Surprisingly, in view of its rather bizarre title, this book spins a terrific yarn. I don’t know if traditional fans of science fiction will initially feel at home with The Tomb of the Devils, although the story does revolve around lost rocket ships, mechanical monstrosities, unrecognizable technology, with a setting definitely in the future, and yet all of it plays dated, as if somehow we are reading another version of Robison Crusoe, except that in this instance there are three space wrecked astronauts.

Continuing with that comparison: what might we have thought if master Crusoe had been searching the high seas for a legendary “lost ship,” and it so happened that the very vessel for which he had been searching had come aground upon the island he now inhabited. And there is much evidence that the crew of that last vessel had survived brilliantly, creating a paradisiacal refuge. However, and here in lies the beginning of the mysteries, all of these sailors had suddenly and completely disappeared as if they had all simply walked off the island, en masse, even while this, of course, is impossible. One may begin at this point to imagine the flavor of The Tomb of the Devils.

From the above I might also suggest emphatically that the readers of traditional mysteries would be remiss in not feasting on this novel. Not to despoil anything, I will mention that every effort made by the three protagonists, to solve the mysteries within this place they are forced to call home, fail miserably, and yet the truth will inexorably be thrust upon them.

As a possible further enticement I will be a bit more explicit and confide that as the mysteries of the ninth planet are opened, the characters find that there is a reciprocal “opening” made of each one of them, and that the time they will spend as castaways produces three largely different astronauts from those who originally arrived on Pluto.

I called The Tomb of the Devils a great yarn to begin. Now I will add further that it is a “page burner”. I am not sure you’ll be “able to put it down”. I ask your forgiveness for the clichés, however, in this instance they are the veritable truth. By the way, you Science Fiction

Aficionados; once you have given the book a fair chance, you will be immensely grateful that you did.

--- Howard Bartilini