’s television writer and performer. Mark Billingham lives in London, and Peter Cocks lives in Kent, England.

Reviews

[Michelle Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was a bit disappointing. I'm either really stupid or the ending didn't answer all the questions. What was the triskellion for? After all that hunting, I don't get to know what the dang thing is for?! I know this is a trilogy, but this didn't make a very teasing cliffhanger. It was just lame. I guessed who Gabriel was early on, but I was sad that he didn't end up with Rachel; in fact, he's her (and Adam's) ancestor, an angel, and he vanishes. To me, it implied he was tied to earth because he disappeared when they put the three blades together, but doesn't say why he's leaving.

And I'm disappointed in granny. She is quick to believe what other people say about her own grandchildren and doesn't say a word in their defense when her grand-daughter is screamed at and slapped in an attempt to make her admit something she didn't do; granny actually invited this guy to her house with the intent of him "helping" get to the root of the problem. Then, when certain degenerate townsfolk organized a mob to track Rachel and Adam down, she never once pleaded for them to be unharmed. They're her only grandkids, and she doesn't give a wit about their safety.

Also, I was confused about how this book uses "p!ss" and "hell" freely and then defines words a 10 year old would know. This book feels like YA most of the time, and I wasn't bothered by language, but then they started asking what DNA was, which I learned in 3rd grade. Pffft.

I might continue the series, but it's not a priority.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been sitting in the library waiting for someone to get it out, so with a lack of takers it was me this school holiday. So glad I did too It's one of those gorgeous children's story's that I love - lots of description and observation so it's very visual and inviting. It had an old-worldy feel to it, mostly because of the rural backwater it was set in, and I liked that. Great tale of the old and new worlds colliding, family secrets, village superstitions, and twins who have an ability to mindtalk to each other. Loved it so much I'm going to get the rest of the series! It says that it is for readers 13+ but I think that an advanced reader from 9-12 would love it. Nothing horrible there for them, unless they're scared of the supernatural. Wonderful!

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started off SO awesomely and I must have raced through the first, like, fifty pages in ten minutes! And overall it IS a very fast read, but I felt that somewhere along the way it started to lose a bit of its shine somehow... like things just started getting a bit too odd and unexplained. I'm still not entirely sure what the elders of the town were so freaked out about, and it takes a long time before you really know what Adam and Rachel's mission is. Which, for a lot of the time, makes them just look a little silly and easily led by Gabriel. A lot of the time it felt like they were being meddlesome and should have just left well enough alone... there seemed no huge reason WHY the three pieces of the Triskellion suddenly HAD to be put together. But overall I did like this. Maybe I'll read the next book, but I'm not sure... only if it suddenly falls into my lap, I guess. Although GEEZ the ending/epilogue here! WHAT THE HELL? That sure makes me want to read the next book, hmph.

There's a lot of small-town Britishness here, where outsiders are frowned upon and locked out; a lot of generations-old creepiness and legend swirling around. It has the same sort of feel as books like the Magician's House series, so if you enjoy that sort of thing then I think you'd like this.

Also, holy shit the bees.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always a bit hesitant to give bad reviews to YA books because, let's face it, I'm an adult reading YA books. They weren't exactly meant for me.

But there was something about this book that just didn't sit very well with me. It was just oddly boring. There were all these interesting ideas and concepts involved - extraterrestrials, reincarnation (sort of), curses - and yet it was all kind of a snooze. It moved very slowly. I felt like it just kind of moved around in circles and even though a lot happened, nothing happened.

There are two other books in this series. I don't see any point to reading the other two. I'm kind of sorry I finished reading this one.

[Crowinator · Rating 3 out of 5]

Posted to my Livejournal in January 2009:

The book jacket caught me on this one, both the cover and the description of the plot. And I liked the book, though I'm not exactly sure what the hell happened at every turn. I don't think authors should hit their readers over the head with What It All Means, but in this case, I needed the various mysteries to be tied together a little bit more. Twins Rachel and Adam are sent to stay in a tiny village in England with their grandmother while their parents divorce, and this village has a disturbing past which Rachel and Adam, because of their birth, seem destined to uncover for all to see. A preternatural young boy named Gabriel makes friends with the twins, but he has an agenda that is opposite of the villagers -- he wants to uncover the truth, they want to hide it. There's a three-sided blade called the triskellion, a chalk circle on a hill under which something important is buried, a TV crew angling to film an archeological dig of this hill, and villagers meeting in secret in the woods to do terrible things. Oh, and there are bees -- lots of bees. Sometimes, this really reminded me of The Wicker Man, but in a good way, not in a "Nicolas Cage running through through the woods like an idiot and falling into one incomprehensible plot hole after another" way. There's the whole bee thing, and the close-mouthed small town villagers with a dark secret, and the pagan rituals, and wow, this really is like The Wicker Man. Except this has an alien. I think. Like I said, I'm not sure what happened at the end. I wouldn't say this is an excellent read, because the writing was a little flat, but I did really find the mystery intriguing, and I liked the heavy, atmospheric mood, so if there is a second book like Amazon says there is, I'll read it .

[George Fowles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐ The nostalgia is real for this one and idk why this isn't more hyped up as a young teen read. It's been years but it still holds up. Some of the shine has come off my fav character because I'm now looking at it with an adult perspective of questioning how kids get away with doing these things. The reveals seem really obvious now as well and a lot easier to pick up on. The writing is easy and quick to fly through in an addictive way, especially towardsthe end. I still think this is such a unique book in its mixture of archeological history and the supernatural and I love the cult vibes. I don't think I'll ever stop loving this book even if it feels more childish in some parts than it used to.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast-paced adventure that middle readers ought to love. When their parents divorce, Adam and Rachel Newman are sent to England to live with their grandmother in the little town of Triskellion. Triskellion is a town with a rich past, full of secrets which some prefer remain hidden. Sinister townsfolk, ancient artifacts, and supernatural elements combine to give Adam and Rachel a summer they will never forget. Adam and Rachel are appealing characters and easy to identify with, but some of the villains seemed a bit caricatured. I wasn't convinced by the way the archaeological excavations were portrayed, and the ending left me a little bit cold. However, as a whole this book reminded me of some of my favorite readers from my preteen and early adolescent years, such as Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Shadows on the Wall, and I think it could very well get kids interested in learning more about Britain's rich prehistoric past.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read! It was an archeology mystery/thriller/sci-fi book for teens with a fun dose of fact thrown in. There were a few elements at the beginning which were obvious devices to add an air of mystery and danger. Upon completing the book and having all mysteries solved, they didn’t really fit in in a satisfactory way. She had enough neat stuff going on—they didn’t really need to be thrown in as well.

[Sami · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. i just gotta say that i honestly didn't think this book was gonna be this good. boy was i wrong! i have never read anything quite like it. i loved the suspense, action, and even the confusion. the ending was a bit of a bummer but that just makes me want to read more. i would explain but then it would give away the ending so....

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some mystery to it which is the only thing had me going. I wanted to figure out what the hell was going to happen to the twins. I'm still very confused on what I just read. To be honest I'm not 100% if I will read the 2nd book. I was hoping it would just hurry up and finish when i got to the last few chapters.

[Elicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intoxicating and amazing read. This author has given me something that other authors have failed to give me: fear and suspense that is so strong that you find yourself wrapped up in your own fear.

[Liteboho Motloheloa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am confusion

[Noémie · Rating 3 out of 5]

J’ai bien aimé le mélange de King (surnaturel, thriller) et de Barjavel (archéologie, historique). J’ai quand même trouvé que l’intrigue prenait du temps a s’installer, ce qui fait que j’ai faillit laisser tomber plusieurs fois
Aussi, la fin est quand même assez décevante (la mort de Celia qui n’a aucun interêt, l’arrivée de la mère aussi qui est un peu trop facile), quand toute l’intrigue était enfin posée je me surprenais à essayer de devenir quelle était la solution à tout ceci. J’essaie encore de la deviner. Certains points n’étaient pas assez élaborés (l’histoire d’amour entre Gabriel et Rachel ? Alors que c’est plutôt censé être une figure paternelle pour elle ? Et le rôle du Triskellion là dedans ? Pourquoi fallait il absolument le réunir ? Qu’est ce que ça fait à Gabriel que ses ancêtres aient retrouvés leurs cœurs ?)

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rachel and Adam grew up in New York but their mum grew up in a small English Village called 'Triskellion' and they are sent to stay with their gran there for the summer while her parents sort out a divorce.
Immediately the town seems strange and a weird 3 pointed symbol appears everywhere. The twins start to uncover some mysteries and get into all sorts of trouble.

The book is an easy read, at 378 pages I finished it in less than 3 hours. It wasn't the most exciting of reads but it kept me interested enough to keep going. The characters are ok, i like the bond between the twins and they strangeness of Gabriel.
Not a bad read and I will finish the series but not something I am massively excited about either.

[Marsha Dermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Triskellion series is for young adult readers, but not for the faint hearted. As the story progresses it becomes darker, threatening and more sinister, revealing an ancient rural cult with dubious practices and paranormal activity that its members will stop at nothing to protect.
These books are extremely well-written, yet very accessible, with well-developed characters who slowly evolve, discovering their inner strengths and their true identities. The plot continues to twist right up to the very end of the trilogy. Eerie.

[Dane Divine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book because of the cover and the title. I'm from Devon so it felt like a Cornish name. The village was very much like some of the wee villages in the South West of England, and the characters were great.
It was an interesting story of magic and aliens. The dreams and family history didn't work 100% but it is fiction.
I though the Green Men villagers gave Pagans a bad name too! lol!
But hey ho, great for a quick read.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook. Well read.

Intriguing, kept me guessing throughout the story. Left a few unanswered questions though, like why burying the maiden and knight without their hearts outside the village actually did and what the triskellion actually did for them. Didn't really resolve all my answers I didn't think.
Curious enough that I'll continue the series.

[Heather Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that this was different from other YA sci-fi I've read - there was a genuine sense of mystery where it wasn't obvious what was going to happen, and I appreciated that. It did feel much more like the introduction to a story rather than a stand-alone book in itself though, all set-up without much payoff yet.

[Amanda ☕ Steeping Stories ☕]

ah yes, the weird alien(?) trilogy I read as a child that was both creepy af and alluringly fascinating

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[Tardisgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ask me what I read, I couldn't tell you. And it was actually not even really eventful. And yet it kept me reading, wanting to know what happens next. (The ending was a bit anticlimactic, I have to admit).
I finished this in 3 days. And I really want to read book 2 and 3. Too bad our library doesn't have those, so it'll have to wait.

[Shell Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

It kept me interested enough to want to finish it but I don't know if I'll be buying the next 2 books. I enjoyed it but I don't know if I care enough about Rachel and Adam to read 2 more books.
I'll be writing a full review on my blog https://www.shelllouise.co.uk

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't fault it so had to give it 5. Quick, easy, flowing read. Good characters. Good story. Good setting. Bit of mystery, tragedy, love and crime. What more does one need for a great YA? Highly recommend to all YAs.

[Aerin Carmain · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept thinking the twist at the end would have to be something really great to tie up all the random loose ends. It wasn't. I'm annoyed that I wasted my time only to be left with the stupidest ending ever. 😒

[Annie Pinto · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know I am not the audience for this book and so I hesitate to give it such a poor rating, but I just did not enjoy the book. I found it quite boring.

[Mavis Hewitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely intend to read next one in series

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much potential but ultimately I found it really boring! I am so keen to find texts the grip young people and this is not one of them.

[Rose Mckendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books of all time, I always recommend this trilogy to anyone. So many twists and turns mixed with history. Just incredible!

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

D. fiction, YA, fantasy, dark

[Naomi kell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good book, enjoyable and easy to read but felt a bit long and slow at times

[Aiko]

DNF - I probably would have kept reading this book, if i didn't buy a bunch of books i was more excited about in the middle of it.